Vanilla Cake & Cupcakes
- Aug 12, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: May 5
A soft, finely textured vanilla bean cake with a light, balanced crumb and delicate specks throughout. Finished with fresh blueberries and a few herb sprigs for a subtle garden note.
Forage Baker's Note
Flour matters. Gluten-free flour blends—and even wheat flours—can vary widely in weight per cup, which is why we always recommend using a kitchen scale for best results.
If you don’t yet own a scale, gently scoop Heritage Baker’s Flour into a measuring cup and level with a knife. This method yields approximately 125g per cup.
Packing the cup can result in too much flour and a denser cookie.
Spooning flour into the cup may under-measure.
Sweeteners matter too. Sweeteners vary just as much and can significantly affect cookie texture. For best results, we recommend Homestead Sweetener or traditional sugar.
While substitutions are possible, results may vary—some alternative sweeteners can make cookies overly soft or more dry and crumbly.
Homestead Sweetener: 1:1 sugar replacement by volume, 140g per cup
Granulated sugar: 200g per cup
Working the Batter
Bring eggs to room temperature quickly by placing them in a bowl of warm water.
Melted butter should be warm, not hot, when added.
Use room-temperature ingredients for even mixing and a smoother crumb.
Metal pans brown more readily than glass; glass pans take longer to heat through.
Oven performance varies—adjust bake times as needed.
Sifting Heritage Baker’s Flour helps create a lighter cake.
Richly colored egg yolks will produce a deeper crumb color.
Recipe
Makes: 12–14 cupcakes, two 6-inch cakes, or one 8–9-inch cake
Dry Ingredients
2½ cups Heritage Baker’s Flour (312g)
1¼ cups Homestead Sweetener (175g)
3 tsp baking powder
Wet Ingredients
2 large eggs (100g)
2 large egg whites (60g)
1 cup milk (240g)
1 stick butter, melted (112g)
2 tsp lemon juice (10g)
1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste, vanilla paste, or extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F and line cake or muffin pans.
Sift flour into a bowl; whisk in sweetener and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, egg whites, milk, melted butter, lemon juice, and vanilla.
Whisk dry ingredients into wet until fully combined.
Let batter rest briefly, then whisk once more.
Divide batter evenly into prepared pans.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
Bake Times
8–9 inch cake: 30–34 minutes
Two 6-inch cakes: 26–30 minutes
Cupcakes: 18–22 minutes
At the Table
Serve simply with lightly sweetened whipped cream, fresh berries, or a dusting of powdered sweetener. Just as fitting for everyday baking as it is for simple celebrations.
From the Forage Kitchen
Made with our gluten-free Heritage Baker’s Flour and zero sugar Homestead Sweetener — crafted to organic standards and designed for balanced structure, gentle sweetness, and everyday heritage baking.
