Naked Vanilla Bean Cake

Step 1

Oven and Pans - Preheat the oven to 325 °F/ 165 °C/ Gas Mark Grease and line 3 x 8-inch round baking pans with parchment paper.

Step 2

Dry ingredients - In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Step 3

Wet ingredients - In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Next, add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla bean paste.

Step 4

Combine - add the flour mixture and buttermilk in three batches. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure you have a smooth batter.

Step 5

Bake - Divide the batter equally between the prepared baking pans. Place the pan on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Step 6

Cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes. Invert and cool on a cooling rack completely before you decorate.

Step 7

Buttercream - In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and powdered sugar until well combined. Then, add the cream and vanilla extract. Whip until light and airy - at least 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 8

Level - Using a bread knife or cake leveler cut the domes off the cake layers. Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup.

Step 9

Stack - Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand. Top with a big dollop of buttercream - spread evenly using a straight-edge spatula. Then, top the next cake layer on top followed by more buttercream and more layers. Chill for 15 minutes.

Step 10

Frost - Next, spread the ganache around and on the cake. Using a paddle motion when spreading will help smooth the ganache better. Remove as much of the frosting as possible so the cake is barely coated, but the naked cake can still be seen through.

Step 11

Decorate with strawberries or similar garnish.