An easy, high altitude recipe for a one-layer vanilla cake with a subtle hint of cardamom, brushed with milk and served chilled with fluffy chocolate whipped cream frosting. This cake is light, soft and moist, and perfect for a summer celebration.
You might also love these high altitude recipes for chocolate Kahlua and cream cake, coconut cream sheet cake, and limoncello cream cake.
This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links. This in no way affects my opinion of those products and services. All opinions expressed on this site are my own.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy to Make. The cake batter comes together quickly with just a bowl and whisk, although you will need an electric mixer for making the whipped cream.
Smaller Size. With just one modest 8 inch layer of cake, it’s just the right size for a small family.
Light and Not Too Sweet. A cake with chocolate whipped cream is the perfect warm weather dessert when you don’t want a cake frosted with a heavy or sweet buttercream or frosting.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Cake
- Cake Flour. Gives the cake structure and strength. Cake flour has a lower percentage of protein than all purpose flour, making a lighter, softer, fluffier vanilla cake.
- Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture.
- Baking Powder. Leavening agent, so the cake rises as it bakes.
- Spices. Salt helps to balance the sweetness, while vanilla and cardamom are lovely complementary flavors.
- Eggs. Add moisture and strength.
- Buttermilk. The acidity in the buttermilk makes a very tender cake, and helps the cake to rise.
- Butter + Oil. The best combination for both flavor and lasting moisture.
- Milk. Since this cake is served cold (with the whipped cream), brushing milk over the cake keeps it soft and moist in the refrigerator.
Whipped Cream
- Cream Cheese. Adds stability, so the leftover whipped cream doesn’t deflate on the cake.
- Powdered Sugar. Adds sweetness and stability.
- Cocoa Powder. Gives the whipped cream a milk chocolatey flavor.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Heavy Whipping Cream. The high fat content is necessary for a thick, fluffy, stable whipped cream.
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray an 8-inch round cake pan with non-stick baking spray. (You can also use a 9-inch round pan, but the baking time will be about 5-10 minutes less since the cake will be thinner.)
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cardamom, and whisk until combined.
- Add the egg, egg white, buttermilk, melted butter, oil and vanilla, and whisk for 10-15 seconds, just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the top of the cake springs back when lightly touched and a cake tester comes out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack, and cool for 30 minutes.
- Run a knife around the edges of the cake, turn the warm cake out of the pan, and set it on a serving plate. Slice a small portion of the browned, domed top off the top of the cake, which helps to open up the cake crumb to absorb the milk. Or, you can just use a wooden skewer or chopstick to poke the cake full of holes.
- Brush or drizzle the reserved 1/3 cup milk over the cake. Cover the cake with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely cooled, about 1 1/2 hours.
Whipped Cream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand held electric mixer), beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla for several minutes, until smooth.
- Stream in the cream, scraping up the mixture from the bottom. Beat on medium speed for several minutes until it becomes thick and fluffy enough to hold its shape.
- Frost the cake with the whipped cream. Serve immediately, or keep refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Keep the leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Yes, you can use either in the whipped cream, although I prefer the flavor of Dutch processed.
The milk soak helps to keep the leftover cake soft and moist, even when refrigerated for several days. If you’ll be serving the entire cake with no leftovers, you can skip the milk soak, if you like.
The cream cheese is a stabilizing ingredient, so that the whipped cream doesn’t deflate. See my post on stabilized whipped cream for more details.
You Might Also Like
Please check out my Amazon Shop for a curated collection of some of my favorite cake pans from trusted brands, baking tools, ingredients, pretty things and fashion finds. I recommend products that I buy and use every day!
Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
High Altitude Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 8-inch round cake pan
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ½ cups + 2 tbsp cake flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- ¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- â…“ cup whole milk (reserved for brushing over the baked cake)
Whipped Cream
- 4 oz block cream cheese, cold
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 11/4 cups cold heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray an 8-inch round cake pan with non-stick baking spray. (You can also use a 9-inch round pan, but the baking time will be about 5-10 minutes less since the cake will be thinner.)
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cardamom, and whisk until combined.
- Add the egg, egg white, buttermilk, melted butter, oil and vanilla, and whisk for 10-15 seconds, just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the top of the cake springs back when lightly touched and a cake tester comes out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack, and cool for 30 minutes.
- Run a knife around the edges of the cake, turn the warm cake out of the pan, and set it on a serving plate. Slice a small portion of the browned, domed top off the top of the cake, which helps to open up the cake crumb to absorb the milk. Or, you can just use a wooden skewer or chopstick to poke the cake full of holes.
- Brush or drizzle the reserved 1/3 cup milk over the cake. Cover the cake with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely cooled, about 1 1/2 hours.
Whipped Cream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand held electric mixer), beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla for several minutes, until smooth.
- Stream in the cream, scraping up the mixture from the bottom. Beat on medium speed for several minutes until it becomes thick and fluffy enough to hold its shape.
- Frost the cake with the whipped cream. Serve immediately, or keep refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Heather Smoke
I hope you all love this recipe as much as I do!
Shannon Karlsson
Could you add strawberries to the top?