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 made this exactly as written and it was wonderful to say the least.
Will be trying more recipes!
Thank you for this one.
Hi Sally
Question: what would happen if I add vanilla pudding mix to this recipe? Im a newbie but I have done this recipe a couple of times and love it…Im making a birthday cake in a few days and wanted to improve the moistnws but Im afraid…your input will be appreciated
Thanks
Hi Rosie! I recommend sticking with the recipe as written. See my How to Prevent a Dry or Dense Cake and 10 Baking Tips for Perfect Cakes if you need a boost of help!
This review is unlikely to ever get past the gatekeepers, but for me, this recipe yielded an extremely dense, dry and gritty-tasting cake that was almost inedible. I will be trying it again with less flour, all-purpose flour instead of cake flour, more butter, more eggs (particularly more yolks), some sour cream, and a shorter baking time, in hopes of improving it, but I’m afraid I remain skeptical. 😉
I appreciate your feedback. I would be weary adding more egg yolks and butter while reducing the flour. All of those changes will yield a denser cake. Thanks for trying this! You may enjoy my white cake recipe.
We loved this vanilla cake recipe. Perfect as written and just what we needed as we’re in the stay at home orders for my daughter’s birthday. Thank you for all your recipes Sally.
Hi! Can I substitute part of the buttermilk with sour cream for a more dense cake? Any tips on how I could do that (if you recommend it that is). Thanks!
Absolutely. The cake will taste heavy if you replace it all with sour cream, so use your best judgement on the amount you’d like to replace.
I baked this cake a few weeks ago and it is absolutely the best vanilla cake I’ve ever tasted. I didn’t have cake flour on hand so I used the recipe for AP flour, minus two tablespoons of flour and adding two tablespoons of cornstarch instead. I couldn’t tell the difference. I brought out my ingredients to come to room temperature. I think that is the key to this moist delicious cake recipe. I was wondering if I could use duck eggs instead of regular chicken eggs in this recipe. My hen ducks are rolling out big gorgeous eggs right now and chicken eggs are not in abundance either. Thank you for a great recipe for vanilla cake.
Hello there, i came across this recipe and decided to try it.. i cannot believe how good it turned out.. my cake was very moist, light and tasty.. it is indeed a very good recipe. Very easy to make as well. I normally dont comment on websites but i feel forced to do so as a compliment to Sally.. My children adored it and i will surely try your other recipes. Thanks!
Hi Sally, I’ve made your funfetti cake a number of times. This one is similar in proportions but not the same. Which cake turns out softer? Thanks!
Hi Jami! This cake is a bit softer.
Hi Sally!
I want to make this cake but just for 2- 6inch rounds instead to make a smaller cake.
Could you email me the ingredients for that size?
Hi Sasha! I’m unsure about 2 6inch cake rounds, but here is my 3 layer 6 inch vanilla cake you should try. Or you can use my cake pan sizes and conversions post to determine the appropriate amount of batter.
Tested out the recipe for the amount of reviews in search of a good vanilla cake recipe.
Good flavor. Didn’t like the texture. Dense in flavor/ fat. Overall a nice recipe. Thank you!
Hello Sally, I love this recipe and the cake looks absolutely awesome. I am planning to make this for my husband’s birthday this month. Can you please advise how I can halve this recipe. Given the current situation it is just three of us at home and resources are at a premium. Thank you so much!
Hi Dhivya! Happy to help. I recommend my much smaller 6 inch vanilla cake instead. You can even use that batter for a 9-inch square pan.
The most perfect vanilla cake recipe we’ve ever tried. It was very soft and had a delicious buttery flavor other vanilla cakes lack. I want to try the one layer cake with the reverse creaming next. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes!
Hi Sally, I came across your website a few months ago and I have been trying various cake recipes and have always had 100% success. I followed this recipe and paid attention to all your little tips (ie. room temperature eggs and buttermilk) and this vanilla cake turned out absolutely amazing, it is indeed the perfect vanilla cake! I did make one small adjustment in that I added fresh cut strawberries between each layer and the final product looked even better than what you would find at a gourmet bakery. So impressed, thank you for all your delicious recipes and easy to follow instructions.
Hi Sally! Just made these cake layers for my husband’s birthday cake, which I will frost tomorrow. The flavor is lovely and the cake is light and moist, but I feel like my layers did not rise as much as yours; after leveling, each layer is about 3/4 inch thick. They also did not brown at all on the exteriors like yours did. Might this be because I use stainless steel cake pans? And if so, is there anything I can do to compensate for that difference next time? Thank you for any advice you can offer and for your consistently great recipes!
Hi Sally, in the midst of I don’t have corn starch to make the cake flour substitute. I do have A LOT of AP flour though. I understand it won’t be as good, but since I can’t go to the store, is there ANY advice you can give me for the best result under the circumstances? Thanks a bunch in advance!
Hi Carolina! You can use my cake flour substitute listed in the recipe notes. Hope you enjoy!
Sally! Thank you! I’ve been looking for a vanilla cake recipe for so long and I have tried a lot, and I mean ALOT! And this is the winner! I’m so happy I finally found one I love! I’m making a three layer 6 inch cake for my boyfriends birthday tomorrow and I made cupcakes with the extra batter. I just ate one (okay, two) and literally jumped for joy when I took a bite. The cakes look beautiful and I’m so excited to cut into it tomorrow when it’s all decorated. Thanks again, you’re my hero, haha!
Just made this as my first cake from scratch in a while like 2 decades ago when I was in 4-h as a little kid, usually I use box mixes they are quick and I enjoy them. But wanted to make from scratch today for the youngest girls birthday with the family I’m staying with, she couldnt’t see friends because of the virus. Used this cake recipe and the lemon frosting recipe from this site mostly followed the instructions, and it was easy , fun and eating it I was I couldn’t believe I made it! It is a great feeling! Thanks for sharing!
My husband baked this cake today as we are in the lockdown. He has been wanting vanilla cake for some time and this was his first cake ever. It has come out just amazing – ever so soft, tender and delicious ! Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe and clear instructions. We halved the ingredients and baked a single cake in a 10 inch square pan. So instead of 2 large eggs, he used 1 large and 1 small eggs, added 3/4 tsp baking powder and 3/4 tsp baking soda. I made my own buttermilk from homemade curd/plain yoghurt which had no flavouring or sugar. I mixed water in it and mixed it well till I had the consistency of buttermilk. Of this, he added 3/4cup to the batter at the end. The recipe was just perfect and he followed it exactly — mixing in the flour till just mixed and the buttermilk till just blended. The cake was done in 25 minutes exactly. We did not intend to ice it and ate it plain while still warm as soon as we could!! Delicious— it’s terrific eaten plain! The cake felt a bit too sweet when it was hot but now it seems okay as it has cooled. However I like things a little less sweet and that is a personal choice – so I would perhaps want to reduce the sugar a bit. I am concerned as to how that would affect the chemistry of this SPLENDID cake. Would welcome advice. Thank you very much!
Hi Eva, How exciting that he made his first cake! I’m thrilled you were able to make it work for you and that you both enjoyed it so much. The sugar is both for taste and for the correct moisture and texture in baked goods. You can try slightly reducing it but you may notice a change in how moist the cake turns out.
Hi Sally!
Thank you so much for this recipe. It came out fluffy and soft. What would be the measurements for a smaller cake?
Stay safe,
Teresa
Hi Teressa, It depends on what size cake you wish to make. For a two layer cake you can see the recipe notes. If you wish to change the pan size you can either try a 6 inch cake or see my post on cake pan sizes and conversions for a different size.
Best cake recipe ever..my husband is a Chef not easy to impress but he loves my cakes when I use this recipe. Thank you
Would I be able to add simple syrup to this cake?
Yes, you can use a simple syrup after the cake bakes if you wish!
Hi Sally! I really want to make this cake for my family, but i want to make it 5 layers in a 9 inch cake pan. How much of this recipe do i need to make? The exact recipe? double it? triple it?
Hi Bella! You can stretch this batter between 5 9-inch cake pans– the layers will be thinner. If you want to keep the layers thick, you can use this Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions post to help determine the amount of batter you need.
Hi Sally!
I’m making this cake for my mom’s birthday today, but was unable to find buttermilk. I saw that you mentioned you could use whole milk mixed with 1 tsp of white vinegar. How much whole milk should I use so that it is the correct amount for the recipe? Thanks so much!
Hi, how do I make this into a mini layer cake version – want to make for a cake smash photoshop for my 1 year old so was thinking of 5 inch pans. Thanks so much
Hi Melissa! I’m unsure about 5 inch cake, but here is my 6 inch vanilla cake recipe you can try.
Excellent recipe, I will be using Swiss meringue butter cream for frosting and crumb coating, my question is this cake good for covering with marshmallow fondant after frosting?
Hi Sally,
I’m hunting for a versatile cake recipe to be my go to for layer cakes. Yours sounds lovely. I don’t always want to make vanilla cake. Is this recipe good to use other flavors with?
Hi Arlene, It’s difficult to change the flavor of the cake without changing the recipe. You can of course use different flavor extracts but if you are looking for different flavors simply type what you are looking for in the search bar on the top of this page (for example, “strawberry cake” or “lemon cake”) and chances are I will have a recipe for it 🙂
I am planning on using this recipe for my coworkers birthday cake, is the icing a good icing to decorate with? Like will it hold its integrity if I pipe it on?
Made this cake for the first time as an amateur baker and it turned out perfect. I appreciate that all of the measurements were precise for the cake and icing as well. It took me a long time, only because I don’t bake often, but it turned out beautiful and so delicious. Definitely one of the best cake recipes I’ve tried.
Hi Sally ,the recipe was amazing. I followed the instructions to letter. My cake turned out to be buttery, rich and moist. I also added some raisins and cranberries. Am making this cake for a marriage blessings instead of fruit cake. Thank you Sally.
I have not been able to bake a good white or vanilla cake. The texture was usually dry and crumbly but not this cake! This cake was better than any chocolate cake ever and I have never eaten a better cake at any fine restaurant or bakery or patisserie or wedding! The crumb was tender and amazing and the cake was not too sweet so when I frosted it with penuche icing, one isn’t overwhelmed by the brown sugary taste of the frosting. Thank you and thank you again!
Sally, can I turn this cake into a neopolitan cake for my husband’s birthday by dividing the batter into 3 and adding cocoa into one batter, and freeze dried strawberries from frood processor in the other batter? This would leave one batter as vanilla. What do you think?
Hi Gisele! I don’t recommend adding cocoa powder and freeze-dried strawberries to this batter. I do have a zebra cake recipe that yields chocolate batter and vanilla batter. I recommend combining that with my strawberry cake. Feel free to halve the strawberry cake recipe.