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.
Priscilla Baez
Hellow!
I have a few questions on this recipe. when I measure the half cup of canola oil in the scale its not the 120 ml that you state in the recipe, same with flour, isn’t 1 cup of all purpose flour supposed to be 125 gr. and not 130 gr. like you say on the recipe. same thing with buttermilk, when I measure it in the scale I don’t get 300 ml on the 1 1/4 cup. which measurements and I supposed to use since I notice some are different. for example the butter conversion is correct, but some aren’t.
thanks a lot!
Sam
Hi Priscila! The conversions listed are correct, I make all of my recipes with the weighted ingredients that are listed so they are the ones I’ve used myself. I always recommend using the metric measurements for best results. I hope that helps, and I hope you love the vanilla cake!
Juliana
Hi Sam, I’m a 13 year old and I just made your cake for my little brothers 5th birthday. I personally don’t like vanilla cake but I am very pleased with the outcome and will definitely recommend this recipe and reuse it. Thank you so much.
Sugar Spun Run
Your comment made my day, Juliana! Thank you so much for trying my Vanilla Cake recipe. I am so glad that your brother enjoyed his birthday cake. I hope that you try more of my recipes. Happy Baking! 🙂
Habh
Hi,
Is it ok to line wax paper instead of parchment paper in cake pans prior to cooking. Also will the flavor effect cake ifsubstitute with regular milk and all butter instead of using part vegetable oil.
Thk u.
Habh
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Habh! No, I do not recommend it. Wax paper is not heat-resistant; the wax will melt at high temperatures and the paper itself can catch on fire.
Amber
Recipe’s great and I can’t wait to make it!! But one question, do you have to use chocolate or is any frosting good?
Thanks for all the great recipes😌
Ola
Hi Sam…thank you for the great recipe. Please can i double this recipe for a larger volume?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Ola! Yes, this recipe can be doubled easily. I hope you enjoy the Vanilla Cake! 🙂
Braedan
Can I add sprinkles to the mix or would that disrupt anything?
Sam
You can! I do it often, just stir them in at the end.
Braedan
Thanks, this recipe will work perfectly!
Jo
Hi,
What is the temperature setting for fan forced oven?
Sam
Hi Jo, unfortunately I’m not familiar with fan-forced ovens. I’m hoping someone else who is can chime in, though.
Blimey
I’m looking for a really good Vanilla cake recipe to use for a Checkerboard cake.
Have you (or anyone else) ever used this cake to make a checkerboard cake?
(I’m asking cuz I tried 2 different recipes, & I’m getting frustrated!
Thanks!
Sam
I haven’t but am hoping someone else can chime in. This is a pretty fluffy cake and something a bit denser might work better for a checkerboard cake.
Carole Alce
Can you substitute coconut milk for the buttermilk?
Sam
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. I am inclined to recommend the buttermilk because the acidity is important to getting the right flavor and texture.
Julia Fantini
Can you flavor the milk before you add the vinegar to make buttermilk my boyfriend wants chai tea cupcakes but all the ones I’ve tried are really dense or like a bready texture
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Julia! Chai tea cupcakes sound awesome. This Vanilla Cake will be a nice base for that. To answer your question, I haven’t tried it personally but think it should work fine. Let me know how your cupcakes turn out. I hope your boyfriend enjoys them! 🙂
Chila
It sounds really good do you have to add thecream
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Chila! Are you referring to the buttermilk? If so, the answer is yes. I recommend it. The buttermilk helps keep the cake moist and tender. 🙂
Nokwethemba
Hi Sam
I made this vanilla cake yesterday. Awesome!! Thanks for the recipe.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the cake recipe. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Lily
Hi Sam, I made this cake along with your chocolate frosting for my son’s 1st birthday! It all tasted great, but my cake rose more than expected and it was a little dense. Did I just cook too long? I followed your recipe almost exactly, only differences were my buttermilk was not room temp, and I used shallow 8″ round pans. Even though my execution was off, I will still use your recipe again!
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Lily! I hope that your son had a nice first birthday celebration! I am sorry that the cake turned out dense. The cake could have just been overmixed. When you blend the dry ingredients with wet, you want to mix until blended. When you overmix cake batter, the gluten in the flour can form elastic gluten strands – resulting in a more dense, chewy texture. If the cake was dry, it baked too long. I hope that this helps. Regardless, I hope that the vanilla cake still tasted delicious. 🙂
Roseanne Davenport-West
Hi, loved your cake recipe. Made it for a 78th Birthday, all loved it, also my fostings. I will use it again for sure. Thanks from Australia (Rosie).
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Roseanne! I am so glad that you enjoyed the vanilla cake. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Jess
Hii Ms. Sam,
I got your recipe from a friend. It was the best ever vanilla cake I’ve tasted ever and everything I’ve ever wanted in a vanilla cake.. fluffy, light and tasty
Technically very little air pockets and perfectly moist and melting in mouth.
I tried it right away after that but to my disappointment it didn’t come out well.. the outcome was a dense cake lacking vanilla flavor.
I’ve tried baking various recipes for vanilla cake since i started baking A year ago but haven’t found a single recipe which gives consistent results.
My friend who shared the recipe also hasn’t been able to recreate the same vanilla cake again.
It’s such a shame that this recipe being so amazing (pure vanilla bliss) we are not able to recreate the first vanilla cake again.
Hence after trying again I thought I’d take some tips from you to know what am I doing wrong with the method I make this recipe.
My method:
Ingredients: used in room temperature in the proportions mentioned
Baking equipment: electric oven 1500watts power at 180 degrees Celsius for 45-50 minutes
In one of the attempts I even tried adding beaten egg whites separately in the end to see if makes a difference in the texture.
I would really like to know if technically I’m doing something wrong in the method of creaming the butter and oil or mixing the batter.
Also if it’s possible for you to show a video In real-time how much time does it take for creating this batter that is from the time we start creaming butter to the time the flour is incorporated and ready to be poured into pans.
The lack of vanilla flavor is it due to lack of vanilla extract because i have access to vanilla essence here more easily. I use the vanilla essence double in proportion mentioned for the extract and it still lacks flavor.
Also if this cake can be layered with fresh non diary cream because we live in warm weather here the diary cream doesn’t give good stability for frosting.
Also the cake will it harden once refrigerated after layering.
Thank you so much if you’re seeing this. And sorry to bother you with this long essay.
Would like to hear back from you and know if I can do anything better to make this recipe work for me.
Good day
Sam
Hi Jess!
I am bummed to hear that you haven’t been able to recreate the light, fluffy cake that you had the first time!
I am curious why the cake is needing to bake for so long? Mine usually only needs around 30 minutes to bake at the same temperature. 45-50 minutes at 180C sounds much too long and could certainly result in a dry cake where the vanilla flavor has been compromised. If it actually takes that long (are you doing the toothpick test to see if it is done?) it’s also possible that your oven temperature isn’t accurate, and baking this long on a lower temperature than 180 can also contribute to a cake that doesn’t rise and become fluffy as it should.
I notice you said you use vanilla essence. Unfortunately I’m not familiar with baking with essence but know it isn’t as strong as extract. If doubling the essence isn’t giving you the desired flavor I would be inclined to suggest increasing even more than is indicated. However, if the essence is water-based, you’ll be adding more water into your cake which can actually result in a dry cake 🙁
A few other thoughts:
Since you are baking with Celsius I am assuming that you are weighing your ingredients rather than using cups, is that correct? From what you are explaining my first thought was that the flour was being accidentally over-measured and my suggestion was going to be to try using a kitchen scale, but you may already be doing that!
My second thought would be that the cake is being over-mixed. By chance did you watch my video below the recipe? That is a pretty good visual guide for how the batter would look. Over-mixing can certainly make a cake dense and it’s very important to do this step by hand/with a spatula and definitely not with an electric mixer.
As for your other questions.
I’m not familiar with non-dairy cream but I don’t see why you couldn’t use that for layering so long as you like the taste. All cakes will harden and dry out in the refrigerator, but you can slow down the process by storing in an airtight container.
I really hope that helps!
Jess
Hii Miss Sam,
Glad to hear back from you.
I would try baking it with the tips you mentioned taking the video as a guide.
The oven I have is a Black and Decker electric toaster oven heated with rods And convection heating.
Even my Cupcakes take around 40 minutes that’s something even I don’t understand.
If I remove it anytime before the cake tastes like batter and looks gooey at top.
I’ve baked Dinner Rolls, cookies and Brownies with success it’s the cake which doesn’t quite come right.
The Way I measure my ingredients is according to the recipe always
I always look for cup measure since It’s more convenient.
Flour is always measured by scoop and level
Just the butter I do by weight because sometimes the quantity doesn’t come out well in cup.
You’ve herb really kind to clarify all my doubts.
Thanks a ton 🙂
I will try the recipe again and definitely get back to you.
Have a wonderful day!!
Jess
Hi Ms. Sam,
I’ve come back to let you know I tried the recipe today again after getting an Oven thermometer and finally realising all this while my oven temperature was faulty and had a difference of almost 20 degrees Celsius.
So this time when I baked the results were positive.
The vanilla cake as it says is the fluffy, moist and delicious. A bakers delight.
Just wanted to add that I always use vegetable fat or blended butter spread instead of oil or butter and cake flour instead of all purpose flour especially while making vanilla cakes for a lighter texture.
It sure helps.
Thank you yet again for the helpful reply.
Have a wonderful day and Happy Holidays ahead.
Cheers!!
Sugar Spun Run
I am glad that I could help resolve the issue, Jess! Hopefully, it will help with future baking as well. Thanks for giving my recipe a try again, I am so happy that you had a much better outcome. 🙂
Jennie
Can you freeze this cake?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Jennie! I Have never frozen it but should be fine. 🙂