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 made this cake yesterday for the first time and it was amazing! Delicious and moist. I needed to make it totally dairy free, so I used Country Crock vegan margarine instead of butter, and soymilk with lemon juice for the buttermilk, and it turned out so well! Lots of compliments, even from those without food allergies.Thank you!
I am confused about measurements. You say 3 9 inch layers from 8 cups of batter so less than 23/4 cup per pan but in the article on cake pans you say 9 inch pans hold 8 cups and filling half way I would need four cups so this recipe would make two layers not three. Please clarify and confirm how many cups for an 8 inch pan. Thank you
Hi Judy, we’re happy to help clarify. Correct, a 9 inch round pan holds 8 cups of batter total, or 4 cups when filling them half way. This batter, when distributed across three pans, will be less than half way full. You can equally distribute it across three 8 inch pans for slightly thicker layers—the bake time will be a few minutes longer, since the layers will be slightly thicker. Hope this helps!
I made the recipe in the 8 inch pans and they baked beautifully but took about 35 min. My grandson is celiac so I made a half recipe with gluten free flour (King Arthur measure for measure) but added cornstarch to create gf cake flour. The cake was wonderful and my grandson loved it. The other half I used cake flour and it was great also. Thank you
I am wanting to try this recipe with a 3 or 4 layer 7 inch cake to do customizing with buttercream icing for a bluey cake..would this work for that size? How would you suggest doing it?
Hi Ann, here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
This is absolutely the best cake I have ever had truly! It is moist, the perfect consistency absolutely blown away!!!! I like the tip of measuring the batter once you get it in the pans because it ensures it all cooks the same (time wise). Thank you for the best recipes ever I am constantly impressed everything that I’ve ever made from your website. This cake…WOW…Just WIW!
So glad you enjoyed this vanilla cake! Thank you so much.
I made this cake for the first time today, looks good just out of the oven. Is this cake sturdy enough to use fondant icing for decorating?
Hi Liz! Yes, this cake does well under fondant.
I wanted to make this vanilla cake for some time. My husband & I made it together for my birthday 6-26. It looked like your cake! The flavor was delicious. I was scared to try, but we did it. Now I will make more cakes.
Just awesome. I shall be grateful if you will kindly give me measurements for one Vanilla Cake. Thanks
Hello, attempting this for my nephews birthday. Any tips for trying to use this batter for mini cupcakes? What modifications should I use? Thank you!
Hi Amanda! This large cake would make a TON of mini cupcakes. We recommend using our vanilla cupcakes recipe instead – you can find mini cupcake directions in those recipe instructions.
Sally, I am somewhat new to baking cakes and was wondering if this recipe would work for two 3″ by 8″ rounds. I am making two kids’ birthday cakes, so not too big. This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Thank you! And thank you for the video!
Hi Shauna, this amount of batter wouldn’t fit and bake properly in 2 8-inch pans. I would divide it between 3 3×8-inch pans. If you only have 2, bake the first two cakes, and let the leftover batter sit at room temperature. Give it a whisk when a pan is ready again, then bake the 3rd cake.
Do you use bleached or unbleached cake flour in this recipe? Does it matter which one I use? Also, I see in previous comments that this will work in three 8×3-inch pans. Will it still fit in three 8×2-inch pans?
Hi Shannon, yes, you can use this recipe with 8×2 inch cake pans for slightly thicker layers in a three layer cake. You may need an extra minute or two of bake time since they layers will be thicker – use a toothpick to test for doneness. We prefer using unbleached cake flour, but you can use either.
Hi, my birthday is coming up and I am looking for a vanilla cake recipe that is not to dense (like a pound cake) but not to light as I would like to layer and decorate it.
Would this cake recipe do the trick? It looks delicious.
Hi Hannah, this cake is wonderfully light yet still holds up very well to stacking and decorating. Hope you enjoy it and happy early birthday!
This recipe looks fabulous. Would adding mini chocolate chips to the batter work? Would anything have to be changed if I did this? Would you recommend one or two cups for a 3 layer cake? Thanks so much. I’m making this for a baby shower.
Hi Ellen, You can definitely add mini chocolate chips to this cake. We recommend about 1 – 1.5 cups. You can add them at the end and gently fold them into the batter — being careful not to overmix!
I just made this cake and added mini choc. chips. The cake was amazing. Everyone loved it. It definitely was “the very best vanilla cake.” Thanks again for another delicious recipe.
Hi! Looking to make a vanilla cake for a bridal shower and add pressed wildflowers. When I make your buttercream it is delicious but turns out yellow. Any tips for a white buttercream? I would also appreciate tips for which frosting is best for adhering flowers to the cake. Thank you!
Hi Lindsay, have you tried using a different brand of butter? Sometimes certain brands can cause the buttercream to take on more of a yellow hue. You can also add a (very!) tiny dot of purple food coloring to help offset that hue and make it a brighter white. The buttercream for this cake is our sturdiest frosting, so it should work well for adhering the flowers. Please do let us know how it goes!
Hi there, My oven cannot fit 3 cake tins at once, can I bake the cakes 1 at a time?
Hi Caitlin, yes, you can bake one cake pan at a time (or two if space allows to bake them both on the same rack without touching one another—do not bake on separate racks) and leave the others covered with a clean towel at room temperature until ready to bake.
Going to give this a go this weekend! Do you see any issue in adding lemon zest and/or lemon juice to the batter?
Hi Vanessa, We haven’t tested lemon with this specific recipe (here is our lemon cake if you’re interested!). You can try replacing some of the vanilla extract for lemon extract and add some lemon zest to this batter. We caution adding too much lemon juice, as it can make the batter too liquidy and impact how it bakes up. Let us know what you try!
My go-to recipe when making a vanilla cake! Only thing is though even after adding simple syrup, many customers give feedback that the cake is not as moist as they’d like, do you have any tips on how to make the cake more moist than dry?
If I am making the cake a day before assembling do you recommend that I wrap tightly and place in fridge or leave at room temperature? Also, to retain moisture in the cake do you recommend I brush the layers with simple syrup (I always worry this will sweeten the cake but have read it keeps the cakes moist)? If so, when would I brush the layers, right before assembling or before storing to be decorated the next day?
Hi Treva, if it’s only one day, you can tightly wrap them and leave them at room temperature or in the refrigerator—whichever is your preferred method. We don’t typically use a simple syrup, but you certainly can if you wish! Again, you can brush them before storing or assembling. Hope the cake is a hit!
Hi Sally. Can you divide this cake into 2 layers instead of 3?
Thanks in advance
Hi Natasha, we recommend using our 2 layer white cake batter instead. Both use similar ingredients and produce a deliciously light vanilla cake.
Can I add cocoa to make a chocolate cake. Will it work?
Hi Karlien, here is our chocolate cake recipe instead!
Hello! I have made this cake before and it’s amazing! I need to make it again, but this time I need to do it without eggs. I’ve tried a few other recipes with egg substitutes, but have not had any luck. What would you recommend I try and substitute for this recipe. Thank you.
We haven’t tested this recipe with any egg alternatives but please let us know what you try!
I give 5 stars. I used this recipe many times and keep baking. It’s perfect!
You mentioned that you use about 1.5 cups of frosting for the layers and about 3 cups to cover the outside of the cake. Do these measurements include the crumb layer also? How would that change the measurements if any?
Hi Esta, the 3 cups would include a crumb coat if you wish to use one. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Sally,
You have been my go to for years for baking my family birthday cakes- your recipes never fail! My husband requested an almond cake this year. Do you have a tips on if I can substitute almond extract in this recipe?
Hi Jackie, we recommend using half vanilla extract and half almond, or even 3/4 vanilla and 1/4 almond depending on how strong you would like the flavor. For your buttercream, replace 1 teaspoon of the vanilla with just 1/2 teaspoon. Enjoy
What would be the proportions of other ingredients if I wanted to halve the sugar? I find a 1:1 ratio of sugar and flour to be completely unpalatable, a 1:2 ratio is much better and still very sweet and for a milder sweetness I’ve eaten great cakes with even less. I don’t understand why you would murder every recipe with sugar. I guess it’s cultural in some places. Either way I would really like to try this cake with a more reasonable and edible proportion of sugar.
Sugar is used for moisture and texture in baked goods as well as taste. You can certainly try reducing the sugar, but the resulting texture will be different than intended.
I know it affects the texture, that’s why I asked for the alternate proportions. I’m sorry if my comment wasn’t clear enough about that.
Can I please get an advice on how to change the proportions of the ingredients to reduce sugar to a more reasonable level of 1 cup (200 gram) and maintain a similar but not necessarily identical texture?
Hi Jane, I can’t give a specific recipe or different proportions without testing it extensively first. You could certainly try reducing down to 200g of sugar, and adding a little more buttermilk, but it hasn’t been specifically tested. Let us know if you try it!
Hi. Can I add some vanilla bean to this recipe? If so, how much and how would you recommend I adjust the vanilla extract? Thanks!
Hi Kate, vanilla bean paste is a wonderful replacement for the vanilla extract. Most vanilla bean pastes come with substitution instructions– you usually use about half the amount when subbing in for vanilla extract.
This cake amazed me.I separated the batter and added some cocoa to make a checkered cake. It was so delicious and moist. I’m saving this one!
This cake and icing was so easy and sooo yummy! I added sprinkles to the batter and blue food colouring to the icing for my sons first birthday cake. Thank you for the recipe I’ll definitely use this again!
Hi! Once the cake is done, how many days can it last in fridge until it “goes bad”.
Hi Elizabeth, We recommend keeping this in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Hi, I’m looking to make my daughter a ladybird cake, which involves the shape of a pudding tin (turned upside down) for the back/body part with a muffin shape attached to the front as the head. Would this recipe be able to do a pudding tin? I would assume it would need much more cook time being so fat and full in shape?
Hi Nat, we haven’t baked this batter in a larger pudding tin before, so we’re really unsure how it would work out. Depending on the size, we fear the batter may bake unevenly in such a large pan. If you do decide to give it a try, please let us know how it goes!
Thanks Lexi, (my daughters name is Lexie 🙂 )
I might try this today so I have a backup day. Will the cake still taste fresh 2 days in advance if all goes well?
Hi Nat, if covered properly to keep the air out, that should be just fine. Hope it’s a hit!
Hi Sally
What would be the ingredients for this cake for a 4 later 10inch please. Would like to use this recipe for my daughters gender reveal.
Hi Michelle, here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions. Hope the cake is a hit!
My son is wanting a rainbow cake for his birthday. I figured I could use this but instead of filling the pans up for 3 layers half the batter in each pan and do 6 layers instead. Any suggestion on baking time adjustments? I don’t need a cake that is 6 FULL layers cause that would be MASSIVE.
Hi Ashley, yes, many readers have reported success making thinner layers for a rainbow cake. Bake time will be a bit shorter with less batter in the pan. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Enjoy!
Thank you! I am trying it out. Looks delicious!
Very impressive. Easy to follow for the beginner as well as the professional. And you explain the “whys” and reasons for what you do!
Looks delicious! If I wanted to make frosting with less sugar, what would be the measurements?
Hi Gem, the confectioners’ sugar plays an important role in the structure of the frosting. You can certainly try reducing it, but the frosting will be thinner/runnier. For a less sweet option, you might enjoy our whipped frosting instead.
Can I use margarine and oat milk as a sub to make a non dairy version of this cake?
Hi Naomi, we haven’t tested this cake with those substitutions, but they will result in a different overall taste and texture. For best results, we recommend sticking with the recipe as is or using a recipe specifically written for those ingredients. Let us know what you try!