Fluffy & Moist Fresh Milled Vanilla Cake
Perfect for celebrations, birthdays, or “just because” our recipe for Fresh Milled Vanilla Cake is so fluffy and moist. While fresh milled flour can make things quite dense, our cake has a tender and light crumb that just can’t be beat – everything you want in a delicious vanilla cake! We love topping it with a simple vanilla buttercream and maybe just a few too many sprinkles…just for fun!
Fluffy & Moist Fresh Milled Vanilla Cake
A fluffy, moist, and tender Fresh Milled Vanilla Cake topped with an easy vanilla buttercream.
Ingredients
Fresh Milled Vanilla Cake
- 310 Grams Fresh Milled Soft White Wheat Flour* , do not sift
- 1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar, I use Raw Cane or Coconut Sugar*
- 1/3 Cup + 4 Tbsp Butter, softened almost to melted
- 1/2 Cup Plain Yogurt
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 1/2 Cup Milk
- 1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 tsp Real Vanilla Extract
Simple Syrup*
- 2 Tbsp. Water
- 2 Tbsp . Granulated Sugar , I prefer using Raw Cane here*
Vanilla Buttercream, double frosting if making a layer cake
- 1 Cup Butter, softened
- 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tbsp. Real Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tbsp. Milk, plus more as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking pan. Cake can also be made in 2- 9" round cake pans if you prefer. 9" cakes will be slightly thinner.
- In a small bowl combine 1 1/2 cup of milk with 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Set this mixture aside.
- Mill 310 grams of soft white wheat. Whisk 1 Tablespoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into the flour and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, soften 1/3 cup + 4 Tablespoons butter almost to the point of completely melted. You can do this in the microwave or on the stovetop. Then cream together butter and 3/4 cup of granulated sugar. Next, whip in two eggs. And finally whip in 1/2 cup of yogurt and 2 teaspoons of real vanilla extract until smooth. While I use a wooden spoon for this step, some have found it helpful to use a hand held or stand mixture to really whip these ingredients together. Then, fold in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Mixture will be thick. Allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
- After mixture has sat for 5 minutes, mix in milk and apple cider vinegar mixture. Do not overmix, mix just until ingredients come together.
- Spread cake batter evenly in baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-26 minutes. Cake will be golden on top. Cake should spring back slightly to the touch. If baking in 2 - 9" rounds you may want to check the cake at the 15-18 minute mark and then continue to bake as needed.
- Allow cake to cool completely.
- After cake has cooled, in a small saucepan combine 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar to make a simple syrup. This ensures our cake stays moist. Bring mixture to a simmer and stir constantly until sugar has dissolved. Brush mixture over the cooled cake and let it sit 15 minutes before frosting.
- After cake has cooled and simple syrup has been brushed on, it's time to make the frosting. In a medium sized mixing bowl whip softened butter for at least 5 minutes using a hand help mixer. Whipping it extra long is my secret to extra smooth and whipped buttercream. After butter has been whipped, add 3 cups of powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract, and 1 Tablespoon of milk. You may need to add 1/2-1 Tablespoon more as needed. (Note: if making a layer cake, you may need to double the frosting)
- Once frosting ingredients are combined, frost cake and decorate as desired.
- Cake stores well on the counter in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Cake can also be stored in a freezer safe container in the freezer for later enjoyment.
Notes
Why is the fresh milled flour measured in grams? To ensure your cake turns out just as delicious as ours, we share all of our fresh milled recipes in grams. This yields a more consistent recipe.
Why do you coat this cake with a simple syrup after it has cooled? Many bakers choose to top thier cakes with a simple syrup to keep cakes moist, especially when baking them in advance. Fresh milled baking can easily be dry because of the added bran, but we've found that topping fresh milled cakes with a simple syrup ensures they do not dry out quickly but stay moist and delicious!
What is the best sugar to use in this cake? Any granulated sugar, like cane or coconut will work well in this cake. Just be aware that if you are using coconut sugar it will make a very brown cake.
What type of sugar should I use in the simple syrup? We would recommend cane sugar here because it dissolves well.
A fresh milled cake for every celebration!
I (Megan) remember the special birthday celebrations I had growing up. There was the Barbie cake (classic), the many sheet cakes with toy farm animals shoved into the frosting, and the German Chocolate Cake I requested that Mom outdid herself on. Cakes help us celebrate special occasions and milestone moments but they’re also the perfect dessert for “just because”. And this cake is no exception. Keep this cake in your back pocket for all your celebration needs.
How do you make a really good fresh milled vanilla cake?
That’s a great question! And it’s one we took some time to perfect and achieve. We wanted a moist, fluffy, and tender cake with the lightest crumb possible while still including all the benefits and nutrients of fresh milled flour that we know and love – without sifting it all out. Some helpful tricks we’ve added to this recipe is that we add plenty of moisture from milk and yogurt. We’ve also added apple cider vinegar to the dough, the acid acting as a dough conditioner. Then, we let the batter sit for 5 minutes to allow the fresh milled flour to absorb some moisture before baking. And finally we top the baked and cooled cake with a simple syrup that keeps the cake fresh and moist.
Key features in our Fluffy & Moist Fresh Milled Vanilla Cake:
- No need to sift the flour! It is our hearts desire to create fresh milled recipes without losing the reason why (all the nutrients) we love fresh milled recipes in the first place. We chose to include all the wonderful parts of fresh milled flour and not sift out any bran. Instead we incorporated a few ingredients and techniques to keep this cake fluffy and delicious!
- Cake can be made in a 9×13 pan or 2) 9″ round pans. While this cake works best baked in a 9×13 baking pan, you can also use two 9″ pans for a layer cake. The cakes will be slightly thinner so double the recipe if you prefer a thicker layer cake.
- You can use cane sugar OR coconut sugar! Either sugar works perfectly in this fresh milled cake.
- Tender with a light crumb this cake is decadent and oh so smooth topped with rich buttercream.
- Simple Ingredients- In our from scratch kitchen we like to keep the ingredients simple with ingredients we always have on hand.
- Topped with vanilla buttercream with some helpful tips to ensure the smoothest buttercream you’ve ever had. And don’t forget the sprinkles!
Don’t forget the WHY behind fresh milled baking!
We always think it’s important to remind our readers to get back to the why of fresh milled flour recipes.
Maybe your why is because you desire to make wholesome, from scratch food for you family in your own kitchen. Or after being gluten free for years you realized you could enjoy grains in their whole form. Maybe you learned of the amazing health benefits of fresh milled grains. Or maybe it’s all of the above!
It’s easy to get lost in the noise of the internet. But as women, wives, and mothers let’s get back to kitchens and homes that provide not just wholesome food for our families, but also delicious food that satisfies our deepest needs for nourishment. Our kitchens can be reminders of our deeper spiritual needs- Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” John 6:35
Join us for coffee on the porch!
Join us on the porch for our Substack newsletter and get our newest recipes straight to your inbox. This is a biweekly email for women, wives, and mothers who desire to cultivate homemaking skills, nurture healthy families through homegrown and homemade food, and grow in grace & godliness in the places God has us.
Ingredients to make the best fresh milled vanilla cake:
Fresh Milled Vanilla Cake-
- Fresh Milled Soft White Wheat (do not sift!)
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Granulated Sugar (Cane or Coconut)
- 1/3 Cup + 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 1/2 Cup Yogurt
- 2 Eggs
- 1 1/2 Cups Milk + 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Teaspoons Real Vanilla Extract
Simple Syrup-
- 2 Tablespoons Water
- 2 Tablespoons Cane Sugar
Smooth Buttercream Frosting
- 1 Cup Softened Butter
- 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Real Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tablespoon Milk
Step-by-Step Instructions to make Fluffy & Moist Fresh Milled Vanilla Cake:
Fresh Milled Vanilla Cake-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking pan. Cake can also be made in 2- 9″ round cake pans if you prefer. Cakes will just be slightly thinner since the pans are larger.
In a small bowl combine 1 1/2 cups of milk with 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Set this mixture aside. Mill 310 grams of soft white wheat. Whisk in 1 Tablespoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into the flour and set this mixture aside as well.
In a large mixing bowl, soften 1/3 cup + 4 Tablespoons of butter almost to the point of melted. Cream together butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Next, whip in two eggs until smooth. And finally, mix in 1/2 cup of yogurt and 2 teaspoons of real vanilla extract. While I use a wooden spoon for this step, some have found it helpful to use a handheld or stand mixer to really whip the ingredients together. Then, fold in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes. After mixture has sat for 5 minutes, mix in milk and apple cider vinegar mixture.
Finally, spread cake batter evenly into the baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-26 minutes. Fresh milled cake will be golden on top and should spring back slightly to the touch. If baking in 2 – 9″ rounds you may want to check the cake at the 15-18 minute mark and then continue to bake as needed. Allow the cake to cool completely.
Simple Syrup-
After the cake has cooled, in a small saucepan combine 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar to make a simple syrup. Then, bring this mixture to a simmer and stir constantly until sugar has dissolved. Brush simple syrup mixture over the cooled cake and let it sit 15 minutes before frosting. The pictures below show our fresh milled cake without simple syrup (left) and with simple syrup on top (right).
Buttercream Frosting & Cake Assembly-
Once the fresh milled vanilla cake has cooled and the simple syrup has been brushed on, it’s time to make the frosting. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whip softened butter for at least 5 minutes using a hand held mixer. After the butter has been whipped, add 3 cups of powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract, and 1 Tablespoon of milk. You may need to add 1/2-1 Tablespoon more milk as needed. (Note: if making a layer cake, you may need to double the frosting) Once frosting ingredients are combined, frost the fresh milled vanilla cake cake and decorate as desired.
So glad to have found this recipe! I’m new to fresh flour baking and this one turned out great! I wouldn’t say it’s fluffy like a regular cake flour cake, but I didn’t find it to be super dense. The flavor is great and it holds together well! I made a double batch to make a towered cake for my daughter’s birthday and I had no issues with it staying together.
Thank you Heidi for the great review! So glad that the cake turned out wonderful (and layered!) for your daughters birthday! It makes us so happy you had a successful fresh milled flour recipe! Happy baking! – Megan (Heritage Home Farmstead)
I made the recipes tonight with two 9 inch rounds. The cakes are very thin and flat and did not rise much. Maybe I over mixed? I am bummed as I was hoping for more height. I think if I was to try to again I may double to recipee and also have more practice since this is my frost cake with FMF.
Hello Ann,
You could have over stirred but it also could be the 9″ pans. This recipe works best in a 9×13 and if made in a 9″ the cake will be thinner just because there is less cake batter when divided into two pans. Yes, try doubling if you prefer a thicker cake!- Megan
I made this cake the other night for my small group.
I had never made a cake with freshly milled flour before.
We were all trying it at the same time. I was focusing on the texture and the flavors. While I was thinking about what was different and what I liked, the people around me started saying
“This is REALLY good!”
I love the denseness of this cake, and that it is not overly sweet!
Kim, we are so glad that you had a successful first fresh milled cake!! How brave of you to bring it to your small group too. It makes us so happy that the textures and flavors were delicious to you! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts. -Amanda & Megan
Have you ever made it into cupcakes? If so how long did you bake?
Hello Amber! I have not not tried making cupcakes with this recipe – although I really need to! I’m going to guess they will need to be baked around 15 minutes. I would start checking them at 12 minutes and then work up to 15 if needed. When done they should have a light spring when pressed. You want to slightly under bake them because they will continue to cook slightly as they cool. Just don’t under bake so much that they sink in the middle because they are not baked all the way through. Hope this helps. Please let us know how it turns out for you! -Megan
EXCELLENT!!!
I used this recipe to make cupcakes for a birthday. I was specifically looking for a recipe that would produce a moist cake and wouldn’t feel dense as soon fresh-milled cakes can be. I made the recipe exactly had described. It was a little thinner than I’m used to for cake batter but I trusted the process. I was able to make 21 cup cakes with this recipe. I filled them approx 3/4 full and they rose to the top without spilling over. The texture and moisture was on point. I baked them at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
This is exciting news! So glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you for sharing your experiments and results! -Megan