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
I made this cake and the buttercream frosting for a family birthday and it got rave reviews! My daughter has asked me to use this recipe for her birthday she loved it so much!
★★★★★
Made this weekend for my Mom’s birthday. Spaced it out over three days; made your raspberry filling and let it sit overnight, then made the cakes and let them cool on the counter over the next night, then made the icing and built the cake in the morning. It turned out beautifully! The raspberry filling helped curb the sweetness of the icing. As a novice baker, this was easy and fun and a huge hit! Will surely make it again.
★★★★★
Hi Sally, I saw on your chocolate recipe about adding sour cream and you also sometimes add it to your vanilla cake. However, I don’t see instructions for that options anywhere. Do you still suggest that option? If so, what are the instructions for that. How do you think it conpares taste and texture wise to the recipe without it?
Hi Angela, The bottom cake layer of our wedding cake is actually this vanilla cake recipe, but we swap buttermilk for whole milk and sour cream.
hello! I’ve made this recipe several times – always a hit. I’ve also made your naked cake recipe in the past as well – also delicious.
I’m wondering if THIS recipe would work well decorated as a semi naked cake?
thanks!
Hi Aileen, absolutely! This cake will work beautifully as a naked cake, too.
Hi Sally, I’m planning on making this cake on Friday. In the UK our cake flour is self raising flour, am I okay to use this? If I do, will I need to make any substitutions?
Hi Jessica, 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!
I’ve loved every recipe from Sally but this made a very crumbly, dry cake. 6.5/10, probably won’t make again.
★★★
Its worth the work! Such a rich delicious cake.
★★★★★
Can pasteurized egg whites be used instead of regular egg whites?
Hi Magaly, absolutely.
I have been making this for year I think the recipe I originally had did not have the sour cream. Would I be able to stir in some frozen raspberries into this recipe ?
Hi Barbara, raspberries would be delicious! Toss 1-1 and 1/2 cups of fresh raspberries with 1 Tablespoon of flour and gently fold into the batter. The bake time may be a little longer.
Hello sally! First let me say i typically hate recipe websites but i have quickly become a fan of yours.
I’d like to bake this cake in three 6” pans, or any other smaller formation really, (and I’ve visited your very informative conversion site for guidance, thank you). As far as the recipe goes, do you think this is an okay idea? Or choose a different cake? Thanks so much!
Hi Mickey, you can find our 6 inch vanilla cake recipe here.
Can I use liquid egg whites instead of egg whites? BTW, best vanilla cake recipe hands down!
★★★★★
Hi Debbie, you can use carton egg whites if needed.
Wat do replace with egg
Hi Geet, We haven’t tested this recipe with any egg substitutes. Let us know if you try anything.
Would this recipe be good for a sheet pan? How long would it take to bake?
Hi Deb! We recommend using our white cake batter instead. Both use similar ingredients and produce a deliciously light vanilla cake. See recipe notes for the 9×13 inch version. Or, here is our vanilla sheet cake using the reverse creaming method.
Hi Sally,
Thanks for the recipe. I just tried and follow everything but the cake shrank as soon as I took it out of the oven and then it was too oily. Do you have any suggestions to do it again?
Hi Edna! Usually cakes shrink when they are over-baked. Could that be the case? The cake could taste oily if the butter you started was too warm – make sure to start with proper room temperature butter (which is cooler than you might think!).
Thank you very much for this super delicious recipe. I get raving reviews every time I make it
Everything it claims to be! I used this recipe to make a simple, 3-tier wedding cake. I tripled the cake recipe and doubled the frosting, the only difference was baking time (Fat Daddio’s pans). I split the layers and filled them with a cranberry-orange filling, the slight tartness was perfect with the buttercream. The dense but moist crumb allowed the cake to be handled easily and support the upper layers without compressing the layers below. The BEST vanilla cake for all those reasons plus delicious AND very adaptable, I highly recommend it!!
★★★★★
Hi Sally, can I substitute the buttermilk with cereal milk? Want to try to make cereal cake and I find your vanilla cake recipe is the best fit! Hope you could answer my question please thank you!
Hi Tin, 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!
How would this bake in a Bundt tin?
Hi Alice, see recipe Notes for directions baking in a Bundt cake.
Hi Sally. I am using a 10 inch springform pan. It’s the only one I have. Any recommendations to avoid drying the cake out?
I baked in a 10 inch springform pan. It seems to have dried out a little bit because the cooking time had to be extended. I added an extra 10 minutes at 175 C. But after that it still wasn’t done, so I lowered the temp to 165 C and added another 10 minute. Not a baker and just baked for my daughters birthday for school.
I would love to make it again and again tho.
However, I have made your vanilla cupcake recipe before and it was to die for.
Thank you.
Hi Aly! We do not recommend baking all the batter at one time as it will bake unevenly and end up dry. Perhaps you could try a two layer 10 inch cake – bake half the batter at a time in your pan, leaving the second half covered at room temperature until the pan is ready to use again for the second layer.
Would it be ok to use 3 – 8in pans instead?
Hi Hayley, absolutely. Similar bake time, but maybe an extra minute or 2 because the layers will be slightly thicker. Enjoy!
Just a question if I use salted butter in this recipe right now instead of unsalted and don’t put in the salt will that be ok or I can’t ? Btw I use all your recipes for my cookies
Hi Deanna, if using salted butter in the cake, reduce the added salt down to 1/2 teaspoon. You can use it in the frosting too, then just salt it to taste.
I made this first time ever cake for my mom’s 74th birthday and it was INCREDIBLE! To keep it light, I frosted it with stabilized whipped cream and layered sliced strawberries and raspberries between each layer then lastly topped it off with fresh berries and fresh mint.
This cake was worth every detailed minute! I will be baking this again for sure!
★★★★★
Hi there. I am looking for a cake recipe that I can add mini m&m’s into the batter. Would that work with this cake? I know your recipes are reliable and would like to adapt one of them to work with the candy. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Sandra! I can’t see why not. I have not tested it though. It’s a nice thick batter so it should be fine.
can i double this recipe
Hi JS, for best results (and to prevent over or under mixing), we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling.
Your instructions say to leave the cake in the pan until completely cool. I have always tipped my cakes out onto the wire rack after about 10 minutes of cooling (and re-inverted so that they cool right side up). Is there a reason you suggest leaving the cake in the pan the entire time?
Hi Jessica, we find it works best to allow the cakes to full cool before inverting, but if you can certainly do it sooner if you prefer doing so!
Can I make this in a springform pan and slice it?
Hi Jennifer, if you have a sturdy, reliable springform pan that doesn’t leak, you can use it for this recipe. However, we don’t recommend baking it all in one pan. That will be a bit too much batter and will cause it to rise and bake unevenly. It’s best to bake the cake in individual layers, so if you only have one pan, you can leave the remaining batter covered at room temperature while waiting for the baking layer to finish. Hope this helps and that you enjoy the cake!
What adjustments would I need to make for a 2 layer 10in cake?
Hi Amber, here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions. Hope you enjoy the cake!
★★★★★
Is there anything we could substitute for the eggs? This looks like a perfect recipe, but we have an allergy!
Hi Stacy, we haven’t tested an egg-free version of this cake, so we’re unsure of what substitutes might work best. The eggs do play a critical role in this recipe, so for best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a vanilla cake recipe that is specifically formulated to be egg-free. Thank you!
Hi, Stacy! While I haven’t tried it with this recipe, there’s a product called “Just Egg” that works better than traditional egg replacers, as it has a bit more loft to it (that is, seems to have more leavening abilities than a flax or starch egg replacers.
Hey – I haven’t made this recipe yet, but I’ve had success with “aquafaba” the water from cooking beans (usually chickpeas) It can even work for meringues. Just be sure to whip it well before adding otherwise will make things soggy, but whisked it’s has lots of lift!
Can I use 3 x 8 inch pans for this? Thank you!
Hi Marissa, absolutely. Similar bake time, but maybe an extra minute or 2 because the layers will be slightly thicker. Enjoy!