Vanilla 10 Inch Cake
A simple vanilla 10 inch cake with three soft and fluffy layers that are frosted with American buttercream and is easily customizable!
Guess what?! I made a perfect three layer, vanilla 10 inch cake to add to my list of base recipes! So far we have a 4 Inch Cake, 6 Inch Cake and 8 Inch Cake and now a 10 inch cake.
If you didn’t already know, I’m on a mission to make multiple sizes because one size does not fit all. Doubling and halving recipes doesn’t always work so I’m here to take the guess work out for you!
For my vanilla 10 inch cake I used pretty much the same ingredients as my Vanilla Cake. I look for 3 main things when I develop my cake recipes- the perfect texture, great flavor, and a simple recipe.
Each ingredient is an important component to achieving all three, so sticking to these ingredients will give you the perfect 10 inch cake.
I also have this cake in an:
Ingredients:
- Flour: I like using all-purpose flour in my cakes because most people already have it at home. If you don’t use a digital scale to measure your flour I highly recommend purchasing one. Over measuring is one of the most common baking mistakes.
- Fat: I use both oil and butter in this 10 inch cake. I love the flavor the butter gives and the spongy texture oil creates.
- Whole Egg: I use whole eggs because I love the richer flavor it gives. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature to make sure the batter doesn’t curdle. If you forget to take your eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, you can put them under hot water.
- Sugar: You can’t have cake without sugar. It provides moisture, flavor and structure so don’t skimping! I used just granulated sugar in this recipe but it’s made to be adaptable so you can make a brown sugar cake by just swapping the granulated sugar for brown sugar.
- Liquid: I like the texture and flavor from using milk and sour cream so I used both in this 10 inch cake. If you don’t have sour cream you can substitute it for equal amounts of Greek yogurt.
Vanilla Buttercream
I made vanilla American Buttercream to go with the cake but you can make whatever frosting your heart desires.
You’ll need two batches of frosting, meaning a frosting that uses at least 2 cups of butter. So two batches of my Swiss Meringue Buttercream or French Buttercream recipes.
If you want the decorate the cake more than I did, I recommend doing either 1.5x or 2x the amount of frosting.sss
If you don’t already have a copy of my book Frosted, I recommend checking that out. You will find 60 different variations taken from 13 base recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Vanilla 10 inch cake will make approximately 40 cupcakes. However, it was developed for cakes, so the cupcakes might sink/sag a little instead of having a nice beautiful dome.
If you want to make vanilla cupcakes I recommend making my vanilla cupcake recipe.
You certainly can!
To make it chocolate, remove 1 cup (120g) of flour and add 1 1/2 cups (120g) cocoa power.
To make it wedding cake, in addition to the vanilla extract, add 2 tsp of almond extract
To make a spice cake, add at least 2 Tbsp of spices – I would do 1 Tbsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp ginger and 1 tsp allspice or cloves; I would also swap the sugar for brown sugar.
I have not tested adding fruit flavors to this cake but you can certainly use a fruit flavored frosting or fruit flavored extracts without any problems.
I use baking spray with flour to grease my pans and my cakes rarely stick to the pan. You can also line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper. I don’t use butter or flour but know plenty of people who use those methods with success too.
How to store cake
Unfrosted cake layers
You can make the cake layers ahead of time. For best results, allow the cake layers to cool almost to room temperature. When they’re still just slightly warm, wrap them in plastic wrap and leave them on the counter overnight.
If you’re making them more than one day in advance, you’ll want to freeze them. Place the plastic wrapped layers in a freezer bag, removing the excess air, and freeze on a flat surface.
You can remove the cakes from the freezer and frost right away or you can remove them a few hours earlier and bring them back to room temperature. If you’re frosting them frozen, make sure to let the cake rest so it thaws before serving.
How to store the finished cake
If the cake is fully frosted and unsliced, you can leave it on the counter overnight (unless it feels soft and unstable, then refrigerate it).
If the cake is partially sliced, cover any cut sections with plastic wrap or a cake dome. Place all the slices in an airtight container. It can stay at room temperature for a day or refrigerated for up to a week.
How to freeze the cake
If the cake is sliced, place the slices in an airtight container. You can also individually wrap each slice in plastic wrap if you want to remove one at a time. Place the container in a freezer bag and squeeze out all the excess air. You can store them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
You can also freeze the cake whole. To do this, refrigerate the cake until the frosting is firm, a couple of hours. Then wrap the whole cake in plastic wrap, twice and freeze for up to two months.
Let the cake thaw in the fridge over night. Then remove the plastic wrap and let it thaw on the counter until serving.
Keep in mind, the cake is never as good as fresh.
Thanks so much for reading today’s post! If you have any questions just comment down below, I’m happy to answer! If you make this 10 inch cake I would love to see the results. Make sure to tag me @baranbakery on instagram and order my cookbook, Frosted.
As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
Genuinely devastated! I followed directions 10/10 and it came out so dry 🙁 it sat unfrosted in a Tupperware overnight and then frosted & eating the next day.
Hi Michelle, did you measure your ingredients using a scale or measuring cups?