Vanilla Sandcastle Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 2/3 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup milk
For the glaze:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions
Have all the ingredients at room temperature.Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 325°F. Grease and flour a sandcastle Bundt pan; tap out excess flour.
To make the cake, over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla just until incorporated, about 1 minute.
Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat each addition just until incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, spreading the batter so the sides are higher than the center. Bake until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool upright in the pan for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar, water and lemon juice and heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Tap the cake pan gently on a work surface to loosen the cake. Set the rack over a sheet of waxed paper, invert the pan onto the rack and lift off the pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the warm cake with the glaze. Let the cake cool completely, at least 2 hours, before serving. Serves 16.
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Rated 5 out of
5
by
elcolledge from
My grandsons' favorite!
I've made this wonderful cake three times with my grandsons. Today we ground up vanilla wafers and oreos in the blender to make beach sand and decorated the castle with whipped cream, chocolate chips, and miniature flags. So much fun together!
Date published: 2020-10-06
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Jan13 from
Delicious and Relatively Easy
Based on one of the reviews I assumed this cake would be on the drier side, but it was fantastic. Much fluffier than I expected from a "bundt" type cake, and unmolded perfectly (brushed melted butter and generously applied flour). Super cute birthday cake with no filling, stacking, or frosting!
Date published: 2020-06-10
Rated 3 out of
5
by
Arie from
Very dry
I made this recipe it was very dry and since Williams Sonoma recipes are always perfect, I thought I may have forgotten to add an ingredient or didn't have the right measurement; I repeated it and still got the same result.
Date published: 2017-04-19
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Andiep1 from
Beach Wedding Perfection
Lucky enough to find this pan in plenty of time to practice before the wedding. Made for bridesmaids luncheon (fresh berries), family dinner dessert (classic with blood orange glaze and whipped cream) and even had one at the reception. Changed the glaze for a variety of flavors. For the reception made little flags with our initials for each turret. Big hit, fun and delicious. Bakers Secret kept from sticking and made clean up a breeze. Raw sugar on the cake plate looks like beach sand too!
Date published: 2013-06-30