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.
Print
Best 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 pans and conversions.
Ingredients
- 3 and 2/3 cups (433g) cake flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) 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 (345g) 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 rubber 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 rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a hand-held 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): Stand Mixer or Handheld Mixer | 9-inch Cake Pans | Kitchen Scale | 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.
Keywords: vanilla cake, vanilla frosting, birthday cake
Can I make this same recipe but do three or four 8 in rounds?
Thanks!
Hi Alexandra, You can use this recipe with 8 inch cake pans for slightly thicker layers in a three layer cake. You may need an extra minute or two of bake time since they layers will be thicker – use a toothpick to test for doneness.
thanks so much for writing back! love making this recipe the cake always tastes great!!
I just got a stand mixer for Christmas I’ve been wanting it forever! This was the first recipe I tried with it. And the frosting is AMAZING!!! I just took the cake out of the oven. I opted for a bunt and filled it about 3/4 for 40 min. I think my butter may not have been soft enough for the cake because when I made the frosting I got a much smoother consistency. But I will use this frosting FOREVER now THANK YOU!
This tasted awful. Dont try it
★
Hello, my daughter loves this cake and I always make it for her birthday. This year I wanted to do a number cake. Can I make this in a jelly roll pan to cut out numbers? Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi Cara! Definitely. Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
I love this cake and it’s my go-to vanilla cake for sure. I made a fantastic 6-layer rainbow cake for my daughter’s birthday by doubling the recipe. Now I’m wondering, have you tried it with a jam or curd in between a layer or two?
★★★★★
Hi Tasha, yes, this cake is fantastic with a jam or curd between layers. You may want to use frosting to create a ring/dam around the edge to prevent the filling from squeezing out the sides. Let us know how it goes!
This was a really good cake and I appreciate the descriptions of what the batter will look like at various stages. I’m a big fan of butter but 6 sticks of butter for a cake that serves 12 was a bit excessive and that’s why I gave it 4 stars. I’m thinking butter could be reduced in the batter or maybe even part of it substituted with oil? When cake is chilled it’s very firm and I think that’s because all the butter.
★★★★
Hello! My question is, can I make this cake using the buttercream flowers frosting from your 6 inch birthday cake with the buttercream flowers? My plan was to make that cake until I realized it was 6 inches wide (not tall, duh, as I first thought :). Since I only have 9″ pans and wanted a 3-layer cake, I came back to this one, but wanted to make sure that it’s safe to make this cake using the buttercream flowers. Thank you in advance!
Hi Summer, absolutely. It’s the same vanilla buttercream frosting on both recipes. You may need a little more here if you want to decorate this cake with the flowers. Enjoy!
Thank you. ☺️
I made this for my son’s sixth birthday a couple weeks ago. I was just whipping up the frosting when my infant, who was sick with RSV, had his oxygen get so low we went to the ER and were admitted for four days. I missed the party and the cake. Daddy frosted it. When baby and I got home, I froze the rest and just tonight had time to eat a piece from the freezer. It’s delicious. And baby is healthy. I will always remember this recipe as a bit of God’s faithfulness in the midst of crazy times. Thank you!
★★★★★
I’ll do it this weekend! Could you please post the recipe in grams?
I cannot wait to bake this cake!
One thing though, I have two pans that are 9 x 2.9 inch. Will those two be enough for the batter or should I use a third pan? And if that is the case, surely I can bake the cakes separately and not all together?
Thank you!!
Hi Suzanne, it’s best to use three pans for this recipe. You can bake two of the pans at a time, leave the remaining batter covered with a clean towel at room temperature, and then once the baked cakes have cooled and been inverted, you can bake the third layer. Hope you enjoy this one!
What can I use to substitute instead of Eggs for someone with Egg Allergies?
We haven’t tested this recipe with any egg alternatives but please let us know if you do!
I would love to use this recipe for mini Bundts. Have you ever added fruits? Like said blueberries or strawberries?
Hi Alejandra, I’ve added about 1.5 cups (about 225g) of blueberries to the batter before with no problem, but never strawberries. Shouldn’t be a problem, I’m sure.
I can’t wait to make this recipe. Could I use a Swiss meringue buttercream instead as I prefer it less sweet? How much would I need?
Yes, absolutely! Our Swiss meringue buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and frost a three layer 9-inch cake with just enough frosting. You may want to make more, depending on how you plan to decorate. Happy baking!
I’ve made this a couple times already and my family LOVES it! Both my older kids have December birthdays 4 days apart so I typically do 1 layer for one child and the other layer for my other child.. After baking it last night, how long can I keep the 2nd layer in the fridge. We plan to ice it 4 days from now. Thanks in advance!
★★★★★
So glad you and your family love this vanilla cake recipe, Rebecca!
Hi Sally! Is the temperature in the recipe for a fan forced oven or conventional oven? Ps. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Hi Kate! We always recommend conventional settings for baking (not convection/fan). The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection/fan settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
Hi Sally, I wondered why you use granulated sugar over caster sugar? Also, when you are creaming the butter and granulated sugar together I find the mixture still has the grainy texture of the sugar is that ok?
Hi Kate! Granulated sugar is most commonly used in the US. It is ok if the creamed butter and sugar are still grainy – look for the slightly lighter color of properly creamed butter.
Thank you for the information. I must be doing something wrong, I found when I inserted a toothpick it came out clean but when the cake has cooled it is very claggy and almost under done. Any advise you could give me as I am going to have another go? Is the temperature a fan oven temperature?
Hi Kate, another way to test for doneness is to carefully poke the top of the cake with your finger while it’s baking. If it sinks down under your finger, it needs to bake longer. If it feels firm (not hard, but firm), it is baked. All of the recipes on this site are written for conventional oven (not fan) settings. Here are more tips for baking perfect cakes!
Do I use plain cake flour or self-raising flour?
Hi Daisy, plain cake flour is best here — do not use self-raising.
Made the cake portion of this recipe (went with a different frosting) for my son’s 2nd birthday and it was a hit! This is my favorite recipe of Sally’s so far. This one is definitely a keeper!
★★★★★
Hi Sally. I’ve just trialled this recipe for my little girl’s birthday cake. I am making a Bluey cake for her and have some edible sugar images to stick to the side of the cake (which are around 10 cm in height) but I need more height with the cake so that the images don’t poke up the cake. How high do you think this cake would be using an 8 inch cake tins? Trying to determine if the height of cake made with 8 inch tins will accomodate these images nicely plus allow some sprinkles to decorate the base of the cake?
Also would an Italian meringue buttercream be suitable to decorate the cake and add between the layers?
Hi Pat, the layers will be just slightly taller if using 8 inch round pans, but we’re unsure of the exact height. It will depend a bit on how heavily you frost the cake between the layers. What might be best is making two separate batches of the cake so that you can make an additional layer. That will ensure you have enough room for your decorations. You can use any leftover batter for some cupcakes on the side! Italian meringue buttercream should work just fine with this recipe. Hope it’s a hit!
Hi Lexi, thanks for your helpful reply! I will try in a 8 inch cake tin then. How long would I bake the cakes for and what temperature? As it may be different to what is written for the 9 inch cakes recipe. Thanks again!
I’ve used this recipe so much and it has been amazing. I wanted to add some lemon juice or rind, can you suggest which is better and if it will ruin the batter?
Hi Natalie, We haven’t tested lemon with this specific recipe (here is our lemon cake if you’re interested!). You can try replacing some of the vanilla extract for lemon extract and add some lemon zest to this batter. Let us know what you try!
I’m about to make this vanilla cake and I can’t wait for it but I have a question could I use regular all purpose flour instead of cake flour would there be a difference in the cake. Or should I just stick with cake flour as you have it in your recipe.
Hi D’siree, 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.
Nothing wrong with the cake but it tasted awfully similar to the box mix vanilla and was a whole lot more in cost and effort.
★★★
My husband would like a yellow cake for his birthday. Do you have a yellow cake recipe or is there a way to adjust this one? Thank you in advance!
Hi Jaime, we sure do! Here is our favorite yellow cake recipe and here is a yellow sheet cake version.
So excited to bake this for my sisters birthday this week! I only have one cake pan so will bake each layer seperately. Should I refrigerate the batter while the previous layer is baking? Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Angel, no need to refrigerate the batter. You can simply cover it with a clean kitchen towel and leave at room temperature while waiting for the other layers to bake. Hope it’s a hit for your sister’s birthday!
Amazing thanks so much!
I have made this recipe several times. The first time I thought it was by far the best vanilla cake I’d ever had. Other times though it has come out a bit dry and a little tough. I’m using cake flour and weighing my ingredients and trying not to over-bake it. Could I be over-mixing it? Or??
Hi Beth! Over-mixing is a common cause of dense or tough cakes. Always make sure to *just* mix until combined.
I love this recipe so much. its one of my favourites. I was wondering, would it be possible to make a 3 layer 8-inch cake with this recipe and get 12 cupcakes as well?
Hi Kayla, You can use this recipe with 8 inch cake pans for slightly thicker layers in a three layer cake. You may need an extra minute or two of bake time since they layers will be thicker – use a toothpick to test for doneness. Then, you could make a batch of our vanilla cupcakes — same great taste, but a smaller yield. Enjoy!
Hi, thanks for sharing this recipe. It’s our possible to make this recipe in 2 x 9 inch cake pans instead of 3? If so, how much longer would the batter need in the oven to cook properly?
Hi Marina, for a two layer cake, we recommend using our 2 layer white cake batter instead. Both use similar ingredients and produce a deliciously light vanilla cake. Or, if you decide to use this recipe, fill your 2 pans half way and use the leftover batter for a few cupcakes. Let us know how it turns out for you!
This recipe is wonderful, everyone loved it! But I do have a question. I wanted to try to make a 2 layer 9×13 using this recipe and got confused w the conversions. Recipe is for 3- 9in rounds and says it makes 8cups of batter but under the pan conversions is says 1-9×2 in pan is 8 cups. Am I reading or understanding incorrectly?
★★★★★
Hi Brandy, for a 9×13 cake, we recommend using this white cake batter instead. Both use similar ingredients and produce a deliciously light vanilla cake. See recipe notes for the 9×13 inch version. You can make two separate batches to get 9×13 cakes for layering. (Regarding the pan conversions, a 9×2 round will hold 8 cups of batter if filled to the brim, but we don’t want to do that or it would overflow! When filling cake pans, we recommend only filling 2/3 way full (or less)).
6 c frosting!!!! A woman after my own heart!
I found this recipe to be really delicious. What made it even better was using OliveNation’s Vanilla Bean Paste rather than generic vanilla extract. It doesn’t have the alcoholic taste that regular vanilla extract does, but tastes more like vanilla. A huge game changer.
★★★★★
Hi Sally, I’m not sure why my cake is shrinking up on the sides and not straight. Please help
Hi Susan! Usually when cakes shrink, they’ve been over-baked.
Can I add coconut to the batter
Hi Sophia, for a coconut flavor, we’d recommend following our coconut cake recipe.
Hi I’m hoping to make this cake as a tiered birthday cake for my mum. I’ve made many of your recipes and have all been AMAZING.
I’m wondering as I’m doing tiers, Could I fill a 12 inch pan and then cut into layers with this cake? As planning on doing a 12- 9-6 inch tiers and to save cost on tins-time in baking time.
Hi Kayleigh, We havnen’t tested this batter in a 12 inch pan, but you can use our guide to Cake Pan Sizes to help you calculate how much batter you would need.
Hi, I am making the Best Ever Yellow cake, but I can’t figure out how to comment on that recipe. But my question is – can I make that recipe in 2 8″ rounds instead of 2 9″ rounds?
Hi Emmy, there’s too much batter for 2 8-inch pans. You may have better luck dividing it between 3 8-inch pans and reducing the bake time.