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    Home » All Recipes » Cakes & Cupcakes

    Vanilla Bean Cake Recipe, Especially for Aunt Becky

    Published: Jul 15, 2011

    Note: This site is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the site to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.

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    Let me start off by saying... vanilla cake is not my thing - and that's my excuse for why I don't have a photograph of it for this blog entry. In my years of professionally making cakes, I've never made a straight-up vanilla cake for anyone. I've made 2 vanilla layers in my 4 layer Cookies N Cream Cake, and I've made cakes that are white (Usually Amaretto!)... but no vanilla ones.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm not in the "Vanilla is not a flavor!" camp, I'm in the "Bah, too subtle a flavor for cake" camp. I may be alone in this camp... I don't know. Also, with all of the grocery stores and mixes out there that put their flavorless "white" cakes off as 'vanilla'... I may be a little psychologically damaged against them. Word associations and whatnot.

    Anyway, speaking of psychologically damaged... (I'm so sorry! Segue I couldn't resist!).. let me tell you about my favorite tweep/blogger!

    Becky Sherrick Harks (AKA "Aunt Becky") is the warped mind behind Mommy Wants Vodka. I first came across her twisted brilliance on "The Twitter", and have been a fan ever since.

    Yes, fan. I don't celeb worship, or fangirl out about... well, pretty much anyone, really*. Aunt Becky's brand of digital dementedness, though? That's something I can definitely get behind. She's mouthy. She curses. She's a fellow PTSD badass. She's witty, knows how to spell, has admirable syntax, and really... her avatar photo (pictured here) is her wielding a chainsaw - while sporting a swimsuit and jewelry. She understands the proper usage of both "irony" AND "literally". I mean really, what's NOT to love about this woman?

    Aside from all of the fun stuff, I also admire the work Becky has done online to bring together people affected by parenting, loss, mental illness, health crises, and well... anything that is bullshit. I guess you could say that that the title for my forthcoming tornado memoir - "Tornadoes are Bullshit" - is at least partially inspired by her. Anyway, she's built a great blog community of support awesomeness at www.BandBackTogether.com. Also, she runs www.mushroomprinting.com, another great way to waste alllll kinds of time that I don't have, online.

    Yes. Becky is all kinds of awesome. Back to cake...

    Becky's favorite cake flavor is vanilla, with vanilla bean frosting. Because of her awesomeness, I'll forgive her that. Anyway, It's Aunt Becky's birthday today, so FOR HER... I bring you my Vanilla Bean Cake recipe. It's not your momma's vanilla cake, though. This is IN YOUR FACE vanilla flavor. Go big or go home, forget subtlety. Just be sure to use the good stuff!

    Happy birthday, Aunt Becky... from one of your faithful pranksters!

    Vanilla Bean Cake

    3 cups Cake flour
    2 ¼ cups Sugar
    2 tablespoon Baking powder
    1 ½ teaspoon Salt
    3 ½ oz Instant vanilla pudding mix**
    6 Eggs
    1 ½ cup Water
    1 ½ cups Butter, melted
    2 tablespoon Pure vanilla extract
    1 vanilla bean

    1 batch Swiss meringue buttercream
    2 tablespoon Pure vanilla extract
    1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

    Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Liberally grease two 8" or 10" round cake pans with vegetable shortening, and/or spray with baking spray. Alternatively, line 25 muffin tins with cupcake liners.

    Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pudding mix in a large mixing bowl. Add in eggs and water, beating until smooth. Carefully add melted butter and vanilla to the mix, mixing on medium speed until smooth. Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Mix together vanilla extract and vanilla bean scrapings, add to batter. Mix until well incorporated.

    Divide batter among prepared cake pans. Bake until golden and knife inserted into center of batter comes out clean - about 45-60 minutes. (~20-22 mins for cupcakes) Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before turning cakes out onto baking rack to cool fully. Ideally, allow to cool to room temperature, wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

    Allow cake to sit overnight, make frosting & ice cake the following day. (Cupcakes can/should be frosted the same day! Just allow them to cool first)

    Prepare either Swiss meringue buttercream, following the applicable recipe. Mix together vanilla extract and vanilla bean scrapings, add to frosting to flavor it.

    ** The pudding mix can be skipped, if you're a purist. It makes the cake extra moist and the recipe really... idiot proof.

    * I would totally fangirl out about meeting Louis Pasteur, if he hadn't gone and died 116 years ago.

    Oh, and shameless plug: You should buy my book, "Evil Cake Overlord", because it's full of great cake recipes!

    Interested in making wickedly delcious cakes? You'll LOVE my second cookbook, Evil Cake Overlord! We've long been known for our “ridiculously delicious” moist cakes and tasty, unique flavors. Now, you can have recipes for all of the amazing flavors on our former custom cake menu, and many more! Bake your moist work of gastronomic art, then fill and frost your cake with any number of tasty possibilities. Milk chocolate cardamom pear, mango mojito.. even our famous Chai cake – the flavor that got us into “Every Day with Rachel Ray” magazine!

    Feeling creative? Use our easy to follow recipe to make our yummy fondant. Forget everything you’ve heard about fondant – ours is made from marshmallows and powdered sugar, and is essentially candy – you can even flavor it! Order your copy here.

    More Cake Recipes!

    Looking for more ridiculously delicious cake recipes? As the "Evil Cake Overlord", I've got you covered! (Ps: Check out my instructions for making Marshmallow Fondant, as well!)

    Tortes:
    B-52 Torte
    Bahama Mama Torte
    Blood Orange Truffle Torte
    Citrus Splendor Torte
    Cookies N Cream Cake
    Raspberry Tiramisu Torte
    Schmoo Torte
    Spumoni Cake
    Tiger Tail Cake

    Bundt, Sheet, & Upside Down Cakes
    Bananas Foster Upside Down Cake
    Brandied Apple Upside Down Cake
    Deep N Delicious Cake
    French Martini Bundt Cake
    French Martini Upside Down Cake
    Mango Mojito Upside Down Cake
    Pina Colada Bundt Cake
    Strawberry Mango Marble Cake

    Cupcakes:
    3D Monarch Butterfly Cupcakes
    Chai Cupcakes
    Easy Butterfly Cupcakes
    Fat Elvis Cupcakes
    Lynchburg Lemonade Cupcakes
    Pink Grapefruit Daiquiri Cupcakes

    Also: I have Cake Decorating Tutorials, and posts about previous Decorated Cakes that I've made.

    Share the Love!

    Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

    Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense.

    Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

    Related posts:

    A pina colada bundt cake with white glaze dripping from the top is shown next to a tall tulip shaped glass of pina colada. A coconut and pineapple are in the background. Pina Colada Bundt Cake A plate of sliced strawberry mango marble cake slices rests in front of the cake it was cut from. The cake is made of brightly coloured pink and orange batters, marbled together, Strawberry Mango Marble Cake A mango mojito upside down cake: a large round single layer mango upside down cake, on a glass plate. It has a white icing drizzled over it, and has a sprig of fresh mint on the side of the plate. Mango Mojito Upside Down Cake Recipe A close up photo of a tray of Chai Cupcakes. Chai Cupcakes
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Katrina

      July 20, 2011 at 8:14 pm

      I love "has admirable syntax"...LOVE IT. Love your cakes, too ; )

      Reply
    2. Rose Red

      July 24, 2011 at 1:57 am

      Just by reading about Aunt Becky I can say I admire her too! You're not alone in the “Bah, too subtle a flavor for cake” camp. I also think vanilla is overrated but when I've read about this recipe I thought I might do it too... just in pure curiosity.

      Reply
    3. Tabby Animals

      July 24, 2011 at 9:08 pm

      So sweet of you to make a blog post and a cake for your Aunty Becky. I might do this also for my mom. Thanks for giving me an idea what to do for my mom's birthday. By the way your cake sounds perfect and I will try this one also.

      Reply

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    Marie Porter


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