Vanilla Milk Cake

 The vanilla milk cake is a very moist cake that is easy to whip up pretty quick. It's good for any occasion, or no occasion at all. ​

It's awesome with its simplicity to make. The vanilla milk cake pairs very well with a fruit filling, like the blueberry compote. You can take that same compote, fold it into  Chantilly cream, and you have yourself a blueberry​ cream filling shown below. 

You can spread the project of the feature cake on this page into two days.  You can make the cakes, and the blueberry compote one day.
Then make the frosting and the blueberry cream the next day. Topped the cake with the remaining blueberry compote, and simply
frosted with Italian Buttercream.

​“Be inspired to create masterpieces from ​your own kitchen”.

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​Your Mise En Place'

​ ​All recipes can be made a few days ahead of time, then assemble when you're ready.  ​For the ​Italian buttercream, you can find the recipe here.

​Italian buttercream

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The Vanilla Milk Cake

Make sure all ingredients are room temperature.

This is the most cooperative cake, here. It's moist, crumbly and sturdy. A great cake for building up your dessert. A great cake for eating it alone. 

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​The Vanilla Milk Cake

Ingredients	Amount
All Purpose Flour	6 1/2 ounces
Baking Powder   ​	2 teaspoons
Salt     ​	​1/4 teaspoon
Butter  unsalted, room temp	​4 ounces
Whole Milk    ​​	½ cup
Sugar   ​​	10 ½ ounces
Eggs, large  ​​  ​	3
Vanilla extract   ​	1 teaspoon

Recipe yields
Two 6" x 3"  round cake pans or
Two 8" x 2" round cake pans.

Procedure 

Part 1 The Heat

1.  Preheat your oven 350°F
2.  Prepare your cake pans by coating the insides with shortening/butter and flour, or baking spray.
3. Sift your flour, baking powder, & salt together. Set aside.
4. Combine the butter and milk, in a saucepan, over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally, until butter melts.
5. ​Once the butter melts, put the mixture into a large bowl, allow to cool completely. Set aside until Step 5.  
6. In the meantime, whisk this mixture occasionally, until ready, to keep the butter and milk incorporated. 
7. Combine the sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a medium glass bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water.
8. Warm the mixture, gently, while stirring, until the sugar dissolves, and your thermometer registers 110°F. This may take up to 10 minutes.​

        Part 2 Putting it Together

1. Place the sugar mixture in your mixing bowl, fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until light and fluffy, about ten minutes. The bowl should be room temperature. Stop the mixer.       
2. With the mixer on low speed, gradually alternate the flour mixture and cooled milk mixture, starting with the flour & ending with the  milk. Mix only until the batter is just incorporated, and smooth.
3.  Stop mixing once the batter is blended and smooth. If the batter is not smooth, use a scraper to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to help blend.​​
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, and bake the cakes, about 30 to 35 minutes, and golden brown.
5. Remove from oven, allow to cool in pans 20 minutes. Run a spatula around inside edges to loosen cake, Remove from pans and cool on wire rack, until completely cooled.

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Simple Syrup

                                             Tip
There are a variety of flavors you can use.
* Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
* Citrus peels, from an orange, lemon, or
   lime. Or all three at once. Add in Step 2.
​* 1/4 fruit puree in Step 3.
* 1/4 cup rum or a liqueur.
​

Simple Syrup

Ingredients	Amount
Granulated sugar       ​	1 cup
Water                    ​	1 cup
Flavorings, See Tip	-

 
                                 Procedure
1. In small sauce pan, add the sugar and  
   water and heat over medium heat. Stir
   only until the sugar dissolves.
2. Turn heat down to a low simmer. Simmer
    for five minutes. Enough for the syrup to
    thicken just a little. You do not want a thick syrup.
3. Take the syrup off the heat and add your
     flavorings. See Tip.  

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Compote & Cream

Tip
​You can substitute the blueberry compote with
​any fruit compote.

Compote & Cream

Ingredients	​Amounts
Blueberry compote	1 recipe
Heavy whipping cream	1 1/2  cups
Powdered sugar	1/4 cups

This blueberry cream is simply blueberry compote folded into whipped cream.

1. Prepare the compote according to the
    recipe.
2. Whip the heavy cream to soft peaked.
     Gradually, add the powdered sugar.  
     Continue to whip the cream to medium    
     peaked.
3. Divide the blueberry compote in half. Set
     aside one half, then fold the other half of
     the  compote into the whipped cream.

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​Preparing the cake.

• This recipe will yield two 6" round cakes.
• Slice each cake, evenly in half.
• This is where you'll get your four layers.
• Brush simple syrup with each cake layer addition.

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​Assembling the Cake

​

• Spread each layer with a thin layer of  blueberry compote. Reserve remaining compote
• Pipe a well over the blueberries, around the perimeter of the cake.
• ​Fill the well in with the blueberry cream.
• Repeat with the remaining layers.
• Ice the cake with a crumb coating of buttercream. Place cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Place a final coat of buttercream on your cake.​
• Spread remaining compote on top of cake

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Blueberry Cream Filled Cake

Now your cake is ready to eat. But if you want to go further with this blank canvas of a cake,  here are a couple of  simple decorating ideas. 

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                Some Ideas for You