The Perfect Cake Recipe

I don't want to say I popped off with this one but... I think I made the perfect base cake for any application. Its light, moist, and really fast and easy to make. With just some basic understanding of technique, this cake comes together in a snap and leaves you with a reliable base cake to then work from. Im a big fan of oil based cakes because they keep their moisture in the fridge compared to butter based cakes which tend to firm up when refrigerated. Oil cakes are also harder to over bake and keep their moisture longer if kept in the oven for too long. Alongside the addition of sour cream, adding tang and functioning as an acid leavener with the baking powder, its fluffy with a spongy crumb.

I'll soon link different variations for this cake including my favorite cake in the summertime with seasonal fruit: upside-down cakes. An easy switch that adds flavor is the addition of olive oil as the oil of choice. It adds some subtle fragrance and flavor that really elevates it, especially if you add in some orange and or lemon zest. This base can also be a drizzle tea cake just like my Grapefruit Ginger Drizzle Cake which incorporates the added step of an overnight syrup soak.

From basic vanilla cake, funfetti cake, upside down fruitcakes, and drizzle cakes, this should be your go to recipe for a reliable and delicious cake for any occasion.

I was able to get three layers out of on 9in cake. I prefer this when making a Berry Chantilly cake because the ratio of fruit and cream is higher.

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Perfect Cake Recipe

Ingredients

For a single 9in layer, making a two layer cake with filling.

200g Sugar 

170g Eggs - about 3 large eggs

130g oil  

Optional tsp Vanilla and/or Almond extract

100g sour cream 

50g whole milk 

180 Flour

10g Baking Powder 

Pinch of salt 

The Cake 

1. In the bowl of a stand mixture with the whisk attachment, add the sugar and eggs, beating on medium high until sugar is incorporated and the eggs mixture is smooth, aerated and lightly pale, not grainy. About 2 min. 

2. With the mixer running, slowly drizzle in the oil in increments and allow it to homogenize into the egg mixture before adding more. Drizzle in slowly until all oil is combined. Egg mixture should be thickened. (I call this "The Forbidden Mayo")  

3. In a separate bowl sift together the dry ingredients and sift them, making sure there are no clumps of baking powder.  

4. In another bowl prepare the wet mixture by adding together the sour cream, milk, and extract of choice, mix till smooth.

5. Change to the paddle attachment to prevent over mixing. With the mixer running low add in ⅓ of the dry mixture, mixing briefly, followed by ⅓ of wet, allowing the ingredients to just barely incorporate after each addition. It is important in this step to scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl after each addition of wet and dry.  Continue this until both wet and dry are mixed in, ending with wet. Mix till all ingredients are just barely incorporated making sure not to over beat. I like to finish the mixing by hand with a rubber spatula.  

6. Add to an oiled 9 inch pan with parchment on the bottom*. Tap the filled pan on the counter top a couple times to release any big air bubbles. 

7. Bake in a 350 oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean with a few dry looking crumbs.

8. Take the cake out of the pan once it starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. Allow to cool on a wire rack with the parchment still on, only removing once its room temperature.

*I highly recommend committing to the small investment of pan dampen strips. They're pieces of fabric that you soak in water as you make your batter, that wrap around the outside of the cake pan. They function almost as a mini water bath, preventing the sides of your cake from cooking first, resulting in a flat toped cake which I think is magical. the perfectly tall and flat cake also allows you to save cake when trimming and frosting because you don't have to level the dome.

This recipe is written in grams, and I highly recommend every baker to own a digital scale for baking. Baking is a science based off ratios by weight, not by volume. That being said, you can use imperial system of cups and teaspoons but there is more room for error, and in my eyes, I often don't feel like cleaning all of these unnecessary measuring tools after the fact.

Metric conversions