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 unsalted butter softened to room temperature (113g)
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil¹ (120ml)
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar (300g)
- 4 large 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 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 pans² 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 until thoroughly combined 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 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).
- 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
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.²Different 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: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.
Sanja
I usually trust this site but I have to say. This is the worst vanilla cake I’ve ever made. It’s a muffin. It tastes like buttermilk.
Sam
Yikes! This is so disappointing to hear, Sanja, and certainly not a comment I’ve ever received before on this cake. I’m wondering if I can help troubleshoot; do you think any of the ingredients could’ve been mis-measured or the cake might have been over-mixed to alter the taste? I really am proud of this recipe because it produces such consistent and flavorful (perfect-vanilla-cake-flavor, not buttermilk-flavor!) results and would love to help you have the same results!
Alexis
I used 9 inch pans and it took around 20-25 minutes to bake. It was super soft and moist! Definitely a keeper 🙂
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it turned out for you, Alexis! Enjoy 😊
Wendy
Hi Emily
I want to make a three layer cake using a 6 inch pan would the batter listed be enough to make 3 nice not thin layers?
Thanks,
Wendy
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Wendy! Yes, this recipe will fill three 6-inch pans with no issue; in fact, you will probably have some batter leftover. Make sure you don’t overfill your pans! Hope that helps 🙂
Wendy
Thank-you!
Samantha
Hi, in the youtube video you said 1 1/2 cup of buttermilk, but in the written ingredients it says 1 1/4 cup? Hope you can let me know which is correct, thanks! 🙂
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Samantha! The written recipe is correct. 🙂 Sorry about that!
Christina
Do you use simple syrup on the cake so it stays moist for a few days
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Christina! The cake is already moist, therefore, we find that the simple syrup is not needed. However, it’s up to you. 🙂
Ms BrianaLea
Simply amazing! I am an avid at-home baker, and this is a perfect, easy to follow recipe for anyone who has some baking knowledge! I agree with weighing the ingredients for baking. It yields a more consistent result.
For anyone that has read a bad review – That person didn’t follow the recipe properly. Disregard their comments and try for yourself! It’s amazing when done properly! Thank you for the recipe 💖
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much Briana! ❤️
Jenny Clapp
Your recipe states 1 1/4 cups buttermilk but in the video you say 1 1/2 cups. Which is it?
Thanks,
Jenny
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So sorry for the confusion, Jenny! The written recipe is correct. 🙂
Mercedes
Can I use this recipe for a 10 in cake
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Mercedes! A 10 inch pan holds about 6 cups of batter. This recipe as is will make about 8 cups of batter. Increasing by 50% should give you enough to fill two 10 inch pans. Hope this helps! 🙂
Natasha
Thoughts on using cake flour instead of AP?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes you can. We hope you love this cake, Natasha!
Jasmine
I always make this cake because it’s moist, however, in terms of texture, is it supposed to be light and fluffy or dense? Mine is always light and fluffy but not rich and dense.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jasmine! The cake should not be dense. It should have a soft, plush texture. Hope that helps! 😊
Marilyn Wellendorff
My Granddaughter is allergic to eggs. Is there anything you could recommend as a substitute to eggs? Thanks.
Sam
Hi Marilyn! Unfortunately I’m not very familiar with egg free baking so I’m not sure what you could use here.
Hannah A
Hi Emily
Am loving your recipe already❤️. I want to make it for my daughter’s 2years birthday tomorrow, please I want to if I can use vegetable oil to replace the canola oil . Please I need reply ASAP
Thank u so much
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Hannah! Yes, you can absolutely do that. We hope your daughter has a very happy birthday–please let us know how you like the cake 🙂
Erin
My daughter had an egg allergy. I used Ener-G Egg replacer in just about all baked goods with great results. It does make a more delicate crumb so I always found cupcakes worked better than a layer cake
Marilyn Wellendorff
Thanks Erin I appreciate the info. I’ve never heard of that but will certainly try. Thanks again.
BV76
I just yesterday learned that you can substitute bean water for an egg. RoseRed Homestead had a process for making dry storage burritos (burrito in a jar) and explained the aquafaba or bean water. It might be something to experiment?
Anne
Hi, I need to make two 13×9 cakes. What would your suggestion be for ingredient measurements?
Sam
Hi Anne! You’ll need to double the ingredients. 🙂
Cheryl
This has been my go to yellow cake since I first made it! So good!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy to hear that, Cheryl! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review 😊
Anonymous
This is truly the best vanilla cake recipe ever! I’ve searched and searched and tried and tried and this is the first one I ever tried that actually was successful and hit the mark and was easy! I will recommend it to everyone
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like it! Thanks so much for trying our recipe and sharing it 😊
Renee Dupont
I made this yesterday, and it came out dry. I don’t know if this is because I live at a high altitude (Denver) or for some other reason. Do you have any high altitude adjustments? Or is there another reason why it would be dry? Thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Renee! We’re so sorry your cake was dry. 🙁 Most of the time cakes become dry from not properly measuring your flour, over-mixing or over-baking. We do not have experience with high altitude baking, so we can’t say for sure if that had an effect.
Melissa G.
Renee, I compared the measurements and 375g of flour is not quite 2 3/4 cups. Google calculated at 2.8 cups. It only takes a small amount of flour to make a huge difference and my guess is Emily is measuring by weight, so you may want to try reducing your flour before writing the recipe off to altitude. Good luck!
Jasmine
What if you don’t have unsalted butter?
Sam
Hi Jasmine! You can use salted butter and reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon. 🙂
CZB
I did add a few tablespoons of sour cream, but this was just for texture. This is a delicious recipe, excellent crumb and flavor. I don’t think I’ll ever need another vanilla cake recipe. Thank you.