I hate that "vanilla" is used in a derogatory way to say that something is boring. To me, vanilla is one of the most delicious flavors. Frequently, one of my best friends complains that it "doesn't taste like anything." I think he most have been severely shaken as a baby or perhaps suffered some other brain trauma that prevents him enjoying things in life. Either way, I pity him. I love a vanilla cake and I'm proud to say that this recipe is the best vanilla cake that I've ever eaten. For this classic cake, I've included my chocolate frosting recipe as well but feel free to make whatever frosting you'd like.

Makes one 8” round double layer cake

Cake:

10.5 oz of flour (2 cups plus about 2 Tbsp)

10 oz sugar (1 1/4 cup)

1 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp aquafaba*

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1 cup soy milk

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup water

1 Tbsp vanilla 

Frosting:

12.5 oz (roughly 2 3/4 cups) powdered sugar

7 oz (roughly 1 cup) vegetable shortening (Earth Balance or Crisco work well)

1 oz (about 3 Tbsp + 2 tsp) dark or regular cocoa powder

3 Tbsp soy milk (or other plant-based milk)

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

Line the bottom of two 8” cake pans with parchment paper. (Don’t grease the sides of the pan as this will cause the sides of the cake to not cook properly.)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the aquafaba and cream of tartar. With a hand whisk, beat the aquafaba for about 15-30 seconds by hand to get it started (this helps the machine since there is such a small amount in the bowl). With the whip attachment on the mixer, beat the aquafaba to stiff peaks (this will take about 7 minutes). If you don’t have a stand mixer feel free to get your exercise and whip it by hand or if you have an electric hand mixer this will will work well too.

While the aquafaba is beating, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and combine with a whisk.

In a medium bowl, combine the soy milk, oil, water and vanilla and whisk to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk by hand until smooth. You don’t want any lumps of flour.

Add the whipped aquafaba to the batter and with a spatula, gently fold the aquafaba into the batter. Be gentle in this step since you want to maintain as much of the air from the aquafaba as possible. Fold and gently stir until you no longer see any white streaks.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans evenly (I’m so anal that I weigh each one and make sure they are within a gram or two of each other) and bake at 350F degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Before you remove the cakes from the pans run a knife along the edge to make sure it will release from the pan easily. Remove the cakes from the pans and allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack.

While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting. For this cake, I’m using a simple chocolate frosting since a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting is not only a classic, it’s fucking delicious. 

In a stand mixer, combine the powdered sugar, shortening, cocoa powder, soy milk and vanilla. With the whip attachment, start to beat the frosting on low and then slowly increase the speed to high. Scrape down the sides and bottom as needed to make sure everything is getting evenly combined. Whip the frosting until it is light and airy (about 5 - 7 minutes). (Note if you don’t have a stand mixer, a hand mixer will work too.)

Once the cakes are cool you can finally assemble the layers. Place one of the cakes on a cake stand or plate. (I usually place 4 pieces of wax paper or parchment paper under the edges of the cake so that the plate stays clean as I frost it.) Place a generous dollop of frosting (about 3/4 cups) on the top of the bottom layer and evenly spread it to cover the top of the cake. Gently place the top layer onto the bottom layer and frost the top and side of the cake to cover.

Gently set the second layer of cake onto the top and coat the top and sides with the remaining frosting. (Tip: To make the frosting look as smooth as possible, first cover the outside of the cake with a thin “crumb coat” of frosting. This will hopefully catch loose crumbs so they don’t come through the final layer of frosting.)

There is no shame in presenting a delicious, simply frosted cake to guests. If you have any piping skills and want to decorate it, that’s even better. Just retain about 1/2 cup of frosting so you have some to load into the pastry bag.

Nutritional information: Per serving 363 cal., 27.5g fat, 4.5g protein

*Never used aquafaba? Click here for a great intro.