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
As other bakers have commented, this turned out very heavy and dense. The consistency before adding the buttermilk is almost like a biscuit dough so at that point I already knew it would be much denser than most of the sponge recipes I normally use. The flavor is nice so I suppose if I didn’t have much experience baking I might be happy with it but I don’t feel it is ‘as described’.
Thank Sally! Your instruction is great!
My daughter tried this recipe but she used whole wheat powder so she reduced 1 cup of powder and reduced 25%sugar. The cake is perfect!
Thank you Sally! This cake looks delicious. Can I substitute sugar for stevia or Splenda here as I plan to bake this for someone who is not allowed sugar.
Made this with fresh whipped cream and fresh strawberries and it was delicious and a hit at the party!
I am making this cake right now & not sure how quickly you can answer, but my cake batter is really thick & looks nothing like your photos. What can I do?
Hi Stephanie, how did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a food scale) to ensure it isn’t over measured. If there is too much flour in the batter, it can cause the batter to be too thick. How did the cakes bake up for you?
I spoon and leveled the flour. It was so thick that I had to scoop into the pans rather than pour. The cakes did rise and then settled back down as it cooled. I noticed that you mentioned to a couple different bakers to add the eggs one at a time, however that is not what the recipe says…? We haven’t tried the cake yet, but I will update once we do.
Update…I roasted some pecans and put on top and it definitely was a nice addition. However, the cake was dense and no where near as moist as your lemon blueberry cake. It seems others had the same issue. I have tried many of your recipes and this is the 1st that didn’t turn out ultra delicious.
My son wants a rainbow cake for his birthday and I thought this looks like a great recipe. I need to make the layers smaller. Do you know how many cups of batter this cake makes?
Hi Erin, this recipe yields about 8 cups of batter. Hope it’s a hit!
Hi can u use self raising flour instead of cake flour
Hi Gineta, we don’t recommend it. Self-raising flour contains differing amounts of leaveners, and it’s best to use a plain cake flour and add in the baking powder and baking soda separately.
Is cream flour ok instead of cake flour
Hi can I use cream flour instead of cake flour
Hi Gineta, plain cake flour is best for this recipe.
I am trying to find a vanilla cake recipe that works for me! I have tried several and still searching. I recently made the The Best Vanilla Cake recipe and was disappointed. My ingredients were all at room temperature and I was careful about measuring. The cake batter was on the thick side, I didn’t see any noticeable lumps in the batter. I bake at 350 and monitored baking time to not over bake. I baked 3 dark 9-inch cakes. The cake was very pale in color with very brown edges and was full of holes!! The moistest part or the cake was the very top which I leveled off and tasted. It looked beautiful when frosted, but would love to know why it had so many holes and why edges were very brown. Thank you so much!!! I love your website and recipes
Hi Lisa, 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!
I want to use Swiss Meringue Buttercream to frost this cake, will that work ok?
Hi Sam, absolutely! Swiss meringue buttercream will work great here.
I am wanting to make this for my husband’s birthday. Can you use food coloring on the cake layers.
Hi Tera, definitely! We recommend using gel food coloring for best results.
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday. She is dairy-free so used butter alternative (PC Brand in Canada) and Silk Next milk with lemon juice for the milk. I am an avid baker and this really was the best vanilla cake I ever made in 40 years. I made strawberry frosting with shortening for the outside using freeze dried strawberries put through the food processor, and then belgian chocolate cocoa frosting for the middle, with fresh strawberries mixed in. Sally, you never disappoint. Thank you.
A M A Z I N G!!!
If I wanted to reduce the amount of batter to make 2 layers instead of 3 how would you recommend adjusting the recipe?
Hi Rachael, we would make our white cake recipe instead for a two layer cake- same great vanilla flavor!
Daughter wanted to bake her own cake 14th birthday. She found this recipe and with little help from me made Such a delicious cake. Great recipe and well written instructions.
I was worried about making the cake because of some of the negative feedback but I followed the recipe exactly as written and it was FABULOUS! Tastes really yummy with a cup of coffee in the morning .
Hi love your recipes! Quick question, what setting is your Kitchen Aide mixer on when you cream the butter and eggs? I put mine on 4 but would 6 be better? Also, can you over cream your butter and eggs?
Hi Michelle, a speed 6 or 7 is usually best for creaming the butter and sugar. Yes, you can over-cream/mix the batter, which can incorporate too much air in to the batter and cause the cake to bake up flat and dense. Hope this helps!
I have made this cake several times and it’s always turned out incredible, by following the recipe to a T. And, this includes making my own buttercream, and cake flour, as she notes in the note section. I have doubled the recipe, made it as is but in several layers, and it’s always worked amazingly for me. Not sure why other people have had trouble. This is the only vanilla cake recipe I make now.
I don’t understand the people complaining that the recipe didn’t work … must be user error because I followed this recipe to a T and my cake came out perfect. It’s so moist and delicious. You can tell it’s homemade. I decided to pair it with Sally’s lemon butter cream icing and it was delicious. If you follow the recipe then you will get a delicious and yummy cake. Love Sally’s baking!!
I meant to say moist and delicious! My phone autocorrected
This is so lousy and delicious!! I’ve made several times. Also, the cupcakes . I have 2 cake orders in the same week and I’m trying to keep my sanity. Haha do you think I can make the batter and freeze it? I don’t really want to bake them then freeze. Trying to get the freshest ingredients as possible . Thank you!
Hi Melissa! We do not recommend freezing cake batter. It won’t rise properly when baked. Freezing cakes really is the best way to make them ahead of time!
I have made both the best vanilla cake and the Gabor white layer cake. I plan to make a 8-9 inch white layer cake for a birthday. I want to slice the cakes in half and fill with the white butter and strawberries and then I’ve the whole cake in white buttercream and decorate. Which cake recipe do you think would be the best
Hi Colleen, our white two layer cake makes thicker layers, that would be easier to slice in half and fill, as you described.
Very disappointed, I should have listened to the reviews, this recipe is a flop, I followed the instructions to a T, the batter was very thick and the cake has not risen at all. It’s a dressing this recipe again given how many ppl are saying the same thing. So annoyed because now I have no cake for my little girls birthday party tomorrow :((
I have been looking for a white cake with buttercream frosting for so long. I hesitated every time I thought I found the right one and ended up not making it. I decided today, to give this one a shot. OMG!!!! Pleasantly surprised that it turned out heavenly. I cut in half the frosting recipe which was perfect. The cake is so good on it’s own that you don’t need that much frosting. Definitely a keeper!!
Hi
I was excited to try this recipe as i use many of your recipes. This one was a bit too much on the eggy side though.
This is not a great recipe. It tastes delicious. However, it takes forever to bake. Much longer than what it suggests in the recipe. The first time I baked it, I set it to 350 F and baked it for 36 min. The entire center was still raw. The second time I set the oven to 375 it took over an HOUR to finish baking. I’m not sure if it’s my ingredients or the oven but I had a very bad experience baking this cake.
Did you use all purpose flour and scoop rather than spoon? That is what I did first time around… and I had the same experience. Took forever to bake…. But still tasted great. Second time around I bought cake flour and spooned & levelled it, Batter was considerably thinnet and more aairy ( kind of like raw marshmallow) and cooked perfectly in 26 minutes
It was a very good cake but my guests asked if it was a pound cake. I’m so confused by the intentionality to be light and fluffy and it turned out the complete opposite – dense. Disappointing
I just popped this in the oven and I must say I’m a little nervous! The batter was VERY thick. I had to scoop it in the pans rather than pouring. Wondering if I did something wrong. We shall see!
Hi Sally, I used this cake recipe and your strawberry recipe and it came out very dense. Not sure what I did wrong but I made just to measure everything correctly and have everything room temp . I’m so bummed because I waisted so much on ingredients
Hi Marie, We’re so sorry to hear that. You might find this post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes helpful to review. Hope this helps for the future!
I had the same experience and followed the recipe exactly.
Hi Sally! I am going to make this cake for my brother’s birthday. I’d like to have 2 vanilla layers and a middle chocolate layer. Do you think I can add some cocoa and/or anything else to the last third of the batter to make it chocolate? I appreciate your help!
Hi Karen, it would be best to use a recipe specifically formulated for cocoa powder, like this chocolate cake recipe. It yields one 9-inch round, so it would be perfect for your needs. With the leftover vanilla batter, you can make a few cupcakes on this side. Hope it’s a hit!
Perfect! Thanks so much!!
Hi, love your recipes! I was just wondering why you recommend the white cake recipe for 9×13 cakes. Is there something different about the structure or texture? I am planning a 12×10 number cake (fully frosted, no exposed cake) so I’m wondering which is better and also why it would be better just for my knowledge. Thanks!
Hi Danielle, the white cake is a little less batter that fits better in a 9×13 cake. You can certainly use either, knowing that if you use the vanilla cake recipe that you may have a bit of leftover batter. Hope it’s a hit!
This did not turn out how I expected. Too much butter and eggs for this recipe. My cake was full of fat and did not cook right.