Nowadays, you can make a cake without much difficulty, as you can buy cake mixes which are available in different flavors and types. However, if you want to prepare a cake from scratch, it will take some time as well as skills to make the end product perfect. Vanilla cakes have always been popular as they are easy to make and offer a rich flavor.
How to Make French Vanilla Cake
You may either purchase any of the store-bought French vanilla cake mix or make the cake from scratch. As vanilla is a flavor that goes well with other ingredients like fruits, chocolate, coffee powder and almond extract, you may incorporate them for different flavors.
Recipe I - Using Cake Mix
Ingredients needed
- French vanilla cake mix - 1 packet (18¼ ounces)
- Water - 1⅓ cup
- Eggs - 3
- Vegetable oil - ⅓ cup
Method of preparation
Take a large bowl and combine the cake mix, along with the other ingredients. Once the ingredients mix well, beat the mixture for at least 3 minutes. Pour the batter into greased and floured baking pans (13 x 9 inches). Place the pans inside the oven that is preheated to 350°F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes and your cake is ready. Cool well before applying frosting.
Recipe II - From Scratch
Ingredients needed
- All-purpose flour - 2½ cups
- Eggs - 4
- Sugar - 2 cups
- Milk - 1 cup
- Vegetable oil - ¾ cup
- Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
- Baking powder - 2 teaspoons
Method of preparation
Take the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat them together till the mixture thickens. Add the remaining ingredients and beat the mixture for 1-2 minutes. Now the batter is ready to be transferred into the baking pans that are already greased and floured. Once done, bake them in the oven that is preheated to 350°F. It will take around 30 minutes for the cake to get baked. Once baked, allow the French vanilla cake to cool before applying frosting.
Recipe III - From Scratch
Ingredients needed
- All-purpose flour - 3 cups
- Eggs - 4
- Sugar - 2 cups
- Milk - 1 cup
- Unsalted butter (soft) - 1 cup
- Baking powder - 2 teaspoons
- Salt - ¾ teaspoon
- Vanilla extract - 2 tablespoons
Method of preparation
Sift the flour, along with baking powder and salt. Take a large bowl and beat butter in it, till it turns fluffy. Add sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. The next step is to add the eggs, one by one. Make sure to beat the mixture for at least a minute, after adding each egg. Add the sifted flour in small batches. After adding each batch of flour, add some milk and combine everything well. Once the flour and milk are mixed well with the egg-sugar mixture, add the vanilla extract. Combine well and pour the batter into greased and floured pans. Bake them in the oven (for 25 to 30 minutes) that is preheated to 350°F. Once done, remove from the oven and cool the cake before frosting.
If you have shortage of time, it is better to opt for ready-made cake mix. Others who wish to bake a French vanilla cake at home and surprise their loved ones may try one of the above explained recipes to prepare this delicious vanilla cake.
