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.
I love this recipe so much! It always tastes amazing and is so light and fluffy! However the last few times I’ve made the recipe, I’ll cut into it and have a lot of air bubbles. What’s the best way to not have that happen?
Hi Sarah, we’re so glad you love this one! Small bubbles in cakes are normal, but if you have larger bubbles or holes in your cakes it could be from any number of reasons. Some common causes of air bubbles are over-mixing the batter, not having all of your ingredients at room temperature, using too much leaveners, or adding the eggs all at once instead of one at a time. Hope this helps for next time!
A light and lovely affair with vanilla. Forevermore, this is my go-to recipe.
I’ve made this delicious cake many times but alway at one of my daughter’s homes. In getting ready to bake it in my kitchen, I realize I only own one 9 inch ( 2 in deep) pan. Obviously I will have to bake one layer at a time. How deep should I fill each layer? Love all of your recipes and your crab cake recipe is amazing!!
Hi Cathie! You’ll fill each pan about half way. Thanks so much for making and trusting our recipes!
Thank you for this amazing recipe!
When baking the layers, is it okay to leave the batter at room temperature until the first layer is baked?
Hi Maryam, absolutely. Hope you enjoy the cake!
I am preparing this tomorrow and will certainly share the result with you!
One more question: for how long can the batter be left at room temperature? Just to make sure it wont get ruined until baked. Thank you loads!
Hi Maryam, it will be fine for the amount of time needed to allow the layers to bake. We wouldn’t leave them out much longer than that, though.
Great recipe!! Used for family who requested a vanilla cake. And with these changes, since I’m not too keen on overly sweet desserts:
– 280g white sugar
– added chopped golden raisins
– chopped pecans
– used the cream cheese icing from the carrot cake recipe, except with 105g sugar and 4 tsp vanilla ice cream.
Cake came out perfect for the request, and fluffy as well. Next time if I made it again I probably would put some more cardamom in the cake I think that flavor would have worked really well with the combination above.
Probably will start using this vanilla cake as a base cake for future things too!
I use this recipe at least twice a year. Absolutely love it! This year my daughter wants a unicorn cake (unicorn head-shaped pan). Can I use some of this recipe, or is there another of yours you’d recommend instead?
Hi Elizabeth, we haven’t tested this recipe in a mold pan, but can’t see why it wouldn’t work! If you have more batter left after you have filled the unicorn, you can make cupcakes with the rest. Hope it turns out great!
Hi! I’m in the U.K. and wanting to make this but struggling to find the right flour. It seems that cake flour is called “self raising sponge flour” here but I think it already includes baking powder or soda or both so unsure if I also need to add these ingredients as the recipe suggests! Any ideas what I should do?
Hi Brooke, I know, this is a tricky one! I lived in London for several years and never used the self-raising flour because it does contain leaveners. I always just used Sally’s DIY trick for homemade cake flour substitute, by sifting plain flour together with cornflour with a sieve. Hope your cakes turn out beautifully!
Whenever I make this buttercream it always seems to greasy, like the frosting slides right off the cake. What am I doing wrong? I let the butter come to room temp for about w hours and the temp in the house was at 72⁰
Hi Shannon, greasy buttercream is caused by butter that’s too soft. Room-temperature butter is actually cooler than you think, about 65 degrees and cool to the touch. You can read about it here.
Can I halve this recipe? I’ve made it before, and it was delicious! But entirely too much cake for my family hahaha, thank you.
Hi Ares, so glad you love this vanilla cake recipe! Yes, this recipe can be scaled down. Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
I would like to use vanilla bean paste to have the stronger flavor. Could I substitute 1T extract for 1T paste?
Hi Kay, absolutely! We love using vanilla bean paste in this cake. You can simply swap the vanilla for vanilla paste. Hope you enjoy this cake!
I love this recipe and have used it every year for my daughters birthday- I always get compliments on how good the cake is. This year one of her friends is allergic to egg yolks- any recommendations on how to alter the recipe? Can I replace the yolks with just egg whites and if so, how many egg whites would you recommend?
Hi Tam, This cake needs a few egg yolks for structure. However, you might also love our white cake which uses only egg whites.
I have made this multiple times for birthdays! It’s so good. Any suggestions for frosting the side to get a thicker layer? Mine always ends up a little thin and I have a hard time making it smooth.
Hi Liz, a thin crumb coat before applying a thick layer of frosting will definitely help. You can read more about applying a crumb coat in our confetti layer cake recipe and video. You can then use a bench scraper to help smooth it out. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally, love your recipes. I want to make this vanilla cake, but would like to make 4 layers in 8 inch pans. Would it be best to bake 4 layers separately or 2 cakes and split them
Thanks
Hi Liz, it will be easiest to bake 4 layers separately.
Hi Sally, do you have this cake recipe for 6″ pans?
Thanks.
Hi Samanthi, you can find our 6 inch vanilla cake recipe here.
I love this cake, have been making it for years! It is wonderful! If I wanted to change it slightly to more of a brown butter cake, could I adapt this just by browning the butter? Would that work? I also thought about using your coffee buttercream for the frosting. Thank you for your help!
Hi Carrie, we’re so glad this is a favorite for you! We haven’t tested a brown butter version of this cake, but that should work just fine. Be sure to account for moisture loss (more on that here) by starting with a bit more butter than needed. You’ll want to let the browned butter completely cool and solidify again so that it can be creamed together with the sugar. Let us know if you give it a try!
Hi! Love your chocolate cake recipe and I’m excited to try this one. I’m planning to make this cake for my friend’s birthday but I only have one 9-inch pan. Would it be okay to bake the three layers one after the other instead of all together?
Hi Isa, absolutely. Simply leave the remaining batter covered at room temperature while waiting for the current pan to bake and cool. Hope you love this vanilla cake!
Hi there, Love the taste!
I use a 25cm× 7.5 cm pan, but for some reason the cake came out very dense. How long should I bake that cake and what could cause the cake to be dense and not fluffy and soft?
Hi Anne, I’m sorry to hear it came out dense for you! A 25cm pan is a little bit larger than the 9-inch pan the recipe calls for, so we recommend you shorten the bake time, as the layers will be slightly thinner. Start checking for doneness around 21 minutes. If the cake layers are 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 recipe a try!
Hi Sally, I was very exited to bake this vanilla cake even watched the video a few times to make sure I did every thing correct. Weigh all ingredients as well. My batter turned out much thicker and airier I was only able to spoon it into my pans. It baked beautiful but found it to be a bit dry when I tried it. Please help! Love all your tutorials. Thanks
Hi Ellen, I’m sorry to hear the cake turned out a bit dry! We have some suggestions for you in this post on how to prevent a dry or dense cake. Maybe something in there will register with you as something you could try differently next time. Hope the next time is a big success!
This is the BEST vanilla cake recipe I’ve ever made!! It was so moist and not too sweet. I adjusted the buttercream a little by alternating a splash more cream (I used 35% heavy whipping cream) and salt so it wasn’t too thick or sweet. I made it for my daughters 4th birthday as she requested a vanilla cake with vanilla icing and it did not disappoint!
I have made so many of your recipes and have fallen in love with your blog. I love baking, and learning the science that goes behind ingredients involved in a recipe. Recently I have been trying to figure out how to balance a layer cake recipe for myself. I came across three formulas pretty consistently in my search:
– Weight sugar should be > or = weight flour
– Weight egg > weight fat
– Weight liquid > or = weight sugar
This recipe turned out great even though it doesn’t fit the formulas. I found this also to be true for another one of my favorite cake recipes. Do you have a different set of formulas that you follow when creating a layer cake recipe? How did you land on this balance of ingredients?
Sorry for the loaded questions. Let me know if I can clarify this better.
Hi Kaitlyn, you’ve done quite a lot of studying! Usually cakes end up needing way more liquid and other wet ingredients (especially eggs) than expected. I don’t really have a set of formulas, but typically start with equal weights flour and sugar and *around* 1/2 cup of butter (113g) or oil per 1 cup (125g) of flour. There’s a big range within this, as I begin testing. This particular recipe has a strong, yet moist crumb and I owe a lot of that to the buttermilk. I ended up adding more and more in the process, until I landed on the recipe above. If I remember correctly, I also adjusted the flour and leaveners quite a bit too.
I have! Baking has become a huge passion of mine. Thank you for taking the time to respond! I really appreciate your knowledge and insight!
Can I add mini-chocolate chips to this cake?
Absolutely! Fold 1 cup (about 180-190g) of mini chocolate chips into the batter before pouring into the cake pans.
Thanks very much. I love this recipe. It comes out nice and delicious everytime I make it
Hi Sally, I’m using this vanilla cake recipe as a Gender Reveal cake. I’m just wondering at what step would I add the food colouring?
Thank you
Hi Chelsie! Gently mix it into the batter at the end – just before pouring into the cake pans. We always recommend using gel food coloring for best results.
I made this for my daughter’s birthday and it was amazing! Several people had seconds (or even more). The icing was perfect – not too sweet, and oh so creamy! I’m going to make Sally’s red velvet cake next.
honestly, really is the best vanilla recipe I’ve made. The only recipe ill use from now on.
I recently moved sea level to 4000 feet elevation. All your recipes I made while at sea level turned out amazing! However while at this higher elevation I am really having a terrible time with my brakes. Do you have any info for high elevation baking? Thanks!!
Hi Miss Becky, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Hi Sally, I’m making a rainbow cake, I’d like to use this recipe, do you think it will be a good option? Thanks, I LOVE all of your recipes I’ve made. Thank you <3
Hi Esther! 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!
Everything I make of yours is 5 star, so I automatically give it to you! I have a question about this cake and/or your banana cake, which I couldn’t find a comment place. That cake was beyond awesome, btw. Hubby wants every time we have bananas, which he deliberately lets go ripe, lol!
Anyways, my question is can I substitute blueberries for the bananas in the cake recipe? if so, what alternations would I have to make?
I did follow your idea of getting parchment cupcake liners, so they don’t get greasy. i haven’t used them yet, but am hoping to use them either in today’s baking, or next. But I did see in one of your posts where you recommended regular cupcake liners, and put the link for the ones you use. so I’m confused. The parchment liners certainly made a lot of sense to me.
One last question not to do with either mix. If you have a recipe that calls for buttermilk, and you’re out, can you substitute Fage Plain Greek Yogurt? I pretty much always have the Fage around ( 0% fat). I’ve done that with a Banana Bread recipe that I developed, and it works out great. Plus I use apple sauce for the oil. Works out great for us, ppl watching our weight and all that. My daughter and her fiancé, well, they go for the full fat version. To each his own.
Thank you!
Hi Patti, thanks so much for your note! Since bananas are considered a wet ingredient, whereas blueberries are an add-in, they can’t be swapped interchangeably in banana cake. You could, however, add a cup of blueberries to the batter (either the banana cake or this vanilla cake). Feel free to use any cupcake liners you enjoy using. It really depends on the recipe whether or not buttermilk can be swapped with Greek yogurt. Buttermilk (or the DIY version) is really best here for vanilla cake. It’s necessary to help activate the baking soda and it helps create an extra moist cake crumb. You could try a combination of sour cream and regular milk, but we fear the crumb will become much too dense. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally! I have a question about how much batter this recipes makes. Would i need to double the recipe so that it would be enough for a 11×3 inch circle pan? Thanks!
Hi Bjorgen, this recipe yields approximately 8 cups of batter, which is helpful for different cake pan sizes and conversions. Hope you enjoy it!
I made this cake for my birthday and used the raspberry filling recipe as well. It was DELICIOUS and sooo pretty too. I have yet to be disappointed by any of a Sally’s recipes. Thank goodness I found her.