Cakes Archives | The Vanilla Bean Blog

Lemon Meringue Cake

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 19:41:16 +0000

This is a re-vamp of the lemon meringue cake from my first book. My mother-in-law requested this cake for her birthday last year, and I changed a few things around with great results. First, I swapped out the yellow cake base for white, and found that to be a big improvement. The white cake was lighter and more tender, and this worked well with the buttercream and meringue topping. I did keep the lemon soak, which adds a lot of great flavor, but I also added a lemon curd layer to bump up the lemon zing even more. It was truly one of the best cakes I have ever made, and now a yearly birthday request. My Ingredient Notes: Why I Use the Reverse Creaming Method I prefer the reverse creaming method for making cakes, where butter is introduced to the dry ingredients instead of initially creamed with the sugars. I prefer the texture of this type of cake over butter and sugar creamed cakes; it isn’t quite as fluffy, and has a very fine crumb that is even throughout. It works well for this reader favorite White Sprinkle Cake, too. The top also doesn’t dome as much as a […]

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Sunken Chocolate Cake with Nutmeg

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 18:36:20 +0000

Nutmeg has been my spice of choice this last year. (If you are not a nutmeg fan, no worries! This cake still tastes delicious without it, just omit it.) This spice has been showing up in a lot of my recipe testing, and I can’t seem to get enough of the warm, nutty flavor. I’ve always loved it in Blueberry Muffins, but recently have been adding it to my soft and chewy Oatmeal Cookies instead of cinnamon. It also pairs well with chocolate, as evidence in this cake, and a fresh grating on top right before serving really elevates the spice in the cake and it gives it warm, holiday vibes. I love this nutmeg from Diaspora. This intense chocolate cake is a riff on the Chocolate Bread from my first cookbook, but now is baked in a springform pan, which makes it slightly more elegant in appearance, and perfect for serving at any holiday event you may find yourself attending. I find the flavor of the chocolate is deeper and darker a day or two after the cake has been made, and I make it ahead of time if I am bringing it somewhere, but a slice of this […]

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Creamy Banana Bread Coffee Cakes

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 19:29:03 +0000

After making my Creamy Jammy Coffee Cakes and then Creamy Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cakes, I decided to experiment with banana bread as the base. I have been faithfully using this banana bread recipe for decades, but switched things up in 100 Morning Treats with a new recipe that doesn’t require a stand mixer. I use that new recipe here, with great results. These little banana streusel cakes bake up moist and flavorful, and pair beautifully with the cream cheese and pecan streusel. I use 4 inch [5 cm] springform pans to make these mini cakes, so they bake up with perfect edges, and release easily. They’re the perfect individual serving. You can also this recipe in a 9×13 inch pan if you’d like, it works great just as written. However, I’m always up for a more substantial cream cheese layer as you see in the photo below this paragraph. So for the filling I used 12 oz [340 g] cream cheese and 1/3 cup [65 g] granulated sugar, along with the 1 large egg. You’ll see the full notes for baking in this size of pan in the recipe card. How to Know When Your Mini Cakes are Done Baking The only tricky part about […]

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Creamy Cherry Streusel Cakes

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 15:37:44 +0000

There are two sour cherries trees in our front yard, and the last two weeks it all came to fruition: the cherries gleaming ruby red, then picked, and pitted, and frozen. I was able to get one large batch picked before the blue jays decided they would spend their days in our trees, feasting on cherries and squawking at us if we came near. Then, two baby deer found the trees, and they were so beautiful nibbling on the bright red fruit in the setting sun, that I decided to let nature enjoy its bounty. But I did have enough sour cherries to make Turnovers. And Cherry Rhubarb Crisp. And, these sweet little jammy cakes. I’m not going to lie; cream cheese swirl is what I’ll pick in a bakery case lineup any day. There is a layer of cake, then cream cheese, tart jam, and streusel topping in every perfect bite. I like to eat them just barely warm, but they are great the next day too. One of my favorite things about this recipe is the streusel topping is made from the dry cake base, which cuts down on extra bowls and time preparing them. Yes, I’ve made quite a […]

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Easy, Moist Chocolate Bread

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 14:40:25 +0000

I have chocolate cake in many forms on this website: The Chocolate Cake and my Easy One-Layer Afternoon Cake, just to name a few. However, we all know that there is always room for yet another chocolate cake recipe, so here is another one, this time in loaf form. A chocolate cake baked in a loaf pan strikes the perfect balance between rich, cake-like indulgence and the comforting structure of a classic quick bread. The tall sides of the pan allow the batter to bake evenly, creating a tender crumb with just the right amount of density to make each slice satisfying. There is a soft, almost fudgy center with slightly crisp edges, and the added chopped chocolate melt into little pockets of pure bliss. It’s the kind of treat that feels both cozy and luxurious—perfect with a cup of coffee or as a late-night bite. One cup of hot coffee is added to the bowl. Many chocolate cake recipes include hot coffee or water, and for good reason. As the coffee is gently stirred in, the batter turns into an unpromising dark sludge, but bakes up into a moist, delicious loaf cake. Different coffee roasts can add a slightly […]

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Creamy Carrot Cake Coffee Cakes

Sarah Kieffer — Sat, 12 Apr 2025 17:54:12 +0000

Carrot cake was my go-to cake in college when I was trying to make a good impression. I made several for my husband while we were dating and brought one to every wedding shower I hosted. Throughout my childhood we only made boxed chocolate cakes, so carrot cake from scratch felt particularly fancy. I still love a classic layer carrot cake, but decided to mix things up and make a mini version, complete with a tangy, maple cream cheese center and pecan streusel. I have made several of this mini cakes now (such as this pumpkin version and this jammy rendition), and I have a few more up my sleeve over the next few months. I use 4 inch [5 cm] springform pans to make these mini cakes, so they bake up with perfect edges, and release easily. They’re the perfect individual serving. You can also this recipe in a 9×13 inch pan if you’d like, it works great just as written. However, I’m always up for a more substantial cream cheese layer as you see in the photo below this paragraph. So for the filling I used 12 oz [340 g] cream cheese and 1/3 cup [65 g] granulated sugar, along […]

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Brown Sugar Toasted Sesame Bundt Cake

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 21:03:05 +0000

As you may have picked up on, I love toasted sesame oil, and use it frequently in my baking. Mostly I have used it in cookies, such as my Chewy Brown Sugar Toasted Sesame Cookies and my Sesame Chocolate Chip Pan-Banging Cookies, but today I have incorporated it into a Bundt cake with delicious results. The caramel-y notes from the dark brown sugar and toasted sesame oil in this Bundt cake are delicious together, and the sesame seeds (if using) add just a little bit of crunch. I love an entire tablespoon of toasted sesame oil here, but if you haven’t baked with it before you may want to start with a smaller amount (such as 1 teaspoon); some people find the oil overpowering. The dark brown sugar and toasted sesame oil also keep this cake moist over several days, which is perfect because I prefer this cake on the second and third days; the flavor develops and the crumb is tender and perfectly buttery. Tips for Making this Recipe

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Apple Blondie Snack Cake

Sarah Kieffer — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 23:25:43 +0000

This snack cake started out as a cross between two of my recipes: blondies, and the Apple Brandy Bread from my 100 Morning Treats cookbook. I wanted something plump full of apple flavor, but also rich and winter-y. Using the blondie base (minus the coffee and chocolate) made for a moist, rich bar, but the added liquid from the apples made if feel almost underbaked, even though I had steamed them beforehand. I added streusel on the top to mimic the bread recipe, but that was too much extra sugar and butter. I started over, and this time I added another egg for structure and swapped the streusel for a cinnamon-sugar topping. After it baked, I was met with what I like to call an almost-cake: it was a perfect cross-between a blondie and a snack cake, with a moist, rich base and lots of flavor. My family voted that it was still closer to cake than a blondie so I have named it here accordingly, but my kids now refer to this dessert as “Apple Clondies”. Baking with Apples Apples take a long time to break down during baking, so often I like to give them a head start. […]

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Easy One-Layer Chocolate Afternoon Cake

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 22:39:46 +0000

Why I Love Single Layer Cakes Over the past year or so I have found myself gravitating towards single layer cakes (vs the traditional double). Don’t get me wrong, I do like a towering layer cake in all its glory (for instance, my favorite birthday cake or this chocolate cake with espresso buttercream), but the single layer cake feels very different: it doesn’t need fancy piping or flowers to grace a table, it’s much easier to eat, and there is a better frosting to cake ratio. You can also put it out in the afternoon and it is perfectly acceptable. Instead of hearing, “why did you make a giant birthday cake on a Tuesday afternoon for no reason?” friends and family will say, “Oh! A little piece of this afternoon snacking cake is just what I needed after this very long day.” (If you need a similar snacking cake for a crowd, I have my Minnesota Chocolate Sheet Cake, too.) What Makes This Cake so Fudgy & Moist This particular cake is inspired by several other chocolate cake recipes I make. All the usual cake ingredient suspects are there: sugar, flour, eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla, and oil, but what makes […]

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Straight-Up Yellow Snacking Cake

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 01:28:16 +0000

My children are the reason for this cake: Both prefer a plain, unfrosted, single-layer yellow cake over any other kind – their ideal after-school snack. And after tasting this cake, warm to the touch with just a simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar, I have to say that they make a compelling argument (although I’m not ready to totally give up buttercream just yet). This recipe comes from my new book 100 Afternoon Sweets which is on sale today! The afternoon holds a sweet spot for me in many ways: working long afternoon and evening hours at coffeehouses as both a barista and a baker, and setting up camp in those same spaces studying, getting lost in good conversation, discovering new music, and enjoying iced lattes and something sweet. The afternoon can also hold a short space of solitude and stillness, and while I can’t find it every day, the days I can, I cherish. This book is a celebration of of those stolen moments, alone, or shared; the brief minute (or two) of taking a breath, drinking that last cup of coffee, and enjoying a sweet treat. As with many printed books, it is impossible to find them free of […]

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