Vanilla layer cake recipe

Experiment with adding different flavours once you've nailed the basic recipe for this simple but striking show-stopper. Here are just some of the flavours you can play about with in this recipe: citrus zest (use the zest of 3–4 fruits), almond extract, freeze-dried fruit powders, orange blossom water, rose water, liqueurs, lavender and spices, such as cinnamon, cardamom, etc. You can also layer this cake up with your choice of fresh fruits, homemade curd, crème pâtissière, caramel, etc!

This recipe makes 5 x 18cm/7inch cakes.

Ingredients

Details

  • Cuisine: British
  • Recipe Type: Cake
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Preparation Time: 20 mins
  • Cooking Time: 35 mins
  • Serves: 30

Step-by-step

  1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3. Grease 5 x 18cm/7inch cake tins with butter and line the bases with baking paper.
  2. Add the butter, sugar and salt to a stand mixer (or use a handheld electric whisk) fitted with the balloon whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed until the butter is smooth, then increase the speed to high and whisk until the butter is fluffy and pale in colour.
  3. Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Add the egg mixture, 1 tbsp at a time, to the creamed butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix to combine.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix the milk and yogurt together. Sift the flour, baking powder and almond flour together into another bowl.
  5. Alternate between sifting in a quarter of the flours, then adding a quarter of the milk and yogurt to the main mixture, mixing on slow speed after each addition. Be careful not to overmix and add the flour and milk when the ingredients from the batch before have only semi-mixed in.
  6. Divide the batter between the prepared cake tins and bake for 30–35 minutes until a skewer or a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  7. When the cakes are baked, leave them to cool in their tins for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and turn out onto wire racks. Peel off the baking paper and leave to cool.
  8. Make sure the cakes are cool before assembling – you can make 1 tall stacked cake or 2 shorter cakes. Decorate simply with fresh cream and fruit between the layers.

This recipe is from Celebrate With Kim-Joy (Quadrille, £20). Photography ©Ellis Parrinder.

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Kim-Joy's crème brûlée cake

Pineapple and ginger upside-down cake

Twice-baked chocolate cake

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