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.
mark
What do I need to change in terms of ratios and cooking time if I use two 9 inch pans.
Sam
You’ll need to reduce the baking time by several minutes, that’s all 🙂
Sarah
By far the best vanilla cake I’ve made! Easy to make and delicious, really light and fluffly!
Sam
I am so happy to hear it was such a it! thank you for commenting, Sarah!
Samira
Hi, can I use this recipe as a tea cake without the chocolate frosting on top. I will use several pans to divide the batter. Or reduce the batter by half.
Thanks
Sam
Hi Samira! I’m not very familiar with making a tea cake to be able to compare this batter to a tea cake. You can certainly bake it in smaller dishes and leave the frosting off if you’d like. 🙂
Thanh
Great cake recipe!!! First time Baker and glad I stumble on this recipe. Had to make one for my son third bday. And he loved it!. Or maybe it was the kinder chocolate deco.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the cake so much! 🙂
jessica
hi! can i sub the ap flour for cake flour? i don’t have cake flour on hand but could i use the homemade version where i sub 2 tablespoons of the flour for cornstarch ? thank you!
Sam
Hi Jessica! I wouldn’t go through the trouble of making a cake flour mix, just stick to the all purpose flour here, it will turn out better. 🙂
Deepa
Hi. Thanks for sharing your recipes. ! Really enjoy your recipes and find it easy to follow!
I don’t have unsalted butter what can I use as substitute instead? Can I use vegetable shortening?
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Deepa! If you don’t have unsalted butter, you can use salted butter and then just omit the salt added. I have not tried using shortening with this recipe, so I am not sure how it will do.
JoAnne
I am limited on supplies, but wanted to pull this off for my hubby’s birthday tomorrow. Do you think I can put this is a Bundt cake pan and then drizzle with a frosting? I only have one stick of butter that I need for the cake, so no hope of a buttercream frosting this time around!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, JoAnne! I think that it will work nicely in a bundt pan with drizzled icing on top. You just want to keep an eye on it while it bakes since the bake time will be different than what is listed. I hope that your husband has a nice birthday and enjoys the cake. 🙂
Yvonne
My cake came out perfect! Thanks for your recipe.
Sam
I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out, Yvonne! 🙂
Mikayla
How can I infuse orange flavor (fresh grated zest) into this cake?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Mikayla! My best guess (without testing) would be to add fresh orange zest (1 Tablespoon orange zest) and replace 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract with orange juice. Again, I have not tested this so you will have to experiment. Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Toni Walsh
Like everyone I am staying home these days. I do not have buttermilk – can I sub whole milk?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Toni! Yes, that will be fine. I also have a recipe for a buttermilk substitute that you can try. 🙂
Ira
I’m planning on making this tomorrow. Do I need to double the recipe for 10” cake pans? I’m going for two layers 🙂 thank you so much!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Ira! This cake currently makes (2) 8″ cakes. If you wish to make (2) 10″ cakes, I would make the recipe + 1/2 of a second batch. Enjoy! 🙂
Texas
followed to a T and ended up tasting very “Flour-y” hmm… overbake maybe?
Sugar Spun Run
Oh no! I am so sorry that this happened. If the cake tastes “flour-y” and was on the drier side, this is a result of over measuring the flour. This is a common mistake in baking so I have created a guide on how to measure flour properly that can be used as a reference for next time.
Katherine
Can I add sprinkles to make it a confetti cake?
Also, any thoughts on how to increase ratios if I want to bake it in 3 9in pans? I was thinking 1.5x.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Katherine! I actually have a recipe for funfetti cake that has the measurements already calculated that I would recommend using instead. It uses 3 8-inch round cake pans, but 9″ pans will work fine. Since you will be using 9″ pans, they will just need a few minutes less time to bake so I would keep an eye on them. Enjoy! 🙂
Laura
We want to bake a small, tall/narrow cake. Will one batch make 3 or 4 6” layers? And should I use regular flour or cake flour, I have both. Plan to bake day before, cool completely and wrap air tight in Saran Wrap overnight in fridge before frosting. Do you think this will be ok? Sometimes my cakes come out dry and I can never figure out why!!!
Sam
Hi Laura! The batter won’t make quite enough for 3 6″ cakes. You would need to increase the batter by at least 25%. You can definitely bake them the day before. I am not sure of a baking time for a 6 inch pan, just keep a close eye on it and be sure to use the toothpick test. You don’t want that toothpick to come out completely dry or your cakes will be dry when you go to eat them. The cake can also be dry from over-mixing so be careful not to over-mix the batter. Good luck! 🙂
Jackie
Can I use s 13×9 metal pan? How long should the vanilla cake bake? Keep the temp at 350?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Jackie! This recipe fits perfectly in a 13″ x 9″ baking pan. The temperature will remain the same, however, the baking time will be different than what is listed on the directions. Having not tried it myself, I am not certain of the exact time so I recommend just keeping an eye on it. Enjoy! 🙂
Leslie
I don’t have canola or vegetable oil. I only have grapeseed oil, will that still work?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Leslie! Grapeseed oil is neutral in flavor so it SHOULD work fine. Keep me posted on how your cake turns out. 🙂
Colin Shiby
How long does making the cake take?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Colin! This cake takes just over an hour to make (Prep Time: 30 mins, Cook Time: 35 minutes). This is just an estimate and is based on what recipe lists for pan size, etc. Decorating time has been included in this time estimate. 🙂