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If you know, you know. A vanilla-infused cake with a cheesecake-like vanilla mousse and sweet vanilla buttercream form a cake that doesn’t need a party to devour. The happy birthday message written on top is merely a ruse to disguise the reality that it’s just for you (maybe a tiny bit for your family) on a weekday night. The membership restraint is lifted with this Copycat Costco Vanilla Cake. A homemade version of a popular cake that’s satisfying through and through.
Being called vanilla is generally an insult, describing dull, plain, and placid qualities. But with Copycat Costco Vanilla Cake, it is far from neutral. This white cake is light, tender, and packed with floral and fragrant vanilla. A fluffy mousse is layered in between a classic butter-based frosting for a complete triple vanilla delight.
The ingredients here are slightly different from your average quick-prep cake. Cake flour in the base of the cake rather than standard all-purpose flour. The ratio of wet ingredients is different with the use of egg whites and one egg yolk.
Most cake recipes have you beating the butter and sugar, but here you’re mixing the dry ingredients into the bowl and then incorporating the butter. This method — called the reverse-mixing method — is great for butter-based cake recipes and gives you optimal tenderness without a lot of air pockets. To prevent a kitchen disaster, make sure your butter is not just at room temperature but softened. Softened means it can be easily spread and smeared onto a piece of toast.
The mixture will look a little sandy, but trust the process. Once the butter and dry ingredients are incorporated, add your eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Adding the milk in thirds will incorporate the needed moisture without compromising the structure of the batter. Finally, a hefty pour of vanilla gives this cake great flavor.
Divide the batter between two pans and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean with a few moist, but not wet, crumbs.
While the cakes cool you can prep the filling which is a mixture of cream cheese, whipped cream, milk, and pudding mix. The filling is creamy and not-too-sweet making it a great counter to the frosting outside. You can find the recipe for the filling here.
A vanilla-rich buttercream gives this cake that classic bakery-style cake feeling we’re all secretly longing for. The addition of cornstarch and water smooths out the grittiness of the powdered sugar without compromising the pipe-able, sturdy texture of the frosting.
Served and sliced, this cake is full of vanilla and more flavorful than the average cake you’d find in the store. The cake flour and the mixing method make for a tender crumb while the egg whites give the cake a bit of airiness.
The filling has a slightly cheesecake-like quality to it, while the outer frosting has a pure vanilla taste.
This bakery-style buttercream is smooth thanks to an addition of cornstarch and water slurry mixed into the batter. This slurry smooths out the grittiness of the powdered sugar and does not leave you with a sugar-crusted mouth feel.
Like the original cake, the cake is two layers and filled with ample vanilla mousse filling. To prevent the filling from leaking out of the sides of the cake, pipe a dame of frosting on the perimeter of the cake.
A smooth coating of the frosting is garnished with sprinkles and a happy celebratory message.
Slicing into the cake, you get to see the pure glory that is Copycat Costco Vanilla Cake. The cake is super tender with little air bubbles. The mousse has almost a cheesecake quality to the texture, but the whipped cream gives it a nice levity.
You can easily double the recipe, bake the batter in two 9×13-inch pans, and make your own version of a bakery sheet cake. This cake is super versatile and can be made ahead, frozen, defrosted, and then decorated with frosting.
This cake is so good that it can make a normal weekday or weekend and turn it into a celebration. Cake always has a good reason to be eaten.
Copycat Costco Vanilla Cake
For the Cake:
- 2 1/2 plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
- 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, very soft
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
For the Buttercream:
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup unsalted butter, very soft
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream, room temperature
For Assembling the Cake:
- Copycat Costco Vanilla Mousse
- Sprinkles
To make the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 8-inch cake pans with baking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a large bowl combine cake flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- With the mixer on low speed gradually add in the butter. Once all of the butter is combined, it’ll look like a sandy mixture, in warmer climates it’ll look softer, both are fine.
- Continue to beat the batter for 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Gradually the egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in egg yolk. Add in vanilla.
- In the mixer on a low speed, gradually add the buttermilk in 3 additions, beating 1 to 2 minutes after each addition.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, baking until cakes are golden on top and a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean with a few moist (not wet) crumbs. About 26 to 30 minutes.
- Let cake layers cool in pans for 5 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. Remove parchment paper.
- If assembling the next day, wrap cooled cakes in plastic wrap and refrigerator until ready to assemble.
To make the Buttercream:
- In a small bowl combine water and cornstarch, whisking to combine, set aside.
- In a large bowl beat butter and shortening until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add in the cornstarch mixture, mixing to combine.
- On a low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add in salt and vanilla. If the frosting is looking too thick, add in some milk, one tablespoon at a time.
To assemble the cake:
- If the cakes have domes use a serrated knife to level off the cakes. Place a bit of frosting onto a cake board and secure the first cake layer onto the board.
- Add some of the frosting into a pastry bag. Pipe a ring on the perimeter of the cake layer.
- Fill the ring with the mousse filling.
- Top with the second cake layer.
- Coat the outside of the cake with buttercream, using an offset spatula to remove the excess frosting. Decorate cake with the remaining frosting.
- Garnish with sprinkles, slice, and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Sprinkles Bakes and Veena Azamanov.