Quick Vanilla Cake. Just mix & bake! An all butter vanilla snack cake that’s as simple as mixing all the ingredients together and baking! Nothing could be easier. An easy summer berry sauce is included with the recipe.

Quick Vanilla Cake
This quick vanilla cake is a shortcut snack cake I developed just so I wouldn’t have to spend a lot of time on dessert this summer. I was just looking to create a base for a summer dessert that would use this cake with any summer fruit or berries, or any combination of them, with a dollop of whipped cream; a simple but delicious idea to use throughout the season.
I started with our popular recipe for Blueberry Snack Cake as a base, which also appears in my first cookbook, and tweaked the amount of butter and milk to make a more forgiving batter. It worked!

Quick Vanilla cake with Bumbleberry Sauce
The only caution here is not to over-mix this batter. It is still a pretty thick batter and if it is mixed too much the gluten in the flour will begin to develop and toughen the texture of your cake. A minute or so with an electric blender is all you’ll need; when it’s smooth, stop!
This cake makes an ideal base for a simple strawberry shortcake too! The perfect dessert to take along to a summer BBQ.
If you liked this recipe you may also want to try our simple Blueberry Snack Cake recipe.
Be sure to check out all of the recipes in our Velvet Cake Collection too!
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One Bowl Vanilla Cake with Bumbleberry Sauce
Quick Vanilla Cake with Bumbleberry Sauce - an all butter vanilla snack cake that's as simple as mixing all the ingredients together and baking! Nothing could be easier.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup salted butter, Melted. (Careful not to overheat it:keep it just at the melting point)
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
For the bumbleberry sauce
- 2 1/2 cups mixed berries
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 rounded tsp corn starch dissolved in a little water; about an ounce.
Instructions
- Grease and flour a 9 inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper if you like. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Whisk together the flour and baking powder first, then add all the rest of the cake ingredients.
- Beat together quickly with an electric mixer. Do not over-mix this batter. It is still a pretty thick batter and if it is mixed too much, the gluten in the flour will begin to develop and toughen the texture of your cake.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Be careful no to overtake this cake, check it early, because it can appear quite pale on top and still be fully baked. It does not need to brown on top to be baked fully.
- Cool the cake in the pan before serving.
For the bumble berry sauce
- Bring the berries, water, sugar and vanilla to a slow boil of only a few minutes. You don't really want the berries to break down in the boiling time.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in a little water and pour into the boiling sauce, stirring constantly.
- Boil for only a minute longer before removing from the heat and cooling to room temperature.
- Stir the sauce several times as it cools.
- Serve with the vanilla cake and whipped cream.
Notes
You can use half cake flour and half all purpose flour if you like for a softer textured cake.
If you make 1 1/2 times this recipe it will fit in a 9x13 pan.
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
12Amount Per Serving Calories 263Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 63mgSodium 194mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 2gSugar 14gProtein 4g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.