Vanilla Cakes

By Food & Wine
Updated November 09, 2016
Vanilla cake is a birthday go-to, whether you prefer chocolate icing or raspberry buttercream. We like to punch up classic vanilla cake by using brown butter or salted caramel, and topping with crunchy, chocolaty peanuts or extra-rich chocolate buttercream. One of our favorite vanilla cake recipes was inspired by the signature dessert at Citarella in New York. The vanilla flavor comes from split vanilla beans, and the cake uses white chocolate both in the batter and as a topping. It’s a truly luxurious dessert, and though the batter needs to chill overnight, there’s just a handful of ingredients. Here, our best vanilla cake recipes.
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Yellow Layer Cake with Vanilla Frosting

Fredrika Stjärne
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This simple cake is perfect for everything from birthday parties to picnics.

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Vanilla Bean Golden Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

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These lovely, gluten-free cupcakes are flavored with both vanilla beans and vanilla seeds.

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Brown-Butter Layer Cake

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Seattle chef Tom Douglas uses brown butter for an indulgent nutty flavor in this fun twist on a classic white cake.

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Vanilla Bean Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce

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"I tried making this as an upside-down cake, which was a disaster, but then I realized I could just pour the caramel on top," Valerie Gordon says.

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Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Cream and Raspberries

© Quentin Bacon
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Bill Yosses of New York City's Josephs (formerly Citarella) has a split personality. The flamboyant Bill, the boy-genius pastry chef, appeared at a local chocolate show in full 17th-century regalia. The geeky Bill, on the other hand, gets so sidetracked contemplating the differences between a peach cobbler and a peach betty for his book The Perfect Finish that they both burn in the oven. Bill's two sides make him push his desserts to the limit, whether he's adding black sesame powder to his meringues or doubling the butter in the delectable lemon curd that tops these cupcakes.

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Vanilla Bean Cake

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This is a version of pastry chef Bill Yosses's signature dessert at Citarella Restaurant, in New York City. The batter needs to chill for at least 8 hours before baking, so plan accordingly.

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