Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting ❄︎ 12th Baking Day of Christmas 2015

Drumroll, please… To cap off the 12 Baking Days of Christmas series, I give to you this ah-mazing vanilla cake with vanilla cream cheese frosting. Ta-da!

It’s not just any old cake either. It’s a soft and fluffy delectable cake that feels like you’re eating a vanilla-flavored cloud. For real. I made this cake for my son’s 4th birthday, and again for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. It’s just that good.

And it’s so beautiful that it’s the perfect cake for Christmas. You can glam it up with lots of festive red and green, or keep it simple with a white-on-white theme. Either way, it will be warmly received.

I guess I should have started the series with some observations about my baking style. I do not claim to know everything there is to know about the science of baking; I started cooking and baking later in life after I married and had kids. My style is not for everyone, but this is what works for me.

I don’t use fondant.

Even though fondant helps to create some of the most beautiful cakes, I don’t care for the taste or consistency and so I don’t decorate with it. You’ll only find rich, delicious, edible frostings on my cakes.

I spoon and level.

With two toddlers in the house, I have enough mess to clean and my free time to bake is sporadic at best. Instead of sifting ingredients, I spoon flour and powdered sugar into measuring cups, and then level. I dunk a measuring cup into my bin of granulated sugar, and then level. No heaping spoonfuls of spices either; I level all dry ingredients. I like to think that even without sifting, I have terrific results.

I don’t always get to go from start to finish.

Sometimes it takes days — like when I’m making sugar cookies — and sometimes my baked goodies cool for hours before I get a chance to finish them. With a household to run, I am often interrupted by more pressing things (e.g., my kids) and so I’ve found ways to still enjoy baking even if it doesn’t go smoothly from start to finish.

I encourage my children to help.

I think it’s great to involve children with cooking early, and baking is a ton of fun. (And it keeps them from tearing down the house while I’m busy in the kitchen.) I handle the measurements and they pour into the mixer. Taste testing is their favorite part. Sometimes we overly mix batters, but that’s okay in my book. Most of the time we do just fine and they have a great sense of satisfaction for having helped to create something.

So back to the vanilla cake… I found the recipe on Kendall-Jackson’s blog and it’s terrific the way it’s written. I bumped up the vanilla flavoring in my version and paired it with my signature vanilla cream cheese frosting. You’ll want to use clear vanilla extract to maintain a bright white frosting and light cake.

And in case you were wondering, I made the poinsettia flowers from stiffened felt. I found the tutorial here. One sheet from the craft store easily made three flowers. The tutorial uses them as brooches, but I think they’d even be pretty as gift toppers, magnets, hair accessories and strung together as garland.

I hope you enjoyed the 12 Baking Days of Christmas and found at least one recipe that inspires you to create a new holiday treat. It has certainly been my pleasure baking for you! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! — v.

The 12 Baking Days of Christmas 2015

Day 1 ❄︎ Cookies For Santa
Day 2 ❄︎ Cranberry Bliss Bars
Day 3 ❄︎ Saltine Toffee Bark
Day 4 ❄︎ Holiday Baked Brie
Day 5 ❄︎ Grinch Crinkle Cookies
Day 6 ❄︎ Baked French Toast Casserole
Day 7 ❄︎ Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Day 8 ❄︎ Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms
Day 9 ❄︎ Cherry-Rum Biscotti
Day 10 ❄︎ Cinnamon Roll Casserole
Day 11 ❄︎ Snowflake Sugar Cookies
Day 12 ❄︎ Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

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Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

December 12, 2015

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By: v.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 
  VANILLA CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

• Step 1 For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by coating with baking spray or lightly greasing. For added insurance, line the bottoms of each pan with a circle of parchment paper.
• Step 2 In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer until soft and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until smooth. Add vanilla and combine.
• Step 3 Add flour mixture to creamed butter mixture, alternating with milk. Start and end with flour mixture. Beat until smooth.
• Step 4 Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
• Step 5 For the frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until soft and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar, a cup at a time, and beat until light and fluffy.
  
  Vanilla cake is adapted slightly from the Kendall-Jackson Blog.