This amazing Rich Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting recipe is the perfect cake for any occasion. Every bite will bring you joy!
You can’t go wrong with this classic party cake. It is perfect for anything from birthdays to weddings. Every bite will bring a taste of nostalgia.
Why This Recipe Works
- Sponge cake flavored with extract makes this a perfect white cake.
- Dark chocolate frosting made with sour cream makes the texture velvety and smooth. A delight to eat.
- Dark chocolate makes this icing chocolatey but not too sweet and overpowering.
Nevermind how beautiful it turned out for a second and let me tell you that when my son tried it, he actually did a little dance because he said a cake that good deserves a dance! The cake itself is rich, moist & fluffy and the frosting is velvety smooth, with the perfect amount of sweetness.
How to Make Rich Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract, mix until combined
- Sift the dry ingredients.
- Add dry ingredients and buttermilk (at intervals).
- Mix until combined
- Bake for around 25-30 minutes.
- Prepare the frosting, ice the cake.
- Serve and enjoy!
Frosting Rich Vanilla Cake
For those of you who want to know how I did the decorating – To pipe the roses on top, I used a large Wilton 2D Tip (pictured below). If you’re in the US, you can one like mine here from Amazon You’ll find it under Decorating Products & Ingredients. If you’re in the UK, click here). (As an Amazon Associate, a small commission is made from qualifying purchases).
I just swirled them from the middle out. Nothing really fancy. If you want to practice, do them on the bottom layer (pictured below) before stacking the cakes. That way you can get the hang of it before you start the top of the cake. You can see in the photo, it took a while for me to figure out how to do it. If you need more time, just scrape it off and do it again!
Once the bottom layer was done, I just smoothed the icing in a thin layer all over the cake.
For the sides, I used a normal leaf tip that I just ran in long strips. It was super simple. It took very little time, but I did chill the icing in the fridge (as well as the iced cake) before I piped on the decoration. I did that because it was a warm day, the icing was a little soft and I wanted it to hold its shape.
I have to admit that cutting it kinda hurt, but the taste of it took the pain away pretty quickly!
More Frosting Options
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Let’s Make Rich Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup butter at room temperature
- 1⅓ cups sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
For the frosting:
- ½ cup butter at room temperature
- 6 ounces dark chocolate roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder sifted
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- ⅔ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans.
- Beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well until combined.
- Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.
- Add these dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two additions, alternating with the buttermilk.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
- Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool for 20 minutes before taking them out of the pan. Let them cool completely on a rack before frosting.
For the frosting:
- Melt the butter and chocolate in a small pan on over a low heat stirring gently until melted.
- Once completely melted, remove from the heat and let cool.
- Add the cocoa, vanilla extract and 1 cup of the powdered sugar.
- Beat in the sour cream and another cup of the sugar until smooth.
- Add more sugar a little at a time if needed until you reach the desired consistency.
Amie says
So are we meant to mix the icing in the pan we use to melt the butter/chocolate?
Erren's Kitchen says
Hi Amie, yes that’s correct 🙂
Megan says
Hi! I am going to make this recipe for my dad’s birthday next weekend. How do you store the cake? Room temp or in the fridge?
Erren Hart says
Hi Megan, Storing the cake in the fridge will dry it out. If it’s this coming Friday, store it wrapped or in a covered cake dish at room temperature. If you meant Friday the 30th, I would freeze the cake then take it out the day before to thaw at room temperature and frost it once it’s thawed.
Preethi says
Is there any alternative for sour cream ? If yes what it is and the measurement
Erren Hart says
Hi Preethi, I’ve never tried it with anything else so I can’t help you with an exact substitution.
Gabby says
I loved this recipe! Cake turned out fluffy and moist and tasted amazing. Will be certainly making it again
Erren's Kitchen says
That’s so good to hear Gabby, glad you liked it 🙂
Angie says
Well, mine didn’t look like yours but wow, gorgeous cake, thanks for the recipe!
Erren's Kitchen says
It’s all about the taste, I’m so glad you enjoyed them.
The Baking ChocolaTess says
What a beautiful cake! Perfect for a wintertime celebration!
Thanks for sharing this mouthwatering cake recipe.
The Baking ChocolaTess
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you so much, and for your awesome feedback ChocolaTESS!
Sherry Oakes says
This is the most perfect birthday cake ever. Absolutey delicious and addictive. I didn’t decorate it, just set it ablaze with birthday candles. It is a showstopper!
Erren says
Wonderful, Sherry! Glad you enjoyed it! 😊
MasterCakes says
Made this for a birthday. Easy to make, delicious moist cake, easy to work with icing. Made a great impression when the cake was cut and the layers revealed. A hit all around. MasterCakes
Erren's Kitchen says
Ah, thank you so much for your feedback!