A perfectly plush, soft, classic vanilla cake recipe made entirely from scratch! It’s so simple to make, and tastes much better than a box mix! Recipe includes a how-to video.
A Classic Vanilla Cake, Made Entirely From-Scratch
Every baker needs a solid vanilla cake recipe in their repertoire, and today’s recipe is just that.
It’s soft, plush, and perfectly moist. Not to be confused with my white cake, this recipe is a beautiful pale golden color and distinctly vanilla flavored. It pairs beautifully with any frosting, although a traditional chocolate frosting is my favorite finish!
Like my chocolate cake, this has been one of my most popular recipes for years (and you may recognize it as the base for both my pineapple upside-down cake and my marble cake). It’s a simple, classic, and incredible vanilla cake. So many of you have tried and loved this recipe, and while the recipe remains exactly the same, I thought it was about time for a facelift with new photos and a new video.
The flavor and texture of this cake is so much better than box-mix, and the preparation is almost as easy. I’ve included a few tips below to help you be successful, so make sure to read all the notes before you get started.
What You Need
After testing many versions and combinations of ingredients, I’ve found that a good vanilla cake needs the following ingredients:
- Oil AND butter. A blend of these two ingredients gives the cake the best possible flavor and texture. Butter provides flavor while oil adds moisture and keeps it from being too dry. A cake made with all oil would be moist but lacking in flavor, and an all-butter cake may have a more buttery taste, but would be more dry. Any neutral cooking oil will work here, but I typically recommend using either vegetable or canola oil. For the butter, unsalted is best so we have maximum control over the flavor of the cake
- Sugar. Plain granulated sugar works best. Brown sugar would add moisture, but would detract from the classic vanilla flavor and even weigh down the cake a bit.
- Eggs. You’ll need four eggs, and it’s best if you bring them to room temperature before adding them (this helps them incorporate into the batter more evenly).
- Vanilla. You can’t have vanilla cake without vanilla! I recommend using a good quality vanilla extract, so if you’ve got a batch of homemade vanilla extract, use it here!
- Flour. I developed this vanilla cake recipe to be work with all-purpose flour and that’s what I always use. However, you *could* use cake flour instead. To substitute by weight, you would use the same amount, but if you are using measuring cups you will need to substitute your flour properly.
- Baking powder. I know a tablespoon of baking powder may seem like a lot, but that’s not a typo. Always make sure your baking soda is fresh and avoid using a generic brand, which I’ve had mixed results with in the past.
- Salt. You can just use plain table salt.
- Buttermilk. I strongly recommend using full-fat buttermilk for the best flavor and texture. While I do have a buttermilk substitute, it doesn’t really make this vanilla cake quite as moist and flavorful as I like it to be, so now I strictly recommend using real buttermilk. And no, you do not *need* to have baking soda in a recipe in order to use buttermilk; we’re using it for its moisture and flavor here!
SAM’S TIP: One of the biggest mistakes you can make with this recipe is neglecting to measure your flour properly. If you over or under-measure your flour, your cake will not turn out right! Use the right method, be as precise as possible, and use a kitchen scale if you have one.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Vanilla Cake
- Cream the butter, oil, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then, add your vanilla and stir to combine.
- Combine your dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add about ⅓ of the mixture into your bowl. Use a spatula to gently stir until just combined. Follow this with about ½ of your buttermilk, and stir again until just combined. .
- Add ½ of the remaining dry ingredients stir, and then add the remainder of the buttermilk. Finish with the final portion of dry ingredients and use your spatula to make sure the batter is smooth–do NOT overmix!
- Divide the batter evenly into two greased baking pans.
- Bake, then use a toothpick to test for doneness. Let the cakes cool in their pans a bit before inverting onto a cooling rack, where they’ll need to cool completely before frosting.
SAM’S TIP: While a toothpick that comes out clean indicates a fully baked cake, an over-baked cake will also yield a clean toothpick. It’s best to pull your vanilla cake out of the oven when a toothpick shows moist crumbs!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This vanilla cake recipe will make 24 vanilla cupcakes. I’ve included instructions for cupcakes in the recipe notes.
A cake that has been over-baked or one in which too much flour was used will be crumbly when cut into. If you invert the cake too soon or try to handle it while it’s too warm, this could also make it break.
Cakes made from scratch require a bit more care and technique than those that come from a box-mix. When making any cake from scratch, take care to not over-mix, over-bake, or use too much flour, or the cake can end up tasting like cornbread. This applies to any cake that is made from scratch, not just this recipe!
What causes dry cake?
Dryness is typically the biggest complaint bakers have when making a cake from scratch, so I thought this FAQ deserved its own space. There are three main causes for a dry cake: over-measuring the flour (addressed above), over-mixing, and over-baking.
- Do not over-mix your batter! Mixing the batter properly can be tricky and this is often where most mistakes are made with homemade cakes. To avoid over-mixing, thoroughly cream together the wet ingredients, particularly the butter, sugar, oil, and eggs. I highly recommend using an electric mixer for this step! However, once you get to the point of combining your wet and dry ingredients, you need to be gentle and fold by hand using a spatula. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, folding thoroughly, but not aggressively. The batter will be smooth and mostly cohesive; there may be some small lumps remaining, but that’s fine! Also, remember that while over-mixing can make your vanilla cake both dry and dense, under-mixing has its own risks and should be avoided as well!
- Do not over-bake your cake! Even a minute too long in the oven can cause a cake to be too dry and dense. When baking, place your cake pans on the center rack of your oven and always make sure your oven is running at the proper temperature (most ovens do not, so keep a thermometer in yours!). Don’t check your vanilla cake too early (that can make it sink!), but do keep an eye on it. When your cake is ready to come out of the oven, the center should spring back if lightly touched–it should not deflate or appear jiggly. You can also use the toothpick test to check for doneness. To do this, simply insert a toothpick in the center of your cake; it’s done if the toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). Once your vanilla cake is done, let it cool in the pan for only 10-15 minutes before running a knife around the edge and inverting it onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
SAM’S NOTE: Under-mixing your cake batter, not baking the cake for long enough, or opening the oven door too frequently while the cake bakes can cause the cake to sink as it cools.
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (120 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil¹
- 1 ½ cup (300 g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour²
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup (300 ml) buttermilk room temperature preferred
- 1 batch Chocolate Frosting click link for recipe, or use one of the other frostings recommended in the notes below
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (177C) and prepare two deep 8" round cake pans³ 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.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (120 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil¹, 1 ½ cup (300 g) granulated sugar
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until thoroughly combined after each addition.4 large eggs
- Stir in vanilla extract.1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour², 1 Tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon 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 thoroughly combined, but there may be some small lumps in the batter and avoid over-mixing (and do not use your electric mixer or stand mixer for this step).1 ¼ cup (300 ml) buttermilk
- 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).1 batch Chocolate Frosting
Notes
¹Cooking oil
You may use any neutral cooking oil instead of vegetable or canola oil. I generally don’t recommend olive oil, which is heavier and has a distinct flavor that could affect the end taste result of your cake.²Cake Flour
You may substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour. Use 3 ⅓ cups or 375g of cake flour.³Different size baking pans
- 13×9″ pan: This recipe makes enough for one 13×9″ baking pan. Readers have reported the approximate bake time is 30 minutes.
- Two 9″ pans: Readers have reported this cake takes approximately 25 minutes to bake in 9″ pans.
- Bundt pan: Readers have reported this cake takes approximately 40-45 minutes to bake in a bundt pan
Vanilla Cupcakes:
This recipe will make approximately 24 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.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:Video note
In the video I mistakenly say to add more buttermilk than is necessary. The written recipe is correct with 1 ¼ cups of buttermilk.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Annie K
Finally a vanilla cake that is flavorful! I’ve tried so many different vanilla cake recipes, and each one came out tasting bland. LOVED the flavor of this cake. For some reason though my cake came out a bit dense even though I made sure not to over mix the batter. Do you happen to have any idea why the cake might not have been as fluffy and moist? Regardless, it was delicious! I filled the cake with layers of berries and a butter/mascarpone/cream cheese/whipped cream and it was perfect!
Sam
Hi Annie! I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor. There are a couple of things that can make a cake dense. It could be over-mixed, which you said is not the case. There could be too much flour in the cake, or finally it could be over-baked. Hopefully this will help you out a bit. 🙂
Michelle
Absolutely loved this recipe! Would this recipe work if I added confetti sprinkles? Wondering what the difference is between your confetti cake recipe.
Sam
Hi Michelle! You can certainly add sprinkles to this cake, but the two cakes are actually a lot different. The biggest difference being the egg whites. 🙂
IanM
Hi I would like to Mae this for my friends birthday cake except I’m making a 3 tier cake(2 -10″x2″,2 -8″x2″,2-6″x2″)
I have a few questions
1) would this cake be OK to stack and do tiers with or it’s to like and won’t be able to?
2) I can experiment with the amount but would you know how many times Id have to increase the amount of ingredients by.
3)Also can I use a Buttercream recipe for it?
It’s my first time making a cake this big and I know I have to use supports
Sam
That is one giant cake!! This cake is a pretty sturdy cake so you should be able to stack it, but I have never made one this big. To get the 2-10″ layers and the 2-6″ layers I believe you would need to double the recipe. Then you have the 2-8″ layers, which the recipe makes, so I would at least triple the recipe for all of these cakes. A buttercream will work fine on this cake. It sounds awesome. Enjoy! 🙂
Marisa
Amazing light and fluffy cake. My go to from now on.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Marisa! 🙂
AJ
Hi! I want to make a cake in a 14.5 x 10.6 inches rectangular pan, how much should i increase this recipe to be able to get a 2-layer cake?
Sam
Hi AJ! This batter as is will fill a 13 x 9, so not much smaller than your pan you have there, your cakes will just be a little bit thinner. You can just double the recipe to get two layers. 🙂
Jignal
Hello,
I have being Looking for a good homemade Vanilla cake recipe for my son’s first birthday. I want to try this recipe but I want to make it in 2 * 6inch round pan for my son’s smash cake . Do I just half the ingredients? I have being looking for a good
Please help!😳
Thank you
Sam
This recipe will make enough for about 3 6 inch pans so you can cut a third of the recipe out, or discard it, or bake it as cupcakes. 🙂
Phina
Hi ! I’ve been looking for the perfect cake and this seems like it may be it,however can I cut the layers in half or will it crumble?
Sam
This is a pretty sturdy cake, you should be able to cut the layers in half without issue. 🙂
Marissa
I like to make my cake layers as thick as possible. Roughly how many grams of batter can I fill a 6 inch round with?
Sam
Hi Marissa! You don’t want to overfill the pans. Typically they shouldn’t be filled more than 3/4 of the way full or they will overflow and you will have a mess on your hands. I don’t know how many grams that equates to.
Betty kale
Wow. Thank you for the lovely recipe. Cake was a hit at the party
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Betty! 🙂
Antoinette Bateman
I would like to make two 6 x 4 inch cakes as that’s all I have and then torte both in half. Will these measurements work or do they need to be converted ? If so, do you have those conversions?
Thank you.
Sam
Hi Antoinette! This recipe makes enough to fill 3 6 inch pans that are 2 inches deep so you may need to increase the batter by 25% to fully fill those 4 inch deep pans. Make sure not to overfill the cake pans. 🙂
Monica
Am so trying this now, right away. I will come back with the results.
Sam
I hope you love it! 🙂
Valerie
BINGO! I found it! Thank you so much! I have been searching for a good vanilla cake recipe for years and have tried many that raved to be the best and followed the instructions exactly and they just werent working. Im a caterer trained by chefs so im no stranger to cooking. Im experienced at pastries and breads but for some reason i could never quite master the cakes to my satisfaction. Everyone else love my cakes but their was always something missing in to idea. Well, I used your vanilla cake recipe yesterday, followed all instructions after watching your video did not deviate from any of the ingredients and it turned out excellent. I cant thank you enough. While some may say “nothing is perfect” i beg to differ. My husband raved so much about it my 3 adult children came over to sample it. Again, Thank you. You nailed it and Im going to try as many of your recipes as i can.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the cake so much, Valerie! I’m glad to be able to help you perfect your cake skills. 🙂
Sabina
Hi. I want to try this cake recipe. I was wondering if you can use sunflower oil instead of the vegetable oil?
Also I want to make a rectangular cake In a 14.5 inches by 9 inches tin. Will the cake recipe Mixture be enough?
Sam
Hi Sabina! Sunflower oil should work because it’s a neutral oil. The batter makes enough for a 13 x 9 so it will fit in a 14.5 x 9 but the cake will be a little bit thinner. 🙂
Alya
Hello!
I tried this before with the chocolate frosting. It tasted amazing!
However, the frosting did get a little hard. So, I want to try it with ganache. Do you think it would taste as good?
Sam
Hi Alya! Most of my frostings will crust a little while after being made, but a ganache should work here too. 🙂
Rachael
Hands down the BEST vanilla cake recipe I have ever tried! The cake was incredibly moist even after it was refrigerated. Most cake recipes I’ve tried are typically dry after sitting in the fridge. Thank youuu!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Rachael! 🙂