Simple & Fluffy Portuguese Vanilla Cream Cake

This is what happens when you have a food blog, you become the official family baker hahaha. My sister wanted a more simple vanilla cake for some party, nothing too fancy, nor too rich or “fattening” hahahah, just a nice tea cake. That’s why there’s no frosting or filling here, just a sprinkle of powdered sugar to make an S (for my sister’s name). The cake itself is pretty basic, but sometimes that’s what someone wants, you know? There is a time for a double frosting carrot and chocolate cake, and there is a time for a simple slice of a nice and comforting fluffy vanilla cake. And I love both, no regrets!

And look, today, April 25th, happens to be a very special day here in Portugal, our Independence Day! Not that this is a very patriotic cake eheheh, but it is a Portuguese style cake, and any excuse for a celebration and cake is good for me hehehe. So have a joyful and happy day! (And you too, sis! ;D)

Now, the cake itself is like i said simple, light, and incredibly fluffy, all thanks to the heavy cream in the batter, which gives it this gorgeous, tender, almost cloud like crumb. No butter in the batter itself, no complicated steps, just a really honest and lovely vanilla cake that works perfectly on its own, served with a cup of tea or coffee. You can of course always bake two of these, fill and frost them however you like, and you’ve got yourself a proper celebration cake. But honestly? Just like this, it’s already pretty perfect. Let’s check the recipe!

Simple & Fluffy Portuguese Vanilla Cream Cake

Servings: 12
Time: 45mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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Sometimes something nice and simple is the best, I know this cake was good enough that none was left the next day for me! ;D

Ingredients

Eggs – 3 L (Room Temperature)
Sugar – 250g
Cream – 200ml (1 packet)
Vanilla – 1 teaspoon (extract)
Flour – 150g
Baking Powder – 1 teaspoon
Butter – For greasing
Flour – For dusting the pan
Powdered Sugar – For dusting

Directions

First, preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Then, line the bottom of a cake tin with parchment paper, grease the tin with butter, and dust with flour. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the eggs and sugar and whisk well until creamy.

Then add the heavy cream and vanilla and whisk a little more.

Finally, gradually add the shifting flour and baking powder, always whisking until you obtain a smooth batter.

Pour this batter into the tin and bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake; if it comes out clean, the cake is ready.

Remove the cake and let it cool before unmolding. Finally, unmold and dust with a little powdered sugar (in this case, I cut a piece of parchment paper into an “S” shape and sprinkled it on top). And that’s it! Enjoy!

Notes & Tips: Use room temperature eggs. Cold eggs straight from the fridge don’t whisk up as well and can affect the final texture of the cake. Take them out about 30 minutes before you start baking.

Don’t skip the parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. It makes unmolding so much easier and you won’t risk the bottom of the cake sticking and tearing apart. A little patience at the prep stage saves a lot of heartbreak later!

The heavy cream is the star here. It’s what makes this cake so incredibly moist and tender without needing any butter in the batter itself. Don’t swap it for milk or a lighter alternative, it really does make all the difference.

Add the flour gradually. Dumping it all in at once can make the batter lumpy and you’ll end up overmixing to compensate, which makes the cake tougher. Little by little is the way to go.

Keep an eye on it around the 25-minute mark. Every oven is a little different, so start checking early. The toothpick test is your best friend here, dry means done!

Let it cool fully before unmolding. It’s tempting to rush this part, but a warm cake is more fragile and can break apart when you try to flip it. Patience is a virtue, especially in baking hehehe.

For the powdered sugar S (or any letter or shape), cut it out of a piece of parchment or cardstock, place it gently on the cooled cake, dust generously, and lift carefully straight up to avoid smudging. It looks incredibly cute and it’s basically free decoration!

Want to make it a layer cake? You can bake two batches, this is a very moist cake so it won’t rise much so its good for stacking, let them cool, and fill and frost them with whatever you love most, buttercream, whipped cream, jam, you name it.

This recipe for Simple & Fluffy Portuguese Vanilla Cream Cake was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Bolo de Baunilha da Sara foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.