Maple Layer Cake (Reduced Sugar)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 18, 2020
Time
1½ hours, plus 1 hour cooling
Yield
Serves 12
Sugar
28 grams (down from 52)
Ingredients
Cake
2½ cups (10 ounces/283 grams) cake flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1¼ cups maple syrup 3 large eggs 4 teaspoons vanilla extractVanilla Frosting
¾ plus ⅓ cup Sucanat (6 ounces)24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened3 tablespoons heavy cream 1 tablespoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon saltBefore You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. For a more mild flavor and traditional, white-colored frosting, use confectioners’ sugar in place of Sucanat. Do not use salted butter or omit the heavy cream or you will ruin the frosting. Do not skip grinding the Sucanat in step 4 or the frosting will be gritty. If using dark colored cake pans, start checking the cakes for doneness 5 to 10 minutes earlier. We prefer the flavor of Easy Vanilla Frosting or Creamy Chocolate Frosting here.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pans.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. In large bowl, whisk oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Whisk in flour mixture until smooth. Divide batter evenly among prepared cake pans. Bake until cakes are set and center is just firm to touch, 22 to 25 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking.
- Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, discard parchment, and let cool completely on rack, about 1 hour. (Cake layers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
- Meanwhile, working in 4 batches, grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip butter, cream, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Reduce mixer speed to low, slowly add ground Sucanat, and whip until incorporated and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and whip frosting until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Line edges of cake platter with 4 strips of parchment to keep platter clean and place dab of frosting in center to anchor cake. Place 1 cake layer on platter and spread 1 cup frosting evenly over top. Top with second cake layer, press lightly to adhere, then spread 1 cup frosting evenly over top. Spread remaining frosting evenly over sides of cake. To smooth frosting, run edge of offset spatula around cake sides and over top. Carefully remove parchment strips and serve.
for the cake
for the vanilla frosting
Time
1½ hours, plus 1 hour coolingYield
Serves 12Sugar
28 grams (down from 52)Ingredients
Cake
Vanilla Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
Vanilla Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
Vanilla Frosting
Why This Recipe Works
But unlike decadent chocolate cakes or flavorful, spice-laden carrot cakes, the flavor of yellow cake has nothing to hide behind—so we knew that making a low-sugar version that still tasted great would be quite a challenge. We hoped that using an ultraflavorful natural sweetener like Sucanat, honey, or maple syrup would counteract the fact that we were using less sugar overall. Since the cake has such a basic ingredient list, the sweetener would have a big impact on flavor, so it had to be just right. Although the cake made with Sucanat tasted good, it turned out dry, sandy, and riddled with holes—problems we couldn't fix no matter what we tried. Honey's flavor was overpowering in this simple context. But maple syrup proved to be a hit with tasters: It gave the cake a pleasant yet subtle maple flavor and aroma. Plus, the liquid sweetener helped to ensure that the cake wasn't too dry. Although many yellow cakes rely on butter as the fat, a simple test revealed that oil worked much better; it produced a cake that was not only tender and rich but also sturdy enough to support the frosting. As an added bonus, using oil meant that we didn't have to get out the stand mixer and could simply stir everything together by hand. A maple-kissed cream cheese frosting made for a perfect finishing touch on our flavorful maple cake.
Before You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. For a more mild flavor and traditional, white-colored frosting, use confectioners’ sugar in place of Sucanat. Do not use salted butter or omit the heavy cream or you will ruin the frosting. Do not skip grinding the Sucanat in step 4 or the frosting will be gritty. If using dark colored cake pans, start checking the cakes for doneness 5 to 10 minutes earlier. We prefer the flavor of Easy Vanilla Frosting or Creamy Chocolate Frosting here.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pans.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. In large bowl, whisk oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Whisk in flour mixture until smooth. Divide batter evenly among prepared cake pans. Bake until cakes are set and center is just firm to touch, 22 to 25 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking.
- Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, discard parchment, and let cool completely on rack, about 1 hour. (Cake layers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
- Meanwhile, working in 4 batches, grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip butter, cream, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Reduce mixer speed to low, slowly add ground Sucanat, and whip until incorporated and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and whip frosting until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Line edges of cake platter with 4 strips of parchment to keep platter clean and place dab of frosting in center to anchor cake. Place 1 cake layer on platter and spread 1 cup frosting evenly over top. Top with second cake layer, press lightly to adhere, then spread 1 cup frosting evenly over top. Spread remaining frosting evenly over sides of cake. To smooth frosting, run edge of offset spatula around cake sides and over top. Carefully remove parchment strips and serve.
for the cake
for the vanilla frosting
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