double dang!

Vanilla bean butter cake. Dang!

That's what I said after my first bite of this cake.

The ingredients, they are simple. (In fact, the only thing providing leavening for this cake is eggs--no chemicals required!) The method, it is basic (though it may require a bit of effort if you don't own a stand mixer!). The results, they are magnificent.

Moist, flavorful, and with a delicate yet stable crumb, it is everything a cake-lover could ever want. I will confess that I almost decided not to make this because I wasn't sure it would be worth 15 minutes of standing at the counter with my hand mixer whipping up some eggs, especially since there is a certain inhabitant of our house who tends to get into trouble when he isn't supervised. (Hint: It's not my husband.)

Oh, folks, I'm so glad I didn't wimp out! This is a truly delightful cake, needing absolutely no accompaniments whatsoever. The original recipe was served with Chantilly cream, and while I'm sure that's lovely, I'd seen enough of my hand mixer for one day. I opted for fresh raspberry sauce instead. I also used a bit of coconut oil in place of some of the butter, even though this is a butter cake. I happen to love the subtle flavor it contributes, and I don't think it took away from the vanilla essence at all.

For whatever reason, seeing the flecks of vanilla bean makes me extremely excited! I feel the same way about vanilla bean ice cream--it can actually taste exactly the same as a regular vanilla ice cream, but the mere presence of those specks changes everything. This is a cake worthy of any special event but still simple enough to pass as a snack cake. Make it!

Buttery Butter Cake with Nuances of Vanilla (because something this spectacular deserves a fancy name)
Adapted very slightly from this recipe
(printable recipe)
Makes one 8-inch round or square cake
Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for dusting the pan
• 3 vanilla bean pods, scraped clean
• 3 eggs, warmed slightly
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour
• 10 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round or square pan and dust it with granulated sugar. Set aside.
If your eggs are cold, place them in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes. As the recipe creator explains, having your eggs warmed will help with the next step of beating lots of air into them!
In a stand mixer (or large bowl with hand-held electric mixer, if you're a)a glutton for punishment, b)in need of an arm workout, or c)NOT the proud owner of a stand mixer), beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla beans for 4 to 5 minutes. The mixture should be pale and almost doubled in size. When you lift up your beater, the mixture should fall in thick ribbons.
Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix gently.
Sift the flour over the egg mixture.
Using a spatula, gently fold the flour into the batter until no streaks remain. You want to be careful not to deflate all that air you just spent time beating into the eggs and sugar.
Add the melted butter and coconut oil to the batter and fold gently but thoroughly using a spatula until the batter is well-mixed.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cake starts to pull away from the sides. It will puff up in the oven, but will deflate a bit once you take it out, which is fine.
Run a knife around the edges of the pan and let the cake cool for 5 minutes. Turn it out into a wire rack to finish cooling if desired (I left mine in the pan).