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What Is a Vanilla Cake?

Nicole Long
Nicole Long

Vanilla cake is a type of cake that with vanilla flavoring in the recipe. The cake is commonly chosen for wedding, birthday, and other celebratory occasions. Vanilla cake can also be made into cupcakes, and is easily decorated and customized.

Aside from the common cake ingredients, this type of cake is known for its flavoring. The flavor of vanilla cake is achieved by adding vanilla extract to the batter. This helps provide the cake with a nice, light flavor.

Many couples choose vanilla as the flavor for their wedding cakes.
Many couples choose vanilla as the flavor for their wedding cakes.

The benefit of choosing a vanilla cake for an occasion is that it appeals to a wide variety of people. Much like a chocolate cake, this type of cake is a tried and true recipe that can satisfy a wide range of age groups. This includes young children, adults, and the elderly.

Vanilla cake is a common choice flavor for wedding cakes. Thanks to its mass appeal, this cake is often seen as a compromise for the bride and groom. The cake can also be complimented with other cake flavors. Checkerboard cakes can feature vanilla cake along with red velvet cake, for instance. Other options include choosing vanilla flavored cake for a specific layer of the cake, possibly the largest layer, and then choosing specialty cake flavors for the smaller layers.

Vanilla cake's simplicity appeals to a wide variety of people.
Vanilla cake's simplicity appeals to a wide variety of people.

Birthday and other celebratory cakes also commonly feature vanilla cake as the base of the cake. The ease with which vanilla flavored cake can be made helps moms and bakeries alike whip up tasty cakes with little effort. Those that don’t wish to make a cake from scratch can purchase pre-packaged mixes at local grocers and retailers.

Like any cake, the batter for the cake can easily be transformed into cupcakes instead of sheet cake if so desired. The advantage in choosing this cake for cupcakes is the ease with which decorations and embellishments can be chosen. Due to its light golden color, the cake lends itself beautifully to various colors of icing and toppers.

The golden color of the cake also allows for customization if desired. Food coloring can easily be added to the batter to create cakes of various colors. This works well for children’s birthday cakes as well as holiday-themed cakes and cupcakes. With an array of icing colors and decorations available, the cake itself is just one more piece of the puzzle when showcasing creative and artistic talent or letting the kids have a little fun.

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    • Many couples choose vanilla as the flavor for their wedding cakes.
      By: gzorgz
      Many couples choose vanilla as the flavor for their wedding cakes.
    • Vanilla cake's simplicity appeals to a wide variety of people.
      By: cobraphoto
      Vanilla cake's simplicity appeals to a wide variety of people.