With its outstanding vanilla flavor, pillowy soft crumb, and creamy vanilla buttercream, this is truly the best vanilla cake I’ve ever had. And after 1 bite, I guarantee you’ll agree.
Out of all the cake recipes on my website, there’s a glaring absence. There’s white cake with a pristine soft crumb, vanilla naked cake with a flavorful tight crumb, and checkerboard cake with a whimsical design.
What about a classic vanilla layer cake draped in vanilla buttercream? I already have homemade vanilla cupcakes and a vanilla 6 inch cake covered and now in all its crowning glory (and after plenty recipe testing catastrophes), I present you with cake perfection:
This is the best vanilla cake I’ve ever had.
What Makes it the Best Vanilla Cake?
Let’s count the ways!
- Soft, light crumb from cake flour
- Fluffy from extra egg whites
- Buttery and cakey from creamed butter
- Stick-to-your-fork moist from eggs & buttermilk
- Extra flavor from pure vanilla extract
Not to mention its versatility: This vanilla cake batter is strong enough for shaped cakes, tiered cakes (see the slight variation in my homemade wedding cake recipe), and holds up beautifully under fondant. Use this batter for vanilla cupcakes, Bundt cake, or even piñata cake. It’s classy enough for a wedding celebration, but unassuming enough for a big family dinner.
Behind the Vanilla Cake Recipe
After years of cake successes and flops, I’m confident in this homemade vanilla cake. During my recipe testing, I combined my white cake recipe and naked cake recipe. These are two reader favorites and I knew they’d be the best starting point. At first there were too many eggs and I quickly learned sifting cake flour was NOT doing any favors.
You need the following power ingredients:
- Cake Flour: If you want a fluffy and soft bakery-style vanilla cake, cake flour is the secret. The cake will be denser and heavier using all-purpose flour.
- Eggs & 2 additional egg whites: 3 whole eggs provide structure, moisture, and richness. 2 extra egg whites keep the cake light and airy. I don’t recommend using 4 whole eggs; stick to the 3 egg & 2 egg white combination.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Remember the differences in baking powder vs baking soda and why we use both in some recipes? Using enough baking powder to give these layers height gave the cake a bitter aftertaste. Baking soda allows us to use less baking powder.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is an acidic ingredient and baking soda requires an acid to work. Plus buttermilk yields an EXTRA moist cake crumb. See recipe note about the alternative.
For more prominent vanilla flavor, use homemade vanilla extract. (What a fun DIY gift!) This vanilla cake batter is moderately thick and fits perfectly in 3 9-inch cake pans. We actually use the same exact batter to make snickerdoodle cake.
Do you know how to level a cake? Let me help. It’s really easy. You can use a fancy cake leveler, but I use a serrated knife. Carefully slice off the tippy top of the cooled cake layers, creating a flat surface. Leveling cakes doesn’t require a ruler, talent, or any mathematical equations. Instead, just use your eyes, hands, and a knife.
Leveling the cake layers promises a straight and sturdy layer cake.
How Much Frosting Between Cake Layers?
I always eyeball the amount of frosting between cake layers, but I measured when I decorated the pictured cake. The vanilla buttercream recipe below yields about 6 cups of frosting. I recommend you use about 1.5 heaping cups of buttercream between each cake layer and reserve the last 3 cups for outside the cake. If you are going to add a filling such as raspberry cake filling, you’ll use less frosting between the layers.
Cake Decoration Inspiration: For a simple look, stick with vanilla buttercream, fresh berries, and mint sprigs. You can also decorate with chocolate buttercream (I recommend the same amount from this piñata cake), rainbow sprinkles, or even beautiful buttercream flowers.
Homemade Vanilla Cake Success Tips
Learn from my mistakes and bake the best cake on the 1st try!
- Follow the recipe closely. Use each power ingredient listed.
- Use room temperature ingredients. The batter mixes together evenly when all the cake ingredients are roughly the same temperature. This also reduces the risk of over-mixing and over-baking. Set out your ingredients 1 hour before beginning. Read more about why room temperature ingredients are important.
- Line your cake pans with parchment. Place your cake pans on a large sheet of parchment paper. Trace the bottom of the cake pan with a pencil. Cut parchment paper into rounds. Grease the pan and the parchment paper. Parchment paper rounds guarantee seamless removal from the pan because the cake slides right out.
- Cool cake layers completely. I’ve tried taking shortcuts by assembling a layer cake with semi-warm cake layers. Well, the frosting completely melts and causes the entire cake to collapse. Make sure each layer is cool– refrigerate or freeze the layers if you need to!
- Refrigerate decorated cake. After frosting the cake, place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This is optional, but it sets the frosting and cake layers. You’ll get beautifully clean slices because the crumbs are cool and tight.
Great read: Check out Tessa’s Top 10 Best Layer Cake Tips.
Finding the perfect vanilla cake recipe requires a celebration. Luckily we have cake!!!
More Classic Cake Recipes
And here is my perfected vanilla cupcakes recipe.
PrintBest Vanilla Cake
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 12-14 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With its outstanding vanilla flavor, pillowy soft crumb, and creamy vanilla buttercream, this is truly the best vanilla cake I’ve ever had. Make sure you read through the recipe and recipe notes before beginning. This recipe yields approximately 8 cups of batter which is helpful if you need this batter for different cake pan sizes and conversions.
Ingredients
- 3 and 2/3 cups (433g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs + 2 additional egg whites, at room temperature*
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (yes, Tbsp!)
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 5 and 1/2 cups (650g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk or heavy cream
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Whisk the cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Beat in the 3 eggs, 2 egg whites, and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. (Mixture will look curdled as a result of the egg liquid and solid butter combining.) Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. With the mixer still running on low, pour in the buttermilk and mix just until combined. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Weigh them to ensure accuracy, if desired. Bake for around 23-26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire cooling rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more milk if frosting is too thick, or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
- Assemble and decorate: Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with about 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with about 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. I use and recommend an icing spatula to apply the frosting.
- Refrigerate cake for at least 1 hour before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let the frosting sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 10 minutes before assembling and frosting. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving. See how to freeze cakes for detailed instructions.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Kitchen Scale (optional) | Cooling Rack | Large Icing Spatula | Cake Turntable | Bench Scraper | Cake Carrier (for storing and transporting)
- 9×13 Inch Cake: I recommend using my white cake batter instead. Both use similar ingredients and produce a deliciously light vanilla cake. See recipe notes for the 9×13 inch version.
- 2 Layer Cake: I recommend using my 2 layer white cake batter instead. Both use similar ingredients and produce a deliciously light vanilla cake.
- Bundt Cake: This vanilla cake batter will fit into a 10-12 cup or larger Bundt pan. I’m unsure of the exact bake time (likely around an hour), but use a toothpick to test for doneness. Same oven temperature.
- Cupcakes: Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 19-21 minutes. Yields about 3 dozen. Or try my vanilla cupcakes recipe.
- Cake Flour: To prevent a dry-tasting cake, make sure you are spooning and leveling the flour or weighing it. For the best results, I strongly recommend cake flour. You can find it in the baking aisle and I have many more recipes using it. Usually a homemade cake flour substitute works, but this recipe uses far too much cake flour and the homemade substitute is not ideal.
- Eggs: 3 whole eggs provide structure, moisture, and richness. 2 extra egg whites keep the cake light and airy. I don’t recommend using 4 whole eggs; stick to the 3 egg & 2 egg white combination. Here are recipes using leftover egg yolks.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a DIY sour milk substitute. Add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 and 1/2 cups. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about why room temperature ingredients are important.
- Want chocolate frosting instead? I recommend the recipe/amount of chocolate frosting I use for Piñata Cake.
- Sprinkle Cake: To make a sprinkle cake, fold about 3/4 cup (135g) of sprinkles into the cake batter. Avoid nonpareils (the little balls), which tend to bleed their color. Or try this confetti birthday cake, which is quite similar to this recipe.
Hi Sally,
I made this cake about a month ago with the buttercream. I only had two nine inch cake pans but i figured it would be ok. The layers were really thin so the cake was not as tall as i wanted, but that was fine. This time when i make the same batter for Christmas, i will double it. Also if i wanted to put peppermint extract in the cake how much would i need. And also would the bake time be different if i doubled?
Hi Lilah, There is simply too much batter here for two layers. If your layers were too thin in two pans it’s likely because there was too much batter in each pan so the cake was not able to rise properly. If you try it again, try using three pans. And if you do want to double the cake recipe, for the best results we do recommend making the recipe twice instead of doubling it to avoid over or under mixing (which results in a dense cake!).
Yes, you can add peppermint extract to either the cake batter and/or the frosting. It’s very potent so you wouldn’t need much. Let us know if you try it!
Hi Sally,
I love this recipe and use it all the time but for some reason I can’t get away from the denseness. I use Cake flour, I also make sure not to over mix. What am I doing wrong? Or how can I create a more fluffy cake? Does the buttermilk have anything to do with it? It is delicious and moist but somehow not fluffy and a bit dense. HELP!
Hi Leroy, Thank you for trying this recipe! For troubleshooting tips you can see the post How to Prevent a Dry or Dense Cake. I hope it helps!
This is the best cake I’ve made today! I posted another response before this one but i forgot about how delicious the cake was! It was nice and fluffy, and my sister LOVED it! My dad and mom and everyone in my family tasted it. I made five cakes. Of course it took me a few days but it was worth it! This is a five star RECIPE. Great job! (I’m making another one tonight! hehehe!)
Can I make this a 4 layer or should I make two of your white cake recipes instead?
Hi Rylee, you can certainly use this recipe to make a 4 layer 9-inch cake. The layers will be a little thinner so reduce the bake time. If interested, we do have a 4 layer cake recipe- our checkerboard cake! It’s just as delicious and makes a little more batter than this vanilla cake.
I’ve always wanted to make a cake that didn’t come from a box, but they were always too dense! This is PERFECT! Honestly, better than any cake I’ve had in my life. It made my mom’s birthday extra special. Thank you!!
Thank so much
Yummy vanilla cake recipe! We tried it for the 4th of July and it was a hit! We dyed some of the cake red and blue. The icing was a bit sweet, but adding a pinch of salt was perfect! Everyone loved it!!
Hi Sally! I’m wondering if I can use vanilla bean for the frosting instead of extract. I’d like it to have those little vanilla flecks.
Hi Candice, definitely! If it helps, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract is typically equal to one 2-inch piece of vanilla bean, so 1 typical vanilla bean will equal 3 teaspoons extract.
Made this for a birthday, and everyone LOVED this cake! I mean really adored it, thank you so very much!
This was the first cake I made from scratch. I followed the instructions closely and bam! This cake is scrumptious! Thank you for recipe and tips!
My daughter has requested a “sprinkle” cake (which I think means funfetti) with strawberry frosting for her birthday. Would you recommend I use this recipe or your white cake recipe for a funfetti layer cake?
Hi Stephanie, You can add sprinkles to either one – it depends on if you want a two or three layer cake! Or simply follow the recipe for Funfetti Layer Cake. I hope she has a great birthday!
Hi sally
I would love to make this cake however I don’t eat eggs. Is there anyway to make this eggless? If so what should I use to replace the eggs and egg whites? I made your chocolate cake and used yoghurt and was wondering if that would work this time?
Hi Pam, We haven’t tested this recipe with any egg substitutes. Let us know if you try anything.
Hi! I love this recipe. Thanks for all the helpful tips 🙂
I made this cake for my boyfriend’s birthday and it’s the cake we’ve ended up measuring all cakes against since, haha. So it’s now my go-to.
Question: what’s your opinion of parchment vs. Butter & flouring the pan?
Hi Jenny, I’m so happy this recipe is a hit! We have best results using parchment and nonstick spray- spray the pan, place the parchment, and spray again. I hope this helps!
Can this be made as a sheet cake instead? If so what size would you recommend?
Hi Sotelo, This batter, as written, is enough for a thin 12×18 inch sheet cake. I’m unsure of the best bake time. Or how about our 9×13 inch vanilla sheet cake or 12×17 inch funfetti sheet cake. (You can leave out the sprinkles.)
Perfect Recipe. Thanks for sharing it
Hello! Could I use this recipe for a cookies and cream cake? Thanks!
Hi Vontresa, You can try folding about 3/4 cup of crushed Oreos into the cake batter. For frosting, try the cookies & cream buttercream in our cookies & cream brownies recipe.
Hi Sally,
I tried this recipe over the weekend and had some mixed reviews. I feel like it was maybe a little dry with a coarser crumb, the texture kind of reminded me of corn bread a little bit. I was told it wasn’t ‘my best cake’ by one and some (my husband) really enjoyed the change. I was going to make it for a dual birthday party this weekend but am having second thoughts. When I decided to use your funfetti recipe instead (my personal favorite and my daughters birthday cake for the last three years) I realized that the recipes are very similar. Any ideas on where I went wrong? Overmixing comes to mind but I feel that I’m usually pretty cautious of that. The only other difference is I used three 6″x3″ pans and made some cupcakes with the left over batter and adjusted the time accordingly with a sharp eye. Perhaps I should try your funfetti cupcake recipe for the 3 layer cake? Any input is appreciated. Thanks again!
Hi Jessica! Thank you so much for trying our recipe for vanilla cake. I wonder if the 6 inch cake pans were too full and therefore the cakes didn’t bake very evenly? For dry cakes, Sally wrote this post which I know you’ll find helpful if you have time to review it: How to Prevent a Dry or Dense Cake. Also, see this post: Latest Recipe Testing. There’s information on how cakes can sometimes taste like cornbread there! Or you can try this 6 inch vanilla cake, which has a lighter crumb than this larger vanilla cake.
This recipe looks great, but I need to make a 4 layer 9 inch cake. Do you recommend doubling the recipe?
Hi Sufia, you can certainly use this recipe to make a 4 layer 9-inch cake. The layers will be a little thinner so reduce the bake time. If interested, we do have a 4 layer cake recipe- our checkerboard cake! It’s just as delicious and makes a little more batter than this vanilla cake.
Hi Sally, do you think it would work to put fresh raspberries in the cake, if so how much?
Hi Giovanna, raspberries would be delicious! Toss 1-1 and 1/2 cups of fresh raspberries with 1 Tablespoon of flour and gently fold into the batter. The bake time may be a little longer.
It tasted great but, I could only fill in two pans not three which was a major setback. I used the same size pan as recommended in this recipe.
Made this for my sons birthday cake, and it’s the best cake I’ve ever made! Just delicious. Saving this recipe for future cakes for sure!
I made this for a friend and it turned out amazing! Followed everything to a tee and she loved it, the cake layers were especially moist and the buttercream a classic. Thank you so much for this!! xx
This recipe is IT!!!! I followed this recipe exactly and my cake was perfection. It was gone in a day. Thanks you soooo much Sally! Making the best yellow cake next
This was a great cake. This was my first time ever making a cake from scratch, but it turned out great and moist. And it was easy to make. I am 13 and I would say that it tasted better than the boxed cakes that you get from walamart that you have to make.
My cake turned out AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!! The family request it weekly and I gladly oblige.
Hi Sally, this looks like an incredible cake. My daughter’s birthday is coming up and I’m torn, as I can’t make up my mind which cake to make for her: this one, or your pinata cake. I’m wondering if there’s a way to combine both recipes? I was thinking of using either the cake from this recipe, and doing that awesome pinata insert with it, but maybe it would be better to make the pinata cake recipe and just use the frosting from this one? I haven’t made either cake yet so I don’t know of the flavors will match… basically, I’m looking for a cake with vanilla flavour, the pinata fun inside, that will also hold fondant. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Hi Joanna! Feel free to use this cake and assemble it pinata cake style. You can use that chocolate frosting if desired as well. Either frostings (and cakes) will hold up under fondant.
I made this for my husband’s birthday yesterday, and it was a huge hit, with everyone saying it was absolutely the best vanilla cake I’ve ever made! One of my sons (who is 24) asked if I’d make it for his birthday next month. I’m so glad I found this recipe, and it will definitely be my go-to from now on!
Made this using two 9×9 square pans – quantity was perfect! But would make the icing 1.5x next time as I had to scrape every last bit of icing from the bowl to be able to fully cover and decorate my son’s birthday cake. Colored the icing to suit his birthday theme and added rainbow sprinkles to the batter. Will reduce the sugar a bit also next time, otherwise, this came out perfectly moist and tasty. Thank you!
By far the best vanilla cake ever for texture alone. I only had 3/4 cup cake flour so substituted with AP flour and cornstarch, not enough vanilla so used 3 vanilla beans, and no buttermilk so used kefir. Lemon curd filling and Swiss buttercream. It was fantastic. My mom asked for more the next day but it was already GONE. 🙂
I made it and it’s delicious. I’m needing to bake a 12×16 rectangular cake. How much baking time would that require and should I lower the baking temperature?
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Janet! I’m unsure of the bake time needed for that size pan but you can see my post on Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions to calculate how much batter you would need.
Hi Sally!
I’ve been looking at a lot of your vanilla and yellow cake recipes and I couldn’t find any for a three or four layered 8in round cake. What recipe would you recommend? Thanks in advance!
Hi Olivia, For just about all of my layer cakes you can use 8 inch pans instead of 9 inch. Your layers will be slightly thicker than mine so may take an extra minute or two of bake time.