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). Itโs 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 thatโs 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 doesnโt 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; weโre 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 โ of the mixture into your bowl. Use a spatula to gently stir until just combined. Follow this with about ยฝ of your buttermilk, and stir again until just combined. .
- Add ยฝ 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. Itโs 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 itโs 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!). Donโt 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!
Letโs bake together! Iโll 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
- ยฝ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ยฝ cup (120 g) avocado, canola or vegetable oilยน
- 1 ยฝ cup (300 g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flourยฒ
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 1 ยผ 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 pansยณ 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.ยฝ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ยฝ cup (120 g) avocado, canola or vegetable oilยน, 1 ยฝ 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 flourยฒ, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, ยฝ 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.ย 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 ยผ 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
ยนCooking 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.ยยฒCake Flour
You may substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour. Use 3 โ cups or 375g of cake flour.ยณDifferent 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:ย 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 ยพ 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.ยFrosting 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 ยผ 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.
Daniella Stewart
I want to make a rectangular cake. Can I use a 10 by 15 cake pan? Or should I use 9 by 13 in pan?
Sam
You can use the 9 x 13 but I am not sure on the bake time for that.
Melinda Zabritski
I absolutely love yellow cake and have tried so many recipes with blah results. This is my absolute new favorite! I love that itโs easy. No fussy complicated steps. Just moist and delicious. I halved the recipe to make one 9โ pan (32 min in convection) and used whole milk as I didnโt have buttermilk. Delicious! Will definitely make gain.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Melinda! โบ๏ธ
Melanie Mcginn
Hi Sam, I am in the UK and followed the recipe till I go the flour bit, I used my cup measurement and didn’t weigh and also used “swan down” cake flour not AP flour would this have been the reason why the batter was runnier than yours and the fact that it tastes slightly “eggy” the cake is very moist but want to remake this using the same cake flour so do I need to use more cake flour or just stick to the 390grams and just make sure I weigh it next time.
Sam
Cake flour would not be a 1 to 1 substitution in this situation. I really recommend using the all purpose flour that the recipe calls for. The weight measurements are available in the printable recipe on the website.
Hannah Chynoweth
I’m scared. I didn’t have two 8″ pans. I had two 9″ pans, and in my experience that leaves me with dense flat cake layers. So i decided to up the ingredients by half. This was going to work well, I checked and rechecked to make sure that i was only adding an extra half of everything. … that is except the butter it just occured to me.. got double the amount. NO WHAT WAS I THINKING! i forgot to cut the stick in half! it’s too late.. cakes are in the oven. This will be an interesting chemistry experiment.
Sam
I hope everything turned out for you. You can make them in the 9 inch pans, they just won’t be as tall. It will not make the cake dense or alter the flavor in any way. They will just need to bake for a little bit less time. โบ๏ธ
Hannah
What happens if you over mix?
Sam
It can become very dense and dry.
Saba
Hi, Sam
Can I substitute buttermilk with milk?
Sam
I don’t recommend it because the cake won’t be as moist. However I do have an easy buttermilk substitute that you might be able to make, that would work well for this recipe ๐
Kelly
Hello!
Would it be okay if I froze the cake for a week before frosting?
Sam
Yes that should be fine ๐
kelsey swope
Could i use one full cup of oil instead of the 1/2 c butter? I just donโt have any on hand…
Sam
You can substitute the 1/2 cup of butter for a 1/2 cup of oil, but I am not sure how the texture and taste of the cake will be altered.
Lizzy
Hi Ms. Sam,
Iโm so very glad I stumbled upon ur recipe – I love baking, but am not known for โvanillaโ cakes – but my dear friend asked me to make one for her daughters birthday – TODAY!! Hahahha!!
Itโs in the oven now- making it a 3-layer cake, the batter distributed evenly into 3 round 8โ cake pans ๐
Iโll update later this evening, after I get everyoneโs feedback ๐
Best wishes,
TastyDishesbyLizzy on FB
Sam
I hope everyone loves it! โบ๏ธ
Lizzy
The cake was super delicious!!! Super moist! Love it!!! Will keep handy should I ever need another vanilla cake ๐๐ Best Wishes to You!
Carmen
How can I use this recipe with 6 inch pans? Just longer cooking time? How long does the cake stay moist? Iโm trying to make it for my daughters bday and I keep having trouble with another recipe that uses butter and oil. It gets dry in the refrigerator.
Sam
Hi Carmen! How long in advance are you making it? The cake can stay out of refrigeration for 2-3 days in an air tight container. If it must be refrigerated, I would recommend wrapping the cakes individually before placing in the refrigerator, in order to keep the air from getting to them. I have not tried baking it in 6 inch pans but it would definitely have to bake for a little bit longer.
hannah chynoweth
1 full tablespoon of Vanilla extract? 1 full tablespoon of Baking Powder? and 4 eggs? …. is that accurate? Never have I ever seen those ratios in a cake recipe before.
Sam
Yup! It’s accurate, I hope you love the cake, Hannah!
Hannah Chynoweth
Ok, i just had to be sure! i’m about to make it now, i’ll let you know how it turns out ๐
Mindy
I am trying to make a 16 inch cake, would I need to double this recipe?
Sam
The recipe makes enough for 2, 8 inch round cakes. I have not made the cake in that large of a pan but I don’t think you would need to double it for that size pan.
Stacey
Just saw the recipe and am anxious to make it! Sounds so easy and yummy ! Will let you know tomorrow when I make it. Thank you!๐
Sam
I can’t wait to hear the results! I know you are going to love it! โบ๏ธ
Divya Gupta
Hi dear. I want to make this into 10 inch cakes. Can you recommend how I should alter the quantity of ingredients and cooking time.
Sam
You can bake the recipe in a 10 inch pan, but the cook time would be shorter, just start checking them a little earlier.
Lulu
I have tried so many vanilla cake recipe, it’s frustrating that I never liked any of them. And then I chanced upon yours and have been making them again and again! Thank you so much for sharing this perfect recipe!
Sam
YAY! I am so glad you like it! I hope you find more to enjoy on my site! โบ๏ธ