Simple & Perfect Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Glaze and Rainbow Sprinkles!

What better way to kick off the weekend than with a simple yet delicious cake that looks so enticing.  I woke up on Friday morning with vanilla cake and chocolate glaze on my mind.... bizarre really because I have always always been a big one for frosting matching their cake! Chocolate on Chocolate, Light on Vanilla, Orange on Orange.... and so on!  So "what the" is with this cake craving to make something so out of my comfort zone.....

I had no idea but my partner got a text message of his regular Friday shopping list (yes I have been getting him to do the shopping to prevent myself from over spending on non-necessities because I am a product of sales and marketing)!

So I have just finished baking and glazing, literally JUST FINISHED!  And I just cannot wait to post it for you all. I'm currently eating the off cuts and it is out of this world, "the partner" even approves and he "doesn't do cake", completely nuts I know, who doesn't like to eat cake??

Perfect Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Glaze

Cake:

5 Lrg Egg Whites (I bought them in a carton and it is 2.5 tbsp per egg required)

1 cup Milk

2 1/4 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste

3 cups Cake Flour (I use the rule of Plain Four and take out 2 Tbsp in every cup & replace with corn flour)

1 1/2 Tbsp Baking Powder

1 3/4 cups Castor Sugar

3/4 tsp Salt

170g Butter - room temp



Use a 12 inch round spring form tin, grease and flour, set aside.  Pre heat oven to 180 (350) degrees. 

Make 1 layer in 12 inch tin or 2 layers in an 8 inch tin. You could also make this in a lamington pan.

BEWARE as this method of cake mixing breaks all my rules but it totally worked!

Measure your egg whites in a medium bowl, whisk lightly by hand and then whisk in a 1/4 cup of milk and vanilla lightly and set aside.

Next sift all your dry ingredients into your mixing bowl.  Using the paddle attachment, mix the dry ingredients for 1 minute. 

Add your remaining milk and the butter to your dry ingredients, and turn on the mixer onto a medium speed and mix for approximately 2 minutes.  Then add in the egg mixture in 2 parts until each addition is mixed in well, approximately 2-3 minutes (no longer).

Pour your batter into your prepared pan/s.  The place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, check with skewer that it comes out clean from the centre before you remove it from the oven. 

Allow to completely cool before you make the Chocolate Glaze, otherwise when poured on, it will slip straight off.

Chocolate Glaze:

3 ounces Dark Cooking Chocolate - chopped

2 Tbsp Milk

2 Tbsp Butter - melted
1 Tbsp Cream
7 Tbsp Icing Sugar - sifted
1 Egg Yolk - optional (but it gives your glaze the added gloss)

Weigh out your chocolate and butter. 

Combine chocolate, butter, milk and cream in a heat proof bowl and place on a small saucepan of simmering water.  Once melted and you have a smooth chocolate mixture, add in the icing sugar and stir through til completely mixed through.
The egg yolk is optional but recommended to achieve a high gloss.

Once you have the shiney glaze, put it through a seive and discard any lumps.

Now resist yourself from eating the glaze straight from the bowl here, because it needs to get onto the cake!

Slowly pour onto the centre on your COLD cake (chill in the  fridge if you must), and when the weight of the glaze reaches the edge of the top of the cake, STOP pouring, as it will continue to creep over the edge and glide down and your don't want a puddle around your cake.  Leave it a few minutes to settle before adding your sprinkles otherwise they will just sink into the glaze and most will disappear.

I then left it to set for at least 30 minutes so that it cut nicely without the glaze running into the slices as I was cutting.  If really wet then you can give it 10-15 minutes in the fridge just to set it.