As I always say, never underestimate the power of good vanilla; though an overlooked flavour, when baked right, a good vanilla cake is always a win. Vanilla pairs perfectly with almost all flavours, like this loaf cake, simple yet delightful, topped with silky caramelized white chocolate ganache. With a potent vanilla flavour and roasted white chocolate, this vanilla loaf cake is easy as it sounds and delicious with a satisfying mmmph with every bite!
This post may contain affiliate links meaning I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you. For more information, please read my policy page.
Like most loaf cakes, vanilla loaf cake bakes easy and needs readily available ingredients. The caramelized white chocolate is employed as ganache, a simple mix of heavy cream and caramelized white chocolate.
You can also use plain melted caramelized white chocolate if you have a screaming taste bud for sweets like my nephew, though the chocolate ganache tastes and spreads much better while also reducing the sugar level amount compared to plain melted chocolate.
Most times I like to make caramelized white chocolate at home( click here for the recipe ), but you can also opt to purchase it at your convenient store.
Recipe Overview
- Make the caramelized white chocolate ganache.
Finely chop caramelized white chocolate and place in a mixing bowl. In a separate pan, bring heavy cream to a slow boil then drizzle over the chopped chocolate stirring frequently until it melts. Immediately add room-temperature butter and stir until combined. Set aside to cool until thick enough to spread on the cake.
- Make the vanilla loaf cake.
Start by preheating the oven. Cream butter with sugar until fluffy then add the eggs, and vanilla extract and mix. Add milk alternating with sifted flour and baking powder into the wet ingredients mixture and mix with a spatula. Bake in a greased or parchment-lined loaf pan until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
- Frost and serve.
After the cake has cooled, spread the prepared caramelized white chocolate ganache, cut, serve and enjoy.
Tips to observe
- Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, thoroughly cream butter and sugar until the sugar is less gritty and the mixture doubles in volume ( approximately 5 minutes). Though an overlooked step, under-creaming butter and sugar can lead to dense cakes or sinking. Do not worry about overmixing at this point
- Do not overmix after adding the flour. When adding the flour, switch to a spatula and gently fold the flour into the cake batter until everything is well combined. Overmixing at this point overdevelops the gluten; a protein formed when flour gets into contact with water. Although gluten is needed for structure in cake, overmixing it overdevelops it leading to chewy, dense cakes.
- Don’t overbeat once you add the eggs. Whipping too much air in the eggs can make your loaf cake sink.
- Not all chocolate is used in making ganache. Baking chocolate is best for making sauces and ganache. Ready-to-eat chocolate or chocolate chips might not yield the same result since they are compromised with different add-ins like stabilizers and flavours.
- This recipe is only tested in grams, trying to convert it into cups might lead to different results.
- Oven observations. Always bake in a preheated oven and do not open the oven too soon once the cake is baking. Start checking if the cake is ready after 30 minutes and it has browned out around the edges
Other Frosting Ideas Besides Caramelized White Chocolate.
- Dark or milk chocolate ganache. By simply replacing the caramelized white chocolate with baking dark or milk chocolate.
- Vanilla swiss meringue buttercream. Very silky, and less sweet with a solid vanilla flavour.
- Whipped cream cheese frosting. Perfect If you like the vanilla and cream cheese combination.
- Condensed milk buttercream frosting. Easy to make, plus no wait time is required,
- Fruit compote. A mix of your favourite fruit with sugar, cook to a jam. Best for vanilla and berry flavour combo enthusiasts.
MORE LOAF CAKE RECIPES FROM THE BLOG
- Chocolate chip loaf cake. A vanilla loaf cake baked with chocolate chips and served with milk chocolate ganache.
- Lemon passion loaf cake. Juicy Lemon loaf cake with passion custard.
- Cinnamon Swirl loaf cake. A cinnamon mix is incorporated in vanilla cake batter and drizzled with salted caramel.
- Cinnamon Rugelach Loaf bread. Twist of yeasted pastry.
Recommended Tools
VANILLA LOAF CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED WHITE CHOCOLATE
Course: DessertDifficulty: Medium8
servings20
minutes30
minutes50
minutesIngredients
- Vanilla Loaf Cake
320 gm flour
140 gm unsalted butter
180 gm granulated sugar
3 eggs
270 ml milk
2 tbsp baking powder3 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
- Caramelized White Chocolate Ganache
250 gm caramelized white chocolate
270 gm heavy cream
40 gm unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
Directions
- To make the ganache; finely chop a bar of caramelized white chocolate into a glass bowl.
In a small pan, boil the heavy cream then pour over the chopped chocolate. Mix until the chocolate melts. Stir in unsalted butter with a pinch of salt until fully combined. - Set it aside to cool for about 40 minutes or until thick enough to spread on cake. While the ganache is cooling start preparing the vanilla loaf cake.
- Preheat the oven to 170C. Line a loaf baking tin with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, using a hand whisk cream room temperature butter, vanilla extract and sugar until light and doubles in volume. Add in the eggs one at a time, moderately mixing in every round.
- Add sifted flour mixed with baking powder alternating with room temperature milk and fold using a spatula to combine.
- Pour into the prepared loaf baking tin and bake at 170C for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Set the vanilla loaf cake aside to cool, then spread with the prepared caramelized white chocolate ganache
AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES.