Vanilla Bean Birthday Cake

My birthday is coming up. So here's my favorite cake recipe flecked with vanilla beans and sprinkled with celebratory charm.

It happens. We age. Once a year, the birthday rolls around, and we either party like it’s 1999 or endure until the day ends. In the past decade, my verve for celebrating has waned. Perhaps that’s typical of adulthood.

Or it could be because my husband travels to Paris (for work) on my birthday every year, something about Roland Garros, whoever he is. I’ve lost track, but my best guess is we are on abandoned birthday number 14. Feel free to send pity for me or shame on him. Or pity for him because he won’t get a slice of my vanilla bean birthday cake.

Damn near exploding with vanilla spirit, this reverse-creamed cake is lusciously dense. A bite is akin to diving into a pool of vanilla seeds swimming in Bourbon vanilla extract. Unsweetened Greek yogurt creates a tangy tango for your taste buds (say that five times fast!). The frosting is simple and satisfying, with heavy cream lending an eggshell sheen to sweetened salted butter. My niece calls it “the best cake ever.” She’s ten, so I take her at her word.

Butter and birthdays at the ready.

But Wait… I Thought You Shunned Refined Sugar

And I do, in everyday eating. We don’t need sugar in our morning oatmeal, marinara, or jar of salsa. This is why I advise anyone who will listen to read labels, count grams, and find ways to sweeten routine baking with fruit. But outright deprivation is no way to enjoy life if you are otherwise fighting fit (and I hope you are).

Unlike popular online cake recipes that follow a high-ratio formula - a term for sugar as the dominant ingredient - this one is restrained by comparison. It is surely sweet, but not in a one-dimensional way like store-bought cakes. Vanilla bean is the star vocalist, tart sour cream is the featured guitarist, and sugar is the backup singer.

Now on with the show.

The Reverse-Creaming Method

I love reverse-creaming because it eliminates waiting for butter to come to room temperature at its leisure. Slightly softened but still cold to the touch will do. Every last dry ingredient—even the sugar—starts in the bowl as one happy family. Which makes for a quick process.

The cake crumb is tender and almost layered because the butter is worked into the flour, like a rubbed dough. The result is a dense but light cake, and the batter isn’t fussy about its vessel: A bowl and a hand mixer, a stand mixer, or even a food processor yield a batter worthy of licking off the spatula. Whichever you choose, scrape the bowl and beaters avidly to ensure a smooth mixture.

Gluten-Free or Wheat Flour, You Decide

I developed this recipe after departing from a beloved bakery management position for a job in local news (retrospect: bad decision). I sorely missed the adorably scrumptious frosting-filled cupcakes. Initially, I used all-purpose wheat flour, but have adapted the recipe for gluten-free clients and my family in recent years. Both versions are equally delicious; the crumb of the gluten-free cake is a bit lighter.

Garnishing with heaps of sprinkles is fun for kids (and big kids), but I don’t recommend consuming the surplus.

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Chef’s Tips

• Pile on the vanilla. One tablespoon of a nice extract is the minimum if you want the cake to taste vanilla, not just Betty Crocker white. I’ve never regretted adding more of both extract and fresh seeds.

• Opt for better butter. Never trust a white butter. A deeper hue generally means more flavor. Look for pastured or European-style or source from a local farmer.

• Don’t overbake the cake. Overbaking dries out a cake’s crumb, so watch the end of baking intently. Employ a toothpick and your fingertip for surety. The top should spring back when gently pressed. If the sides of the cake are brown, you should’ve taken it out five minutes ago.

• Beat the gluten-free batter well, then rest it. Gluten-free batter benefits from a little more mixing because it lacks proteins that create structure and stability. And if you can, rest the batter in the pan for ten or twenty minutes before baking.

• Fold in colorful sprinkles. Confetti cakes get kids excited and are fun and festive. I recommend ones tinted with plant-based coloring. Decorate and plate the cake on a bed of sprinkles for effect, but I don’t recommend eating the entire lot.

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Edible Epilogue

During the editing phase of this newsletter, I received a request to clarify my husband’s routine absence on my birthday. The petitioner would like to make it known that before parenthood, I traveled to Paris and celebrated my birthday in the City of Lights more than once, enjoying the delicious cuisine of Chef Alain Ducasse and his brethren, taking courses at the original Le Cordon Bleu (where I learned to make French macarons), watching incredible tennis at the French Open, and even participating in a Food Network filming.

Now seeking a background-checked, energetic childcare professional who offers extended overnight babysitting service and is comfortable with Labrador retrievers.

Eat + be well,
Christina