A classic vanilla cake recipe, made completely from scratch! Ditch the box mixes — you’ll love how easy, moist and fluffy this homemade vanilla cake is!
I’m back in cold, snow-covered Pennsylvania after a long, wonderful (if not very warm… we arrived in the midst of a cold spell!) weekend in Florida with family. My cousin and my sister both ran in the Disney marathon and I nearly screamed a lung out on the Tower of Terror 😱.
My sister had a bad cold for the trip but still managed to run the Disney marathon and beat her own time, despite being barely able to even talk. I caught the cold on the way back home and don’t seem to be able to muster up the energy to change out of sweatpants or cook myself anything other than vanilla cake. The endurance gene skipped right over me, I swear.
Orrrrr, maybe it just exhibits itself in different ways. There’s no way I could run a marathon, but I can endure recipe fail after recipe fail after recipe fail until I land on the most perfect vanilla cake recipe there ever was.
Completely cloaked in chocolate frosting, naturally.
This vanilla cake recipe has been a long time coming. The journey began with my pineapple upside-down cake and was continued with my marble cake recipe — if you recall it took me almost a dozen attempts to get the vanilla cake base of those recipes right. A few more tweaks were still needed to make this a perfect standalone vanilla cake recipe, but, after a lot of wasted ingredients, we have arrived.
Looks like I can endure after all.
Tips for making the perfect vanilla cake recipe
- It’s best if all of your ingredients are at room temperature. I like to set out my butter, eggs, and buttermilk early in the morning so that they have reached room temperature by the time I am ready to bake.
- Don’t switch out the oil for more butter. This vanilla cake recipe uses both butter and oil because it gives it the best possible taste while still preserving the soft, fluffy texture that you want. Using all butter will actually likely make your cake more dense and dry. You can, however, substitute vegetable oil for the canola oil without issue.
- Make sure that your vanilla cake cools completely before frosting! If it’s warm at all, it’s likely to melt the frosting, leaving you with a big mess (ask me how I know…).
- Store your finished vanilla cake in an airtight container (like an airtight cake carrier). It will keep at room temperature for several days, or longer if stored in the refrigerator.
Be sure to check out my most recent video where I walk through all the steps to make the perfect vanilla cake, completely from scratch (printable recipe is just below the video).
Make sure that you also check out my favorite chocolate cake recipe!!
Enjoy!
How to Make Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (113g)
- ½ cup canola oil* (120ml)
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar (300g)
- 4 eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk room temperature preferred (300ml)
- 1 batch Chocolate Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (177C) and prepare two deep 8" round cake pans** by lining the bottoms with parchment paper and lightly greasing the sides. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using an electric mixer) cream together the butter, canola oil and sugar until creamy and well-combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Stir in vanilla extract.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Using a spatula and gently hand-mixing, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined after each addition. The batter should be smooth and completely combined, but avoid over-mixing.
- Evenly divide batter into your prepared cake pans, and bake on 350F (175C) for 30-35 minutes. When the cake is done, the surface should spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean with few moist crumbs (no wet batter).
- Allow cakes to cool in their cake pans for 10-15 minutes before inverting onto cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost cake using my chocolate frosting (or see notes for other favorite frosting options) and decorate with sprinkles (if desired).
Notes
Frosting Options
The chocolate frosting I linked to in the ingredients is my favorite pairing with this cake, but here are some other great options:How to Make Into Vanilla Cupcakes:
Fill cupcake liners no more than ¾ of the way full. Bake on 350F for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs or clean. This recipe will make approximately 24 cupcakes.Nutrition
Sean Curran
Can I use only Oil instead of 1/2 butter?
Thanks
Sam
Hi Sean! You may, but note that the cake won’t be quite as flavorful.
Madi
Hi Sam! This recipe is absolutely to die for! How much batter would you recommend for 3 10″ pans?
Sam
Hi Madi! I believe you would need to increase the recipe by 2.25 to get enough for 3 10 inch layers. 🙂
Alaina
Thanks so much! I’ve made this recipe before and it’s DIVINE . It’s my go-to. I need to make a cross cake this week for my daughter’s communion and was wondering if one batch of this would be sufficient for a 9X13 pan? Thanks in advance!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Alaina! This recipe will fit nicely in a 9 x 13. I haven’t baked it that way myself, but others have reported a 30 minute bake time. I would just keep an eye on it. 🙂
Holly
Can you use cake flour instead of all purpose?
Sam
Hi Holly! That will work here, but make sure to use the proper substitute. If using weights it is the same amount. If using cups you will need 1C + 2 TBSP of cake flour for every cup of all purpose flour. 🙂
Holly
Thank you so much Sam!!! I’m making this cake over the weekend and excited to taste it!!
Eleanor
This recipe really surprised me! (In a good way) When I make cakes usually, they don’t have the intended ‘fluffiness’ to them. This one did! I am very pleased! Thanks for the recipe! I will definitely be making it in the future 🙂
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Eleanor! 🙂
Jane
Really the best vanilla cake!! Made it with mascarpone frosting. But I think, that it can be eaten without any cream or frosting!!
Priscilla
My batter came out lumpy; is it because I didn’t alternate enough times between dry/wet? I did each in 3 parts but feel like I should have did it slower.
Sam
Hi Priscilla! Your batter won’t be completely smooth. You can see the texture in the video. As long as everything is combined it should turn out nicely for you. You don’t want to over-mix the cake. 🙂
Angela
It’s not baking at all outside is but it’s completely raw in the middle after 45mins. And yes I know how to bake been a professional baker for 15yrs.
Sam
Hi Angela, unfortunately it sounds like something went wrong or perhaps your oven temperature is off. I’m happy to help troubleshoot further but I’ve never experienced this before with this cake recipe nor has anyone else reported this issue (and over 5000 people have commented on this recipe, so I’m really at a loss!) 🙁
Marcy
Hi, could you please tell me if I can substitute plain flour for self-raising flour? And would it be the same grams?
Can’t wait to tried!
Thanks heaps
Sam
Hi Marcy! I would not recommend self rising flour here. 🙁
Jane
Really the best vanilla cake!! Made it with mascarpone frosting. But I think, that it can be eaten without any cream or frosting!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jane! 🙂
Anna
Can I use something other than buttermilk like 1/2 & 1/2 or 2% milk?
Sam
Hi Anna! I would recommend my buttermilk substitute. 🙂
Blair
Amazing!! I don’t have a mixer, so I did it all by hand. Turned out perfect! I made your cream cheese frosting to go with it.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Blair! Completing both of those without a mixer is quite the accomplishment. You should be proud of yourself. 🙂
Mary Ann
Thanks Sam! I admit I’m a box cake mix girl. I’ve tried several yellow cake mixes and decied yours is the last, if I didn’t like it… just using the box from here on out. Yours is delicious and a good teture!
Sam
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Mary Ann. 🙂
brenda
hi, can I freeze this cake for later use after its been baked (not frosted)?
Sam
Hi Breanda! That should work just fine. 🙂