The recipe calls for 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 vanilla bean, and 1 3/4 cups of cake flour (not self-rising).- 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder – 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda – 1/2 teaspoon of salt – 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature – 2 big eggs, at room temperature – 1/3 cup of full-fat sour cream – 1/4 cup of canola oil, or vegetable oil if you prefer – 1 tablespoon of genuine vanilla extract, not extract from imitationsWhole milk, 1/3 cup
American Standard – Metric Guidelines
Turn the oven on to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).
Mash the vanilla bean seeds with the sugar in a small bowl. (Watch this video to find out how to remove the vanilla beans’ seeds if you’ve never used them before.)
To ensure that the sugar is well infused with vanilla flavor, use the back of a spoon to gently push down on the seeds and break up any clumps in the dish. Remove off the table.
For the cake batter, combine the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in a medium-sized basin or the mixing bowl of a stand mixer.
After adding the sugar made from vanilla beans, stir until mixed.
After three minutes of mixing on medium-low speed, add the butter. The extremely fine crumb texture is the result of the very little butter.
Combine the eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
While beating on medium speed, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until just incorporated. To ensure that everything is mixed into the batter, scrape down the edges of the bowl as necessary.
On low speed, gradually add the milk and mix until just blended. There will be no solid batter. You did not do anything wrong, therefore there is no need to worry. I thought it was meant to be that way.
Split the mixture in half and pour into two 8-inch circular cake pans.
Prior to checking for doneness, bake for 20 minutes (16 minutes in a convection oven). When a toothpick is removed from the batter, they are done. White particles of vanilla bean should emerge on top of the cakes. A golden brown color shouldn’t develop in them. To make sure they are finished, give it another go in two minutes. Give it another two minutes and see if they’re still not finished.
After the cakes are baked, set them on a cooling rack (or, failing that, leave them on your counter) and allow them to cool until they reach room temperature. Prior to icing, chill in the refrigerator.
