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
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (113g)
- ½ cup canola oil* (120ml)
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar 300g
- 4 eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 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 3/4 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
Kay says
Hello! What would the adjustments be for making a 3 tier 9 inch cake instead? Thank you so much, can’t wait to try recipe!
Sam says
Hi Kay! You will just need to increase the recipe by 50%. The bake time on the cakes may be slightly less in a 9 inch pan. 🙂
Andres says
Would this fit 3 6inch pans?
Sam says
Hi Andres! You will probably have a little batter left over. Make sure not to overfill your pans. 🙂
Tshilie says
Hi sam Can i substitute All purpose flour to Cake flour and how many cups will i need if im using cake flour
Sam says
You can use cake flour here. You will need 1 cup + 2 TBSP of cake flour for every cup of all purpose flour. 🙂
Ammara says
Hey there
Can i use salted butter instead of unsalted?
Sam says
Hi Ammara! You can use salted butter here, but cut the salt by 1/4 teaspoon so your cake isn’t too salty. 🙂
Paris says
Hi there, am I able to substitute buttermilk for normal milk in this recipe?
Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run says
Hi, Paris! Yes, you can. Enjoy! 🙂
Catalina says
Hi Sam! I loved this recipe! My cake turned our perfect. I filled it with manjar and covered it with merengue. Thank you very much for sharing your recipes.
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Catalina! 🙂
Lynn Hecker says
Hi! Can I switch out coconut oil for the canola oil?
Sam says
Hi Lynn! I haven’t tried it but it should work. Coconut oil will have a little more flavor though.
Ivona says
Very good recipe, cake came out perfect 👌
I added little bit of sour cream.
I think I’ll adjust the sugar little bit next time, I like my stuff little bit less sweet.
Sam says
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Ivona! 🙂
Tamar says
Hi Sam, how long do you (approx.) normally leave stuff out to get it at room temperature? Do you assemble everything an hour ish before serving the cake or can this be put together in advance and either be left out or be put in the fridge?
Total armature here and just learning 🙂 I’m excited to make this cake along with your chocolate frosting for my sons 1st birthday. Thank you for your guidance and for these great recipes!
Sam says
Hi Tamar! It really depends on how warm/cold it is in my house for how long it takes things to get to room temperature. I would say an hour is probably pretty good if it’s not too hot/cold where you are. I normally assemble the cake and leave it at room temperature. It will be good for several days at room temperature as long as you can cover it to keep it from drying out. 🙂
Tamar says
Awesome. I appreciate you getting back to me and for your guidance. Looking forward to trying these recipes!
Pie Lady says
Hi …can anyone share with me how to make this a pound cake???
Sam says
I would recommend using my pound cake recipe. 🙂 This vanilla cake can just be baked in a bundt pan if that is what you are looking for. I am not sure on the bake time but just keep an eye on it. 🙂
Annie says
I made it again today and it was so yummm everyone loved it🥰😍 thanku for this wonderful recipe.
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Annie! 🙂
Dimdim says
Hi Sam, made this recipe for our anniversary with cream cheese frosting and everyone loved it…thank you soo much for easy and delicious recipe…
Sugar Spun Run says
You are very welcome, Dimdim. Happy that you enjoyed it. Happy Anniversary to you! 🙂
Bon says
Hi Sam,
Is it possible to make this recipe using 2 x (6” x 3”) square pans? I need this particular size but only have 2 pans! Not sure how I would adjust the baking time and temperature..
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!
Sam says
You wouldn’t need to adjust the temperature but the baking time will be different. Honestly without trying it in those pans I can’t give a good recommendation. I would just keep an eye on them and make sure you don’t overcook them. 🙂
Carol Becka says
can the cake be made in a 9x 13 pan?
Sam says
Hi Carol! This fits perfectly in a 9 x 13. 🙂
carla says
Hi, can I use three 8″ cake pans for this recipe?
Sam says
Hi Carla! You would need to increase the recipe by 50% or make thin cakes. 🙂
Livvy says
I tried this recipe twice and both times it came out quite dense. The cake rose, but it flattened as it cooled. Any idea what I could be doing wrong? I’m using 9in tins instead of 8in, but I don’t think that’s the sole issue.
Sam says
Hi Livvy! It sounds like the cakes may have been slightly underbaked if they are sinking and are dense. Another cause of a dense cake could be over-mixing. Make sure to use a gentle hand when mixing the cake together and test it with a toothpick in the center to ensure that it is done baking. The toothpick should come out clean or preferably with a few moist crumbs. I hope it goes better next time. 🙂