Special Note:

• This White Vanilla Cake is incredibly soft and have a tender texture. Achieving this requires close attention to detail, particularly in terms of ingredient temperature and the mixing process. To ensure your cake turns out just as intended, please heed the following advice: 
   
• Use store-bought Cake Flour: For that desired beautiful texture, cake flour is essential. All-purpose flour simply won't yield the same results.
   
• Temperature Matters: The vanilla infused cream, and the egg whites should be between 20°C to 23°C / 68°F to 73.4°F. I always go precisely for 23°C (73.4°F). Achieving this specific temperature is crucial for the ingredients to integrate seamlessly, creating the perfect crumb. The semi-cool butter need to be pliable but cool butter 16°C to 18°C /  60°F to 65°F. It should be cool to the touch and offer some resistance when pressed, but it shouldn't be difficult to cut and not feel greasy. Using a thermometer to check temperatures is recommended to ensure accuracy.
   
• Mixing Instructions: It’s vital to follow the mixing steps exactly as described. Overmixing at any point can lead to a cake that’s anything but tender.
   
• This guidance is offered from a place of compassion. I want you to succeed and enjoy the process of baking this delicious white cake, without the disappointment of wasted ingredients—especially something as precious as vanilla bean. These instructions are not meant as warnings but as keys to unlocking the full potential of your baking skills.

 Vanilla-infused Cream.
 

• When preparing the vanilla-infused cream for this recipe, keep in mind that the cake batter requires 350 grams. However, starting with exactly 350 grams isn't ideal due to inevitable evaporation during heating. To ensure you have enough, begin with 400 grams of heavy cream.
   
• To infuse the cream with vanilla, take a sharp knife and carefully split a fresh vanilla bean lengthwise. Gently scrape out the fragrant seeds, often referred to as "vanilla caviar," and transfer them into a medium saucepan. Don't forget to add the vanilla pod itself for maximum flavor.
   
• Next, pour 400 grams of heavy cream into the saucepan. If you're opting for vanilla bean paste instead of a whole bean, stir it in now, blending it well with the cream.
   
• Warm the mixture over low to medium heat just until it's warm to the touch but not boiling, to avoid scalding the cream or losing too much to evaporation.
   
• Once warmed, remove the saucepan from the heat, cover it, and allow the mixture to steep at room temperature for about 1 hour. This step is optional but highly recommended if time allows, as it significantly enhances the vanilla flavor. If you're pressed for time, you can proceed with the recipe as needed.

vanilla cake layers

 

• Baker Note; “When preheating the oven for my cakes, always use the ‘top and bottom heat’ setting. Please avoid using the fan-forced option, unless otherwise specified.”
   
• Preheat the oven to 325F° (165C°) 30 minutes before baking.
   
• Bakers note; Working with semi-cold (pliable but cool) butter produces a better cake texture; if the butter is too soft, it essentially melts into the flour, which can result in a greasy cake. The butter needs to be pliable (slightly softened) but cool. Take it out of the fridge for about 20 minutes before you bake this cake. The right temperature is about 16°C to 18°C /  60°F to 65°F. The best way to know for sure is by using a digital thermometer. 
   
• Baker note; However, the egg whites and cream should be at room temp about 20°C to 23°C / 68°F to 73.4°F. if yours are too cold, the cake batter will go from smooth and creamy to looking split and clumped. The cake might turn out okay, but the texture will be affected and may not be as tender and moist as you like.
   
• Brush 3 x 20 cm ( 8 inches) round baking pans with softened butter, add one tablespoon of flour to each baking pan, and tap around the pan until all the buttered surface is covered. Then turn the pan upside down over a sink, tap out the excess flour, and apply a parchment circle to the bottom. 
   
• If your egg whites are not at room temperature when you are ready to mix your cake, warm them in the shell by placing the eggs in a bowl of hot tap water for 5 minutes before making the cake batter. 
   
•  Add the 285-gram cake flour, 395-gram superfine sugar, 1/2 or up to 3/4 teaspoons salt, and 18-gram baking powder into a stand mixer bowl fitted with the whisk or paddle attachment, and Let it spin for a few seconds to incorporate it together.
   
• Add the 170-gram unsalted butter a few piece at a time, about every 10 seconds. This step takes 2 minutes. Once all of the butter is added, the mixture should resemble almond flour, and when you run your hands through it, it feels kind of sandy, and there should be no large lumps of butter left.
   
• After the steeping period for the infused vanilla cream, remove the vanilla bean pod from the heavy cream. Before discarding it, ensure you've extracted all the flavorful, gooey vanilla seeds by squeezing them out of the pod and stirring them back into the cream. This step maximizes the vanilla essence in your infusion. Give the mixture a quick whisk to evenly distribute the seeds throughout the cream. Lastly, measure the cream to confirm you have the required 350 grams of infused vanilla cream for your recipe, adjusting as necessary to meet this precise amount.
   
• Baker Note; In this next step you need to add 350 grams of vanilla-infused cream, Make sure to do this slowly to create the perfect emulsion, if you add it too quickly, your cream will separate from the butter and sink to the bottom of the cake and give you a gummy layer and create a dense texture.
   
• With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the 350-gram vanilla-infused cream in small increments, this step takes about 30 seconds. Then continue mixing on medium speed (speed four on KitchenAid) for 90 seconds to develop the structure. Set a timer! 
   
• The batter should have gained volume at this point and should look thick like buttercream, and all the ingredients should be incorporated. If you don’t mix it for 90 seconds, your cake could be under-mixed, collapse in the center, and won't be as tender and fluffy as mine.
   
• Stop the mixer and scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl, remove the whisk or paddle attachment, and shake out the excess batter collected inside. From this point, you need to mix on low speed.
   
• A Note from me before you add the egg whites! As most cakes are highly prone to overmixing, when you reach this step where you add the egg whites, it is crucial to mix lightly. This is because your cake batter will become tough if you work it to the point that the gluten in the flour starts to form.
   
• Attach your whisk or paddle attachment again, with the mixer on low speed. Gradually add the 200-gram egg whites to the batter in three separate parts, beating on medium speed for only 20 seconds each time ( not any longer!) after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Stop the mixer after each addition of egg whites, and scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl. Also, remove the whisk attachment and shake out the excess batter that is collected inside.
   
• Stop the mixer and scrape down the side and the bottom fold once or twice to ensure the batter at the bottom of the mixing bowl is incorporated. 
   
• Evenly divide the cake batter among the three prepared pans, spreading evenly with a spatula. 
   
• Baker Note; Give your pans just a really good spin on the table, what that does is it takes the batter up the side of the pan a little bit, just so that as it's baking, it already has an attachment to kind of move up the side of the pan. So, don't be afraid to really give it a good spin. Get that batter moving up. Don’t tap your sheet pan on the kitchen counter to try to get things to level out, especially with this style of cake batter, because banging your pans or dropping it on the table to level the batter actually gets rid of all the air bubbles that you just incorporated into the batter. 
   
• If time permits, let the cake batter rest in the pan for 20 minutes before baking, This is optional, but it makes your cake layers magical.
   
• Bake in the bottom third or in the center of the oven until a cake tester/toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.  After about 18 to 22 minutes.
   
• Repeat with the final layer.
   
• Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for about 5 minutes. Then, using a knife, loosen the sides of the cakes and carefully turn them out onto a wire rack, peel the paper liners, and let them cool completely.
   
• Once the cake layers are completely cooled, wrap each cake layer tightly in plastic wrap for a few hours, this step will make the cake layers more tender.  Keep the layers at room temp and not in the fridge.
   
• It is best not to refrigerate butter cake layers since the butter hardens when cold and makes the texture of the crumbs too dense unless you fill this cake with a cream-based filling.
   
• Make sure your cake layers are cooled completely before frosting/decorating your cake.
   

Marshmallow Frosting
 

• Pour about 4 cm ( 2- inches ) of water into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat.
   
• Wipe your mixer bowl, your whisk of an electric mixer, and your hand whisks with a paper towel dampened with a bit of lemon juice to eliminate any trace of grease. Separate the egg whites from the yolks.
   
• Place your 135-gram egg whites, 250-gram sugar, 1 tablespoon water, 2 tablespoons glucose (or light corn syrup), and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar into a heatproof metal bowl.
   
• Place the metal bowl over the pan of simmering water ( the bowl should not be touching the water) and whisk intermittently ( about 3-4 minutes) until the mixture is warm and looks like milk, and the sugar is completely dissolved. The mixture should not feel grainy when rubbed between your fingers. 
   
• Transfer the mixture to your mixing bowl, fitted with a whisk attachment. ( be careful the mix is hot) 
   
• Whip on low for one minute, then whip on medium speed until the mixture has tripled in volume and is thick and glossy.
  About 3-4 minutes.
   
• Add vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract and a drop of food color of your choice, and whip on low speed until just combined. 
   
• Don't whip it too long as the marshmallow frosting gets pretty thick and stiff if you overmix it.
   
• Use immediately to frost your beautiful cupcakes or cakes.
   

Assembling
 

• Remove the plastic wrap from the cake layers.
   
• I prefer to trim all of the sides and tops of each layer with a knife before assembling and frosting this cake. The cake is less stable if you trim all the sides, but it gives a nicer mouthfeel.
• When ready, place your first cake layer on your cakestand/cake board.
   
• Place a few dollops of Marshmallow Frosting on the first cake layer; use a small palette knife or a spoon to spread into an even layer.
   
• Add your next cake layer, pressing down gently to help the layers stick together, and repeat the same step.
   
• Once your last layer is on top, make sure the layers are lined up.
   
• To make the cake more stable, place an adjustable cake ring around the cake, and cover the cake with plastic wrap and place a light book on top to gently help the layers stick together. Leave at room temp for at least an hour.
   
• When ready, remove the cake ring and plastic wrap, and cover the entire cake with the rest of the marshmallow frosting.
   
• Use a serrated knife to slice your cake, and enjoy it is so delicious.
   
• For maximum freshness and deliciousness, serve this cake on the day It is made.