Air Fryer Vanilla Cake
A soft and fluffy small batch vanilla cake baked in the air fryer. It's made in a 6 inch round pan and needs no oven, which makes it perfect for a quick treat or a small birthday cake.
Ingredients
- 155 g all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 0.125 tsp baking soda
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 55 g butter room temperature, salted or unsalted
- 28 g neutral oil such as rice bran, canola or sunflower
- 135 g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 120 g natural yoghurt room temperature, or sour cream
Instructions
- Grease a 6 inch (15cm) round cake pan with a little oil or butter and line the base with baking paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the plain flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, cream the butter, caster sugar and oil together with an electric hand mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until the mixture is pale and fluffy. This takes around 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs, vanilla and yoghurt and beat until smooth and combined. If the mixture looks slightly split at this stage, it will come back together once the flour is added.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed, or fold them through with a spatula, until just combined with no dry flour visible. Don't overmix.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Place the pan into the air fryer basket, leaving a little room around it so the air can circulate.
- Bake at 160°C (320°F) for 25 minutes. Insert a skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it isn't clean, lower the temperature to 150°C (300°F), bake for another 5 minutes and check again, repeating until the skewer comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Dust with icing sugar, or frost and decorate as you like.
Notes
Both metric and US customary measurements are provided. Use the toggle on the recipe card to switch between the two. Note that US customary cups are smaller in size than NZ cups. For best results use grams.
Air fryer size: This recipe was tested in a 5.3L basket style air fryer. Air fryers vary in how hot they run, so check the cake from around 22 minutes the first time you make it.
Room temperature ingredients: The butter, eggs and yoghurt need to be at room temperature so the batter emulsifies properly. Cold ingredients give a denser cake.
If the top browns too fast: Lay a piece of foil loosely over the tin and tuck the edges underneath so it doesn't blow around in the basket.
The look of the top: The top of an air fryer cake is usually a little uneven because the hot air hits it directly. It doesn't affect the texture, and a dusting of icing sugar or a layer of frosting hides it completely.
Oven method: To bake this in a conventional oven instead, bake at 180°C (350°F) and start checking at 25 minutes.
Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 4 days. To freeze, wrap the cooled cake tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 203kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 4gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 248mgPotassium: 71mgFiber: 1gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 94IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 66mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!