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, could I use this recipe for the base of a birthday cake with fondant icing on top? Thanks
Hi Katie, yes, you can use fondant with this cake. Hope you enjoy it!
Can I use plain flour (all purpose) because the UK doesn’t have cake flour!
Hi RH, cake flour is key to this cake’s light, fluffy texture. In a pinch, you can use our homemade cake flour substitute which uses all-purpose flour and cornstarch.
Hi Sally,
My cake came out dense. Is there a reason why?
Hi Tricia, overly dense cakes are often the result of over mixing the batter. An easy fix for next time! This post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes will also be helpful to review. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
This is the best cake recipe I’ve ever used. Lovely. I used 3x 8inch tins. Perfect
So I kinda messed up this recipe by forgetting to use cake flour and undercooking one of the layers. I found a tip to cover it in foil and put it back in until it cooked through, with the risk being the already cooking part might end up too dry. But it was all fine! I put the chocolate frosting from your Piñata Cake, covered the top with rainbow sprinkles and voila! My daughter was thrilled and it was still delicious in spite of my mistakes! Thank you for the excellent recipes!
Could this recipe be used for 14 inch cake
Thanks
Hi Debbie! Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Hi. I really like this recipe. I went and looked at the whit cake recipe for a 9×13 pan. I would rather try this in a 9×13. Is there anything i should know before hand? I plan on splitting it and putting raspberry preserves in the middle before icing it with homemade buttercream.
Hi Steve, this makes a bit too much batter as written for a 9×13 pan. You could use it, filling your pan no more than 2/3 way full, and then use the leftover batter to make a few cupcakes on the side. Or, here is our vanilla sheet cake instead.
Hi, could I use this recipe for the base of a birthday cake with fondant icing on top? Thanks
Hi Katie, yes, you can use fondant with this cake. Hope you enjoy it!
I have a whole tub of sour cream sitting in my fridge! Any chance I can use sour cream in place of buttermilk? And if so, how much would I need to use? Thanks so much!
Hi Niru, buttermilk (or the DIY version) is really best here. 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 (like we do for the bottom layer of our homemade wedding cake), but the crumb will be denser. Hope this helps!
This is my go-to vanilla cake recipe! I often add mini chocolate chips to it (as per Sally’s homemade wedding cake guide), which gives it a unique twist. It’s definitely my most requested cake for family celebrations. Most recently, my sister in law requested it to be used for her 3-tier wedding cake that I made. It held up beautifully, and, 3 weeks later, my sister in law is STILL getting requests for the recipe!
I’ve been making this recipe since I started baking four years ago, so I’ve learned a lot through trial and error with this one. For example, there’s a reason that this cake recipe is better than a box mix, and part of that is bc it’s much more involved. You do need to read the notes carefully to get the best results. In particular, make sure to use room temp ingredients, cream the butter and sugar together for the right amount of time (not too long or too short, Google for a good visual), don’t overmix the wet and dry ingredients, and don’t overbake the cake layers. If you don’t follow these tips, you do risk the cake being dense, not rising properly, and/or sinking in the center. Believe me, it’s happened to me many times!
One modification that I always do with Sally’s layer cake recipes is that I make slightly more cake batter than the recipe calls for, bc I like thick cake layers, and hers tend to be on the thinner side. I usually bake 1/4 more batter for her 8/9in cakes (I bake them in 8″ pans), which also means they need a few more minutes in the oven than what her recipes say. From there, I calculate up/down based on the size of my pans (most frequently, I use 6″ pans). Sally has a good guide on how to do this, and a simple Google search can help as well.
I’ve also had luck making this recipe gluten free by using King Arthur 1:1 gf flour, and then removing 2tbsp of flour to replace with corn starch to make homemade cake flour. In general, I’ve had luck using 1:1 gf flour with all of Sally’s recipes, and some I’ve made dairy free as well though not this recipe (I tend to go to oil-based recipes for dairy free cakes).
Love this cake! I am looking at making a 10″ round cake. Will this be enough batter to make one 10″ round?
Hi Nana, this will be plenty of batter for a single 10-inch round cake. You can fill the pan no more than 2/3 way full, then use the leftover batter to make cupcakes on the side.
My daughter is making a Pokémon cake for my grandson’s birthday. She has an 8” sphere cake pan but she’s not making a completely spherical cake – she’s putting an 8” semi-circle on top of a 9” round cake. Do you know whether one recipe has enough batter for a double layer cake, with the semi-circle (half of a Pokeball) on top? I read online that an entire 8” spherical cake requires 24 ounces of batter; so half of that would be 12 ounces. Thanks very much.
Hi Joanne! Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes. Hope the cake is a hit!
Hi Sally, first of all I want to say that I made this cake for my son’s birthday last year and everyone loved it. I shared the recipe with a few people.
I would like to make this cake again using a 10 x 2 3/4 springform pan. Would this work or the batter would leak? Also, I’m a bit confused with the pan conversion chart. Would I have enough to fill two of these pans?
Thank you for your help
Hi Nadia, you will have enough batter to fill the 2 pans. The chance of leaking batter depends on your pans. Some pans leak. Have you experienced leaking using them before (if you have?)?
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday 2 days ago and everyone said it was the best vanilla cake they had tasted. This is a HIT!
question: can i bake in two 6 inch cake pans to make a 2 tier 6 inch cake and then use the rest of the batter to make mini cupcakes? does the bake time change for the 6 inch pans and mini cupcakes?
Hi Jen! You certainly could, though this large cake recipe would yield quite a few mini cupcakes. Bake time will be shorter – you can reference our 6 inch cakes post for baking times for the smaller cakes. Mini cupcakes usually bake for about 11–13 minutes at 350F.
Question: can I reduce the amount of sugar asked for in the recipe?
Hi Gloria, Sugar is used for moisture and texture in baked goods as well as taste. You can certainly try reducing the sugar, but the resulting texture will be different than intended.
This was the best Vanilla Cake I have every made!
Hi! Can I make this in a 6′ cake pan – 3 layers?
Hi Amanda, you can halve the ingredients or use the recipe for a 6 inch vanilla cake — same great taste!
I’m making a 4-layer cake for my son’s birthday. Would this version of the vanilla cake recipe be the best option for a tall cake? I look forward to making it 🙂
Hi Theresa, this cake will hold up well as 4 layers. Hope it’s a hit!
I’m about to make this as a candy corn cake (one white layer, yellow, and orange), white the sides covered in candy corn. You said in a comment it’s the same receipt for the base cake used in your snickerdoodle cake (which I’ve made several times). The snickerdoodle cake calls for 1 2/3 C of sugar, but this one calls for 2 c. Is that an error? Some commenters commented on the sweetness. I may err on the side of 1 2/3 C. Thoughts?
Hi Ian, the amount of sugar is reduced in the snickerdoodle cake to account for the added sugar in the cinnamon sugar swirl. If you’d like to reduce the sweetness, you could try frosting the cake with Swiss meringue buttercream or whipped frosting instead. Hope it’s a hit!
Now THIS is a cake. I have tried several vanilla cake recipes over the years, all good, but this recipe puts the rest to shame. I knew as soon as I tasted the batter the flavour was going to be a knockout! They baked evenly and flat (I didn’t even have to level them to stack the layers) and with swiss meringue buttercream I made a very tasty professional looking 3 layer cake. I had multiple people tell me it’s my best cake yet! Wish I could add a picture, you’ll just have to make it and see for yourself.
So happy to read this, Jamie!
Would the icing used in this recipe be okay to sit out for several hours at room temperature? I am making a coconut layer cake for a dessert auction, and it needs to be foodsafe for the duration of the event.
Hi Margo, this frosting will be okay at room temperature for a few hours. Hope it’s a hit!
I wondered if you could give some tips about the baking part… assuming you put all three in tbt oven at once. All in the same rack? Do you rotate and change oven position? Thanks!
Hi Christa, we recommend baking the pans all on one rack. If you can’t fit them all at the same time (without the pans touching), you can bake in batches. Just leave the remaining batter covered at room temperature. If you are baking them all one one rack, you can certainly rotate position part way through baking time, especially if you know that your oven has hot spots. Hope this helps!
Is there any reason I can’t add food coloring to this cake to tint it? I’d like to make this into a blue ombre layer cake for my husband’s birthday. Thanks so much!
Hi Erin, you absolutely can. We always recommend gel food coloring for the most vibrant colors without adding liquid to the batter.
Whoops forgot to rate it.
5 stars all around.
Hi Lexi! Hope you’re having a great day.
I love this recipe. Wouldn’t change a thing. So much better than any cake I’ve ever made. I can’t stress enough how important it is to weigh your flour. The cake ends up much better that way.
The frosting yields a little bit much, especially since I’m not a big frosting guy, but I love this so much.
Great recipe.
I love this recipe and have been using it for years! I want to make a cake for a first birthday that is sugar free and since I love this recipe so much I was wondering if I could switch out the sugar with a sugar free one and it will be the same?
Hi Cynthia, we’re so glad you love this recipe! We haven’t tested this vanilla cake with sugar substitutes, but let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Just made this for my grandson’s birthday tomorrow. The only change I made was the icing sugar, I used coconut icing sugar and it turned our amazing!!! I wish I could post a picture
Can’t find cake flour….plain or self raising instead? (UK based)
Hi Rachel, cake flour is best for this recipe. Usually we recommend this DIY cake flour using plain flour and cornstarch as a substitute, but it’s not ideal here with the amount of flour needed. If you can, we recommend waiting until you have some cake flour on hand!
Looking forward to making this! Can I frost the cake the day before serving?
Hi Amanda, absolutely. Hope it’s a hit!
Would this cake work for a wedding cake? Can you add almond extract for part of the vanilla?
Hi Alisa, absolutely! We recommend using half vanilla and half almond extract, or even 3/4 vanilla and 1/4 almond depending on how strong you would like the flavor. Or, here is our homemade wedding cake if you’re looking to make a tiered cake. Enjoy!
Thank you!