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’m looking to make this cake, but as I’m in the UK we don’t have cake flour. Could all purpose flour be used as a substitute? Thank you.
Hi Kerry, you can use all-purpose flour + cornstarch to make a DIY cake flour substitute instead.
making thos for the second time in 2 weeks! it’s just two of us so I halve the recipe and bake it in two 6 inch round pans. I use 2 whole 3ggs and 1 egg white. It’s so fabulous and what a treat for a couple. The first time I made it as a mini birthday cake. there were four of us and we ended up with 8 slices…. enough for dessert and next-day snacks. it’s perfect as written and halves beautifully.
I tried making this cake to the letter..but instead of butter I used magazine n I dint have a mixer.the cake came out too oily and dense why?
Hi Saida, Margarine will result in a different taste and texture.
Hi Sally & Co. ! I’m going to be baking a bunch of funfetti cupcakes – would it be wise to use this recipe as it yields 3 doz/batch, and add sprinkles to the batter ? Looking at the funfetti recipe, it’s 1/2C for a dozen, so approx 1.5C to add to this recipe.. Just thinking in terms of time/ingredient management ! Thank you 🙂
Hi Isabelle, absolutely. To make a sprinkle cupcakes, fold about 3/4 cup (120g) of sprinkles into the cake batter. Or you can follow our confetti cake recipe instead (they’re very similar!).
Hi! I would like to make this for my son’s birthday. I was wondering how long should I bake and what temperature should I use to bake in 8X3 round pan.
Hi C, you can use this recipe with 8 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.
Hi! If I can’t fit all three cake pans in the oven at one time, do I need to adjust the baking time if I bake two and then one separately? Instead of all at once?
Hi Amy, baking time should still be the same, just be sure that you’re baking them on the same rack and rotating the 2 pans half way through bake time. Then you can bake the last one separately. Enjoy!
I loved the flavor of the cake and the flavor and consistency of the icing. I tried to follow the recipe exactly. The only thing that I wasn’t sure about was the texture of the cake. It was crumbly and not as moist as I would have liked. I don’t know if I messed up somewhere or if that’s how it’s suppose to be so it can be sturdy for tiered cakes? I checked after 23 min and it wasn’t set in the middle so it baked for 26 min total. I have made several cakes before where you alternate the addition of egg and flour mixture, mixing after each. I might try that next time too see if it improves the texture. Otherwise, the birthday cake got all eaten up so it is a delicious recipe! Any ideas on how to make it more moist? Thanks!
Hi Ranjita, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. How did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t over measured. Too much flour can significantly dry out cakes, as can over baking, but it sounds like over baking wasn’t the issue here. Even though the cake is sturdy enough for tiers, it should still be moist. Hope this helps for next time, and we’re glad the cake was a hit!
Hi there – I need to bake and decorate this cake about 1 maybe 2 days before it will be eaten. Once decorated, should I just leave overnight at room temperature, or should I store in the refrigerator? Thank you!
Hi Caroline, you can leave it overnight at room temperature for 1 night, but any longer than that and we’d recommend storing in the refrigerator.
Hi Sally, is this recipe suitable for a 3-tiered 4-layer wedding cake? I also read your homemade wedding cake recipe, and the only difference seemed to be the buttermilk substitute. Is one better than the other? Thanks!
Hi Sabrina, This cake does hold up for tiered cakes. It’s very close to what we use for our tiered homemade wedding cake. We recommend using cake dowels and cake rounds for extra support, like we do for our wedding cake. Hope this helps!
I love this recipe but i did double it and 3 of the 4 layers (i used 9’’ round cake pans) i baked sunk in the middle after cooling. The ingredients i used were not expired so I’m thinking it could have been my oven or maybe because I wrapped each cake pan with cake leveling strips. Not sure but I’m thinking i might make this into a piñata cake. Either way will this cake hold up under fondant or modeling chocolate? Thank you! I love all of Sally’s recipes and use the all the same!
Hi Liz, yes, you can use fondant with this cake. Hope you enjoy it!
Found this cake in my freezer, after baking it in March! Held up very well and tasted fantastic. I was pleasantly surprised! Topped it with frosting and strawberries YUM! Thanks
The cake is soft, but too sweet..
Hi Sonia, thanks so much for giving this cake a try. If you found it too sweet, you might try pairing it with a less-sweet frosting option, like this whipped frosting or Swiss meringue buttercream, in the future. Thanks again!
I have a cake order coming up,will be trying this
I love this recipe so much, it really helped a lot
What kind of salt should be used when baking? There are so many different kinds; kosher , sea salt, table salt and baking salt I get confused! Also is pastry flour the same as cake flour? That’s what my store carries.
Hi P, we use regular table salt in all of our recipes, unless otherwise noted. Pastry flour and cake flour are not the same, but differ in their protein contents. Cake flour has a lower protein content, which allows for a lighter, more tender baked good.
Hey Sally! This looks like an amazing recipe. I was wondering if I only had one pan, would the cake be impacted from leaving it on the counter for an hour while the first layer bakes and cools? I don’t want to mess up the chemistry of the batter 🙂
Hi Sabrina, that’s totally fine—you can leave the remaining batter covered at room temperature while waiting for the current layer to bake. Enjoy!
Hi there! I have made this cake with 3 × 9 inch pans and it came out amazing. I just wanted to know if I could use all the batter in a 14 x 10 inch rectangular pan?
Hi Rical, we’re so glad you loved it! Here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
Can this recipe be done with gluten free flour.?
Hi Anne, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, so we’re unsure of the exact results.
Hi Sally, This recipe looks amazing. For someone with egg allergies, what would you recommend they replace the eggs with? Thanks!
Hi Tammy, we haven’t tested this recipe with any egg replacements, and we’re unsure what might work best here. If you decide to try anything, let us know how it goes! Or here are all of our egg-free baking recipes.
Could this recipe be made using grapeseed oil, or any other neutral oil, instead of butter? Thanks 🙂
Hi Diane, butter is key to this cake’s intended taste and texture, so we don’t recommend swapping it. If needed, you could try swapping with solid coconut oil, as you’ll need a solid to cream together with the sugars. Hope you enjoy!
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. Follow Sally’s instructions exactly as written and you will be very proud of the result.
Can I use greek yogurt instead of buttermilk and how much should I use?
Hi Nix, buttermilk (or the DIY version in the recipe Notes) is really best here. It’s 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!
Hi Sally, this is my go to recipe for Vanilla cake. For lactose free version, what type of non dairy milk do you recommend to make buttermilk for this recipe and how much lemon juice should I add to it? TIA
Hi Aswini, if you want to use nondairy milk, we recommend almond or oat milk. In general, the thicker, the better. You can learn more about why in this post on buttermilk substitutes.
Is it possible to replace granulated with brown sugar?
Hi Katharina, we don’t recommend it. Brown sugar is heavier and has more moisture than white sugar, and has different properties when baking. Best to stick with granulated here.
Hi Sally, can I turn this into a lemon cake by adding lemon zest and lemon juice? Not sure how to change the proportions for adding juice but I think it’s the same if I add lemon zest. Thank you
Hi Penelope, you can use this recipe for lemon cake–enjoy!
I love this recipe tooooooooo muchhhhhhh
So moist and amazing! Lasted three days and was still delicious! Thanks the recipe – definitely a keeper and must try!
We are making it for my son’s birthday this weekend – think it’s okay to do 3 days in advance? How did you store it ? Thanks!
Hi, could you please recommend a best non dairy substitute for the buttermilk?
Hi Aswini, see recipe Notes for details about making a non-dairy DIY buttermilk substitute.
Off. The. Charts. Absolutely scrumptious!
Hello! How long would it take to bake with 4 – 6 inch round cake pan?
Hi Christine, if using a 6-inch round cake pan, be sure to only fill the pan half way and use the baking times and directions from our 6-inch cake recipes post as a guide.
How long for a 4-in cake pan?
Hi Kylie, we’re unsure of the exact bake time for a 4-inch cake pan. Keep a close eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness.