Don’t be fooled by her humble appearance — this simple vanilla snacking cake is a beautiful bite.

In Defense of Vanilla

Thursday, December 31, 2020

When did vanilla become synonymous with bad?

Don’t get me wrong: if given the choice between mango sorbet with a Sriracha-lime swirl or a scoop of chocolate’s oldest rival, I’d take that tropical tango. (Speaking of which, does such a flavor exist? Are you listening, Ben & Jerry’s?)

Yet I feel there’s an important distinction between ‘familiar’ and ‘dull,’ though in poor vanilla’s case these traits are often conflated.

Take for example a recent conversation I had with a friend regarding our mutual friend’s new beau:

Me: So you met him? What do you think?

Friend: Oh, he’s fine, he’s just very… you know… vanilla.

…that latter word in a hushed, vaguely apologetic tone, as if admitting the gentleman might be nice if it weren’t for his obsession with toe fungus; it’s the same tone my mother uses when beginning a comment with “bless her heart.”

For those unfamiliar with Helen Ellis’ Southern Lady Code, “bless her heart” is how people with a go-to ambrosia salad recipe say “no offense.” Offense is 100% intended, but the attachment of this tagline frees the speaker from any guilt, because of the built-in blessing. Now they just look generous for wasting their blessings on Miss Beulah, who tries to be funny but is just so vanilla, bless her heart.

Here’s thing though: maybe vanilla isn’t the most unexpected of flavors, and maybe Beulah’s never going to be the next Daniel Sloss, but she’s sweet, and dependable, and gives great hugs, and makes very fluffy pancakes, and never forgets anyone’s birthday, not even Steve’s and we all forgot Steve’s birthday last year. Maybe, if we’re being honest with ourselves, we’ve been taking Beulah for granted!

When’s the last time you went out of your way to just have something vanilla? To appreciate something for just being truly, unapologetically VANILLA — cream-colored, speckled with little black seeds, embracing it’s complete vanilla-ness. There’s an earnestness there, a wholesomeness, a sincerity. Like Beth, from Little Women. Or an outdoor bench!

(Benches are always honest. Think about it. Couches can be pretentious — don’t get me started on ottomans and poufs — but a bench will never lie to you.)

A true bench of the spice cabinet, vanilla isn’t pushy but she delivers. She’s not there too steal the show, but if you give her the spotlight, she’ll never let you down! Which is just what Yossy Arefi has done here with her Not Your Average Vanilla Cake.

A plush golden cake with two full teaspoons of vanilla bean paste, topped with a delicate, vanilla-speckled glaze, this sweet little lady’s as tasty with a glass of wine as she is friendly to coffee and tea! Even the name reminds us that here, vanilla is anything but boring.

So cue up your favorite classic movie, put on that cozy, old sweater, and get ready for —

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Vanilla Bean Glaze (from Yossy Arefi’s Snacking Cake)

Cake Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, well-shaken
• 1/4 cup (55 g, 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed (confession: I do not know what grapeseed is. Could I look it up? Easily. Have I? Nope. So canola it is!)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract, but in cases like these, where vanilla’s the star, I recommend the more flavorful, seed-speckled paste, if you have it)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (go gently with the salt if using a saltier variety, like Morton)
• 1 + 1/4 cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 cup (100 g) confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk, or more as needed (I used up some cream I had leftover in the fridge)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
• Pinch of salt

Protocol:

1. Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan, and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. (You can also use an 8-inch square pan, as with the Swirled Jam Cake, but I was feeling saucy and wanted to mix things up this time. Hence the round boy.)
2. Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and egg until pale and foamy, about 1 minute. Add the buttermilk, butter, oil, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until smooth and emulsified.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and whisk until well-combined and smooth. (Finished batters are always so soothing to me.)
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, tap the pan gently on the counter to release any air bubbles, and smooth the top of the batter. Yossy Arefi suggests an offset spatula for this latter step, but I stuck with the same plastic spatula I used to scrape the batter out of the bowl with no complaints.
5. Bake the cake until puffed and golden, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Gently turn out cake onto cooling rack (I did this by placing a cooling rack on top of the cake pan and then flipping, so the cake pan was now on top and the cake came out easily onto the cooling rack), and peel off the parchment paper. I then used a second cooling rack to gently flip the cake back right-side-up before allowing it to cool completely on the rack.
6. Make the glaze: Combine the confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon of the milk, the vanilla, and salt together in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to make a thick but pourable glaze.
7. Pour and smooth glaze over the cooled cake and let it set for at least 20 minutes before slicing the cake.
8. Store the cake, covered, at room temperature or in the fridge for up to three days.

Happy snacking!