My perfectly soft, plush Vanilla Cake is exactly what a real cake should really taste like. The sweet, tender crumb pairs perfectly with your favorite frosting for an understated elegance that is approximately 1,000x better than your average box mix.
I love over-the-top cake flavors and combinations, but the timeless simplicity of a slice of perfect vanilla cake is 100% deserving of our attention as well. So I tested a number of vanilla cake recipes and ingredient ratios to bring you what I think is the best vanilla cake recipe you’ll find anywhere.
This is not your grandma’s bakery-style vanilla sheet cake that is overly sweet to the point of giving you a toothache when you bite into it. Nor is it a box cake mix version that I find lacks dimension and actual flavor (and yes, vanilla most definitely has it’s own unique flavor!).
Instead, my carefully tested version uses real ingredients that you most likely already have in your own pantry so you can whip up a lovely dessert for any celebration or occasion, whether it is for a birthday, bridal shower, or just because.
What is the difference between a vanilla cake, yellow cake, and white cake?
Although very similar and their terms are often used interchangeably, there are actually some distinct differences, at least in my mind, between a vanilla cake, a yellow cake, and a white cake.
Vanilla Cake: Moist, tender crumb with a rich, buttery vanilla flavor thanks to a combination of whole eggs, butter & oil, and plenty of pure vanilla extract. Has a slightly off-white hue, primarily thanks to the inclusion of egg yolks and butter.
White Cake: Similar flavor profile though less vanilla-forward, leaning more towards a boxed cake mix flavor. Nearly pure white thanks to using egg whites instead of whole eggs with yolks, oil only instead of a combination of butter and oil, and clear vanilla extract.
Yellow Cake: This is what I think of when I think of a typical birthday cake from my childhood. It’s more butter-forward and almost always paired with chocolate frosting and sprinkles.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the printable recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Granulated Sugar: Add sweetness to the cake sponge.
- Butter & oil: A combination of butter and oil provides the best of both worlds in terms of texture and flavor. If using unsalted butter, add an extra ¼ teaspoon of salt to the recipe.
- Eggs: Use room temperature eggs to ensure they mix evenly into the cake batter.
- Vanilla Extract: I love using my homemade vanilla extract in this recipe. I do not recommend using imitation vanilla here.
- All-Purpose Flour: You can use cake flour for a slightly lighter crumb, but I really wanted this recipe to be accessible to all home bakers without an extra trip to the store.
- Baking Powder, Baking Soda, & Salt: For leavening and flavoring the cake.
- Buttermilk: I love using buttermilk in baked goods both for the richness, moisture, and tenderizing properties, as well as the subtle tang that balances out the sweetness.
How to Make Vanilla Cake from Scratch
- Cream butter, oil, and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, oil, and sugar for 2-3 minutes until creamy and light in color using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer or a hand mixer.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Be sure to stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure the batter mixing evenly.
- Add dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately. Because I’m a lazy baker, I add half of the flour along with all of the baking powder, baking soda, and salt first rather than whisking them together in a separate bowl, then mix on low speed just until there are only a few streaks of flour remaining. Then add half of the buttermilk and mix again on low speed. Repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk until you have a nice, smooth batter.
- Bake. Evenly divide the cake batter between two 8-inch cake pans that have been lined with parchment paper circles and sprayed with baking spray. I like to weigh each layer to make sure I have an equal amount of batter in each pan, but you can eyeball it if that isn’t important to you. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center of each cake comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Do not overbake.
- Cool completely. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10-15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Make the frosting. If using the vanilla frosting recipe below, beat the butter until creamy and smooth, then add the powdered sugar, mixing on low speed just until they start to combine. Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract, then beat on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes until nice and light. The frosting should be spreadable and smooth.
- Frost. Level off your cake layers, if needed, and place the bottom layer on a cake stand or plate. Add a generous layer of frosting, then top with the second layer of cake. Frosting the top and sides of the cake, reserving some of the frosting for piping decorative swirls around the top, if desired. I opted for a thick layer of frosting with a rustic, swoopy finish and sprinkles instead for an authentically homemade look and feel great about that choice.
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes, you can use cake flour for a slightly lighter crumb, but I really wanted this recipe to be accessible to all home bakers without an extra trip to the store. You will use an equal amount of cake flour in place of all-purpose flour.
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make an easy replacement by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup, then filling it the rest of the way with milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes. Another good option is to replace the buttermilk with ½ cup sour cream and ¾ cup of regular milk.
Yes, absolutely! This recipe is perfect for a vanilla sheet cake that you can either frost in the pan itself or turn out and frost and decorate like one from a bakery. You will still bake it for around 30 minutes.
You’re layers will be slightly thinner but yes, you can use 9-inch pans instead. Just reduce the baking time to 25 to 30 minutes.
Yes, just fill each cupcake holder ¾ full and bake for around 17 to 19 minutes until the tops spring back to the touch.
Yes, you can add sprinkles to the cake batter, or just follow my homemade funfetti cake recipe instead.
I actually do not recommend refrigerating cake because it makes it taste stale faster. Instead, store it on the counter, or freeze individual slices.
Best Frosting for Vanilla Cake
Instead of a vanilla frosting, this cake would be fantastic with my homemade rainbow chip frosting, chocolate buttercream frosting, cream cheese frosting or guava frosting for a tropical twist (so good!).
Or for a slightly less sweet option, try my Swiss meringue buttercream for a silky smooth finish that many people prefer to American buttercream.
Storage & Freezing
Storage: Keep any uneaten cake stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days. I like to just keep it on a cake stand with a glass dome on top because not only does it stay fresh, but it’s also so pretty to look at!
Freezing: If you have leftover cake slices and want to be able to enjoy one anytime you get the urge, I recommend laying individual slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then covering with plastic wrap and flash freezing for 1-2 hours. Then carefully wrap each cake slice in plastic wrap and transfer to a resealable freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to enjoy, remove a cake slice from the freezer and let it thaw completely at room temperature.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Unfrosted cake layers freeze very well so you can make them in advance and freeze them wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 2 months until ready to assemble.
You can also make the buttercream up to 1 week ahead and store in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container. Let it sit out at room temperature until completely thawed and room temperature, then beat again with a mixer until smooth and spreadable before assembling the cake.
More Cake Recipes
- Best Homemade Strawberry Cake
- Devil’s Food Cake with Chocolate Frosting
- Moist Coconut Cake
- German Chocolate Cake
- Southern Caramel Cake
Perfect Vanilla Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 8-Inch Round Cake Pans
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 2/3 cup (375g) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 1/2 cups salted butter
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup heavy cream (milk will work in a pinch)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles and spray with baking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, oil, and sugar until creamy and light, about 2-3 minutes.½ cup salted butter, ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until combined. Stir in the vanilla and stop to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.4 large eggs, 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until only a few streaks of flour remain. Add half of the buttermilk, mixing again on low speed. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, stirring on low speed or by hand just until the batter is combined. Do not overmix.2 2/3 cup (375g) all-purpose flour, 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Do not overbake.
- Cool completely in the pans for 10-15 minutes before turning the cakes out onto wire cooling racks to finish cooling before assembling.
- Make the frosting by beating the softened butter in a large mixing bowl until creamy and smooth. Add half of the powdered sugar, mixing on low speed until it starts to combine with the butter. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix again. Add the cream and vanilla, then increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 3-4 minutes until creamy and light.1 ½ cups salted butter, 6 cups powdered sugar, ⅓ cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- To assemble, place one cake layer on a cake stand or plate and frost with a generous amount of frosting. Add the top layer and frost the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with swirls of frosting and sprinkles, if desired.
Notes
- Buttermilk Substitute: Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup, then fill it the rest of the way with milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using with an additional ¼ cup milk to replace the 1 ¼ cups buttermilk called for in the recipe. Another option is to replace the buttermilk with ½ cup sour cream and ¾ cup of regular milk.
- Storage: Keep any uneaten cake stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Flash freeze individual cake slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then carefully wrap each cake slice in plastic wrap and transfer to a resealable freezer-safe container to freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to enjoy, remove a cake slice from the freezer and let it thaw completely at room temperature.
- Make-Ahead: Unfrosted cake layers freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 2 months until ready to assemble. You can also make the buttercream up to 1 week ahead and store in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container. Let it sit out at room temperature until completely thawed and room temperature, then beat again with a mixer until smooth and spreadable before assembling the cake.
- 9×13-inch pan: Bake for around 28-30 minutes.
- 9-inch pans: Bake for 25-28 minutes.
- Cupcakes: Fill ¾ full. Bake for 17-19 minutes.
It takes as much time to make a cake mix cake, then add all the additional ingredients, plus add the added ingredients to make it taste like a scratch cake as a scratch cake. Plus cake mixes are ridiculously expensive and loaded with preservatives and other chemicals. Cake mixes are made with the cheapest ingredients available ingredients the manufacturer can find to make the cake mixes as cheaply as possible, yet charge a premium price. Thus making the the cake mix cake takes as much time, or more to make a scratch cake. A scratch a tastes so much better than a cake mix cake and home ingredients are much higher in quality. There are no additives, preservatives, artificial coloring, or other chemicals in it.
Perfect in every way! It even wirked at high altitude.
Thank you, Courtney! I’m so glad you tried it and enjoyed it!
I really like 3 layer 9 in cakes but I will try this. I lost a recipe for a 4 layer yellow cake years ago. I use to frost it with cooke chocolate or caramel. I like theat it calls for buttermilk. I will try this looks soooo good.
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For the sugars that are used in the cake, I want to use 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, and 1/2 cup dark brown sugar. I also want to add mini chocolate chips to the cake batter. Do you think these changes will work well?
Yes, I think that these could all work since the amount of the sugar is staying the same. You might want to toss the mini chocolate chips in a tablespoon of flour to help prevent them from sinking while the cake layers bake though. I would love to hear how it turns out if you make those changes!
I was wondering if I can increase the buttermilk to 1 1/2 cups and add 1/2 cup sour cream. Or if I can reduce the buttermilk to 1 cup and add 1/2 cup sour cream. Also, I want to increase the sugar to 2 cups. Please let me know if these changes work.
Those are some fairly substantial changes and would require some testing to make sure they all work.
And can I add an additional egg?
Yes, that probably won’t affect it too much.
I was trying to read the page, but it keeps jumping me back to the top of the page. Just wanted to let you know. It’s impossible to scroll for long. Not sure if it’s a glitch with the ads.
Hmmm I am sorry! It most likely is a glitch with the ads which unfortunately is out of my control. I have no control where the ads get placed or what ads are displayed. I haven’t had an issue with that though where it jumps back to the top. I’ll see if there is anything I can do!