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Best Gold Star Vanilla Bean Birthday Cake (Easy Homemade Recipe)

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This is the only vanilla bean birthday cake recipe you’ll ever need. It’s perfectly moist and tender, with real vanilla flavor from vanilla bean paste, and it comes together easily for a crowd-pleasing celebration cake.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ¾ cups (345g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
  • 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened (for frosting)
  • 5 cups (600g) powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (for frosting)
  • ¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (for frosting)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment paper, grease paper, and dust with flour.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat softened butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape bowl halfway through.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla bean paste and beat until combined.
  5. With mixer on low, add one-third of flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Add half of buttermilk, mix. Repeat with another third of flour, remaining buttermilk, and final third of flour. Stop mixing when flour disappears.
  6. Fold batter gently with a rubber spatula to ensure even incorporation.
  7. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans (about 570g each). Smooth tops. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  8. Cool cakes in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges, invert onto rack, peel off parchment. Cool completely (at least 1 hour).
  9. For frosting: Beat softened butter on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, on low speed. Add vanilla bean paste, salt, and heavy cream. Beat on medium-high for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
  10. Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread about 1 cup frosting evenly on top. Place second layer on top. Apply a thin crumb coat, refrigerate 20 minutes, then apply final layer of frosting.

Notes

Room temperature ingredients are crucial for best results. Check baking powder freshness. For clean slices, refrigerate frosted cake for 30 minutes before cutting. The cake can be made up to 2 days ahead or frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: vanilla bean cake, birthday cake, homemade cake, vanilla cake, easy cake recipe

Find it online: https://novanosh.com/best-gold-star-vanilla-bean-birthday-cake-easy-homemade-recipe/