The Best Vanilla Cake Recipe
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My vanilla cake recipe has a soft, plush, and perfectly moist crumb. It has a rich vanilla flavor, is perfectly beginner friendly, and is made entirely from scratch! If you’re looking for a classic homemade vanilla cake that works every time, this is it! Includes a video tutorial.
The BEST Vanilla Cake Recipe (Soft, Moist, and Made 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 recipe, 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!
Why This Vanilla Cake Recipe Works:
- Butter & oil combo. Using a blend of both butter and oil lets the cake reap the best benefits of both worlds: a rich, buttery flavor from the butter and soft, lasting moisture thanks to the oil. This technique worked so well in this cake recipe, I’ve used it in many recipes since then, including my chocolate cake recipe and marble cake.
- Buttermilk keeps the cake tender and adds subtle depth and richness.
- Light, fluffy texture. A full Tablespoon of baking powder gives the cake crumb lift for a soft, plush crumb that’s never too dense or heavy.
- Time-tested & reader-loved recipe. This vanilla cake recipe has been a long-time favorite on my website. It’s served as the base for many of my other cakes, including my popular pineapple upside-down cake.
Ingredients
After testing many versions and combinations of ingredients, I’ve found that a good vanilla cake recipe 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 the crumb soft and moist rather than 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 specifically to 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. It’s key for a soft, lifted cake crumb. Always make sure your baking powder 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 or a very fine sea 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.
As always with my recipes, 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 This Vanilla Cake Recipe (Step-by-Step)
- 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 stir in your vanilla extract.
- Combine your dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add about 1/3 of the mixture into your bowl. Use a spatula to gently stir until just combined. Follow this with about 1/2 of your buttermilk, and stir again until just combined.
- Add 1/2 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
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 vanilla cake recipe!
Yes! This recipe will make approximately 24 vanilla cupcakes. Fill cupcake liners no more than 3/4 full and bake one pan at a time on 350F for about 17 minutes each.
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.
A good vanilla cake recipe is a blank canvas for your favorite frosting, it works with just about any icing. Some of my favorites include my chocolate fudge frosting, chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, or classic chocolate buttercream (vanilla cake with chocolate frosting is a classic combo!), peanut butter frosting, cream cheese frosting, vanilla frosting, coffee frosting, or take a fruity spin with my strawberry frosting, raspberry buttercream, or even blueberry frosting. You can also top any of these frostings with my ganache drip.
Why Is My Vanilla Cake Dry?
Dryness is typically the biggest issue home bakers run into when making cakes 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.
Over-mixing the 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 so long as there aren’t any dry streaks and the batter is mostly uniform, 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!
Over-baking the cake:
Even a minute too long in the oven can cause a cake to be too dry and dense. Bake your cake layers on the center rack and use an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is running at the proper temperature.
Don’t check your vanilla cake too early (that can make it sink!), but do keep an eye on it. When your cake is finished baking, 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, 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 finished baking, let it cool in the pan for only 10-15 minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
More Great Cakes to Try:
If you’re new to making homemade cakes (or just want to delve deeper into the process) make sure to check out my posts on how to decorate a cake and 3 ways you’re accidentally ruining your homemade cake.
Enjoy!
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Vanilla Cake Recipe
Equipment
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
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 1/3 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 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.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:Storing
Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If refrigerated, it’s best to allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving for best texture and flavor.Freezing
Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then foil and then frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw (without unwrapping) overnight and then bring to room temperature (still without unwrapping) to retain the best texture. Frosted cake slices can be wrapped individually and frozen and thawed overnight in the refrigeratorVideo note
In the video I mistakenly say to add more buttermilk than is necessary. The written recipe is correct with 1 1/4 cups of buttermilk.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
This vanilla cake recipe was originally published in January 2019 but has since been updated to include new photos and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
Can this recipe be made into a 6 layer cake by putting the batter into 4 6in pans and then doing another cake and cut the recipe in half? Making a 6 layer rainbow cake.
Hi Lindsey that should work just fine. 🙂
Have you ever tried this with gluten free flour blends? I’ve made this recipe as is and love it but am making a cake for a friend and they are gluten free.
Hi Jean! Unfortunately I have not so I can’t comment on how it works. 🙁 Hopefully someone else can chime in with their experiences.
Sam, thank you for publishing such a solid recipe for a delicious vanilla cake. After several tries with other recipes I’ve found online, I was frustrated with my cakes sinking in the middle or being horribly dry around the outside and cooked perfectly in the middle. I tried your recipe and it came out beautifully on the first try. I used your recipe to make a birthday cake for a friend (I wish I could publish a picture…it was something to behold!), filled it with a whipped Nutella filling and used your chocolate frosting. It was lovely! I enjoy your videos and your posts and look forward to your updates in my email inbox!
You are welcome Leah! Thank you so much for your kind comment. I really appreciate it. Your cake does sound absolutely incredible. Unfortunately there isn’t an easy way to attach a picture here, but if you have an Instagram you can tag me @SugarSpun_Sam or join my facebook group to share pictures. 🙂
Hello, if increasing recipe by 50% to bake in 3 – 9 inch pans, how do I position them in the oven and do I rotate them? I’ve always only made it with two layers, so excited to try 3. Also,once frosted it can stay at room temperature for a couple days right? Thank you!
Hi Susan! If your oven is big enough to hold all three you can put them next to each other in a triangle shape and rotate them half way through. You could also let the third one rest and bake that by itself later on. 🙂
I have been looking for just this restaurant type of recipe! LOvely cake! AMazing! I made them in to cupcakes. THank you!!! FINALly a white Cake that doesn’t taste like pound cake!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Leighann! 🙂
Hi there. Could I use this same recipe for cupcakes?
Hi Sandra! This will work as cupcakes. They will need to bake for about 17 minutes. 🙂
Wow! what an amazing recipe! I used it more than once when I’m preparing brithday cakes for my girls and the result is always superb and I always get super comments from the persons who taste it! I cannot recommend you enough!
Thank you so much, Daniela! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
I made this vanilla cake today. I wanted to frost it with peanut butter frosting from your blog too. Unfortunately, my cake turned out quite dry, (I baked it at 350 for 32 minutes.) I didn’t have AP flour, so I used King Arthur cake flour instead. I did mix it all with my KA stand mixer. Is that where I messed up?
My peanut butter frosting tastes divine, but it also turned out a lot like a greasy mess. I tried to spread it with my offset spatula, but it didn’t want to play nice. I had to use my hands and pat it down to make the frosting stay in place.
Overall, I’m disappointed in how it turned out. I’m hoping you have pointers for me cause even though it isn’t as moist as it should be and the frosting didn’t turn out great, they both tasted really good together. I wanted to re-create the yellow cake with peanut butter frosting like I used to get when I was in elementary school way, way back!
I ask for this specific cake c every year at my birthday, in April, but no one makes it for me. I have to make one myself. Help! Please tell me where I messed up! I did make sure that the ingredients were soft and room temperature too.
Hi Linda! I’m so sorry this happened. 🙁 The cake being dry is most likely due to mixing it with the stand mixer. You really need to be gentle when folding this cake together. For the frosting, did you use natural peanut butter that separates? Was your butter at room temperature, but not too melty when you started? If not then this may also be causing you issues. I hope this helps. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe.
I’m planning on making this next week and I was wondering if I could use cultured buttermilk powder instead or stick with regular buttermilk/your substitute?
Hi Lai! If you are using the buttermilk powder you will still need to add milk, but it should work here. 🙂
So I’m not sure what happened… I followed the recipe EXACTLY. Like exactly, exactly. And it came out looking gorgeous… started trimming it, tasted the trimmings and it tasted almost exactly like cornbread… same texture as cornbread. I thought I was going nuts so I cut an actual piece of the cake, cornbread. I gave some to my husband without telling him anything and asked what it tasted like. He said “sweet cornbread or something? What is it?”… so I don’t know what happened but I’m super disappointed 😭
Hi Elizabeth! This is frustrating, but I definitely can help you out. This is a problem many home bakers experience with homemade cakes and 99/100 times it comes from over-mixing the batter. Take care to not overdo it, it might help to take a peek at the video if you haven’t already. A quick google search will show you that many new bakers (and experienced ones, too!) run into this issue when their batter is over-handled. I hope this helps!
I’ll be making it this week but I’ll use 9” I think I can right?
Hi Susana! Yes you can, but keep in mind the baking time will be a little bit reduced. Enjoy!
I made this for my Brother’s Birthday, It tasted exactly like pancakes, Maybe I got the measurements wrong, I did Double this recipe after all, I am Very Disappointed.
Thank you. Perfect cake. Also made your vanilla ermine frosting – that also was perfect. Both recipes keepers.
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Rick! Thank you for letting me know how the recipes turned out for you 🙂
Hi! Should I double this recipe if I’m making a 3 x 10” layer cake?
Hi Marie! Yes I would double the recipe here. 🙂
Hi, I will be making this classic vanilla cake for the first time this weekend. How long do you recommend for the buttermilk, eggs, and butter to get to room temperature on the counter ?
Hi Jada! It really depends on how warm/humid it is or isn’t in your home. Sometimes mine will warm up really quickly other times it takes quite a bit of time. I would allow about 30 minutes. 🙂
Follow up question, but do you know how many cups of batter this batch makes? Trying to calculate for a 10” cake. Thanks!
While I haven’t measured it out that way it should make the standard 8 cups that fills 2 8 inch pans. 🙂
Looks like a great recipe…Going to try out this today! Can I use whole wheat flour and if yes do I need to add more liquid to the batter? Thanks!
I have not tried whole wheat flour but I’m not sure it will work well here. There would definitely need to be some alterations made but without having tried it I can’t say exactly what for sure. 🙁
Hello! I’m planning to bake this cake for a birthday next week. Would it be okay to use unbleached flour or whole wheat flour?
I haven’t tried either of these. The unbleached could probably work, but I don’t recommend the whole wheat flour. Let me know how it goes if you try it. 🙂