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.
Lisa iorio
I have tried different vanilla cake recipes but I have always come back to yours. My family knew right away if I did not use your recipe. Thank you for sharing it.
Sam
This makes me so happy to hear, Lisa! I’m so glad you and your family are enjoying the recipes ❤︎
Ronda
I commented on the white cake instead of the vanilla cake that I meant to. But this vanilla cake is the best I have found. As I said, I like to put almond flavoring in my cakes. Perfect
Jennifer
I made this cake and topped with your chocolate frosting for my daughter’s 21st birthday. It was delicious and everyone loved it. Thank you for a great recipe I will make again and again.
Sigrid
Hi Thank you for this recipe, I’ve been doing the chocolate cake so many times I’ve got it just right, tried this recipe , with buttermilk substitute. Taste was great but I think my oven runs for so it was slightly over cooked , slightly dry, I had it in the oven 25 minutes , but probably should’ve checked at 20. Would you recommend lowering the oven temperature for better results?
I used a vanilla sugar syrup cake soak for the layers, cut the cakes in half for 4 layers, and used simple cream cheese frosting with strawberries and blueberries in between too. End result was absolutely delicious! Will try this again and see if I can properly nail the cake itself! Thank you!
Sam
Hi Sigrid! If your oven is running hot I would definitely try to adjust the temperature so it’s closer to what the bake temperature should be. Do you have oven thermometers? You can get them rather cheaply and that could help you calibrate your oven. 🙂
Dani
I love this recipe and want to make cupcakes. How many days in advance can i make them before they dry out?
Sam
Hi Dani! I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipe. Generally the cupcakes will stay fresh for about 3 days, but when serving for an event I like to prepare them no more than a day before serving. I hope that helps!
Ruthie
I was excited to try this recipe because of all the raving reviews, I followed every step and I used my scale to measure out every ingredient and all at room temperature. I was a disappointed at the result. The taste and the texture was very much like corn bread.
Sam
Hi Ruthie! Unfortunately the cake was likely baked a bit too long. I have a troubleshooting section in the blog post that would probably be helpful to read through. The cornbread effect can happen with any homemade cake recipe so it’s a good idea to take a look at the blog post to keep from running into this problem in the future and having better success next time as it ultimately comes down to being a technique issue rather than a recipe issue. I hope that helps!
Louise Milam
I am getting ready to make this cake and am very excited! However, I have been to 3 grocery stores so far and All 3 only carry 2% buttermilk. Can I use that or should I keep looking for full fat buttermilk?
Sam
Hi Louise! I think if that’s all I could find I would use it. 🙂
Sharon
I stumbled upon this recipe today, and I am so Happy that I did!!! It came out perfectly, and tasted delicious, and light. My family LOVES it ❤️. Thank you and it’s definitely going to be my favorite to make.
Sam
Hi Effie, that’s so frustrating, this cake should definitely be moist and tasty. Please see the section in the post on why cakes turn out like cornbread, I think that will be helpful.
Sarah Snell
Hi, Can you add fresh fruit to the batter or will it create too much moisture? Thank you
Sam
Hi Sarah! I haven’t tried it. It depends on the type of fruit you want to use. I think blueberries could work, but they may sink. Something like a raspberry or peach or something would likely add too much moisture. 🙁
Nina Loville
I’ve been searching for a good vanilla cake recipe. I have found a few, but this one is the best! So good, I used high fat European butter. I also sliced the 8-inch layers in half and made a 4-layer cake with chocolate buttercream. Huge hit with my family.
Allie
Delicious! I added 2 cups of chocolate chips to my batter for fun. So yummm
Susan Roach
Hi, how long would you recommend mixing oil and sugar together please with an electric mixer?
Sam
Hi Susan! It doesn’t take very long, but make sure all of your ingredients are well combined and creamy in this step. 🙂
Susan Roach
Thanks Sam for getting back to me. Would you say 5 minutes is too long with an electric hand mixer? Is the recipe above using two 8 inch sandwich tins or are they deeper ones please? Thank you x
Sam
It’s really tough to say without knowing your mixer. The video can help give you some visual clues. I would say mine is normally in pretty good shape by 3 minutes, but again, it depends on which mixer I use. The baking pans you see are 2″ deep pans. 🙂
Tina Greene
Should the recipe call for 1 tablespoon of baking powder. My cupcakes literally crumbled as I removed from the pan and the texture was very light. Taste was fine, but I can’t account for any other reason why they came out the way they did.
Sam
Hi Tina! I’m so sorry to hear this! You will need a tablespoon of baking powder. They shouldn’t be crumbly though. Is it possible they may have been slightly over-baked? 🙁
Rebecca
Best Vanilla Cake Ever!!!! I have been looking for a recipe like this for years, i substituted buttermilk for regular milk and It went amazing we loved It, I’m making It for my sons 1st birthday. Thanks for sharing!!
Sam
Thank you so much for the kind feedback, Rebecca! I really appreciate you trusting my recipes!
Kristen
Is it baking powder or baking soda because you said “ 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.”
Sam
Hi Kristen! I’m sorry for any confusion. The written recipe is correct. You will want to use baking powder. 🙂
CK
Do you happen to know the bake times for a three layer, 6-inch cake, or is that an entirely different beast? Thanks so much!
Sam
I have not personally baked it in 6 inch pans so I can’t say for sure how long it would need to bake. Make sure to not overfill the pans and just keep an eye on them while they are baking. I’d love to know how long they bake if you give it a shot. 🙂
Crystal
Co the baking times for 6 in pans are 20-25 minutes. 2 cups of better i n each pan. Bake at same temperature 350
CK
Thank you!!
Brittany
Just an FYI- I am using a 6” Springform pan with 2 cups of batter, and it took about 35 minutes for my cake to be done.
I’ve never used a springform pan, so I don’t know if that made a difference in baking time??