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.
Keywords: vanilla cake, vanilla frosting, birthday cake
Hi Sally
Can I use 3x 8 inch pans?
Absolutely. Similar bake time, maybe an extra minute or 2 because the layers will be slightly thicker.
Thank you!
I would like to try to make this recipe as cupcakes, and make them to pinata cup cakes 🙂 Can I freeze them, and defrost and then cut out a cone and fill them with sprinkles the day before use? Will they be more difficult to cut when they have been frozen, I mean will they crumble/fall apart more? Do not think it would be smart to freeze them with the sprinkle filling? I have to make ALOT of them, that’s why it would be nice to make them in advance, so they are ‘just’ to be filled the day before 🙂
Hi Gina! Yes, absolutely. Cupcakes can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before filling with sprinkles (sprinkles will get wet and bleed their color if added before freezing). See our posts on vanilla cupcakes and piñata cupcakes for more tips!
I try a lot of new recipes and I almost never post, but I am making an exception for this recipe. I baked this cake expecting to frost and serve it the next day for my mother’s 94th birthday, but she wasn’t feeling well, so I wrapped and froze the cake layers. I noticed right away that the cake layers looked great. A week later, I defrosted the cake layers, filled them with apricot jam, and frosted and decorated the cake with stabilized whipped cream, toasted almonds and minced dried apricot. The cake layers were wonderful- flavorful and light with a great texture. And my mother, who I must say is very particular about what she eats, asked me twice during her party to make this cake again next year for her 95th birthday! This recipe is a real winner-thank you very much!!
★★★★★
Hi Sally, I’ve made this countless times and it’s wonderful! I love almond flavor in dessert! Would it be possible to flavor the cake with almond extract as well as frosting? Or would it be better to just flavor the frosting with a bit of almond extract?
Hi Jenna, we recommend using half vanilla extract and half almond, or even 3/4 vanilla and 1/4 almond depending on how strong you would like the flavor. For your buttercream, replace 1 teaspoon of the vanilla with just 1/2 teaspoon. Enjoy
I want to make a rainbow flavored cake…each layer a different flavor…or at least most layers. How would you suggest I do this? Should I pour simple syrup into poked holes right after it comes out of the oven? Should I divide the vanilla cake into parts and somehow play with a vanilla vs flavored extract balance…that seems weird. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. The cake is for our 2 year old granddaughter. We might bake layers and then divide them in half so the cake isn’t so tall or I might just put a smaller amount of batter into the pans and watch it more carefully. Suggestions?????
Hi LFleer, You can absolutely make a rainbow cake — we have many times! We typically split the batter among 5 pans for thinner layers (6 layers from one batter would be quite thin). If you wanted, you could make the recipe twice for 6, regular sized layers (the cake would be quite large). We’re unsure of the exact bake time for 5 layers, but it will be less since the layers are thinner. As for the flavoring, you could use either method you suggest. Let us know what you try!
This is a wonderful wonderful cake! Again directions are great. I am just absolutely sold on Sally’s cakes.
I do have a question about making 10″ cakes out of this recipe. Would one recipe be one 10″ layer? That is how I usually bake 10″ layers but this recipe does seem larger than just a standard recipe. Thank you
★★★★★
Hi Christy! So glad you love this recipe. Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Hello! Planning my daughter’s birthday cake, but we are going to the beach to celebrate it. Will the unfrosted cake hold for a couple of days? (i.e. make it Thursday night, eat it Saturday?) If not, could you please kindly recommend one were I can leave it room temperature for a couple days? I read through this one and it recommends freezing if waiting.
Thank you so much!
Hi Adriana, if tightly covered, the unfrosted cake will be just fine to enjoy on Saturday. Hope it’s a hit!
I followed your directions for using 1.5 cups in between the 2 layers but did not end up with enough to ice the outside well. I certainly did not have enough to ice the outside as shown in the pictures. What went wrong? Any advice is greatly appreciated.BTW the cake is delicious!
★★★★
Hi, do I use the Pain Flour Cake Flour? Or the Self Raising Flour cake flour?
Hi Peta, You can use plain flour to make your own cake flour substitute.
Ok Karen
What is the difference between this recipe and your White Cake recipe? Trying to decide which one to make for my daughters Birthday and they both look delicious!
Hi Susie, the white cake is made with only egg whites for a pristine white crumb. It’s just ever so slightly a bit lighter. Both are fantastic, can’t go wrong with either!
Hi Sally! I own a small gluten and allergy free bakery in Schertz Texas and recently made a cake for a little boy who was allergic to gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, pea protein and food dyes! Oh my goodness was this the most difficult challenge I had come across in the 30+ years I’ve been baking. After failing at four different cakes, even one being this one, I took another look, decreased some of the substitutions and eventually this vanilla cake was our winner! It truly is the best Vanilla Cake I’ve ever had, whether it’s gluten free, vegan or free of everything, as with this little boy!
★★★★★
Hey Sally and team! I am wanting to make this recipe as cupcakes. I have been recommended it so many times and I really want to try it for my sisters birthday! I was wondering can I follow this recipe and just use the baking instructions from your “perfect vanilla cupcakes” recipe? Thanks!!
★★★★★
Hi Brooke, see recipe Notes for cupcake directions. Hope it’s a hit for your sister’s birthday!
I didn’t use the frosting in this recipe, but the cake itself is the best vanilla cake I’ve ever baked. Baked just as the recipe said and it was delightfully moist. While the crumb was soft and somewhat loose it still stood up to 6 (!) layers. The flavor is rich and creamy and not too sweet. I used a cream cheese frosting last time for the tanginess, but can’t wait to try this with my fav ermine frosting!
Hi, I love everything I’ve ever made of yours! Would this be a good base recipe to use for a rainbow cake for my daughter’s birthday (using food coloring on the cake itself)? Thanks!
Hi Sabrina, You can absolutely make a rainbow cake — we have many times! We typically split the batter among 5 pans for thinner layers (6 layers from one batter would be quite thin). If you wanted, you could make the recipe twice for 6, regular sized layers (the cake would be quite large). We’re unsure of the exact bake time for 5 layers, but it will be less since the layers are thinner. Let us know what you try!
I never made a cake from scratch, let alone a cake with Buttermilk. I was so nervous. I did all the steps and can not believe how amazing this recipe is. I am sold. I even did the frosting , but added a strawberry filling. Thank you Soooo much
★★★★★
Hi there,
If I wanted to bake this recipe in 9”x9” square pans, how many should I use?trying to make a tall castle-cake for my son and having trouble converting!
Thank you so much!
Hi Noelle, This should be just the right amount of batter for 2 layers in your 9×9 pan. You can reference this cake pan sizes and conversions guide to make sure.
Great recipe I got so many compliments! Can I use a 6inch round pan? What time and temp do you recommend? Thanks
Hi Sarag, You can halve the ingredients or use the recipe for a 6 inch vanilla cake — same great taste!
This cake is delicious! Planning on making it this weekend for a party next weekend and plan to use fondant… It will be my first attempt at covering a cake with fondant. Do you have any tips??
★★★★★
Hi Melissa! We don’t have much experience with fondant, but there are many talented bakers with lots of great tips out there!
Again I would like to point out that in the UK you cannot get cake flour
You can make your own cake flour by adding corn starch. Google will tell you how!
Try the extra fine plain flour, that would similar to cake flour. Cake flour is ground finer then plain flour so the extra fine is more or less the same
My cake layers were not high at all, maybe 1″ each and I used 8″ pans instead of 9″
What did i do wrong?
Hi Arlene, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. First, make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. We find they start to lose their potency after about three months. If the cakes are squat and dense, it’s possible the batter was over mixed. This post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes will be helpful to review. Thanks so much for giving this cake a try!
Wonderful recipe! The cake – just as it is, without any icing sugar – was delicious and I ended up eating it like that. No need for more calories.
I do not have buttermilk. Would regular milk work?
Hi Kiwi, buttermilk is necessary for this recipe, but you can make a DIY sour milk substitute. See recipe Notes for full details.
Hi, this recipe was great! How long can you keep it in the fridge for?
★★★★★
Hi Willow, you can cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. So glad you enjoyed it!
I loved this recipe!
★★★★★
Great recipe! You are my go to for all cakes! When you refrigerate the layers (today is Tuesday, I am icing on Friday and serving on Saturday) do you take them out of the pans or leave them in the pans covered tightly? Then take them out of the pans to ice?
★★★★★
Hi Ashley! We would freeze the cakes instead of refrigerating, they will dry out in the fridge. Here’s our guide to freezing cakes!
Easy recipe (great instructions!) and a delicious cake!
★★★★★
I’m not sure where you live but have you ever had Wegmans ultimate vanilla cake? It seems to be a bit dense crumb like a pound cake but not quite. I would love to recreate that cake and your recipes are perfect for someone like me who is a dunce in the kitchen. If you live near a Wegmans grocery store please try one to see what you think. Your vanilla frosting with the melted white chocolate is the perfect frosting!
I have had that cake before… and it’s delicious! I would say this cake is quite similar, but not quite as dense (close though). You could also try this vanilla sheet cake recipe.
Hey Sally.
I’ve made this recipe so many times but for some reason now my buttercream is tasting kind of powdery, whereas before it wasn’t. Also, it keeps splitting. I’m not sure what I’m doing incorrectly. Any ideas?
★★★★★
Hi Princess, I’m glad you love this recipe! Frosting ca taste powdery if your using a brand of confectioners’ sugar that tastes a little off, or has a chemical aftertaste. Taste it, and see if you like how it tastes. I usually use Domino brand. Sifting the confectioners’ sugar before using can also help rid any clumps, if that’s what you’re tasting too (and that may also be causing the splitting). If the buttercream is splitting, the milk/cream could have been too cold as well. Bring to room temperature before using.
Hey there, super last minute but I still have so much baking to do for tomorrow night and was trying to cut some of my time in half by doing half vanilla and half red velvet cupcakes with one mix. I’m not sure how I would go about that cause the measurements are not the same for both recipes, any help would be great. I was planning to make vanilla and then add what I need for red velvet but I’m not sure the right measurements to get this to still turn out amazing, thank you for your help!
Hi Marie, it would take a bit of recipe testing in order to determine correct amounts. For best results, we’d recommend following the separate recipes for vanilla cupcakes and red velvet cupcakes instead. Happy baking!