With its outstanding vanilla flavor, pillowy soft crumb, and creamy vanilla buttercream, this is truly the best vanilla cake I’ve ever had. And after 1 bite, I guarantee you’ll agree.
One reader, Sarah, commented: “This cake is elite. Texture, flavor, sturdiness for frosting and decorating, freezes well… It was a beautiful centerpiece and dessert for a baby shower. Thank you! โ โ โ โ โ “
One reader, Candice, commented: “This is truly the best vanilla cake I have ever tasted! It is among the best cakes I have made in my 20+ years of baking… โ โ โ โ โ “
One reader, Rary, commented: “Off. The. Charts. Absolutely scrumptious! โ โ โ โ โ “
Out of all the cake recipes on my website, there’s a glaring absence. There’s 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 I’ve ever had.
What Makes it the Best Vanilla Cake?
Let’s 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. It’s 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, I’m 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 they’d 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 don’t 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. It’s 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 doesn’t 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, you’ll 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. I’ve 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 cool– 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. You’ll get beautifully clean slices because the crumbs are cool and tight.
Great read: Check out Tessa’s 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 I’ve 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 flourย (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)ย granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs + 2 additional egg whites, at room temperature*
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (yes, a Tablespoon!)
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml)ย buttermilk, at room temperature*
Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 5 and 1/2 cups (650g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml)ย 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 it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake:ย 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, it’s 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:ย 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 confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add more confectioners’ 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,ย sliceย a thin layer off the tops of the cakesย to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!).ย Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate.ย Evenly cover the top with about 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with 2nd cake layer andย evenly cover the top with about 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with the third cake layer.ย 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 cakeย 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 orย Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Kitchen Scale (optional) | Cooling Rack | Large Icing Spatula | Cake Turntable | Bench Scraper | Cake Carrier (for storing and transporting)ย
- 9×13-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 9×13 inch version.
- 2 Layer Cake:ย 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. I’m 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 atย 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:ย 3 whole eggs provide structure, moisture, and richness. 2 extra egg whites keep the cake light and airy. I don’t 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? Allย refrigerated items should beย at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly.ย Read more about why room temperature ingredients are important.
- Want chocolate frosting instead?ย 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
I am forced to make this cake the day before an event. Will it stay moist in a cake saver for the next day or should I paint the layers with a simple syrup before frosting?
Hi Karen, The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. No need for the simple syrup.
Vanilla cake is very hard to get the right taste. This one tasted like a pancake. Texture was fine, but the flavor was a pancake. Boyfriend liked it and even put maple syrup on it, and yes itโs good, but again I was wanting vanilla cake. I wouldnโt make this again, although if I did then Iโd try using only egg whites (like the coconut cake and strawberry cake on this site which are superb). Boxed vanilla cake mix is still my go-to.
Hi! I am trying to find a very good base vanilla cake to then add maraschino cherries and chopped walnuts to for a cherry/walnut cake. They get folded into the batter and placed on top of the finished cake. Do you think this cake would work for that? Thank you!
Hi Kira, while we havenโt tried it ourselves, a few readers have reported success adding chopped nuts to this batter. Likewise with the cherriesโ-we have tried blueberries successfully, so we imagine chopped cherries should work well. If you do any experimenting, let us know how it turns out!
I’ve used this recipe before and it is really good. If I wanted to add lime juice to it, how much should I add without changing the science too much? Making this cake for my 21st birthday on the 19th of this month.
Hi Jenny, we haven’t tried adding lime juice, but you might have better success with making this lemon cake, and swapping the lemon for lime. Hope it turns out great, and happy birthday!!
I made this today and it’s a very flavorful cake with a tender crumb.
I wish my mother could have tasted it while she was alive. She loved to sit in my kitchen, watch me dance as I cooked and be the official recipe taster. Vanilla was my mom’s favorite and she would have loved this Vanilla Cake
I really want to make a three layer cake with Swiss meringue buttercream. The problem is, this recipe wants the cake in the refrigerator an hour before serving, and the Swiss meringue does better at room temperature. Do you think it would be okay still using the Swiss meringue? Iโd love to use the white cake recipe, but based on the FAQs it doesnโt seem to be intended for a three layer 8 inch cake. Any suggestions??
Hi Lindsey, we do recommend this cake is refrigerated for at least an hour before serving so that the slices keep shape. You can refrigerate Swiss meringue frosting, so we would recommend following the refrigeration. For the white cake recipe, three 8-inch pans work at the same oven temperature, as seen here in our fresh berry cream cake, but the layers are thin. Or, you can use this vanilla cake recipe with 8-inch cake pans for slightly thicker layers in a three layer cake. Evenly distribute the batter between the three pansโdo not fill to the top. You may need an extra minute or two of bake time since the layers will be thicker โ use a toothpick to test for doneness. Or, you can fill the 8 inch pans a little less and use the leftover batter for some cupcakes. We hope this helps!
Hi! Could I make this cake with 8 inch round pans? Would that just affect the oven time?
Hi Camille, you can use this recipe with 8 inch cake pans for slightly thicker layers in a three layer cake. Evenly distribute the batter between the three pansโdo not fill to the top. You may need an extra minute or two of bake time since the layers will be thicker โ use a toothpick to test for doneness. Or, you can fill the 8 inch pans a little less and use the leftover batter for some cupcakes.
I accidentally poured in the buttermilk after mixing the eggs and vanilla- then slowly mixed in the dry.
Will this make a huge difference?
Hi Jennifer, that should be fine, just be careful not to overmix the batter. Hope the cake was a hit!
Hello,
Could I use mango curd in between the layers of this cake with a chantilly cream frosting? Also is it okay to put the sponges in the fridge overnight before decorating it or wrapped tightly at room temp overnight?
Absolutely, Shruthi, That sounds delicious. The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight.
This is my go to cake recipe! It is super easy to make and it comes out delicious every time!!
hello! would it be possible to use oil in place of butter? since oil makes cakes more moist?
Hi Reeba, butter is key to this cakeโs intended taste and texture, so we donโt recommend swapping it.
Can you substitute sour cream for the buttermilk?
Hi Mary, buttermilk (or the DIY version in the recipe Notes) is really best here. Itโs necessary to help activate the baking soda and it helps create an extra moist cake crumb. You could try a combination of sour cream and regular milk (like we do for the bottom layer of our homemade wedding cake), but the crumb will be denser. Hope this helps!
This cake does not come out to the 3 thick layers it shows on the picture. Thatโs even after I measured and weighed everything Itโs more of a 2 layer cake . I had to make it twice to get any height.
Hi Sally! I make this cake ( and many of your other recipes) all the time and it is definitely the Best Vanilla Cake ever! Such a crowd pleaser!
How could I use this recipe to make a 10โ round, 4 layer cake?
Hi Jasmine, we’re so glad this is a favorite for you! You can definitely scale this recipe up as needed. Here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
Hello, I was wondering whether this cake would be suitable/stable enough to make into a novelty cake? Or will it crumble too much when being cut into different shapes? If so, do you have another recipe recommendation? I’ve made many of your cakes but only as round layered cakes.
Hi Mel! We don’t have much experience craving cakes, but this cake should hold up well. Let us know if you give it a try!
I recently made toasted milk powder to add to my cookies and cakes (literally just milk powder on a tray in the oven, stirred a couple times and toasted until golden brown).
I added a generous 1/4 cup to this recipe, and the cake turned out phenomenal. It has the most luxurious crumb, turned out this incredible golden colour, and has a wonderful caramel -more like cadbury caramilk- flavour. This is literally the best cake I’ve ever made, and I have made some pretty good cakes before.
Hi! Does using AP flour make too much of a difference? In my country cake flour is not a thing but I want the recipe to come out as best as possible. Thanks!
Hi Cristina! Cake flour has a lower protein content and guarantees a supremely soft, fluffy crumb. We do not recommend using all-purpose flour in its place for this butter-based cake-โthe cake will be overly heavy and dense. You can try using all-purpose flour + cornstarch to make a DIY cake flour substitute instead. Hope this helps!
I had a question about using this recipe for a sheet cake. My plan is to use a 12 by 18 by 2 inch pan to bake the cake and then cut in in half down the middle to create two 12 by 9 inch layers.
I’m having trouble deciding exactly which recipe and how much of it to use.
I was planning to just use this three layer cake recipe and bake it in the large pan, but it says that it yields 8 cups of batter, and after reading the “cake pan sizes and conversions” page of this website I second guessed that it would be enough, since it says that a 9 by 13 by 2 inch can hold 14 cups of batter and you want to fill it about halfway (7 cups).
I want the cake layers that i’m going to create to be about as thick as a typical layer of a cake, not too much thinner or thicker.
What would you recommend I do?
Sorry for such a complicated question and thanks for your help!
Hi E, we have not tested this recipe in that size pan. What you could do is make 1.5x the batter, fill your pan half way, then use any leftover batter for a few cupcakes on the side. Or, you could simply use this recipe for a sprinkle sheet cake (omit the sprinkles) which was written for that size pan. We hope this helps!
Okay thank you for the tips! would the sprinkle sheet cake be able to be cut in half and stacked ?
Hey. If I were to add fruit to this cake , maybe blueberries and use lemon extract instead of vanilla, would it taste good?
Hi Patricia, for those flavors, we recommend our lemon blueberry cake recipe instead.
Sally, love your recipes. Need to make a white sheet cake for a graduation. (Out of town). Would like to make your Best Vanilla Cake Iโve Ever Had. Would also like to use a Chocolate ganache frosting. You suggest your white cake batter. Any particular reason for suggesting the other cake batter? Please advise. Thanks.
Hi Laurie! We recommend using the batter from our white cake recipe since it makes the correct amount for a 9×13 inch pan. This vanilla cake recipe is larger and would be too much batter.
Hi Sally,
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes. I use many of them, and am never disappointed. Your tips are always so helpful. My question is this….I am making a gender reveal cake and wonder if I can put gel food colouring in this cake batter? Many thanks! Carla
Hi Carla, yes, you can absolutely add gel food coloring to this batter. Just be gentle folding it in so you don’t over-mix the batter.
I love this cake but now I want to make an almond flavor cake,can I sub some of the vanilla for almond extract? I would not do a 1:1 substitute but I want the cake to be almond flavored.
Hi Rachel, absolutely! You could use half vanilla extract and half almond, or even 3/4 vanilla and 1/4 almond depending on how strong you would like the flavor here.