This delicate two egg cake is a light, fine-crumbed vanilla layer cake made with just 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of butter and 2 cups of cake flour. It bakes in two 8-inch round pans or one 9×13-inch pan, and the crumb is soft enough to cut cleanly yet tender enough to melt on the tongue. It is the kind of everyday cake that older cookbooks called a “two egg cake” because two eggs were all it needed.
Why Two Eggs Makes a Delicate Cake
Eggs give a cake structure. Use a lot of them and the crumb turns springy and firm, like a pound cake or a sponge. Use only two in a batter with 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of milk, and the flour and milk do most of the work, so the cake stays soft and delicate. The tradeoff is that a two egg cake is more fragile while warm, which is why the recipe below asks you to cool the layers in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them out.
Cake flour matters here. Its lower protein keeps the crumb fine and tender. If you only have all-purpose flour, measure 2 cups, remove 4 tablespoons, and replace them with 4 tablespoons of cornstarch, then sift twice.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cake flour, sifted, then measured
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Makes two 8-inch layers or one 9×13-inch sheet cake, about 12 servings.
How to Make a Delicate Two Egg Cake
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round pans, line the bottoms with parchment, and grease the parchment. For a sheet cake, grease and flour a 9×13-inch pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Add the softened butter and about 1/2 cup of the milk. Beat on low until the flour is moistened, then on medium for 1 1/2 minutes. The batter will look like thick, fluffy frosting.
- Add the eggs, the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and the vanilla. Beat on low to combine, then on medium for another 1 1/2 minutes, scraping the bowl once. Do not beat longer; overmixing toughens a two egg cake.
- Divide the batter between the pans and smooth the tops.
- Bake 8-inch layers for 25 to 30 minutes, or a 9×13 sheet for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick in the centre comes out clean.
- Cool in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then run a knife round the edge and turn the layers out to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting and Serving Ideas
Because the cake itself is mild and tender, it takes almost any frosting. A simple vanilla buttercream or a chocolate fudge frosting are the traditional pairings. For a lighter finish, spread the layers with whipped cream and sliced strawberries, or dust the sheet cake with powdered sugar and serve it with fruit. A thin layer of raspberry jam between the layers is a nice touch for a birthday cake.
Tips for a Tender Crumb
- Room-temperature ingredients. Cold milk or eggs make the butter seize and the batter curdle, which gives a coarse crumb.
- Sift the cake flour. It packs down in the box, and a sifted, spooned measure keeps the cake from turning dry.
- Time the mixing. The method above is the classic one-bowl method: the first beating aerates the butter and flour, the second incorporates the eggs. Beating far beyond the stated times develops gluten and the cake loses its delicacy.
- Check early. A thin two egg layer overbakes fast. Start testing at the low end of the time range.
- Handle warm layers gently. Let them set in the pan for the full 10 minutes before turning out.
Variations
- Lemon two egg cake: add the zest of 1 lemon with the sugar and swap 1 teaspoon of the vanilla for 1 teaspoon of lemon extract.
- Almond: use 1 teaspoon vanilla plus 1/2 teaspoon almond extract.
- Cupcakes: the batter makes two dozen standard cupcakes; bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
- Chocolate frosted sheet cake: bake in the 9×13 pan and frost in the pan with chocolate frosting for the easiest version to transport.
Storage
Unfrosted layers keep, well wrapped, at room temperature for 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. A frosted cake with buttercream keeps under a cake dome for 2 to 3 days; a cake with whipped cream or a cream cheese frosting should be refrigerated and eaten within 3 days.
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