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.
Tipp
In video u say 11/2 cup of buttermilk but the recipe actually says 11/4 can you confirm which is needed.
Sam
Hi Tipp! The written recipe is correct, drives me crazy I misspoke in the video, ugh!
Jason
Is it possible to to use self rising flour instead?
Sam
Hi Jason! I don’t recommend self rising flour here. 🙁
Kristen Bingel
I I used 2.5 cups of flour instead of 3. I also used 4 egg whites (whipped them separately as the yokes were mixing into the batter) and then I added a half cup of homemade whipped cream. this helped to make this a fluffier cake and a tiny bit sweeter. I love to drizzle warm homemade chocolate sauce made from guiradelli cocoa powder, butter, milk, sugar, and vanilla. then I drizzle on store bought caramel sauce from guiradelli. this is my ultimate guilty pleasure (especially during the holidays)
Erin
Made this recipe today! Guys I got 30 cupcakes from this recipe 😅
They came out perfect texture wise, flavour wise not as sweet as I would hope but that’s ok cause I made a strawberry buttercream to go on them! Together it reminded me of a scone..yum!
Steve
Quick question, can this recipe be done for a 13×9 cake pan, with cake flour rather than all purpose flour??
Sam
Yes it can, notes for both of those adjustments are included at the bottom of the recipe card. Enjoy!
Debby
Can I add sprinkles to the batter? If so, do I need to decrease the amount of sugar?
Sam
Hi Debby! You can add sprinkles in with no other changes. You will want to stir them in briefly when the ingredients are almost combined. 🙂
Panther
Can I add chocolate chips?
Sam
That should work just fine. 🙂
Christy
Great recipe, newly tried.🎉
Mama Mia
I baked the layers for 32 mins at 170 deg C.the layers didn’t rise much. The top was sticky the next day . Can u advise what went wrong. I made sure I do not over mix the batter. The top was slightly domed , do u use baking stripe?
Sam
Hmmm I don’t use baking strips. If it domed a bit it sounds like it rose properly. The sticky topping is typically just from the sugar and that isn’t uncommon. I hope you still loved it! 🙂
Hershey
I made this recipe using whole milk instead of buttermilk and it turned out just fine! I have also halved it to make cupcakes and it makes around 10-12 cupcakes!
Carol
I only have 9 x 2 round pans. Do I have to change the amounts of ingredients or use your measurements and end up with flatter cakes? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Carol! This will work in 9 inch pans the cakes will just be slightly thinner. 🙂
Ella
Hi Sam!
Can i make the sponges a week in advance?
Should I freeze them if i do this?
Also when i come to decorate them with the frosting before the day i need them, do i let the sponge defrost completely before decorating?
Thanks!
Ella 🙂
Sam
Hi Ella! I would recommend freezing them if making a week in advance. I would let them defrost completely before decorating. 🙂
Nicole
This cake was super moist and SO delicious! I have tried so many different recipes and yours I find the best!!
I followed your instructions to the T, especially about the bake time! Perfect!! Thank you!! We all loved it!
Shamiroon Morrison
hi sam i love your recipes i was wondering if you have a egg less vanilla cake recipe
i cannot eat eggs
Sam
Unfortunately I do not. 🙁
Natasha
Use JUSTEgg. It’s a vegan egg free alternative. I’m vegan and it works perfectly. 3.5 tablespoons per every one egg.
Also thanks for the recipe. Everyone loved it.
Pauline Harke
Did not like this recipe at all. It doesn’t have enough vanilla flavor, the cake is too dry and all around it was not a hit
Sam
Hi Pauline! I am so sad to hear it. It sounds like the cake was either over-mixed or baked too long, unfortunately.
Anna
I had the same issue, unfortunately. I made this cake with my son, and husband, as a fun family activity for Valentine’s Day. We used a scale to measure all ingredients as listed, and followed all the advice re:not to over mix, overbake. It came out very dense and no vanilla flavour. I wonder if weighing the liquid ingredients was the issue? Not sure, but we followed all instructions to a T! We paired it with the strawberry buttercream frosting (using freeze dried strawberries). It was just too sweet for us. ❤️
Sam
Hi Anna! I’m so sorry to hear this happened! The liquid ingredients shouldn’t be weighed. You’ll need a liquid measuring cup for those. The ml setting on your scale is calibrated for water, and buttermilk doesn’t weigh the same. I’m not a fan of that setting on my scale. 🙁
Claire
Excellent! Due to a dairy intolerance in my kiddo, I had to make this dairy-free so I used Earth balance soy-free dairy-free butter and reduced the salt in the recipe by half since the fake butter is salted. For the buttermilk, I used 1 c. Oatmilk plus 1/4 c. Cocojune vanilla coconut milk yogurt with a little squeeze of lemon for acidity. I also did the hot-wrap technique by covering my sheet pan with a lid and popping it in the freezer while the cake was still quite warm. I frosted it straight from the freezer the next day, freezer again, and then thawed it a couple days later just a few hours before the party. It was perfect: moist, fluffy, and flavorful and I will always use this recipe for vanilla sheet cakes or tiered cakes.
Kim J.
Would it be possible to use the reverse creaming method with this recipe?
Sam
Hi Kim! That will work just fine. 🙂
Sara
Question. Can I use this cake batter recipe for a chocolate cake batter? How much cocoa should I add?
Sam
Hi Sara! I would recommend using my chocolate cake recipe instead. 🙂
Kristin
Hi! How do you think this recipe would work with mini cupcakes?
Sam
Hi Kristin! I think it will work just fine. I haven’t tried it personally so I don’t know a bake time though. 🙂