When it comes to cake, chocolate is almost always the obvious answer for me. So when a dear friend requested vanilla cake for her birthday, I didn’t just want a good vanilla cake, but one that people could fall in love with the way we chocoholics fall in love with a chocolate cake. Naturally, I turned to my favorite vanilla cookie for inspiration—the Biscoff vanilla cream sandwich cookie. This 6-inch, 3-layer cake is composed of soft, tender vanilla cake layers, crunchy cookie butter, fluffy vanilla bean whipped white chocolate ganache, and silky-smooth cookie butter Swiss meringue buttercream. It is heavenly. The sweet, delicate, warm vanilla flavor harmonizes with and enhances the caramelized, nutty flavor of Biscoff. As tempting as it is to turn this into a chocolate cake, the buttery vanilla cake layers balance delicate flavors that may get lost with chocolate. I happened to sneak in some “chocolate” in the form of whipped white chocolate ganache, which offers the richness of cocoa butter but sings with vanilla bean flavor.
Vanilla Cake Layers
This absurdly delicious vanilla cake is soft and pillowy, moist and buttery, perfectly sweetened, and infused with delicate vanilla flavor. It strikes the ideal balance between a light sponge cake and a rich butter cake, without being dry or dense, thanks to a few key ingredients:
- Cake flour – Cake flour is extra finely milled flour with very low protein content. This means less gluten formation and an ultra soft, tender, delicate, melt-in-your-mouth crumb. You may sub all-purpose flour in the recipe, but the cake will be somewhat denser.
- Butter + oil – While butter lends the richest flavor and that indulgent, melt-in-your-mouth texture, oil-based cakes are spongier, puffier, and extra moist, especially when chilled. A combination creates the best of both worlds in this recipe. For the butter, Irish butter (Kerrygold) tends to have the most richness and depth of flavor.
- Whole eggs + additional egg whites – Whole eggs provide structure and richness, while extra egg whites keep the cake fluffy and light.
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk has several important purposes in the cake. (1) The acid reacts with baking soda to create extra airiness and puffiness during baking. (2) It makes the cake crumb extra moist. (3) It adds complexity to the flavor (without an acidic taste because it’s balanced with baking soda). Be sure to use full-fat buttermilk.
- Sour cream – Sour cream acts similar to buttermilk in many ways, but it goes further to thicken the batter and add extra moisture and richness. Also make sure it’s full-fat.
- Baking powder + baking soda – The addition of baking soda is important to balance the acidity and maximize the effects of buttermilk on the taste and texture of the cake.
Cookie Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream
If you consider yourself “not a big frosting person,” you’re not special. For most people, American buttercream and store-bought cake frosting are too sweet and heavy to eat on their own. What you need is a silky, creamy, light & fluffy buttercream with balanced sweetness and richness, like this heavenly cookie butter Swiss meringue buttercream. This one I can (and do) eat with a spoon.
Start by making a classic Swiss meringue buttercream:
- Whisk egg whites and granulated sugar over a double broiler about 5 minutes, until dissolved.
- Continue whipping into a meringue with stiff peaks, until the bowl is cool to the touch.
- Gradually add cubes of softened but cool butter and mix until smooth.
Then, add in smooth Biscoff cookie butter and vanilla extract, and mix until smooth. Finish by stirring the buttercream by hand with a silicone or wooden spoon to remove excess air and create an even texture.
Vanilla Bean Whipped White Chocolate Ganache
It’s tempting just to fill your cakes with more buttercream, but a special filling can work magic in a layer cake. The filling is your chance to add contrasting textures, combine yummy flavors, and balance out the sweetness and heaviness of the frosting. It’s what makes a layer cake worthwhile, in my opinion.
This vanilla bean whipped white chocolate ganache has the perfect luscious, light and creamy, whipped, fluffy texture for layering between cakes. It contrasts beautifully with the soft buttery cake, crunchy thick cookie butter, and velvety buttercream. Pure white chocolate brings a rich, decadent mouthfeel, while the extra cream and whipping method keep it light and fluffy. You really can eat it by the spoonful. I prefer whipped ganache over whipped cream as a filling because the whipped ganache is thick enough to hold up the cakes, allows you to make tall layers, and tastes more luxurious. White chocolate makes it delicately sweet, and this version has a rich vanilla bean flavor from the addition of vanilla bean paste (rather than extract).
To make the whipped white chocolate ganache, you essentially make a standard white chocolate ganache, stir in extra heavy cream, chill it, then whip it to stiff peaks. With the vanilla bean paste mixed in, that’s just three ingredients.
Building the Cake
It goes like this:
1) After baking, wrap and chill the cakes in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours, up to overnight.
2) Trim the tops of the cakes to form even layers. This also exposes the sponge so it can soak in extra moisture.
3) Spread a layer of crunchy Biscoff cookie butter over one of the cakes. If you only have creamy cookie butter, I recommend topping it with crumbled Biscoff cookies for added texture.
4) Pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge of the cake. This is really important for structure and keeping the filling inside.
5) Dollop whipped white chocolate ganache inside the buttercream ring. Use a spatula or back of a spoon to even it out.
6) Frost the top and sides of the cake with cookie butter Swiss meringue buttercream.
7) Decorate with Biscoff cookies (shown here with the vanilla cream sandwich cookies) or however you’d like.
8) In my opinion, this cake is best eaten at room temperature (or just slightly cooler than room temp), when the frosting and filling are the softest and most luxurious. If you’re not eating right away, cover and store in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. Set out a couple hours before planning to eat to let it soften.
9) To save leftover cake, I like to cut it into individual slices, wrap each slice in plastic wrap, seal a few pieces in a zip-top bag, and freeze it. It lasts about 3 months and thaws out beautifully for a fresh-tasting piece of cake whenever you like.
Vanilla Cream Biscoff Cake
Tender vanilla cake layers filled with creamy vanilla bean whipped white chocolate ganache and crunchy Biscoff cookie butter, all covered in the silkiest, smoothest, dreamiest cookie butter Swiss meringue buttercream.
Notes
This recipe makes a small 6-inch round triple layer cake.
Ingredients
For the vanilla cake:
- 2/3 cup (151g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup neutral oil
- 2 large whole eggs, at room temperature
- 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 2.5 Tbsp full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 cups (131 g) cake flour, sifted
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup full-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract)
For the whipped white chocolate ganache:
- 3.5 oz finely chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips
- 6 Tbsp heavy cream
- 6 Tbsp heavy cream, cold
- 3/4 tsp vanilla bean paste
For the cookie butter buttercream:
- 3 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to just slightly cooler than room temp, cubed
- 1/3 cup smooth Biscoff cookie butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For assembly:
- ~1/3 cup crunchy Biscoff cookie butter (or smooth cookie butter + 2-3 Tbsp crumbled Biscoff cookies)
- Biscoff cookies to decorate
Instructions
Make the cakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.
- Grease three 6-inch round cake pans with butter or non-stick spray, place a parchment paper round on the bottom of each pan, then grease again.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift in the cake flour and mix with baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle atttachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on high speed until fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes.
- Add eggs and egg whites to the bowl one at a time, beating on medium with each addition until incorporated.
- Add the sour cream and beat on medium about 30 seconds longer.
- Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and mix on low speed until well incorporated. Add half of the buttermilk and mix until fully combined. Alternate mixing in another 1/3 of the flour mixture, remaining buttermilk, then remaining flour mixture. Beat on low until incorporated.
- Mix in the vanilla until incorporated.
- Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three 6-inch pans. Bake for 23 to 28 minutes, until a toothpick inserrted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
- Remove the cakes from the oven. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert them onto wire racks to finish cooling.
- When the cakes are nearly cooled, wrap each cake layer individually with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze until ready to assemble.
Make the whipped white chocolate ganache:
- Add the chopped white chocolate to a heat-proof bowl. Place over a saucepan with simmering water until almost completely melted. Remove from heat.
- Heat the heavy cream in a microwave-safe measuring cup to just below boiling. Gradually stir hot cream into the melted white chocolate until the chocolate is completely melted and you have a smooth mixture.
- Then, gradually add the remaining cold heavy cream 1-2 Tbsp at a time, stirring with each addition, until fully imcorporated. Mix in the vanilla bean paste until combined. If needed, mix with a hand mixer until completely smooth.
- Cover the ganache and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to use, whip the ganache using an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until thickened and forms firm peaks.
Make the buttercream:
- Combine the egg whites and sugar in a medium-sized heat-proof bowl (if using a handheld mixer) or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk to combine.
- Place the bowl over a simmering water bath on the stove, and whisk continuously until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch, or reaches 160 deg F (about 5 mins). (You can whisk by hand or use a handheld electric mixer with the whisk attachment.)
- Remove the bowl from the heat while still whisking constantly. Continue to whisk on medium-high speed with a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form, the meringue is completely cooled to room temp, and the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx 5-10 min).
- Switch to the paddle attachment or beaters on the handheld mixer. Gradually add cubed softened butter, mixing with each addition until fluffy and smooth.
- Add cookie butter and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
- Stir with a wooden spoon several times to remove air pockets.
Assemble:
- Use a large serrated knife to trim the tops off of each cake layer.
- Place one cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread a layer of crunchy cookie butter over the cake. Pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge. (If using, sprinkle extra cookie bits over the cookie butter.)
- Dollop half of the whipped white chocolate ganache within the ring of buttercream and smooth out with a spatula or back of a spoon. Repeat with the 2nd cake layer. Place the 3rd cake layer on top.
- Crumb coat the outside of the cake with the cookie butter buttercream. Refrigerate the crumb-coated cake about 20 minutes, then finish frosting the top and sides with buttercream. Decorate as desired with additional cookies.