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! ★★★★★“
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… ★★★★★“
One reader, Rary, commented: “Off. The. Charts. Absolutely scrumptious! ★★★★★“
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 piñata 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 piñata 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 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, a Tablespoon!)
- 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) confectioners’ 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 350°F (177°C). 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: 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: 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, 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)
- 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: 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 at 350°F (177°C) 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 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 don’t 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 won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” 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 Piñata 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 used this cake to make a tres leches cake and it came out incredible! The cake was super moist! Highly recommend!
Delicious! came out perfect and very yummy. Will definitely save this recipe to do it every-time.
Dear Sallie:
I made the cake for my husband’s birthday 2 days ago. I cut the ingredients in half, and used 2 7 by 2 inch round pans. The batter fit perfectly. I also cut the vanilla frosting in half. My family of 8 rant and raved on how extraordinary this cake was!! (It really was amazing). Thank you so very much from all of us! Raquel M.
Hi, I’m wondering if I want to just use egg whites so I can color the layers easier how many egg whites would I use and would that be ok?
Hi Tracy, For a cake made with just egg whites I recommend following my recipe for Favorite White Cake.
Can this be made into a marble cake by holding some batter back and adding cocoa or melted chocolate?
Hi Jane, I haven’t tested it. I recommend my zebra cake if you’re looking for a marble cake. You can swirl the batters together instead of doing the zebra design.
The best vanilla cake I’ve ever made.
Can the buttermilk be low-fat (1%) for this recipe or would it be better to use your buttermilk substitute?
Hi Victoria, I actually use low fat buttermilk. My grocery doesn’t even sell the whole stuff!
We made the cake flour, buttermilk, followed all instruction and it came out dense, not fluffy. What are we doing wrong?
You can use my post How to Prevent a Dry or Dense Cake to help troubleshoot!
I made this for my birthday, perfect!!! Not too sweet, which went perfectly with your Swiss meringue buttercream (slight fail with that but still delicious!) I sandwiched each layer with homemade jam and whipped cream. Will make again!
Hi! I would love to use this recipe for a three layer 6 inch cake. I know you personally use the cupcake recipe, but I like this recipe better! So how can I adjust the quantities or cooking times to make it work?
Thanks for your help!
Hi Alyssa! This cake pan sizes and conversions page will help.
Omg this cake is amazing!!!!! Came out perfectly, first time trying to bake a cake. It is DELICIOUS
Hi! Can you tell me roughly how many cups of batter this recipe makes? Do you know how many cups you use in each layer? Thank you!
Hi Laura! This recipe yields *about* 8 cups of batter. Use about 2 and 2/3 cups of batter per layer 🙂
Wonderful taste – not too sweet! Very moist and love the vanilla flavor. I really appreciated all the tips- definitely helped to make the cake great!
Love cake as much as I do and need to use up some buttermilk? This vanilla cake is perfect. Au revoir to store purchased cake flour. I made my own, thanks to Sally for her substitution recommendation. The only change I made was 1/2 less sugar. Half is already gone. Didn’t even had time to cool or frost.
Hello from the UK! I love your website and the way you take the time to explain everything – you are a star!
If I was to use self-raising flour, how would you adjust the amount of baking powder, baking soda and/or buttermilk?
Many thanks & stay safe!
Hi Michael, thank you! I’m really unsure. For best results, I really recommend sticking with the recipe.
Planning to make this for my son’s 1st birthday in 6 inch pans for his personal cake. Any suggestions on adjusting baking times? Hoping I’ll have enough batter to do 2 six inch and an 8 inch layer (for the rest of the family).
Hi Corynne, Here is everything you need to know, including bake times, about 6 inch cakes.
Hello! I made this over 2 days but after refrigerating the frosting it is much thicker the next day and hard to spread. Any tips?
Beat the frosting on medium speed for a few seconds so it’s creamy again. Adding a splash of heavy cream or milk will help thin the thawed frosting out again, if needed.
I am going to be making two 9×13 sized cakes. I need the rectangle size for decorating. Ill be stacking them on top of the other just like you do with the round. Would you recommend this recipe or the white cake like you have in the comments after the recipe.
Just made this in quarantine for my mother-in-laws birthday and it was PERFECT! Followed the recipe as is and it came out delicious. Everyone loved it.
Hi Sally! Can I cut the recipe to 1/3? I want to make a small cake only Let me know if it will work! Thank you!
You can. Or follow the recipe for my one layer strawberry shortcake cake if you don’t feel like doing that math 🙂
Hi! I can’t wait to make this cake tomorrow, but I just got a bunch of new extracts I’ve wanted to try- especially my almond extract and coconut! Do you think I should just sub in a tbsp of extract in place of the vanilla, or what would you advise? Thank you!
Hi Olivia, I like to use vanilla with other extracts for the best flavor. For example you can use half vanilla and half almond, 3/4 vanilla 1/4 almond, or whatever ratio you are hoping for (remember that almond extract is very strong!).
Hi! Can I use this buttercream recipe for piping? Is it stiff enough to hold a rosette swirly pattern all around the cake? It will be my first attempt at a birthday cake. Thanks!
Yes, I pipe with this frosting all the time. You can add more confectioners sugar if you would like it to be thicker. You can see how I pipe easy roses here, and how I cover a cake with simple buttercream flowers here.
Hello! Is it possible to 1.5x the recipe for thicker/taller layers?
I’m newer to baking, but want to make thin layers of vanilla cake by slicing each pan by half (6 thin layers instead of 3 big layers). Maybe this sounds silly and isn’t how it works!
For the best results make one recipe at a time. Working with too much batter runs the risk of under or over mixing which leads to a tough dense cake. Only fill each pan 2/3 full, they won’t bake evenly or rise properly with too much batter in the pan. It would be best to bake six thinner layers than thick ones that you slice in half.
Hi Sally!
I made this cake today and it was delicious! My family loved it! I was wondering if this recipe is big enough to use in a 12 by 18 in sheet pan?
I’m so happy your family loved it, Shelby! I haven’t tested this batter in that size pan but you can visit my post on Cake Pan Sizes and Conversions for help determining how much batter you would need.
Love your website. Especially thank you for including weight of ingredients because Australian measures are different to US.
Hi Sally,
Thank you for literally the worlds best vanilla cake. Wow! I’ve made it a few times now, one for my brothers wedding cake! To say its loved is an understatement. I wanted to ask you about adding raspberries to the batter. My daughters birthday is coming up and she loves raspberries and I thought it could look cute, as well as taste yummy. Will you let me know if this would mess up the consistency or if there is a way to make it work?
Thank you!!!
Hi Allina! I’m so glad to hear you enjoy this vanilla cake recipe. Toss 1-1 and 1/2 cups of fresh raspberries with 1 Tablespoon of flour and gently fold into the batter. The bake time may be a little longer.
Awesome vanilla cake. I am definitely going to use this again in the future. I make a lot of cakes for people and parties, but very rarely vanilla. This cake would make me want to make vanilla cake more often.
I followed exactly and because I did not have cake flour I made it as described. Turned out perfect. Will absolutely be using this recipe again in the future
This recipe works really well. Thanks for sharing!
This is my new go-to recipe. It is my favorite for so many reasons:
I love that the icing pairs so well with the cake.
I love the cake batter is so thick and not runny!
I love the taste of it!
I love the info beside the vanilla in the ingredient list as well as the info in parentheses in the directions. They were on point to what was going through my head!
I love how easy it was to follow.
I will forever line my pans with parchment paper because of this recipe.
Every step was perfect.
Thank you for this!
I want to try this recipe, but only have two 9-inch cake pans. Would it be okay to let some of the batter sit while I bake the first two layers, and then bake the third?
Hi Ella, You can cover the remaining batter at room temperature while the first two layers bake. Or if you would like to make a two layer cake I recommend using my White Cake batter instead. Both use similar ingredients and produce a deliciously light vanilla cake.