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
Hi Sally 🙂 I’m planning on making this cake tonight and was wondering if I need to cover it tightly when I refrigerate it for an hour after assembling? Or can it stay uncovered for that time period ? Thank you so much!
I usually keep it uncovered, but if you have a cake carrier that fits this cake (and in the refrigerator, you can store it in that! (See my 10 Baking Tips for Perfect Cakes to read more about why I love cake carriers!)
I never post comments. This cake is the last vanilla cake recipe I will ever use. The buttercream is perfect, the flavor is perfect. My whole family enjoyed this supremely. Thank you so much for contributing. I look forward to trying other recipes of yours.
Hi Sally can I add chocolate chips to this recipe or to the funfetti cake recipe?
Love, love, love this easy recipe! I used a slightly larger pan and butter flavored shortening (didn’t have enough real butter) and it was spectacular! Brushed it with coffee and covered it with whipped cream/ marscapone/powdered sugar to be like tiramisu. My family and I liked it better than the real thing!
I have been baking for nearly 30 years, since I was a little girl, and this is BY FAR my favorite vanilla cake recipe of all time. It’s basically foolproof as long as you whip the butter, eggs and sugar super fluffy, have all your ingredients at room temp, etc. One half of the recipe is perfect for 6 thin 6-inch layers – I’ve been making rainbow cakes every week during the virus situation for all the local birthday kids and they come out perfectly every time. I use a kitchen scale to weight the cake batter into six bowls for the dye – it’s about 150 grams per bowl most batches. So many vanilla cakes are either so moist they just collapse when you try to frost them, or taste like cornbread, for lack of a better description. I HAVE found that the texture is better with true buttermilk vs. acid+milk but the latter works okay if there’s a buttermilk shortage like we had for a while.
Could this be made into 6 layers? Would I adjust the baking time to less since the layers would be thinner? And would there be enough frosting you think if I went to 6 layers or should I increase the frosting size?
Hi Christina, You could bake 6 very thin layers – the bake time would be less but I’m unsure of exactly how long. Or bake three layers as written and cut each in half after they have cooled. You would need to increase the amount of frosting.
You might also be interested in my 9 layer Smith Island Cake!
Hello! We’re making a 6 inch rainbow cake for my daughters 3rd birthday – would this recipe yield enough batter for six 6 inch cake pans? Also wondering if you have any tips for dying the batter. I know some batters are finicky with over mixing…
Hi Casey, It should be fine to divide between six 6-inch pans, I’m unsure of the exact bake time you would need. And yes you can color the batter before baking. I use and recommend gel food colors as you don’t have to add as much to get brighter colors.
I keep coming back to this recipe. It’s the best I have tried and I get great results everytime. My kids could actually finish the whole batter as they start asking to taste before we even finish mixing. Thumbs up from me
Made this cake for my 40th birthday today and it was a hit. I added sour cream to make it more moist. I didn’t have buttermilk so I substituted with evaporated milk. Also paired the cake with chocolate buttercream frosting and it was soooo yummy! Thank you so much.
Hey Sally!!
I just had a quick question, how much frosting does this recipe make?
Hi Alexa, This makes about 3.5 cups of frosting.
It was indeed pillowy soft which really surprised me. Ive tried many vanilla recipes and this has the best texture and taste (i did add a teaspoon more vanilla flavoring as i didnt have extract). I paired it with a frostimg recipe i usually use and it was amazing. Thank you.
I just wanted to say Hi & Thank You, very much,
for testing all of your recipes,
and for so carefully explaining how to bake successfully .
I’ve always found baking to be very finicky, and even when I am careful’
a Lot of times, things don’t come out as they should. Tho’ I have enough success
to keep me wanting to really understand how to do it correctly. You are so Clear !
And inspiring.
I turned this recipe into cupcakes. Cut the ingredients in half and it made 14 cupcakes. The texture and flavor were outstanding. Thank you for this recipe. I frosted half with your lemon frosting and the others I did a peanut butter fudge / chocolate glaze. Big hit!
This looks amazing and I’m gonna make it today, as tomorrow’s our nephew’s 15th birthday. Thing is I only have 7 inch (18cm) pans available and since it’s only the three of us I don’t want the cake to be any bigger than that either. How should I go about it and how much of each ingredient should I use in that case? Thank you in advance, Alex x
Hi Alexandra, without reducing and testing the recipe in smaller pans, I can’t give a definite answer. However, you can use my Cake Pan Sizes and Conversions post as a guide or make the batter as is, fill the pans about halfway, and use extra batter for a few cupcakes on the side.
I made this cake a couple weeks ago, and it’s the first cake my family has ever eaten to the finish! Am wondering if I can add sprinkles to this recipe to make it funfetti for my son’s upcoming birthday? Need the cake to only be two layers. Thanks!
Hi Kelly, I’m glad this cake was such a hit with your family! To make a sprinkle cake, fold about 3/4 cup (120g) of sprinkles into the cake batter. Avoid nonpareils (the little balls), which tend to bleed their color. If you need a two layer cake I recommend using my 2 layer white cake batter instead. Both use similar ingredients and produce a deliciously light vanilla cake.
Sally,
Why does your two layer cake call for twice as much baking powder at this recipe, your three layer cake?
Jeff
Great question! The white cake is a fluffier cake. There’s also more baking soda here, which helps compensate.
Thank you for your recipe
This was wonderful, I use to have an Organic Bakery and have now switched my mainstay vanilla cake recipe for this one. I made this frosting but added the freeze dried strawberries to the frosting. See Sally’s recipe for 6 Inch Zebra Cake with Strawberry Frosting for that recipe. I also filled the cake with strawberries and a whipped cream/cream cheese filling.
I wish I could upload a piture.
Hi Terry, I’m thrilled you enjoyed this cake so much! I’d love to see a photo – feel free to tag me if you post it on social media or email it to me at sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com
Sally you make good cakes. I have made this cake, your pistachio cake and your carrot cake. Thank you for your blog. Best cakes I’ve ever made.
This is hands down the BEST vanilla cake recipe I have found! I usually default to chocolate cakes, or any other flavor really, because I don’t really like white or vanilla cake. But this is absolutely delicious! I will be making this many many more times! Thank you!
Just made this cake for my wife’s birthday. Currently in the refrigeration process for an hour. But dang! I tasted the frosting and a small piece of cake when it was done… AMAZING! I started following you after looking up your everything bagels recipe. Keep it up please!
Just made this cake for my wife’s birthday. Currently in the refrigeration process for an hour. But damn! I tasted the frosting and a small piece of cake when it was done… AMAZING! I started following you after looking up your everything bagels recipe. Keep it up please!
I did make the cake and agree it is the best white cake I have ever made. I am 81 years old and have made many cakes which I am told are always good but this is my best white cake. Can’t wait on my son to visit as he is a white cake and frosting guy. Love your site Sally, keep baking.
This is the first cake I have ever made from scratch. We are making an easter egg cake! While mixing I realized I was out of vanilla! I used about a half cup of vanilla unsweetened almond milk and a cup of buttermilk and peanut butter extract. We also colored the batter with blue, lime and hot pink! I am so surprised by how moist this cake is. I also used regular flour as that is what I had.
Can I use fresh strawberries with the frosting between the layers? And on top? Would this make the cake soggy?
I can’t see why not! Keep the cake refrigerated.
Best cake batter I have ever tasted!! Can’t wait to try the cake!
Hi sally I wanted to know if I can make this cake in only one 9 inch pan instead of three? And I bought cake flour that is premixed with baking powder and salt, does that mean I can exclude those ingredients from this recipe?
Hi Erika! I recommend my one layer vanilla cake (from my strawberry cake shortcake) or the batter from my pineapple upside down cake.
Thank so much! And the cake flour I bought is premixed with baking powder and salt, should I exclude those ingredients from the recipe?
Thanks so much happy Easter and stay safe 🙂
Hey Sally,
I was looking to make a rainbow cake for my niece’s birthday. Would this recipe hold up to adding food coloring into each of the layers before baking? Also, is the texture firm enough to also make into a piñata cake?
I love your recipes! Your blog has been my default for baking since I discovered it!
Hi Tiffany, You can add food coloring to the batter. Or see my Pinata Cake recipe!
This is my favorite vanilla cake recipe! My son wants me to make it with Oreos this time. Do you have any ideas or pointers on that? I tried to read a bunch of comments but couldn’t find if you have answered this question or not. Sorry if it’s a repeat.
Hi Courtney, I’m so happy you enjoy this cake so much! You can try folding about 3/4 cup of crushed Oreos into the cake batter.
My kiddos and I made this during quarantine 2020 and absolutely loved it. Must is be stored in the fridge? I like my cake when the buttercream is a little softer because of room temperature. Thanks!
I’m so happy you loved it, Allie! You can keep it at room temperature covered tightly for a day or two. After that if it’s been in the refrigerator just let it sit on the counter to soften back up before you eat it!
Made this cake for my daughter tonight For her birthday tomorrow. Had to make the cake flour and buttermilk, as i didn’t have either and I’m avoiding the stores right now. It looks great and the batter was lovely and delicious. I expect the finished product will be as well! I made the version with sprinkles! I’m sure 22 isn’t too old for sprinkles at all. 🙂
Thank you!