With its outstanding vanilla flavor, pillowy soft crumb, and creamy vanilla buttercream, this is truly the best vanilla cake Iโve ever had. And after 1 bite, I guarantee youโll agree.
Out of all the cake recipes on my website, thereโs a glaring absence. Thereโs white cake with a pristine soft crumb, vanilla naked cake with a flavorful tight crumb, and checkerboard cake with a whimsical design.
What about a classic vanilla layer cake draped in vanilla buttercream? I already have homemade vanilla cupcakes and a vanilla 6 inch cake covered and now in all its crowning glory (and after plenty recipe testing catastrophes), I present you with cake perfection:
This is the best vanilla cake Iโve ever had.
What Makes it the Best Vanilla Cake?
Letโs count the ways!
- Soft, light crumb from cake flour
- Fluffy from extra egg whites
- Buttery and cakey from creamed butter
- Stick-to-your-fork moist from eggs & buttermilk
- Extra flavor from pure vanilla extract
Not to mention its versatility: This vanilla cake batter is strong enough for shaped cakes, tiered cakes (see the slight variation in my homemade wedding cake recipe), and holds up beautifully under fondant. Use this batter for vanilla cupcakes, Bundt cake, or even piรฑata cake. Itโs classy enough for a wedding celebration, but unassuming enough for a big family dinner.
Behind the Vanilla Cake Recipe
After years of cake successes and flops, Iโm confident in this homemade vanilla cake. During my recipe testing, I combined my white cake recipe and naked cake recipe. These are two reader favorites and I knew theyโd be the best starting point. At first there were too many eggs and I quickly learned sifting cake flour was NOT doing any favors.
You need the following power ingredients:
- Cake Flour: If you want a fluffy and soft bakery-style vanilla cake, cake flour is the secret. The cake will be denser and heavier using all-purpose flour.
- Eggs & 2 additional egg whites: 3 whole eggs provide structure, moisture, and richness. 2 extra egg whites keep the cake light and airy. I donโt recommend using 4 whole eggs; stick to the 3 egg & 2 egg white combination.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Remember the differences in baking powder vs baking soda and why we use both in some recipes? Using enough baking powder to give these layers height gave the cake a bitter aftertaste. Baking soda allows us to use less baking powder.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is an acidic ingredient and baking soda requires an acid to work. Plus buttermilk yields an EXTRA moist cake crumb. See recipe note about using a DIY buttermilk substitute.
For more prominent vanilla flavor, use homemade vanilla extract. (What a fun DIY gift!) This vanilla cake batter is moderately thick and fits perfectly in 3 9-inch cake pans. We actually use the same exact batter to make snickerdoodle cake.
Do you know how to level a cake? Let me help. Itโs really easy. You can use a fancy cake leveler, but I use a serrated knife. Carefully slice off the tippy top of the cooled cake layers, creating a flat surface. Leveling cakes doesnโt require a ruler, talent, or any mathematical equations. Instead, just use your eyes, hands, and a knife.
Leveling the cake layers promises a straight and sturdy layer cake.
How Much Frosting Between Cake Layers?
I always eyeball the amount of frosting between cake layers, but I measured when I decorated the pictured cake. The vanilla buttercream recipe below yields about 6 cups of frosting. I recommend you use about 1.5 heaping cups of buttercream between each cake layer and reserve the last 3 cups for outside the cake. If you are going to add a filling such as raspberry cake filling, youโll use less frosting between the layers. You can use this detailed how to assemble and decorate a layer cake post as a guide!
Cake Decoration Inspiration: For a simple look, stick with vanilla buttercream, fresh berries, and mint sprigs. You can also decorate with chocolate buttercream (I recommend the same amount from this piรฑata cake), rainbow sprinkles, a chocolate ganache drip like on this chocolate chip cake, or even beautiful buttercream flowers.
Homemade Vanilla Cake Success Tips
Learn from my mistakes and bake the best cake on the 1st try!
- Follow the recipe closely. Use each power ingredient listed.
- Use room temperature ingredients. The batter mixes together evenly when all the cake ingredients are roughly the same temperature. This also reduces the risk of over-mixing and over-baking. Set out your ingredients 1 hour before beginning. Read more about why room temperature ingredients are important.
- Line your cake pans with parchment. Place your cake pans on a large sheet of parchment paper. Trace the bottom of the cake pan with a pencil. Cut parchment paper into rounds. Grease the pan and the parchment paper. Parchment paper rounds guarantee seamless removal from the pan because the cake slides right out.
- Cool cake layers completely. Iโve tried taking shortcuts by assembling a layer cake with semi-warm cake layers. Well, the frosting completely melts and causes the entire cake to collapse. Make sure each layer is coolโ refrigerate or freeze the layers if you need to!
- Refrigerate decorated cake. After frosting the cake, place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This is optional, but it sets the frosting and cake layers. Youโll get beautifully clean slices because the crumbs are cool and tight.
Great read: Check out Tessaโs Top 10 Best Layer Cake Tips.
Finding the perfect vanilla cake recipe requires a celebration. Luckily we have cake!!!
More Classic Cake Recipes
And here is my perfected vanilla cupcakes recipe.
Print
Best Vanilla Cake
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 12-14 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With its outstanding vanilla flavor, pillowy soft crumb, and creamy vanilla buttercream, this is truly the best vanilla cake Iโve ever had. Make sure you read through the recipe and recipe notes before beginning. This recipe yields approximately 8 cups of batter which is helpful if you need this batter for different cake pan sizes and conversions.
Ingredients
- 3 and 2/3 cups (433g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs + 2 additional egg whites, at room temperature*
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (yes, Tbsp!)
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 5 and 1/2 cups (650g) confectionersโ sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk or heavy cream
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Grease three 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If itโs helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Whisk the cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Beat in the 3 eggs, 2 egg whites, and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. (Mixture will look curdled as a result of the egg liquid and solid butter combining.) Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. With the mixer still running on low, pour in the buttermilk and mix just until combined. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Weigh them to ensure accuracy, if desired. Bake for around 23-26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, itโs done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire cooling rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectionersโ sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add more confectionersโ sugar if frosting is too thin, more milk if frosting is too thick, or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
- Assemble and decorate: Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with about 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with about 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. I use and recommend an icing spatula to apply the frosting.
- Refrigerate cake for at least 1 hour before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let the frosting sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 10 minutes before assembling and frosting. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving. See how to freeze cakes for detailed instructions.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Kitchen Scale (optional) | Cooling Rack | Large Icing Spatula | Cake Turntable | Bench Scraper | Cake Carrier (for storing and transporting)
- 9ร13-inch Cake: I recommend using my white cake batter instead. Both use similar ingredients and produce a deliciously light vanilla cake. See recipe notes for the 9ร13 inch version.
- 2 Layer Cake: I recommend using my 2 layer white cake batter instead. Both use similar ingredients and produce a deliciously light vanilla cake.
- Bundt Cake: This vanilla cake batter will fit into a 10-12 cup or larger Bundt pan. Iโm unsure of the exact bake time (likely around an hour), but use a toothpick to test for doneness. Same oven temperature.
- Cupcakes: Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) for 19-21 minutes. Yields about 3 dozen. Or try my vanilla cupcakes recipe.
- Cake Flour: To prevent a dry-tasting cake, make sure you are spooning and leveling the flour or weighing it. For the best results, I strongly recommend cake flour. You can find it in the baking aisle and I have many more recipes using it. Usually a homemade cake flour substitute works, but this recipe uses far too much cake flour and the homemade substitute is not ideal.
- Eggs: 3 whole eggs provide structure, moisture, and richness. 2 extra egg whites keep the cake light and airy. I donโt recommend using 4 whole eggs; stick to the 3 egg & 2 egg white combination. Here are recipes using leftover egg yolks.
- Buttermilk: If you donโt have buttermilk, you can make a DIY buttermilk substitute. Add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 and 1/2 cups. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake wonโt taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade โbuttermilkโ will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about why room temperature ingredients are important.
- Want chocolate frosting instead? I recommend the recipe/amount of chocolate frosting I use for Piรฑata Cake.
- Sprinkle Cake: To make a sprinkle cake, fold about 3/4 cup (135g) of sprinkles into the cake batter. Avoid nonpareils (the little balls), which tend to bleed their color. Or try this confetti birthday cake, which is quite similar to this recipe.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hello Sally,
I used this recipe for a round 9โณ cake and it was absolutely delicious. I need to bake a cake for a really big crowd, and would like to use this recipe in a really large sheet pan if possible. Maybe a 18ร12 if I can find one. Would I need to triple this recipe and would it even turn out as good. Any suggestions would be welcomed.
Hi Maria, Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Iโve made this recipe two times now for my daughterโs birthday cake and both times came out perfectly! Everyone at the party raved about how delicious it was. Thanks so much for an amazing recipe!
Hi! Could I add vanilla bean to this cake and frosting? If so, how much would you recommend? Thanks!
P.S. Iโve been baking your recipes since 2015! I only ever use yours and they never fail!
Hi Katherine, yes, you can use the same amount of vanilla bean in place of the vanilla extract. Thank you so much for making and trusting our recipesโwe hope you love this cake!
Could i just make this exact cake but just add cocoa to make a choclate cake. I love the texture and moisture of this cake but my granddaughter wants chocolate cake.
Hi Beverly! Unfortunately, itโs not as easy as swapping cocoa powder into this cake. Hereโs our reader favorite chocolate cake recipe instead ๐
Hi Sally!! I was wondering if you would know the exact measurements for box egg whites for this recipe.
Hi Cara, The carton of egg whites should give exact instructions for replacement quantities.
Hi, how does this compare to โThe perfect white cakeโ recipe that is also listed on your page? In which situations would you choose to make this cake instead of the other one โ e.g. is one denser, sturdier, etc.?
Hi TJ, the white cake is made with only egg whites for a pristine white crumb. Itโs just ever so slightly a bit lighter. That one produces 2 layers (or a 9ร13-inch sheet cake), whereas this vanilla version produces 3 layers. Both are fantastic, canโt go wrong with either!
Hi Connie, we havenโt personally tested it. Let us know if you do!
Thank you for the recipe! For the UK readers out there, Iโve had success replacing the cake flour with a supermarket brand of โsponge flourโ. It is 9.4% protein so still a bit high, so I replaced about 25g of the 433g with corn flour (cornstarch in the US). And because it is self-raising, I left out the baking powder and only added a tsp of baking soda to make sure it would still react well with the buttermilk and sour cream.
Following your notes on your Triple Chocolate Cake recipe, I replaced half a cup of buttermilk (120ml) for 90g of sour cream. I baked 2 layers in a 20x30cm tin, which amounts to similar surface area of your 3 9-inch round ones.
Overall it turned out really well! Good moisture and structure and fed a crowd.
Hi!
Is it ok to use liquid egg whites rather than egg whites from an egg?
Hi Amy, you can use carton egg whites if needed.
This cake is magnificent, itโs the lightest most flavorful cake I have ever made. I made it for= my cousins birthday and my sister who doesnโt really like vanilla said it was the best cake she ever had.
I have some vanilla sugar I would like to use up. Can I replace the regular sugar for vanilla sugar?
Hi Emily, yes, absolutely! Vanilla sugar would be fantastic in this cake.
Can you use GF 1:1 flour? Thanks so much!
Hi Tiersa, we havenโt tested this recipe with gluten free flour, so weโre unsure of the exact results.
Hi, I made this cake and even timed how long I beat each step but it didnโt rise as much as expected and many large air holes.
Also can I make it less sweet somehiw?
Hi Sandra! These arenโt super thick cake layers, but a cake can be too flat if itโs been over-mixed (all mixers are a little different!), or your baking powder or soda could be getting old as well. Some small bubbles in cakes are normal, but if you have larger bubbles or holes in your cakes it could be from any number of reasons. Some common causes of air bubbles are over-mixing the batter, using too much leavener, or adding the eggs all at once instead of one at a time. If the cake seemed a bit dry and dense (with the exception of the tops), this post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes may be helpful to review, too. Hope this helps for next time and thank you for giving this recipe a try!
Iโm from the UK!
Iโve made this cake before with plain flour and baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Worked fine.
This time making the cake I have found some cake flour which is self raising. Do I still need to add the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda? I donโt want my cake to over rise!
Hi Martha, the use of self rising flour would require additional recipe testing so we canโt confidently recommend how to use it. Because it has leaveners already added into it, itโs best to use a recipe that is written specifically for self rising flour and stick to all purpose for this cake.
I used AP flour just because that is what I had, otherwise followed instructions (using white vinegar + 2% milk for buttermilk), and it came out absolutely perfect. So delicious. Sallyโs recipes never disappoint me!
Hi Sally, is it possible to make a half recipe for this cake?
Hi Nate, you can halve this recipe if needed. This cake pan sizes and conversions guide may also be helpful for scaling to a smaller pan.
I tried this recipe and even though I reduced the amount of sugar, it came out extremely sweet. I only added 1 1/2 cups of sugar instead of 2 and it still came out super sweet. Not sure why it has so many good reviews.
Hi Sally, I want to attempt this recipe but only have 1 9in springform cake pan. Do you recommend that I reduce this recipe at all and if so by how much? Thank you
Hi L, if you have a sturdy, reliable springform pan that doesnโt leak, you can use it for this recipe. However, we donโt recommend baking it all in one pan. That will be a bit too much batter and will cause it to rise and bake unevenly. Itโs best to bake the cake in individual layers, so if you only have one pan, you can leave the remaining batter covered at room temperature while waiting for the baking layer to finish. Hope this helps and that you enjoy the cake!