This soft, moist and fluffy vanilla bean cake is filled with a fresh and tart raspberry compote cake filling. The result is a beautiful layer cake with little vanilla bean specks in the cake and the buttercream, complimented by the bright and flavorful raspberries.1x batch yields one6" three-layer cake baked in a ¼ sheet pan and a 2x batch Yields one8" three-layer cake baked in a ½ sheet pan and cut out with cake rings using the Cut and Stack Method.
Servings 8slices
Prep Time 40 minutesmins
Cook Time 28 minutesmins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
233 grams (1 ¾cups)All-Purpose FlourI use Gold Medal
2 Tablespoons Instant Clearjel or 3TablespoonsInstant Vanilla Pudding MixSee Note #1. Please make sure it is labeled as INSTANT Clearjel
1 ½ sticks (6ounces)Salted Butterat room temperature
48 grams (¼cup)shortening
455 grams (3 ½cups)powdered sugar
(optional) 1TablespoonsInstant Clearjelmakes a thicker frosting, but you may omit it
2 Tablespoon + 1teaspoonVanilla Bean PasteI use OliveNation
Instructions
Make the Vanilla Bean Cake
Preheat Oven to 325 degrees. Line ¼ Sheet pan with parchment paper, and then spray bottom (on top of the parchment) and sides of the sheet pan with cooking spray.
Sift Dry Ingredients in a bowl and then whisk until well blended.
Combine and whisk Wet Ingredients in a separate bowl or pitcher. Don't be alarmed if your wet ingredients separate or thicken as it sits, just stir it again before adding it to the cake batter.
With a stand mixer (preferred) or handheld mixer, cream sugar and salted butter together just until creamed together. Add oil and corn syrup and beat until just incorporated. Add 1egg(s) and cream until incorporated and the batter is smooth, scraping sides of the bowl as needed. Avoid overbeating at every step.
On low speed, alternate adding Dry ingredients and Wet ingredients to the Creamed Ingredients, a little at a time. I do ⅓ Dry, ⅓ Wet, and so on, adding one-third at a time and blending on low after each addition. Continue to mix just until the batter looks well blended and smooth (avoid overbeating). Scrape sides of the bowl as needed.
Using a whip attachment and a clean bowl, whip the 2egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. (Make sure your bowl and beaters are clean and free from grease so that the whites will whip).
Carefully fold the Whipped Whites into the cake batter, one half of the whites at a time. The batter is ready when no egg white streaks remain and it should look smooth and uniform.
Spread into prepared pan and make sure the batter is evenly distributed. An offset spatula works well for this.
Bake on the middle or top rack (avoid bottom rack) of preheated 325-degree oven for 18 minutes, then turn the oven down to 300 degrees. Set the timer for an additional 6-8 minutes. Check the cake at this point. If it is jiggly at all when lightly touching the top of the cake, continue baking for 1-6 more minutes. The cake is done when a paring knife or toothpick comes out mostly clean when stuck quickly in the cake. A couple moist crumbs on your knife are fine, but they shouldn't look wet. Allow to cool completely. Brush lightly with simple syrup (optional, Note #3).
Wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap and freeze cake in the pan for 2 hours or overnight. (You can even bake the cake up to a week ahead of time and freeze). The cake will be much easier to layer if it is cold or frozen. To wrap the cake, place another sheet of parchment on top of the cake (this will prevent the plastic wrap from sticking to the cake), and wrap the whole pan with plastic wrap. (I pull the plastic wrap out and place the pan on top of it. Then I wrap 2-3 ways horizontally and one way vertically so that there are two layers of wrap on all sides of the pan including the bottom).
Wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap and freeze cake in the pan for 2 hours or overnight. (You can even bake the cake up to a week ahead of time and freeze). The cake will be much easier to layer if it is cold or frozen. To wrap the cake, place another sheet of parchment on top of the cake (this will prevent the plastic wrap from sticking to the cake), and wrap the whole pan with plastic wrap. (I pull the plastic wrap out and place the pan on top of it. Then I wrap 2-3 ways horizontally and one way vertically so that there are two layers of wrap on all sides of the pan including the bottom).
Whisk the powdered sugar and Instant Clearjel (if using) together until well-blended. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer (preferred) or handheld mixer and a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until broken up and softened. Add the room temperature salted butter and continue to beat, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the shortening and beat and scrape the sides until there are no lumps.
While the mixer is on low, slowly alternate adding the powdered sugar mixture and vanilla bean paste.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then beat the buttercream on high for two-three minutes. This will add air into the buttercream and make it light and fluffy. The Instant Clearjel will cause the buttercream to thicken slightly during the next 10 minutes as it sits.
Frost the Cake
The easiest way to layer the cake is to layer the cake from frozen the day before you plan to serve it. If serving the cake the same day you are layering it, use refrigerated cake layers instead of frozen. Piece together the bottom layer, filling in with cake scraps if needed. You can use the cake ring as a guide.
Cut out your desired cake size with cake rings using the Cut and Stack Method–leave the cake in the sheet pan, and using a slight sawing motion, cut the frozen cake into your desired cake size with cake rings (You can use a knife and the cake rings as a guide for any halve pieces that you cut.) In a 1x batch, I typically cut 3 layers with a 6" cake rings for a 6" cake–two full layers and one layer made from two halves (as seen in the recipe video). The crispest layers are cut from frozen cake, but you can let it thaw slightly before cutting your cake rounds if needed. Use your two half-circles of cake to make the bottom cake layer (fill in with scraps if needed to make a level surface).
Because this dark berry filling discolors the cake after the cake is cut, I recommend spreading a very thin layer of buttercream on each cake layer before filling the cake. When filling cakes with fruit compotes, you’ll want to pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge before spooning in your filling (as shown in my recipe video). I pipe my ring of buttercream 2-3 rings high to ensure no filling escapes. Some buttercream will push over the edge when topped with the cake layers, and that is fine–just use your spatula to smooth it against the side of the cake to seal it in. To be extra cautious with filled cakes, I like to let them set up in the freezer for 10 minutes after filling them but before adding a crumb coat of icing.
I recommend frosting a thin crumb coat of buttercream on the outside of the cake which will catch all the crumby edges, then allow it to set up in the freezer for about 10 minutes until the buttercream is firm. An offset icing spatula (I use the small and medium-size on all my cakes) helps with this. Then spread on the second layer of buttercream and decorate as desired.
Let the cake set up in the fridge, but remove it from the fridge 1-3 hours before serving so it can come back to room temperature. This cake has the best texture at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
Notes for 2x batches (some of these won't apply if you are using the grams measurements):4 Tbsp=¼ cup 3 tsp= 1 Tablespoon
Read my article Instant Clearjel: a Magical Little-Known Bakery Ingredient to see why I think this ingredient is worth having in your pantry. Instant Clearjel must always be whisked thoroughly with other dry ingredients before being added to wet ingredients to avoid clumping. Instant Pudding mix makes a great substitute in the cake batter, but simply leave it out in the frosting.
When baking cakes in a sheet pan, the cake bakes more evenly (flatter on top and with no dark edges), and you get to choose your cake size after baking! With a 1x batch in a ¼ Sheet Pan you can make a three-layer 6″ cake (two full rounds, one pieced round from two half-circles) or several little cakelets. With a 2x batch in a ½ Sheet Pan you can make a three-layer 8″ cake (two full rounds, one pieced round from two half-circles), an extra tall six-layer 6″ cake (5 full rounds, one pieced round from two half-circles), TWO 3-layer 6″ cakes (eat one now and freeze one for later. 🙂 Or have a baking party with a friend and you each get a cake!) or several little Cakelets using a 4″ cake ring or 3″ or 2″ round cookie cutters. You can also choose to bake in sheet-cake pans or round pans. View the pan chart in the article Half-Batches and Cake Pans: Everything You Need to Know.
Simple Syrup is optional, but I use it to seal in the moisture for cakes that will be refrigerated or frozen. While the cake cools, make a simple syrup by combining 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until the sugar is dissolved after whisking, about 20-30 seconds. You can also make a larger batch of this (1 part sugar to 1 part water) and keep it in the fridge if you’re doing a lot of cake baking.