Vanilla Bean Cake Recipe

Vanilla Bean Cake Recipe

Recipe provided by Nathalie Sorenson

• Difficulty: Advanced
• Servings: 16
• Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 of 16): Calories 823, Total Fat 50 g, Saturated Fat 30 g, Carbohydrates 89 g, Dietary Fiber 1 g, Sugar 65 g, Protein 9 g, Cholesterol 214 mg, Sodium 468 mg
• Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes (including cooling)
• Preparation Time: 2 hours

Vanilla Bean Cake Ingredients

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing pans
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons high-quality vanilla bean paste
• 3 extra-large eggs

Lemon Curd Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• Zest of 3 lemons plus 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 large eggs
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and at room temperature

Italian Meringue Buttercream Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar plus an additional 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 large egg whites
• Pinch of cream of tartar
• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon premium vanilla bean paste

Strawberry Filling Ingredients

• 2 ounces freeze-dried strawberries
• One 8-ounce package cream cheese, slightly softened (cool but not cold)

Special equipment: Candy thermometer

Preparation Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter three 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms and sides with parchment paper; set aside.
2. Combine milk and half-and-half in a bowl and set aside. Sift together both types of flour and baking powder; reserve.
3. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Gradually add sugar and salt, beating on medium speed until the mixture lightens in color and becomes fluffy. Mix in vanilla bean paste until just blended. Add eggs one by one, scraping down the bowl frequently. Incorporate the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir only until combinedavoid overmixing.
4. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool fully.
5. For the lemon curd: In a heatproof bowl, whisk together sugar, lemon zest, eggs, and salt. Set the bowl over (do not submerge in) a saucepan of simmering water and stir in lemon juice. Slowly add butter cubes while stirring continuously until fully incorporated. Maintain on low heat, stirring until the curd thickens, lightens in color, and becomes slightly fluffy, roughly 10 minutes. The curd thickens near 170F.
6. Remove from heat and transfer lemon curd to a bowl. Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming, then refrigerate.
7. For Italian meringue buttercream: In a small saucepan, combine 3/4 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water over medium-low heat. Heat until sugar dissolves, then increase heat to medium-high and cook until mixture reaches 248F on a candy thermometer.
8. While syrup heats, beat egg whites with cream of tartar and slowly add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, whipping to medium peaks. Slowly pour hot syrup down the bowl's side into egg whites while continuously whipping until glossy, white meringue forms. Switch to paddle attachment and add butter chunks gradually, beating until buttercream is smooth and cohesive. Mix in vanilla bean paste. Set aside.
9. For the strawberry filling: Crush or grind the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder; set aside.
10. In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add 1 pound of the Italian meringue buttercream and mix just until incorporated. Fold in crushed strawberries gently until evenly mixed.
11. To assemble: Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a thin layer of lemon curd, then layer strawberry buttercream filling on top. Add the second cake layer, spread a thin lemon curd layer, then coat with vanilla Italian meringue buttercream. Place the final cake layer on top and frost the entire cake with the remaining vanilla Italian meringue buttercream.

Note: This recipe was developed by a culinary competition participant and has not been tested extensively for home baking. Dive into this decadent Vanilla Bean Cakeits silky lemon curd, vibrant strawberry filling, and lush buttercream will elevate your baking game and impress every guest!