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.
Linda
Can I make this cake in advance? If so, how should I store the layers. Wanted to make it today (Thursday) to serve on Monday.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Linda! Since you’re preparing it quite a few days in advance, you should probably freeze the layers. We’d recommend wrapping the cooled cake layers well in plastic wrap, then foil, and storing in the freezer in a ziploc or airtight container. On Sunday, you can then remove the cakes from their container or ziploc (keep the wrapping on) and let the layers thaw in the fridge overnight for Monday. Hope this helps! 🙂
Desi
Can this work with a fruit filling? If so, what do you recommend?
Sam
Hi Desi! I actually have a raspberry cake filling that will work well here. 🙂
Tricia
Can I add fresh blueberries to the cake ingredients and lightly flour the washed blueberries so they don’t sink? How many cups of blueberries would you recommend?
Sam
Hi Tricia! You can add fresh blueberries, but they are going to sink even if you add flour to them.
Tricia
Actually the blueberries did not sink and I ended up using 2 cups.
Esther
Can I use this vanilla cake for the base of a raspberry mousse cake?
Sam
Hi Esther! That should work just fine. 🙂
Sarah Langlois
Fantastic recipe! Nothing unusual or overly complicated, just a straight forward, classic, delicious, no fail vanilla cake from a baker who knows what she’s doing! Thank you so much!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
You are too sweet, Sarah! Thanks for giving our recipe a try and coming back to leave a review–it means a lot to us ❤
Melissa
I want to make your pineapple upside down cake using your recipes. I would like to make 2 cakes using pie pans. Is your cake recipe enough to make the 2 pies?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Melissa! If you double the pineapple upside down cake recipe, you will have enough to fill two 9.5-10″ pie pans. 😊
Ifee
I made this for my church and it came out great! Super moist and yummy
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for trying our recipe, Ifee!
Marcy
Made the vanilla cake—followed recipe exactly and came out great!! Easy to follow—thank you!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for coming back to let us know how you like it, Marcy! Enjoy ❤
Anita Rabe
Wonderful moist cake!
Gianna
Always use this recipe for my cakes and it comes out great every time! I’m making cupcakes for the first time and wanted to know.. I want to use the half now and save half for later. Can I refrigerate half of the batter for two days? Or am I better off storing them after being baked? How should I go about it?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Gianna! We’d recommend baking and storing the half you need for later in an airtight container. 😊
Shawnee
I made this for an office party today and everyone raved about it. I made your chocolate buttercream frosting as well. It was fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfection. Thank you!
Leo
it was soooo good. i just wish there was little less flour in the rseipe
Nola
Hello I was going to make this cake for a family get together and was going to make three layers of it I was just wondering if the cake is for one layer or two because in the video you have two layers and it doesn’t really specify that.
Sam
Hi Nola! It makes 2 layers as written in step 1 of the recipe. If you would like to make a 3 layer cake you can increase the recipe by 50%. 🙂
Genevieve
Hi, i have two size six pans so can i divide the receipe.
Sam
Hi Genevieve! You can use 6 inch pans, but this will make enough batter for probably 3 6 inch pans so make sure you don’t overfill the pans. 🙂
Sharon
This will probably cause a huge collective gasp, but would it work to use margarine instead of butter? I know butter is better, but would it work? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Sharon! Yes that would work fine. Enjoy!
Sharon
I made this with margarine and it’s awesome! It will be my new go-to vanilla cake. Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for letting us know how it turned out for you, Sharon! We appreciate it 😊
Marcy
I’m excited to try this recipe! If I want to make and frost this cake two days in advance, how do I store it?
Sam
Hi Marcy! It can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature. 🙂
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Marcy! It can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. 🙂
Tina
I really would give this cake recipe a kajillion stars! I have tried so many made-from-scratch recipes that have failed. This cake is the right amount of sweetness, the right amount of denseness, the right amount of moistness, the right amount of flavor, and it is just fully satisfying! The recommended Chocolate Frosting recipe is absolutely dreamy!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Tina! We really appreciate your sweet review 🥰
Bryanna
I just made this cake today and I am so excited to try it! It did fall in the center as I don’t think I baked it long enough. For a 9×13 pan I think 45 minutes is what I ended up baking it for.
Trying the chocolate cake tomorrow!
It looks so moist and delicious! 🤤
Nina
This cake taste really good but it is dense.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Nina! We’re so sorry your cake was dense. This can happen from over-mixing. You can see how the batter is supposed to look in the video–that should help! 🙂
Sloane
Ugh. Tastes like vanilla cornbread. I think the flour-to-sugar ratio is out of whack.
Sam
Hi Sloane! It’s not! I actually include a troubleshooting section in the post about why cake sometimes turns out tasting like cornbread (typically a result of over-measuring flour or over-mixing). It’s a frustrating but common issue with homemade cakes (any homemade cake recipe, not this one specifically) and while I try to include guidance and tips in the written recipe and video to prevent this from happening, usually simply using a lighter hand while mixing or a bit less time in the oven will do the trick to fix things. I hope that is helpful!