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 your recipes for both cake and frosting. It was a hit for my daughter’s birthday party. I have never liked buttercream frosting but this one is delicious. I received many compliments. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Sally just wondering if you can replace the milk in the buttercream with eggnog and vanilla with spices
Hi Abbey, We have not tested this cake with eggnog but it would likely work, or try replacing only half of the buttermilk with eggnog. We would not skip the vanilla though. Let us know if you give it a try!
I’ve made this recipe before and it comes out perfectly. I’m curious if I can add a couple teaspoons or even a tablespoon of cardamom to the dry ingredients to give it a cardamom flavor for the holidays. Would it change the proportion of wet ingredients?
Hi Caroline, we haven’t tested it with cardamom, but think it should be fine to add that amount with no other changes. Let us know how it turns out!
Caroline, I would like to know how the cake turned out with your addition of 1 TBS ground cardamom ? Because I love cardamom.
I have made this cake soo many times and it really is good. Question is, is there any way to make it sugar-free or less sweet?
Hi Steph, 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 have followed your recipe exactly as explained and my batter is much thicker than yours. Can you tell me what I am doing wrong? Thanks
Hi B, 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, which can cause the batter to become thicker than intended.
The flavor is great but 25 min was definitely not enough time and the cake, while very moust doesn’t hold together well when cutting. Still on the hunt for a cake recipe able to hold up to layering with two jam layers and doesn’t crumble apart when cutting
I’m thinking that this may not be the best recipe for higher-ish elevation?
I live at 3400ft . If my thoughts are accurate, can you recommend a recipe that will help me in making good solid basic/moist cake? I’m trying to grow my cake making hobby.
Hi, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.htm
I followed this recipe closely and used a scale. I didn’t change any ingredients, but my cake came out very dense; it reminded me of a gluten-free, vegan cake, both in density and flavor. It looked beautiful at the end and very pretty sliced. But I was expecting a lighter cake with more flavor. Is there another recipe you recommend, and do you have any idea why? I made it the night before Thanksgiving. Thanks!
Hi Janie, I’m sorry to hear your cake came out dense! Happy to help troubleshoot. Did you use cake flour and full-fat or low-fat buttermilk? Were your baking powder and baking soda fresh? We find they start to lose their effectiveness after about 3 months, even if not technically expired. Was your batter over-mixed by chance? When the batter is over-mixed, cakes can bake up squat and dense without much rise. You might find this post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes helpful to review. Hope this helps for the future!
Hi I want to make this in to a two layered sheet cake would that work with one batch or should I do two?
Hi Gabriela, we would recommend making two of our Perfect White Cake recipe instead. Both use similar ingredients and produce a deliciously light vanilla cake. See recipe notes for the 9×13 inch version.
Hi!! I love this cake so much and I am baking again tonight but I want to keep back of the third layer and make it into cupcakes tomorrow. Is it okay to put the batter in the fridge and bake the next day?? Thank you!!!
Hi Violeta, we don’t recommend that. The leaveners are activated once mixed, and the cakes will not bake up the same way if the batter isn’t used right away.
How do I translate this recipe for a sheet cake pan?
See recipe Notes!
Would this work in two 10 inch pans?
Hi Sarah, We have not tested this in two 10-inch pans, but you can see our post on cake pan sizes and conversions to figure out how much batter you would need. If you have extra batter from converting this recipe from three 9-inch pans to two 10-inch pans, you can always bake a few cupcakes with the remaining batter.
I’ve made this cake before with a strawberry rhubarb filling and it was incredible! Question… I was asked to make this for a friend and she needs it a day or two before serving it. If I make it and they serve it two days later will it be stale? It would be frosted and refrigerated. Thank you!
Hi Beth! The cake would likely dry out in the fridge. 1 day ahead would be fine – store at room temperature overnight.
Thank you, Sally! So, if I needed to get the cake to the person by 6 am of the day it is being served (at dinner), I should frost it that morning? Sorry for all of the questions, I just want it to be perfect.
I am making this cake 2 days in advance of serving it. Is it okay to make ahead and keep at room temperature for 2 days? Or should I freeze and frost the day before serving? I don’t want it to lose any moisture. I’m not sure how I should go about prepping this! Btw- I can’t adjust my time table 🙁
Hi Mackenna! We would freeze the cake, no problem – here’s our guide to freezing cakes!
Can I take some cake batter and add chocolate to make it a zebra cake?
Hi Terry, here’s our zebra cake recipe!
The zebra cake is dense. I wanted the cake not so dense
I love this recipe, thank you! If I want to add mini chocolate chips, how much should I add?
Hi Kath! You absolutely can add chocolate chips. Fold 1 cup (about 180-190g) of mini chocolate chips into the batter before pouring into the cake pans.
Can I use this recipe but bake into a loaf pan, add sprinkles to make it a ‘rainbow cake’ and add the same frosting on top? Would you recommend any different measurements for a loaf pan? x
Hi Keeleigh, this recipe makes a lot of batter, enough for 3 9×5-inch loaf pans, so you’d need to adapt the amounts accordingly. If you look in the Notes section of the recipe card, you’ll see there are quite a few different cake pan size conversions there. Hope this helps!
This is the best cake I’ve ever had! And I thought your lemon/blueberry cake was the best but it has been dethroned 🙂 The egg whites make the cake so tender and moist it just melts in your mouth.
I didn’t see until the very end in the notes that it would be better to use a different recipe for a sheet cake rather than round. Is there anything I can do differently now that I already have the batter in my pan? Same temperature but different amount of time different temperature… What can I do?
Hi Allyson, we would go ahead and just bake the cake!
Same time as the rounds?
Hi Allyson, the bake time will be longer, closer to 40 minutes, but we’re unsure of the exact bake time.
Can you put fondant icing on the top of this cake to make a birthday cake?
Sure can, Katie.
I have used this fabulous recipe to make a 3 layer 9” cake and also a 2 layer 6” with cupcakes. It is so moist and delicious! Definitely my new go-to white cake recipe.
I’m looking to do it in 6in pans. What’s the recommended bake time? How full should the pans be?
Hi Jessica, 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.
this cake was amazing as first time ever making a white cake. so moist and everyone loved it.
This cake is amazing and I make it all the time and I don’t change a thing. Thank you for the recipe! Just to switch it up a bit, can I add a can of drained crushed pineapple to the batter to make a vanilla pineapple cake?
Hi Rose, we’re so glad you enjoy it! Instead, here is our pineapple coconut cake recipe. See pink box above the recipe “Other Cakes & Cake Sizes” for a pineapple only version. Let us know if you try it!
My Grandchild’s and my favorite cake recipe!
We have made cakes and muffins which all turn out perfectly each time-so light with a delicious flavor!
Thank you!
Could you use this recipe for cake pops?
Hi Jenn, we’d recommend using the homemade cake pops recipe. Otherwise you’ll have to play around with the perfect amount of frosting for the amount of cake crumb this recipe would produce.
Thank you!
Hi. Can I refrigerate after cooling. I want to make it a day ahead. Also can I add cherry juice to it and cherries. I wanted to use this for a cherry almond cake.
Hi Erin, cakes can be baked, cooled, and covered over night at room temperature to make a day ahead of time. Refrigerating them will dry them out. We haven’t tested a cherry version of this cake, but let us know what you try.
If Im making a tiered 7 inch cake how do I need to alter the recipe? Or could I just make 4 cakes?
Hi Kate, Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Hi Sally,
What would be the measurement for baking soda and baking powder if I want to double the recipe? Should I just double them too?
Hi Joan, For best results, we recommend making 2 separate batches rather than doubling.
I want to make the Chai Cupcakes into a 3-layer cake. This seems to be the best recipe for a 3-layer cake. Can you steep the tea in buttermilk? Should I substitute the buttermilk?
Hi Julie! If you happen to have 6 inch cake pans, our chai cupcakes batter fits perfectly into three 6 inch pans for a small layer cake. Otherwise, here’s our cake pan sizes & conversions guide to adapt that recipe. We haven’t tested adding chai flavor to this particular recipe, but let us know what you try!
Hello there miss Sally! is it possible to reduce the sugar on this recipe? me and my friend have tried some of your recipes before, and they turned out good 😀 , but there is one thing its a bit too sweet for us, our other friends also agree. And also with the vanilla buttercream sugar be reduced? If not can your “Favorite Cream Cheese Frosting” be used with this cake?
Hi Earl, you can certainly try reducing the sugar, but keep in mind that it plays an important role in the overall taste, texture, and structure of the cake, so results may be different than intended. You might also enjoy these less-sweet frosting options instead: cream cheese frosting, Swiss meringue frosting, or whipped frosting.