It’s time to make a birthday cake for a special friend. His favorite color is blue, so there was nothing else I could have done. I decided to make a French Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Honestly, baking doesn’t come easily to me; I have to work at it. I do take help where I can. For this recipe, I used a box cake mix. Listen, there are some really good ones available. It saves a lot of time; you don’t need to measure out all the ingredients, so why not?

I am going to be adding a secret ingredient to my cake that will make it extra moist and delicious. I’ll tell you about that in a minute. Let’s get started.

I’m starting by using three boxes of Duncan Hines French Vanilla cake mix.

Tip: Reserve the vanilla bean pod(s) for your granulated sugar. You’ll have vanilla-flavored sugar for future recipes.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Baking Time: 55 minutes (times may vary depending on oven and the different-sized cake pans used for this recipe)
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yields: 40 to 45 servings (a slice being 1 x 2 x 4 inches)
Equipment: 5″, 7″, and 9″ round cake pans, parchment paper, stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, hand-held electric mixer, 3 medium-sized mixing bowls, 1 large mixing bowl, rubber spatula, 3 round cake cooling racks, piping bag with a star tip

Ingredients for the Cakes:
3 (16.5-ounce) boxes of Duncan Hines French Vanilla cake mix
9 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups of water, divided into thirds
1 cup of vegetable oil, divided into thirds
1 vanilla bean, seeded and reserve the pod
3/4 cup of ricotta cheese, divided into thirds
3 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, divided into thirds
8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter, unsalted and at room temperature (for greasing pans)
3/4 cup of all-purpose flour (for the pans)

Ingredients for the Cream Cheese Frosting, Double Batch:
32 tablespoons (4 sticks) of butter, unsalted and softened
2 (8-ounce) bars of cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
4 cups of powdered sugar
2 drops of blue food coloring (add more for a darker blue). Substitute a different color.

Instructions for the Cakes:
The first thing you need to do is prep all three cake pans with butter, flour, and parchment paper. You want to butter the pans first, then lay down the parchment paper in each one. Butter the tops of each circle of parchment paper. Next, flour each pan. Sprinkle a little flour into the bottom of the pans, then roll the flour around so the bottom and sides of the pan are floured. Shake off any excess flour into the sink, and then the pans are ready.

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Note: You must mix one box of cake mix at a time. Once mixed, transfer to an extra-large bowl to hold the finished cake batter. You can combine all completed batter into the same bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, water, vegetable oil, ricotta cheese, and vanilla bean caviar. Whisk to combine.

Using a hand mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients from the box to the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated, until just combined. Do not overmix. Transfer the completed batter to an extra-large bowl. Repeat this process 2 more times. All the completed batter should now be combined into the large bowl.

Place the 3 cake pans into the oven and bake for the following times. Using a toothpick or cake tester, after 25 minutes for the 5″ cake, and after 45 minutes for the 7″ cake. Then again, at 55 minutes for the 9″ cake. Remember, the times may vary slightly.

Transfer the three cakes to cooling racks and allow them to cool for 30 minutes. Then use a knife to loosen the cake around the edges of the pan. Place the cooling rack on top of the pan, then invert the whole pan rack, including the cooling rack, upside down. Lift the cake pan slowly to allow the cake to fall free from the pan. Repeat this process for each cake. Let the cakes cool on the racks completely before frosting.

Instructions for the Cream Cheese Frosting:

I make the frosting while the cakes are baking.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the softened butter and cream cheese. Cream those together for just a minute until combined. Next, add the vanilla extract, and mix until combined. Next, slowly add all 4 cups of the powdered sugar. Mix until completely combined. Finally, add the food coloring one drop at a time. Two drops total should be perfect for a pastel blue.

In an earlier post, I talked about a bakery supply company called D & G Occasions,  where I purchased the white roses for this cake. You can visit  D & G Occasions, now called Bake Supply Plus, by clicking the link at the bottom of this post.

Using an offset spatula, starting with the top and working downwards and around the outside of each particular cake. Once the cake is frosted, fill a large pitcher with super-hot water. Dip the offset spatula in the water, and shake off the excess water. Run the spatula around the top and rim of the bottom two cakes as well as the outside of each cake. This will smooth out any imperfections on the frosting. If needed, add more frosting to the areas that need it, smoothing it out with the offset spatula dipped in hot water.

After each layer of the cake has been frosted, using a piping bag fitted with a star tip, make stars around the second and third layers. On the top layer, make a border of your choosing. Place the candied roses around each layer of the cake.

When you’re ready to decorate, let your imagination run wild.

There it is, my French Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Notes:
1) It’s important when baking that all the ingredients are at room temperature.

2) You must mix one box of cake mix at a time. Once mixed, transfer to an extra-large bowl to hold the finished cake batter. You can combine all completed batter into the same bowl.

3) Tip: Reserve the vanilla bean pod(s) for your granulated sugar. You’ll have vanilla-flavored sugar for future recipes.

4) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2015/10/11/d-g-occasions/