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.
Hi I used this recipe with brown sugar mad self raising flour and it turned out great.Thank you
Hi Sam
Is it possible to use self raising flour?, if so would I need to still add any baking powder?, I would like to use castor sugar too, do I just use the same amount as the granulated ?
Hi Debbie! We do not recommend self-rising flour in this recipe. Substituting castor sugar for the granulated should work fine–it will be the same amount. Hope that helps!
Hi Sam
Im wanting to try this vanilla cake recipe and to halve it for just one pan. Is it possible to use castor sugar in the batter instead of granulated?, if so how many grams of castor sugar would I need please? would the castor sugar affect the cake texture if I used it?
Hi Deb! Castor sugar should work fine. It will be an even substitute. Enjoy!
Love this recipe! I use it all the time for my business. It’s a great base for mix ins too! I have question, I do notice I get holes in my layers, what can I do to prevent this? I’m definitely not overmixing the batter, the cake is always moist and fluffy. Should I sift my dry ingredients? My batter always looks slightly lumpy like yours in the video but I am scared to keep mixing and overmixing. Any ideas?
Hi Mel! It actually sounds like you might be under-mixing your batter. Sifting the dry ingredients wouldn’t hurt though 😊
made this today and I must say it is a very dense cake, would definitely not recommend, I believe adding only baking powder and 1 TBS at that is way to much, you could try too.. nope bad recipe God Bless
I’m so sorry to hear this happened, Tisha! A dense cake is likely the result of over-mixing or over-baking. 🙁
Thank you so much for your lovely recipes friend, I tried it and I loved it. 😍 Much love from Kenya.
Awesome recipe!
We’re so happy you like it, Carole! 😊
Mine tasted pretty gross and almost like corn bread. I followed the recipe exactly and it still came out bad. The frosting also tasted like butter, adding to the cornbread flavor. Any ideas on what I might have done wrong?
Hi Bob! I’m so sorry to hear this happened! The most likely causes of a cornbread like flavor/texture is over-baking the cake. The sugar and vanilla should do a good job combining with the butter flavor for the frosting so I’m not sure what happened there. 🙁
Hi, would I be able to double this recipe for a 3 layered 10inch cake?
Hi Monet! That could work. Your layers may be slightly thinner, but it should work. Be careful to not over-mix the batter. 🙂
Great cake and thank you so much for including the ingredients needed for each step – that’s SO helpful. Usually I’m scrolling up for ingredients, then scrolling back down for the next step and it gets tiring.
It’s such a timesaver! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kim 😊
We are dairy free and I used all avocado oil in place of the butter; they still turned out fantastic. I love that they aren’t sickeningly sweet, the warm vanilla flavor really comes through.
Thanks for letting us know how that worked for you, Christina! Enjoy ☺️
Hello, I want to try this recipe, it looks delicious. But usually when using buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream baking soda should be used instead of baking-powder as these ingredients activate the baking soda. Have you tried it? I ask because you’re using so much baking powder. Thank you in advance.
Hi Madelyn! After lots and lots and LOTS of testing, Sam found this was the best combination. While the baking powder isn’t reacting with the buttermilk, the buttermilk does provide a much better flavor and texture. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi Sam,
I am not a big fan of buttermilk. I followed this recipe once before using buttermilk hoping I wouldn’t taste the tang of the buttermilk in it. But I could definitely taste the buttermilk in it. Could I use whole milk instead?
Thanks!
Awesome recipe! Made a few tweaks to use for a pineapple upside down cake and it came out perfect!
Sam,
In your notes above the recipe you state “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.” I assume you meant make sure your baking powder is fresh and avoid using a generic brand? I do use Trader Joes baking powder as it has worked great for pancakes, etc. but again I am assuming you would consider that a generic name? Thank you for your help!
Hi Deb! Thanks for pointing that out–it should be baking powder. Always follow the recipe (at the bottom of the post) in case of any discrepancies. And yes, we would consider that a generic brand. Hope that helps!
Hi Sam, I have been following your recipes for a while now and thank you very much! I have a small question, what’s the difference between adding sour cream Vs Buttermilk in cakes?
They are very similar, but sour cream has more fat and is a bit richer, which can lead to more tender, flavorful results. We’re so happy you’re enjoying our recipes! ❤️
The cake was a perfect base for my dessert. But also, I LOVE how you added the measurements to the actual instructions! It’s incredibly helpful and I’m sad more people don’t do it. Thank you!!
I’m so glad that’s helpful, Bri! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! ❤︎
In your video you state that you are using 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk however in your recipe it says 1 1/4 and when making your homemade buttermilk you state it is 1 cup. I’m a little confused 😕
Hi Rachel! The written recipe is correct for 1 1/4 cups. The homemade buttermilk recipe is just how to make a cup of buttermilk, you will need to scale that as needed according to the recipe you are using. I hope that helps!
Can i make night before? If so, do i need to refrigerate?
Hi Jamie! It depends on your frosting; if your frosting needs refrigerated, the finished cake will need to be too. If you do end up storing the cake in the fridge, make sure you use an airtight container to prevent it from drying out. Hope that helps!
I was planning on making the chocolate frosting you linked the day of her birthday. But making the cake the day before and leaving it at room temp for one night, is that ok?
Also, Would you consider a glass cake stand with a lid as airtight? Trying to save money and not buy a new container 😂
Hi Jamie! So with that frosting, you can keep the frosted cake at room temperature for 2 days, but it would need to be refrigerated after that. You will be fine to make the cake layers the night before and let them sit at room temperature–just wrap in plastic or store in an airtight container. And yes, the glass cake stand will work fine 😊
Hi, I only have one cake pan that is the same size. is this a recipe where I can put half of it in the fridge while the rest of it bakes? and then bake the other half after?
Hi Jax! The batter will be fine to sit on the countertop while the first cake bakes. No need to refrigerate. Enjoy! 🙂
Hey Sam, thanks a million for this recipe, it’s great! I wanted to know could I bake this cake and freeze it? I’ve got a busy week and won’t have time to bake the day before. Thanks!
Hi Kay! This cake does well being frozen. 🙂