Fresh-Milled Vanilla Cream Cheese Layer Cake

This fresh-milled vanilla cream cheese layer cake is soft, fluffy, creamy, bright, and just fancy enough to feel like a true celebration cake. It is made with tender whole grain vanilla cake layers, a fluffy cream cheese filling, vanilla whipped cream frosting, and a sweet-tart fruit compote.

This is the kind of cake that reminds you why real layer cakes are usually saved for birthdays, celebrations, and special gatherings. Cakes are a labour of love. The cake itself is not especially hard to make, but once you add the filling, frosting, fruit compote, slicing, layering, chilling, and decorating, it becomes a project.

That said, it is absolutely worth it.

And if the cake crumbles, sticks, or refuses to become a perfect four-layer beauty? Turn it into a trifle. All of these same elements can be layered into a glass bowl and served as a stunning fresh-milled vanilla cream cheese fruit trifle. Same flavour, less pressure.

Why Fresh-Milled Flour Works So Well Here

This cake is made with fresh-milled whole grain flour, but it does not taste heavy or dense. When the flour is milled finely and handled gently, it creates a soft, tender vanilla cake with far more flavour than a typical white cake.

The combination of vanilla, cream cheese, whipped cream, and fruit compote makes this cake taste fresh and rich at the same time. It is sweet, but not too sweet. Creamy, but not heavy. Soft, but still sturdy enough to layer.

Flour Notes

I make this cake with Tevah Baking Flour, which is my preferred blend for cakes, muffins, cookies, and softer baking.

If you are milling your own flour, a lovely homemade blend would be 50/50:

• Soft white wheat for tenderness
• Hard white wheat for structure

You can also use spelt if preferred. Spelt brings a beautiful flavour to cakes, though it can create a slightly more delicate crumb, so handle the layers gently.

The goal is a finely milled, soft whole grain flour. This is not the place for coarse flour or heavy bran flakes.

Vanilla Cake

Ingredients

• 575 g Tevah Baking Flour, or fresh-milled flour blend
• 400 g granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp vanilla bean powder
• 170 g salted butter, softened
• 120 g light neutral oil
• 420 g full-fat buttermilk
• 4 large eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and vanilla bean powder.
3. Sift the dry ingredients together. This fluffs the flour, evenly distributes the sugar and leavening, and helps catch any larger bran pieces if you are milling your own flour.
4. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer.
5. Add the softened butter and oil.
6. Mix on low speed until the mixture resembles soft brown sugar.
7. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs.
8. Add about three-quarters of the liquid mixture to the flour mixture.
9. Mix on medium speed for 60–90 seconds, until the batter becomes smooth, fluffy, and silky.
10. Add the remaining liquid and mix just until fully incorporated.
11. Let the batter rest for 5–10 minutes.
12. Divide evenly between the prepared pans.
13. Bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
14. Cool completely before slicing and assembling.

Rhubarb Berry Fruit Compote

A compote is simply fruit gently cooked with sugar until soft and spoonable. It does not need to be thick like jam. For this cake, the compote is blended smooth so it layers easily between the cake and cream cheese filling.

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped rhubarb
• 2 cups berries of choice, such as blueberries, haskap, raspberries, strawberries, or a combination
• 1/4–1/2 cup sugar, to taste
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla bean powder
• 1–2 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the rhubarb is completely softened.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. If needed, thicken with a small cornstarch slurry.
5. Cool completely before assembling the cake.

Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting

Ingredients

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 4 Tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla bean powder
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Whip the cream to soft peaks.
2. Add icing sugar, vanilla bean powder, and salt.
3. Add cream cheese and continue whipping until smooth and fluffy.
4. Refrigerate until needed.

Fluffy Cream Cheese Filling

Ingredients

• Remaining cream cheese from one block, approximately 1 1/2–1 3/4 cups
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• One-third of the prepared vanilla whipped cream frosting

Instructions

1. Beat cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add sugar, lemon juice, and salt.
3. Fold or whip in one-third of the prepared vanilla whipped cream frosting.
4. Mix until light, smooth, and fluffy.

Assembly: Four-Layer Cake

1. Once the cakes are completely cool, slice each cake round in half horizontally to create four layers.
2. Place the first cake layer on a serving plate.
3. Pipe or spread a layer of cream cheese filling over the cake.
4. Top with a layer of fruit compote.
5. Repeat with the remaining cake layers, cream cheese filling, and compote.
6. Place the final cake layer on top.
7. Frost the outside of the cake with the vanilla whipped cream frosting.
8. Chill several hours before serving, or overnight if possible.

Trifle Variation

If your cake crumbles, sticks to the pan, or breaks while slicing, do not panic. This recipe makes an amazing trifle.

1. Break or cut the cake into pieces.
2. Layer cake pieces, cream cheese filling, fruit compote, and whipped cream frosting in a large glass bowl.
3. Repeat the layers until all components are used.
4. Chill before serving.

The trifle version is especially lovely for potlucks, family gatherings, or events where you want something beautiful and easy to serve. It is simply the deconstructed version of the cake, and sometimes that is the easier, happier option.