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.
One reader, Sarah, commented: “This cake is elite. Texture, flavor, sturdiness for frosting and decorating, freezes well… It was a beautiful centerpiece and dessert for a baby shower. Thank you! ★★★★★“
One reader, Candice, commented: “This is truly the best vanilla cake I have ever tasted! It is among the best cakes I have made in my 20+ years of baking… ★★★★★“
One reader, Rary, commented: “Off. The. Charts. Absolutely scrumptious! ★★★★★“
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 using a DIY buttermilk substitute.
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. You can use this detailed how to assemble and decorate a layer cake post as a guide!
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, a chocolate ganache drip like on this chocolate chip cake, or even beautiful buttercream flowers.
Homemade Vanilla Cake Success Tips
Learn from my mistakes and bake the best cake on the 1st try!
- Follow the recipe closely. Use each power ingredient listed.
- Use room temperature ingredients. The batter mixes together evenly when all the cake ingredients are roughly the same temperature. This also reduces the risk of over-mixing and over-baking. Set out your ingredients 1 hour before beginning. Read more about why room temperature ingredients are important.
- Line your cake pans with parchment. Place your cake pans on a large sheet of parchment paper. Trace the bottom of the cake pan with a pencil. Cut parchment paper into rounds. Grease the pan and the parchment paper. Parchment paper rounds guarantee seamless removal from the pan because the cake slides right out.
- Cool cake layers completely. I’ve tried taking shortcuts by assembling a layer cake with semi-warm cake layers. Well, the frosting completely melts and causes the entire cake to collapse. Make sure each layer is cool– refrigerate or freeze the layers if you need to!
- Refrigerate decorated cake. After frosting the cake, place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This is optional, but it sets the frosting and cake layers. You’ll get beautifully clean slices because the crumbs are cool and tight.
Great read: Check out Tessa’s Top 10 Best Layer Cake Tips.
Finding the perfect vanilla cake recipe requires a celebration. Luckily we have cake!!!
More Classic Cake Recipes
And here is my perfected vanilla cupcakes recipe.
Print
Best Vanilla Cake
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 12-14 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With its outstanding vanilla flavor, pillowy soft crumb, and creamy vanilla buttercream, this is truly the best vanilla cake I’ve ever had. Make sure you read through the recipe and recipe notes before beginning. This recipe yields approximately 8 cups of batter which is helpful if you need this batter for different cake 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, a Tablespoon!)
- 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 buttermilk 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi. What can i substitute the heavy cream or whole milk with?
Hi Ash, we haven’t tried it, but some readers have reported doing so with success! If you decide to try it, let us know how it goes!
I made this recipe exactly as written, except into 2 dozen cupcakes and one 6 inch. While the cake was delicious, moist, tender and fluffy, they really didn’t puff up like I would expect. Instead of the cupcakes forming a little dome top they stayed flat and creeped over the edges of the tin. Can you explain why that might be? They are tasty but ugly. I considered making the vanilla cupcake recipe you have instead, but I needed more than 12.
Hi Kaylee! This recipe won’t dome much, but if they overflowed, they were likely over-filled. Cupcakes should be filled about 2/3 full usually!
Hello, I made your amazing Coconut cake recently which calls for 5 egg whites for the cake batter and you made note that only the egg whites were key to the fluffy cake texture so I’m wondering why in this recipie you call for 3 large eggs and 2 egg whites? Could I instead use only egg whites in this recipie? The coconut cake was perfection.
Thank you for your time!
Emily
Hi Emily! Here the 3 whole eggs provide structure, moisture, and richness. 2 extra egg whites keep the cake light and airy. If you’d like, our white cake recipe is similar but uses all egg whites. So glad you enjoyed the coconut cake!
Hello! Cake flour is banned in NZ and I really want to make either a vanilla or a white cake for my daughter’s birthday. Of the two, which would be the most tolerant of using your cake flour substitute (APF and cornflour)? Hoping to still achieve a soft, fluffy result! Or is there another recipe you could suggest that works well with the sub?
Hi Angela, you can try using the homemade cake flour substitute in either of those recipes. The main difference is the white cake is written as a 2-layer cake, and the vanilla cake is a 3-layer cake. So it depends how many servings of cake you’d like to have!
Hi there, I will be making cupcakes for my daughters birthday, and I’m trying to decide between using your vanilla cupcake recipe (doubled) or this recipe (as cupcakes rather than a cake). This “best vanilla cake” recipe seems to be more moist possibly? What is the taste and texture difference between the two recipes? Thank you!
Hi Brittany, either are great and are very similar to one another. This recipe will give you a higher yield, whereas the cupcakes will give you 14 cupcakes. The cupcake recipe uses only egg whites for a slightly soft, fluffier texture, and since we eliminate the fat from egg yolks, we add it back in with sour cream and milk (instead of buttermilk) for some added texture. If you like the texture of the cupcakes, but need a higher yield, you can follow our white cake recipe, which is essentially the same recipe as the cupcakes but doubled. Hope this helps!
Okay looking at you cakes and repices . It makes me feel like i can bake almost anything thank you
I’m an experienced baker. This cake turned out flat and dense. It barely rose even with fresh room temperature ingredients. Not to my liking.
Hi Pat, I’m sorry to hear that, especially as an experienced baker, I know how frustrating that can be. When a vanilla cake turns out flat and dense, the most common culprits are expired or underperforming baking powder or soda, over-mixing once the dry ingredients are added (which can over-develop gluten), or an issue with ingredient temperature affecting proper creaming. Be sure the butter and sugar are creamed together long enough to incorporate air (this step is key for lift as I’m sure you know of course!), and that the baking powder/soda are truly active (I always recommend testing it in hot water if there’s any doubt). Oven calibration can also play a role. If the oven runs low, cakes won’t rise properly before setting. I’d be happy to help troubleshoot further if you can share if you made any adjustments? Thank you for the feedback.
The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups butter or 345g. Are you measuring the butter in a cup? A stick of butter is 1/2 cup or 113g. Two and a half sticks is 1 1/2 cups or 282.5g. Same issue with the flour measurement.
Hi Megan, 1 stick of butter is equal to 1/2 cup of butter (113g). 1 and 1/2 cups of butter would be 3 sticks (not 2 and 1/2 sticks), or 340 g. The flour measurements are correct here as well. Hope this helps!
I was hoping to use three 8-inch square pans instead of the three 9-inch circle pans – would that work?
Hi Casey, here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
Can i use self raising flour instead?
Hi Lib, We don’t recommend using self rising flour in this recipe. It would take additional recipe testing to ensure accurate results.
Hi, could this be made into a lemon layer cake by subbing out vanilla for lemon extract?
Hi Sciacca, You can try replacing some of the vanilla extract for lemon extract and add some lemon zest to this batter. We caution adding too much lemon juice, as it can make the batter too liquidy and impact how it bakes up. Or if you’d like to try, we have this recipe for lemon cake. Let us know what you try!
Would this buttercream stay soft and pliable or does it harden? I want to use pallet knives to paint decorations on the cake, but I can’t have the buttercream harden on me if I take an hour to paint it on!
Hi Jillian, this is not a crusting buttercream.
Can add frozen fruit to this batter? Will it get too thin? Just wondered if you’ve tried it before. Thanks!
Hi Halli, we haven’t tried adding frozen fruit to the batter, but a strawberry filling like this one would be great between the layers. We do still like to use a light layer of frosting when using fruit fillings to keep the layers from sliding around. You might also want to pipe a border around the layer to keep the filling from coming out the sides. Enjoy!
Can I replace some vanilla with lemon juice? I need to make a lemon cake for a birthday.
Hi Kim, You can try replacing some of the vanilla extract for lemon extract and add some lemon zest to this batter. We caution adding too much lemon juice, as it can make the batter too liquidy and impact how it bakes up. Or if you’d like to try, we have this recipe for lemon cake. Let us know what you try!
Followed this recipe to a T and baked cakes for exactly 23 minutes and cake came out extremely dry. Not enough flavour and frosting does not make enough. I would never recommend this awful recipe.
Yes I also think not enough flavor or sweetness once baked. Was very disappointed because I used for my bday cake
Is it possible to make this recipe with three 8 in round cake pans? If so, how long should they bake?
Hi Kelly, you can use this recipe with 8 inch cake pans for slightly thicker layers in a three layer cake. Evenly distribute the batter between the three pans—do not fill to the top. You may need an extra minute or two of bake time since the layers will be thicker – use a toothpick to test for doneness. Or, you can fill the 8 inch pans a little less and use the leftover batter for some cupcakes.
Will this recipe be enough to make 2 9” round cakes? I’m looking to layer a vanilla cake with strawberries in the middle for my kids on Valentine’s Day! I recently made your chocolate chip cake and it was a massive hit!
Hi Kay, For a two layer cake, we recommend using our 2 layer white cake batter instead. Both use similar ingredients and produce a deliciously light vanilla cake. Otherwise, for a three layer cake, you can bake the first two layers of this vanilla cake, then bake the third layer after, re-using one of your pans. Keep the last third of batter covered at room temperature as you wait to bake it if you choose that route. Let us know how it goes!
I’m excited to make this cake recipe as the reviews are all good if I wanted to make the cake sweeter how much more sugar could I add to it ?
Hi,
Love all of Sally’s deserts I have tried.
Can I double this recipe? Is there anything special I need to do?
Merci!
Hi Sue, for best results, we recommend making separate batches rather than doubling. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Can you put simple syrup if you want to keep cake longer in fridge?
Hi Duha, you can use simple syrup if desired. We still recommend consuming the cake within 5 days.
The title of this recipe is accurate! It is divine! I’ve made a lot of birthday cakes over the years, but this will be my new go-to recipe. I needed an 11×15 sheet cake size. I made the full recipe once, then made half the recipe again to get enough batter. It filled the pan nicely. Everyone raved about how good it was.
For those needing gluten-free options, I also made the three-layer version substituting gluten-free one-for-one flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF). It came out perfectly. The gluten sensitive birthday girl was delighted.
Can i put Simple syrup on it or will it effect the cake badly
Hi Duha, we don’t typically add simple syrup to these layers, but you certainly can!
I made your vanilla cake and frosting with your lemon curd recipe for the filling. It was SO good!!! And the frosting was the perfect consistency for decorating. I brought it to a restaurant for my sister’s birthday and the staff asked me if I was a professional baker! I was pretty proud of myself, thanks to you!
Can I make this cake with sugar substitute?
Hi Terri, we’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. 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 recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
I want to cut the recipe in half, but what do I do about the eggs?
Hi Tasha, You can halve this recipe. The best and most accurate way to halve an egg is to crack it, beat it together, measure the amount, the use half.
Excited to try this cake recipe for a 70th Birthday party (my own). I only have 1% milk and 10% half and half on hand. Can I combine these to use in the buttermilk substitute?
Hi Christine, we haven’t tried that in our buttermilk substitute. Whole milk works best, but this may work in a pinch.
I made this cake yesterday and the flavor is delicious but my cake had lots of big holes in it. I’ve never had that happen before. What could I have done to cause it? I don’t want it to happen with the next one. Help!
Hi Jeannie, holes in bakes cakes are often the result of over mixing the batter. An easy fix for next time!
How does this cake differ from the vanilla cake in your book? I’m trying to decide which recipe would be best for a birthday cake I’m making. I love Sally’s Baking 101 by the way!
Hi Jeannie! Sally includes her White Cake recipe in her book (called Soft & Moist White Vanilla Cake). That cake is made with only egg whites for a pristine white crumb. It’s just ever so slightly a bit lighter than this vanilla cake. That one produces 2 layers (or a 9×13-inch sheet cake), whereas this vanilla version produces 3 layers. Both are fantastic, you can’t go wrong with either!
This is the best cake I’ve ever baked and tasted. The vanilla measurement seems over the top, but that’s what makes this cake luxurious in every bite. A few years ago I made this cake and frosting for my daughter’s birthday, following the recipe instructions very closely. This past year I didn’t have the time to make a cake, so I ordered a vanilla funfetti cake from a local bakery. Sally’s recipe hands down was the winner. I almost want to give this recipe to the bakers because this one can’t be beat! I’m still thinking about it over two years later!
We loved the cake. The frosting was too over the top. I’d either cut the frosting in 1/2 and not frost the sides (naked cake) , or use curd/jam between layers and whipped cream on top.