Best Vanilla Cake Recipe for Carving
One of the most important things when sculpting a novelty cake is the right cake as a base. A cake that can be cut and manipulated without falling apart. A cake with a soft crumb and yet delicious. This vanilla cake recipe for carving will prove to be the best sculpting cake recipe you will ever use. And It’s delicious too.
If I make a sculpted cake, I make it for customers or for my kids’ birthdays, not competitions. This means when I need a cake to carve, I need one that will also taste good. So I stay away from recipes online that say this is for competition and don’t taste as good, but they work great for carving.
Why use this cake?
- I wish you could see how soft and moist my carving cake recipes are.
- I have been using this vanilla cake for carving recipes for a long time now, and have carved many cakes very successfully.
- It’s not as dense as a pound or sponge cake, but not as delicate as vanilla cream cake or my light and fluffy vanilla cake.
- I strongly recommend freezing the cake for at least an hour before carving. Freezing the cake helps with fewer crumbs. So while I say this is dense, it’s also rich and delicious.
- This and my chocolate cake for carving recipe have had rave reviews from my customers.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter so I can control the quantity of salt in my recipe. And yet, if salted butter is all you have, go ahead and use it. Just omit salt in the recipe.
- White sugar – White sugar contributes to a nice, soft, tender crumb and gives a nice color. You can add brown sugar, which will contribute to the taste and color differently.
- Eggs – Always use large-size eggs when baking unless specified. The size of the eggs varies significantly these days. So as a guide, one large egg weighs between 50 and 60 grams.
- Vanilla– A good quality vanilla will make a huge difference in anything you make. Premium vanilla can be expensive, which is why I make my homemade vanilla extract, bean paste, or sugar.
- All-purpose flour – Yes, regular plain flour (maida) is all you need for this cake. And, since self-raising flours contain leavening, they must be used with caution.
Step-by-step: Vanilla cake for carving (Sculpting cake)
Batter
- Preheat your oven to 325°F/165°C/Gas Mark 3
- Grease and dust or line 3 x 6-inch round cake pan or 2 x 7-inch round cake pan with parchment paper or your novelty cake pan.
- Dry ingredients – In a bowl, combine flour with baking powder and salt – set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy
- Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.
- Next, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk in three additions.
- Divide the batter equally between the prepared baking pans.
Pro tip – I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat.
Bake
- Pour into your baking pans and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes. Invert and cool on a wire rack completely before you decorate
- Once cooled, wrap in two layers of plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil. Place it in the freezer for at least one hour before you carve into it.
Pro tip – Freezing the cake for an hour helps carve the cake with fewer crumbs, but don’t freeze it until it’s hard, or it gets harder to carve, making more crumbs.
Vanilla Sculpting Cake Recipe
One of the most important things when sculpting a novelty cake is the right cake as a base. A cake that can be cut and manipulated without falling apart. A cake with a soft crumb and yet delicious. This vanilla cake recipe for carving will prove to be the best sculpting cake recipe you will ever use. And It’s delicious too.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) Butter unsalted, room temperature
- 1¼ cup (250 g) Sugar granulated
- 2 cups (250 g) All-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 ¾ tsp Baking powder
- ¾ cup (180 g) Buttermilk or sour cream
- 4 large (200 g) Eggs
- 2 tbsp Vanilla extract
Method
- Preheat your oven to 325°F/165°C/Gas Mark 3
- Grease and dust or line 3 x 6-inch round cake pan or 2 x 7-inch round cake pan with parchment paper or your novelty cake pan. Pro tip – the height of your cake will depend on the width of your cake pan. The round cake pans should give you a guide on how much cake this batter should make.
- Dry ingredients – In a bowl, combine flour with baking powder, and salt – set aside.Pro tip– sifting dry ingredients will give a light and airy cake. But, for this one, a whisk should be fine.2 cups All-purpose flour, ¼ tsp Salt, 1 ¾ tsp Baking powder
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffyPro tip – it is essential that butter is at room temperature. Firm butter will give a lumpy batter and soft butter will not cream to light and fluffy.1 cup Butter, 1¼ cup Sugar
- Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.Pro tip– room temperature eggs will incorporate well, if the batter curdles just add one or two tablespoons of flour. This should help bring the batter back together.4 large Eggs, 2 tbsp Vanilla extract
- Next, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk in three additions.¾ cup Buttermilk
- Divide batter equally between the prepared baking pans.Pro tip – I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat.
- Pour into your baking pans and bake for about 20 to 25minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Pro tip – the baking time is dependant on the height and width of your cake pan. A larger pan will shorten the baking time.
- Cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes. Invert and cool on a wire rack completely before you decorate
- Once cooled wrap in two cling wraps, followed by aluminum foil. Place in the freezer for at least one hour before you carve into it.Pro tip – freezing the cake for an hour helps carve the cake with fewer crumbs but, don't freeze until hard or it gets harder to carve making more crumbs.
Notes
- Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature so you have a smooth, not curdled batter.
- Whip the butter and sugar mixture until it is light and airy. If the mixture curdles, add a teaspoon of flour and whip some more.
- You can use clear vanilla extract to make the color of the cake lighter but I like to use regular dark vanilla extract.
- Preheat the oven well in advance so you do not have to wait once the batter is ready.
- It is best to bake cakes on the center rack alternatively, rotate the cake pans halfway through baking for even baking.
- Cake strips are highly recommended for this cake so you have a nice pale baked cake not dark. The top crust comes off easily. You can also make cake strips at home DIY
Storage
- Once decorated the cake does not need to be refrigerated unless you use perishable frosting or filling
- It can stay at room temperature for two days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Once cut always cover the cut side of the cake with plastic wrap so the cake does not dry out.
Other pans suggestions
- You can double this recipe to make this into a sheet cake – a ‘vanilla sheet cake’.
- You can also pour the batter into a well-greased and dusted bundt pan for a ‘vanilla cream bundt cake’.
- This recipe can also be baked into 18 to 20 beautiful vanilla cream cupcakes
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Mention @veenaazmanov_kitchen or tag #veenaazmanovkitchen!How much cake do I need?
- One of the most common questions I get is how much cake I need. When it comes to novelty cakes, it’s difficult for me to say.
- For example, I can’t say you need two of these for a car cake. Why? because it depends on the size of your car template.
- So this cake makes 18 fondant cake slices, but only 8 dessert servings. It can be doubled and be more successful.
- So, if you choose to make a cake for 60, then you’d multiply the recipe times 3 and follow the same method as below.
Tips for Success
- Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature so you have a smooth, not curdled batter.
- Whip the butter and sugar mixture until it is light and airy. If the mixture curdles, add a teaspoon of flour and whip some more.
- You can use clear vanilla extract to lighten the cake’s color, but I prefer regular dark vanilla extract.
- Preheat the oven well in advance so you do not have to wait once the batter is ready.
- It is best to bake cakes on the center rack. Alternatively, rotate the cake pans halfway through baking for even baking.
- Cake strips are highly recommended for this cake, so you have a nice pale baked cake, not dark. The top crust comes off easily. You can also make cake strips at home DIY
Storage
- Once decorated, the cake does not need to be refrigerated unless you use perishable frosting or filling
- It can stay at room temperature for two days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Once cut, always cover the cut side of the cake with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
Other pans suggestions
- You can double this recipe to make this into a sheet cake – a ‘vanilla sheet cake.
- You can also pour the batter into a well-greased and dusted bundt pan for a ‘vanilla cream bundt cake.
- This recipe can also be baked into 18 to 20 beautiful vanilla cream cupcakes
Frequently asked questions
Does a dense cake have a longer shelf life? How long does this chocolate carving cake keep? Do I need to refrigerate this vanilla sculpting cake?
Often, people think a dense cake can be kept for longer. True, it does have a longer shelf life than most other cakes. And yet, even a dense cake will stay at room temperature for only 3 to 4 days. You can keep it longer if you wrap it well in plastic and keep it in the fridge.
How do you frost a vanilla carving cake?
This chocolate carving is delicious on its own, especially when it’s fresh, so don’t be afraid to use it for not just sculpting. I like to use butter-based or chocolate-based frosting for my sculpted cakes. The butter and chocolate are both firm and chilled, which makes it easier to cut and manipulate the cake as needed.
What frosting do you recommend for a vanilla sculpted cake?
For most of my sculpted cakes, I use any one of these frostings
Velvet American buttercream,
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Chocolate Ganache or white chocolate ganache
Don’t be afraid to try my other flavored buttercream recipes as well – see more than 30 plus buttercream frosting recipes
Can I make this an Eggless Vanilla carving cake?
No, this recipe works best with eggs, but I do have an eggless vanilla cake that is very popular with my visitors.
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Next weekend I plan to make the Australian Women’s Weekly Duck cake for my daughters 2nd birthday. I decided to try this recipe out tonight to see how it tastes and if I would use it for the duck cake and I’m 100% happy with the results! Such a yummy cake, although I was shocked by the amount of eggs and butter haha. I made the cake dairy free by using almond milk ad coconut yogurt mixed together to replace the buttermilk. And nuttelex buttery instead of butter. Still tasted amazing. Will be trying it out on family tomorrow.
Thank you for the lovely feedback, Carmen. I am so happy to hear that this recipe was a success for you. Yes, this is close to a pound cake. The butter and eggs add stability to the cake which is what we need for carving.
Hello, I want to make a PS4 controller cake, and I plan on using 11 x 15 sheet pan, how should I calculate the formula. I want the cake to be about 2 or 3 layers thick. Should I go for 3 times the recipe to be safe?
Yes, you can multiply this recipe x 3. Just change the number of servings in the recipe card below and it will calculate the recipe for you. Thanks
Would it be ok to add lemon flavoring to this recipe?
yes, absolutely, Denisha. You can add lemon juice and lemon extract to make it a lemon flavored cake.
Doubled the recipe for a 9x13x3 inches and turned out grear and flat!!The flavour is very nice and although i left it in fridge before cutting itin piano shape was still very soft and moist!! Thank you for another great recioe!
Yes, at the right temperature, this can bake flat. Thank you for the lovely feedback. NIcoletta
This made an EXCELLENT cake! I followed the recipe exactly and used measurements for 3x the original. I used the recipe to make a carved dinosaur cake for my daughters birthday. It held together beautifully and was easy to carve but was tender and not dry in the least. Loved this and will definitely be adding it to my repertoire! Thank you!
Thank you, Gina.
Hi, I’m making my first carved cake for my daughter’s birthday. She wants a pteradactyl and I’ve found a shape that isn’t too complicated that I think I can carve out of the 9×13 inch sheet cake pan I have. I’ld like to do 2 layers. Would you recommend baking the 2 layers separately or baking one cake and splitting it in half.
And also, how much cake will I need to make? I looked at your guide and got confused.
Hey Jackie, I don’t know what cake you are making. What design, height, and size. So I can’t tell you how much cake you need. Sorry.
The best way to go about is.
Finalize the design – shape and size.
Print the design on paper and measure how much is the height and width of the cake you need.
Based on that you will be able to decide what size pans and how many cakes you need.
I hope that makes sense.
I’m a little confused on party servings and wedding servings and which one I use for the recipe servings. I’m making an 11x15x4 cake (two layers). A website says 54 party servings and 72 wedding servings. I’m not sure which one to use. I’ve never made a cake this size and with either one, I’ve never used so many eggs and sticks of butter at one time in my life!
James – party servings are when you serve the cake at a dessert slice. These are usually the triangle slices. The wedding cake servings are smaller often 1 x 2-inch x 4-inch tall pieces. These are usually covered in fondant. When you are carving a cake decide how big you want the cake to be then decide how tall and wide you need the cake. I hope this helps
Hi Veena,
I’m planning to use this recipe for a novelty cake I am going to make at the weekend. I will be baking in a 10x8inch square tin – please could you advise how I need to amend the recipe for this?
Thanks so much!
Charlotte
Charlotte – are you making 10 – 8-inch square tins? You can change the number of servings in the recipe card below and it will calculate the recipe for you. You can see the number of servings you need here in my post – Cake Servings Size Chart.
Hi Veena,
Thank you for coming back to me!
Yes I am making 10 x 8-inch square tins and I cannot find the specific measurement for this – I think it will be around 25 servings per tin, hopefully that will make enough! Thank you!
Charlotte
An 8-inch square cake (3 to 4-inches tall) serves about 32 servings. This cake will make only 16 servings which means you will need to double this recipe for each pan. Depending on your oven I’d say make no more than 4 at a time so you don’t keep them waiting too long for baking.
Hi Veena! Could I use this recipe, double to bake in a sheet pan and use it for letter/number cakes? I’m trying to find a super moist recipe where the cake’s sides won’t dry out since they’re exposed. Or would you recommend a different vanilla cake recipe from your site?
Hey Lara. You want to use a vanilla cake, so yes this will work. To keep it moist.
1. Wrap the cake all at times after it is baked and cool, especially after you cut the shapes.
2. Use a generous amount of sugar syrup – but make sure the sugar syrup is not too sweet so use more water.
3. Once the cake is done if you keep it in the fridge make sure to wrap well. Often this is where the cake gets dry.
Hi I baked your cake , it seemed to lose its height after taking out of oven – also looked a bit stodgy in places . Does that mean it’s under baked? It has a lovely taste though
It definitely sounds underbaked Gail