This Vanilla chocolate cake is easy to make and is equally delicious. It is Comprised of a delicious vanilla cake filled with creamy chocolate frosting then dripped with chocolate ganache.

I soaked the cake with a vanilla sugar syrup though this is optional. What it does is keep the cake moist, especially if you are not planning on consuming it immediately but after a few days.

As we all know, the base of most cake flavours is vanilla. Therefore, it is important to master a vanilla cake recipe. Pay adequate attention to the mixing methods, (this will differ depending on the cake type) together with the used ingredients and the possible substitutions.

Firstly, use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour in vanilla butter cakes for a softer texture. Secondly, buttermilk and salt will balance out the sweetness, and a good quality vanilla extract will kick it up a notch.

When it comes to mixing, overmixing at the final step will lead to a tough and gummy cake due to the overdeveloped gluten. One way of avoiding this is by using a hand whisk or spatula.

There are various methods of whipping up vanilla cake batter for various kinds of cakes.

Types of Vanilla Cakes.

Angel food cake.This is a oil free cake. It does not use oil or egg yolks. Egg whites are whipped with sugar to form a stiff meringue then folded in with flour.

Genoise . A genoise is a type of sponge cake whereby the eggs are mixed with sugar and heated over a simmering water bath. Afterwords, this mixture is whipped until it thickens then flour is folded in. Oil is sometimes added at the last step.

Chiffon cake. Egg whites and egg yolks are beaten separate. The egg yolks are mixed with all the other ingredients then later whipped egg whites are folded in at the last step. This cake is baked with baking powder, baking soda and oil or calriffied butter.

Biscuit cake. The egg white and the egg yolks are separated. The egg whites are mixed with sugar top form a meringue and the egg yolks are mixed with all the remaining ingredients. The two mixtures are later combines at the last step. Unlike the chiffon cake, this kind of cake does not requre any kind of leavening.

Batter cake. Butter is creamed with sugar then whole eggs are mixed in. This mixture is then combined with dry ingredients( mostly a mix of flour, baking soda and baking powder). Most times a liquid ingredient is added such as milk or yoghurt. This vanilla chocolate cake is a batter cake.

Vanilla cake Ingredeints.

Cake flour. Makes cakes tender. All purpose flour works okay.
Butter. Unasalted butter is the best since you can control the amount of salt in your batter.
Granulated sugar.
Eggs. Define the structure of the cake.
Vanilla extract. Use good quality, avoid vanilla flavorings.
Baking powder and Baking soda.
Salt. To balance the sweetness.
Buttermilk. Adds moisture to the cake batter. Adding a few teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or vinegar will make buttermilk. Buttermilk is acidic and will abate the gluten, making the final cake texture sofer. Good substitutuions would be yoghurt or sour cream.

How to make Vanilla chocolate cake.

1. Make the Chocolate Ganache Frosting.

It is always crucial to make the frosting ahead of time. It makes the whole baking process easier. You will also find that some frostings such as ganache, as used in this, require a considerate amount of chilling time.

Start by chopping a bar of good quality milk chocolate and set it aside. Mix it with half amount of heavy cream and melt this mixture over a double boiler. Remove from heat after the chocolate has completely melted, then pour in the remaining amount of heavy cream.

Stir this mixture until homogenous, a hand blender would come to use at this point, though it is not necessary. Just make sure everything is well mixed in, then set it aside to cool. Afterwards, cover with a cling film, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

Finally, remove from fridge, and whip using a hand mixer, until it’s light and fluffy. If the ganache is too stiff after removing from the fridge let it come to room temperature then, add 3-4 tablespoons of heavy cream before whipping. You will notice that the colour will change to a lighter shade compared to how it was before whipping. Set aside and go ahead and bake the cake.

2. Make the vanilla batter cake.

Above I have listed various types of vanilla cakes. In this recipe, I used a vanilla batter cake, which is the most common one and also beginner-friendly. It is easy and fast and does not require any professional skill but is still equally delicious.

First, start mixing and sifting the dry ingredients then set aside.

Take a separate bowl, and cream the sugar with the butter and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated.

Finally, mix the dry ingredient mixture with the egg mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Do not overmix at this point. You can use a hand whisk or spatula to avoid the risk of overmixing.

Pour the cake batter into a buttered and floured tin and bake in a preheated oven.

3. Make the sugar Syrup.

Sugar syrup ensures the cake remains moist, especially if you are not planning on consuming the cake immediately. There are various ways of flavouring syrup, as in this one, I used a vanilla-based syrup.

Simply mix sugar, good quality vanilla extract and water and bring it to a slow boil. Remove from heat and set it aside to cool.

However, you can skip this step if you are planning on consuming the cake sooner.

4. Assembly.

Start building the cake, now that you have your baked and cooled cake, together with the whipped chocolate ganache and sugar syrup.

Cut the cake into desired sizes, this mostly depends on how many layers you want your cake with. In this recipe, I used 3 cake layers, though I wish I did four.

Soak the cakes with the cooled simple syrup. Add a layer of whipped ganache on each cake layer, staking with another layer. Repeat the same process until all cake layers are stacked. Finally, frost the cake with whipped ganache and refrigerate.

In the meantime make the ganache for dripping.

5. Make the ganache for dripping on the frosted and chilled cake.

I recommend making dripping ganache after setting the cake in the fridge. Pouring on a chilled cake ensures easy to drip, it will not run to the bottom of the cake.

Chop a bar of milk chocolate and mix with heavy cream in a heat-friendly bowl. Melt this mixture in a microwave or over a simmering water bath. Remove from heat and keep stirring until it comes to room temperature.

Remove the cake from the fridge, then gently pour the ganache around the top of the cake, slowly. Refrigerate the cake for 10-15 minutes then serve.

NOTES FOR SUCCESS.

In order to whip ganache to a fluffy texture it should be cooled for a considerable amount of time. Make the whipped ganache ahead of time preferably a day before.
Use high quality vanilla extract. . One way of identifying this is by checking the label, it should be labelled EXTRACT rather than FLAVOUR. Moreover, if you can get your hands on vanilla pods , the better .
Since this recipe uses whipped ganache frosting , the cake might take longer to make. If you are in a rush however, you can switch up the frosting with chocolate buttercream, or chocolate cheese cream frosting.
Use cake flour and buttermilk for a softer cake texture.
It is also very important to use good quality vanilla extract when making a simple syrup for soaking the cake. If however, you are not able to aquire good vanilla, skip the vanilla completely when making the syrup.

Related Recipes.

VANILLA CHOCOLATE CAKE.

Recipe by WinnieCourse: Dessert, CakeDifficulty: Medium

Servings

servings

Cooking time

minutes

This is a recipe for a vanilla batter cake, soaked with a vanilla sugar syrup, frosted with whipped chocolate ganache and dripped with a soft chocolate ganache.

Ingredients

Vanilla cake.
350 gm cake flour
170 gm butter
180 gm sugar
140 ml buttermilk
5 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
Whipped chocolate ganache.
450 ml heavy cream.
300 gm milk chocolate
Chocolate ganache drip( Optional )
130 grams chocolate
100 grams heavy cream
Vanilla sugar syrup( optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
100 ml water
50 grams sugar

Directions

Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting
Start with the frosting, whipped chocolate ganache. In a small bowl, mix 300 grams chopped chocolate with 300 ml heavy cream.
Warm this mixture over simmering water or by using a microwave, stirring frequently until the chocolate completely melts.
Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 150ml heavy cream. Mix thoroughly until homogeneous and set it aside to cool.
Afterwards, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Vanilla Cake.
To make the cake. Preheat the oven to 170C and prepare the baking pans by buttering and flouring or by lining them with parchment paper. Set them aside.
Sift and mix the flour with baking powder and salt. Set them aside.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter with sugar and vanilla extract, until fluffy. Gradually add in the eggs mixing at every turn.
Finally combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, adding in the buttermilk gradually. Mix just to combine and pour the vanilla cake batter into prepared baking pans. I used two 8 inch cake pans.
Bake for 30-35, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Start checking at the 30th-minute mark.
Remove the cake from the oven, give it 5 minutes and turn them to remove from the baking pans and place on a cooling rack to cool. In the meantime make the simple vanilla sugar syrup for soaking the cake.
Vanilla sugar syrup for soaking. ( OPTIONAL)
In a small pot, mix vanilla, sugar and water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Set aside to cool.
Chocolate ganache for Drip.
In a heat-safe bowl, Combine chocolate with heavy cream. Heat this mixture over a water bath or in a microwave, stirring frequently, until the chocolate completely melts.
Remove from heat and add in unsalted butter, with a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly and let it come to room temperature before dripping on the frosted cake.
Assembly.
Cut the cake into small layers and using a brush or a spoon carefully brush the vanilla sugar syrup on each layer.
Afterwards, layer the cakes with whipped chocolate ganache frosting. Frost a thin layer of the cream on the staked cake and refrigerate for a few minutes.
Remove from fridge and drizzle the chocolate drip slowly.

Notes

The whipped ganache needs to be chilled for a considerable amount of time for it to be a success. Other good chocolate frosting substitutions are; chocolate buttercream or chocolate cheese cream frosting.
Use good quality vanilla extract. Check the ingredient labels it should be labelled EXTRACT, not FLAVOUR. Vanilla pods would be excellent.
Cake flour and buttermilk will result in a cake with a softer texture.

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