Simple can mean many things: stripped down, easy, commonplace, or everyday. Today it has become a bit of a catch phrase when referring to those typical 30-minute meal options. But simple can also mean pure, unadulterated…delicious. This is the type of simple I mean when talking about Vanilla Bean Cream Cake.

Pure unadulterated vanilla, a tender, pound cake-like crumb, perfect for dessert, or even with a cup of coffee for breakfast (cake being the breakfast of champions, of course), the cake was simple, but it was also complex. This cake is definitely ingredient-heavy. With 5 eggs, butter counted not by sticks but pound measurements, and flecked with real vanilla bean seeds, this cake was not necessarily simple in its composition, but rather simple in its taste.

So I went to the library again, this time to scour the shelves for a good baking book. And I found one; Lisa Yockelson’s book Baking by Flavor, is a compendium of all things sweet. With chapters divided into flavors like: Buttercrunch, Apricot, Cinnamon, Lemon, and of course Chocolate and Vanilla, this book had me drooling over nearly every page. But sometimes it is the simplest flavors that standout the most, and that was definitely the case with this cake.

Now this is not a cake to just be tossed together; ingredients are carefully measured, sifted, and thoroughly creamed, make a fluffy batter and a dreamy cake. This cake may not look like much, but let me assure you that it is. In fact, my sister loved it so much, that upon tasting it she requested that I make this recipe each week for her to enjoy with a cup of evening tea. We’ll see about that… 

Vanilla Bean Cream Cake
from Baking by Flavor

Vanilla Butter and Cream Cake Batter:

2 1/2 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
1 cup bleached cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
seed scrapings from a plump vanilla bean, reserving the pod for glaze
2 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
2 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
5 large eggs
1 cup cream

Vanilla-Rum Glaze for Brushing over the Warm Baked Cake:

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
reserved vanilla bean pod, cut into 2 inch lengths
2 teaspoons dark rum
1 1/2 vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease the inside of a plain 10 inch tube pan with shortening. Line the bottom of pan with a circle of parchment paper, cut to fit, and grease the paper. Dust the inside of the pan with flour, and set aside.

Sift the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.

Cream the butter and shortening in an electric mixer, on moderate speed, for 4 minutes. Blend in the seed scrapings from the vanilla bean. Add the superfine sugar, in 3 additions, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Blend in the extracts. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating for 20 seconds after each egg is added.

On low speed, add the sifted mixture in 3 additions with the cream in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula to keep the batter even-textured. The batter should be smooth and creamy.

Pour the batter into the prepared tube pan. Gently shake the pan from side to side to even out mixture. Bake the cake for 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes or until cake has risen, set, and a wooden toothpick withdraws clean when inserted.

Let the cake stand in the pan on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes. Invert the cake, remove pan and paper, and place an additional sheet of waxed paper under the rack to catch any drips of glaze.

To make the glaze:

Place the sugar, water, and reserved vanilla bean into a small saucepan. Cover the saucepan and set over low heat. When the sugar has dissolved, raise the heat, bring contents of pan to a boil, reduce the heat so that the mixture simmers actively for 3 to 4 minutes. Add rum and simmer for an additional 30 seconds. Remove the vanilla bean pieces. Stir in the extracts. Pour into a bowl and let stand until you are ready to use.

With a soft pastry brush, paint the glaze over the top and sides of the still-warm cake. Cool the cake completely before cutting into slices and serving.