This vanilla sheet cake recipe uses the reverse creaming method, an easy technique that promises a uniquely soft and springy crumb with the most delicious buttery vanilla flavor. Use this cake recipe as a birthday sheet cake or for anytime you crave a simple classic dessert. Top the cake with whipped vanilla buttercream, a frosting made from butter, confectioners’ sugar, and heavy cream and whipped until extra fluffy.
When it comes to classics like vanilla cake, the chapter never really ends. You see, there’s 3 layer vanilla cake, vanilla cupcakes, vanilla naked cake, one layer vanilla cake (aka strawberry shortcake cake!), vanilla 6 inch cake, confetti cake, and even a vanilla white cake hybrid. Each of these recipes use the same ingredients, only remixed and divided in different proportions.
But what about a simple vanilla sheet cake recipe?
That’s what we’re focusing on today. This is a pure and classic vanilla sheet cake with a soft, springy crumb and unbelievable sweet vanilla flavor. It’s the simple birthday cake you need and buttery taste you love. And let’s add a giant fluff ball on top—otherwise known as whipped buttercream. This is dessert nostalgia at its finest!
One reader, Gabrielle, commented: “I followed the recipe exactly and it came out amazing! I made it for someone’s birthday at work and it was a hit. It transported and served nicely right out of the dish. I would make this again! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Teri, commented: “Just made this today! Delicious, light, fluffy, and rose beautifully! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Alycia, commented: “Love, love, LOVE this cake! It has become my go-to birthday cake recipe, both for myself and for anyone I can talk into letting me make them a cake. It is fluffy with great crumb and flavor. I’ve made it into a 2-layer cake several times, following the baking instructions in the recipe Notes section. I’ve added sprinkles and mini chocolate chips, too! ★★★★★“
Behind the Vanilla Sheet Cake Recipe
My vanilla cake recipe (the best I’ve ever had!) yields too much batter for a 9×13-inch quarter sheet cake, while the strawberry shortcake cake batter isn’t quite enough. My 2 layer vanilla/white cake hybrid is super light and fluffy and while it’s the perfect amount for a 9×13-inch quarter sheet pan, it doesn’t have the same buttery tight crumb as traditional vanilla cake. For today’s recipe, I took what I love about these cakes and combined them into the appropriate amount of batter to fit this classic size pan.
First, let’s walk through an in-depth tutorial of the mixing method. (Reverse creaming! You’re going to love it.) Though this is a very straightforward recipe, I encourage you to read through my tips before getting started.
Reverse Creaming Method for Cake
Do you remember when I shared Tessa’s Blackberry Lavender Cake? I just love her recipes! Prior to that cake, I had only used the reverse creaming method a handful of times. I loved her cake’s texture, so I replicated it with my strawberry shortcake cake not long after. We’re going to use the same method with today’s vanilla sheet cake recipe. Instead of starting with creaming butter and sugar together like traditional cake recipes, the reverse creaming method begins with the dry ingredients and ends with the eggs. This method produces a lighter and tighter crumb with more spring. The slices are tight like pound cake, but not dense in the slightest. It’s velvety soft and almost tastes creamy.
This method is so unique, but very easy.
Sift the dry ingredients, including the sugar, into a bowl. Sifting with a fine mesh strainer is imperative because it aerates the dry ingredients and leaves behind larger sugar crystals. Remember, we aren’t creaming sugar and butter together where large sugar crystals are usually broken down. Next, mix in cubed room temperature butter, a little milk, and vanilla extract. In this step, the butter coats the flour. The coating of fat minimizes the flour’s formation of gluten, which helps result in a finer cake crumb. You’ll taste the difference.
By the way, we coat flour with fat when we make biscuits and pie crust too. This practice helps produce an extra flaky (not dense) baked good.
Success Tip: Cube the butter when it’s cold. Smaller pieces of butter will warm to room temperature much quicker than a full stick of butter. Plus, it’s easy to cut cold butter into cubes as opposed to warmer room temperature butter.
After that, we’ll add the rest of the liquids including the remaining milk, the sour cream, and eggs. The photo on the left (below) is our sheet cake batter. I promise it’s the creamiest batter you’ll ever work with. Avoid over-mixing it.
Which Cake Pan?
Use whichever 9×13-inch pan you have on hand. I usually lean towards a glass 9×13-inch pan simply because the cake looks extra beautiful serving right out of the dish. It’s what I prefer when making cookies and cream cake and yellow sheet cake, too. If using a metal baking pan, keep a close eye on the cake. Metal pans usually mean a quicker bake time, though my test recipes (in all different pans) each finished baking around the same time.
Vanilla Sheet Cake Ingredients
Whether you’re a beginner baker or pro, you’ll be happy to see that this vanilla sheet cake requires only a handful of super basic baking ingredients. Each one serves a purpose and for best results, I don’t recommend making substitutions.
- Cake Flour: Cake flour produces the softest cake. There’s simply no competition, but you can certainly make this cake flour substitute if needed. Cake flour is sold in the baking aisle with the other flours. You can use leftovers in any recipes using cake flour.
- Sugar & Salt: Sugar sweetens the cake and salt adds flavor.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Remember the differences in baking powder vs baking soda and why it’s important to use both in some recipes?
- Butter: Room temperature butter is the workhorse behind this whole recipe, especially the reverse creaming method. It also adds flavor. I recommend using unsalted butter in this sheet cake recipe. If you’re interested, here’s a post I wrote on salted butter vs unsalted butter.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds flavor. Use an entire Tablespoon… trust me! And if you use homemade vanilla extract, even better. 🙂
- Whole Milk: The cake’s crumb is extra rich and we have the whole milk to thank for it. Avoid lower fat or nonfat milks. Moist cakes need fat.
- Sour Cream: The moist maker! Thanks to sour cream, this cake melts in your mouth.
- Eggs: To obtain a fluffier cake, I usually add extra egg whites. However, this sheet cake didn’t need it. Maybe my ratios were off, but my few test recipes proved that this combination of ingredients brought together with the reverse creaming method doesn’t need extra whites. Simply use 3 full eggs. Actually, in one test recipe, I used 4 eggs with no sour cream. The cake tasted heavy, so I ultimately swapped 1 egg with sour cream. The cake is much lighter and moister.
Whipped Buttercream
Elevating this vanilla sheet cake is a lovely blanket of whipped buttercream. Use the same ingredients as my regular vanilla buttercream recipe, but add extra heavy cream and whip it for a few extra minutes. A little extra cream and a little extra whip turn this frosting into a buttercream/whipped cream duo. This is the same frosting we use to fill our cream-filled chocolate cupcakes. It’s mega creamy and fluffy, as if you borrowed a puffy cloud from the sky and slathered it on a cake. Talk about dreamy!
Couldn’t you get lost in these swirls?
If you want to go the extra mile, top this beauty with thick and fluffy Swiss meringue buttercream instead. For a less sweet option, try my whipped frosting. It’s a personal favorite! And for a pretty pink spin, strawberry buttercream frosting pairs wonderfully with vanilla cake.
Make an American Flag Cake!
Before we finish up, let’s chat about turning this vanilla sheet cake into a flag cake. Spread 2/3 of the frosting all over the cake, saving the remaining 1/3 for piping detail. Grab some fresh blueberries and halved strawberries and line them up to mimic the stars and stripes on an American flag. I used Ateco 32 piping tip for the piping between the “stars” and Ateco 844 piping tip for the piping between the “stripes.”
This would be an excellent choice for Memorial Day Weekend or the Fourth of July. See more Memorial Day Weekend recipes and 4th of July desserts.
Would love to know if you try this sheet cake!!
More Quarter Sheet Cake Recipes
- Banana Cake
- Pumpkin Cake
- Cookies & Cream Cake
- Yellow Sheet Cake
- Pineapple Carrot Cake
- Spice Cake & Apple Cake
- Zucchini Cake
Vanilla Sheet Cake with Whipped Buttercream Frosting
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This vanilla sheet cake recipe uses the reverse creaming method, an easy technique that promises a uniquely soft and springy crumb with the most delicious buttery vanilla flavor. Each ingredient serves a purpose and for best results, I don’t recommend making substitutions.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (354g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, cubed and softened to room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, at room temperature and divided
- 1/3 cup (80g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 and 1/2 cups (540g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream (can be cold or room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
- optional: sprinkles for garnish
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Generously grease a 9×13-inch cake pan.
- Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. (Or if using a handheld mixer, any large mixing bowl.) With the paddle attachment, beat the ingredients together on low speed for a few seconds to gently combine. Add the butter, vanilla, and 1/2 cup of milk. Mix on medium speed until the dry ingredients are moistened, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl. The mixture will resemble a thick dough.
- Whisk the remaining milk, the sour cream, and eggs together in a medium bowl. With the mixer running on medium speed, add the egg mixture in 3 additions, mixing for about 15 seconds after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl, then mix for about 15 more seconds until batter is completely combined. Avoid over-mixing. Some small lumps are OK.
- Pour and spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for around 32-35 minutes or until the cake is baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cake to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. The cake must be completely cool before frosting.
- Make the buttercream: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 4 full minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or another Tablespoon of cream if frosting is too thick. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. (I add 1/8 teaspoon salt.) Frosting should be extra fluffy.
- Spread frosting in a thick layer on cooled cake. I use and recommend an offset spatula. If desired, use a piping tip to pipe some frosting and/or garnish with sprinkles. Slice and serve.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The cake can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let the refrigerated frosting sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then beat with a mixer for 1 minute to bring it back to a spreadable consistency. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Cake Pan | Fine Mesh Sieve | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Cooling Rack | Offset Spatula
- Cupcakes: Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 19-21 minutes. Yields about 2 dozen. Or try my vanilla cupcakes recipe.
- 2 Layer Cake: If desired, you can use this batter to make a 2 layer cake instead. Grease two 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake time will be a few minutes shorter—keep a close eye on the cakes at 20 minutes and check for doneness with a toothpick.
- Cake Flour: 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. If you cannot get your hands on cake flour, you can make a DIY cake flour substitute.
- Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read here for more information.
- Sprinkle Cake: To make a sprinkle cake, fold about 2/3 cup (105g) of sprinkles into the cake batter. Avoid nonpareils (the little balls), which tend to bleed their color.
- Chocolate Frosting: If desired, swap the whipped vanilla buttercream with chocolate buttercream. The chocolate buttercream calls for beating for 1 minute, but for a fluffy whipped texture, whip for 3 full minutes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Sally,
I can use APF instead of cake flour because I don’t have cake flour and it is difficult to find cake flour now?
p.s. Can APF use for all of your cakes recipe instead of cake flour?
Charlotte
Hi Charlotte, If a recipe calls for cake flour and you don’t have any, I recommend using a Homemade Cake Flour Substitute.
Hi Sally. Is there a substitute for sour cream in this recipe?
Trisha, You can use plain yogurt in it’s place.
Hello Sally
I absolutely love all of your recipes. I tried the vanilla sheet cake with whipped buttercream icing. Per the instructions I placed the cake in the refrigerator. When I took it out to serve the next day, it was hard and dry. I did have a cover /lid on my glass pan. It was perfect the day I made it. Help!!
Hi Carol, If the cake has been refrigerated you can take it out and let it come back to room temperature to soften up before serving. Also if you are making a cake and serving it within 24 hours I usually just let it sit out at room temperature, but longer than that I will refrigerate it. And make sure your lid/cover is airtight!
Hi is it possible to use All Purpose flour for this recipe?, and would this recipe still work if I halved it.
Thanks
Sally, I love yah, but I hated this cake. It’s SOOO sweet.. like hurting sweet. The cake was kinda dry too. I followed the directions perfectly. What a waste of butter! 4 sticks wasted for nothing! Frosting was also way too sweet but that I should’ve know… I’m a cream cheese frosting kind of gal.
I just made this for my son’s birthday, added food coloring and decorated it, it is amazing!!! We all love it, thanks so much for the recipe!
Hi, can I use buttermilk instead of whole milk?
If using buttermilk as a substitute, use it to replace the milk AND the sour cream. So, 1 and 1/3 cups total.
Can you make this in a tube pan ?
I don’t recommend it– the cake would taste a bit heavy. Some of my Bundt cakes would work nicely in a tube pan.
Can i use half and half or 2% milk instead of whole? I forgot to buy that… thanks!
Hi Patty, You can actually make 1 cup of whole milk by mixing 3⁄4 cup 2% milk + 1⁄4 cup half-and-half. Or just use all 2% if you don’t have any whole milk.
Forgot to rate!
I made this delicious cake for my husband’s birthday yesterday. He loved it and so did I. Very tasty! I used your Cream Cheese recipe for the icing. I will definitely be making this again. I enjoy reading your recipes and getting all your good tips. Thank you for sharing!
I have not tasted yet but I just loved this recipe. It’s my first time using the reverse method and I’m excited to see how the taste turns out. So far it looks beautiful. Tested at 28mins as suggested and my toothpick came out clean. There was a slight browning around the edges but I peeked down the sides with my flashlight and it wasn’t too dark so I’m happy! I’ll ice it tomorrow! I’ll be making a paw patrol theme on top for my sons 5th birthday! He’s very excited to taste it! Thanks for the easy to follow recipe and tips! So far I’m very please.
Hi Sally,
I tried making the recipe but my cakes turning out really dense 🙁 I can’t understand what I am doing wrong. Please please help me
Hi Abhina, I have compiled my 10 Best Tips for Perfect Cakes that I think will help you troubleshoot.
Yummy cake! Reverse cream was fun. I tested for doneness at 25 minutes and saw no crumbs nor anything on the toothpick, but something just didn’t seem done, so I kept it in. 5 minutes later, the same result, but the edges were beginning to brown. I let it go about 3 minutes more and took it out. 20 minutes later, the middle fell But I covered it with frosting so no one could tell. This cake was so moist and not overly sweet, which I loved bc the frosting was piled high! I will make this again and watch the oven carefully, possibly tenting with foil
How many cupcakes would the buttercream recipe frost?
About 12-16 generously. 🙂
fantastic with the reverse cream! :))
Hi Sally, would I be able to smooth and pipe this frosting? I’m attempting to make a “Frozen” themed cake for my grandson’s birthday, and was thinking about dying some of the frosting light blue then piping it around the edge. Thanks!
Hi Jamie, You can also pipe this frosting. Enjoy!
Hi Sally , loving your recipes usually very successful. However I’ve attempted your Vanilla Sheet cake twice & on both occasions the sponge wasn’t cooked through. Followed recipe to the letter & used an oven thermometer. Help please
Hi Linda, Your cake just might take a few minutes longer in the oven. Use a toothpick to test for doneness – when inserted into the center of the cake if it comes out clean the cake is done. You can loosely cover the cake with aluminum foil if the edges are beginning to brown before the center is finished baking.
I just made the batter and it was so creamy and fluffy! Tasted great too! I’m very excited to see how it bakes! My last cake flour recipe was super dense and DRY. I will let you know! Ive been searching for a good scratch vanilla cake recipe forever! Loved the reverse creaming method!
Hi Sally,
Could I double this recipe and bake this in large half sheet pan?
Hi, Molly – doubling would be too much, but 1.5x should be just right!
I used brown sugar instead and it was great! Thank you for the recipe.
I would Like to make a really thin version of this cake, without needing to cut a layer in half ( for ambrosia from Percy Jackson). I was thinking I could just half the recipe, then bake as normal, but I was wondering what you would do?
You can certainly try to cut it in half, the bake time would be much less. Or you can take a look at my Yellow Sheet Cake which is a thinner cake baked in a 12×17 pan.
Hello Sally! Thank you so much for your recipes. I tried couple of them. I enjoy baking a lot. I like to try new recipes. I was wondering if this cake can be turned into cupcakes. I hope you understand. Also, I was wondering if you can make this as a cake mix to make it as a gift. If I were to make it a cake mix how long could it stay till it goes bad?
Hi Lana! If you want to use this recipe for a cake mix, I only recommend mixing the dry ingredients together and storing them that way. Do not add any wet ingredients. The dry ingredients, mixed together, should be wonderful until each ingredients’ expiration date.
I love Sally’s recipes. I decided to try this one for a friends Birthday. When I got my sour cream out of the refrigerator, however, it was partially frozen. So, I used full fat Greek yogurt.
The cake took the full 35 minutes to bake, which is rare for my oven. It had risen up in the center to the shape of a football, and split down the center. There was ooz coming from this fault line down the center. Thus, while the sides of the cake were getting well browned, the center was well behind in baking time.
The frosting, which I have resorted to in other desperate situations- disguised the ugliness. My husband had a slice, since I decided it wasn’t presentable, and he said it was “better than anything you can buy at a store”.
Consequently, the recipe said not to make substitutions , and I paid the price. It actually did still taste pretty good, if a little tough around the edges.
Hi!
I’m wondering if I could use a 1.5x batch of this batter to do an 11×15 cake? & also if the cake is sturdy enough to be turned out of its pan and placed on a cake board as opposed to being served straight in its dish? Thanks so much!
You certainly can although you might have a bit of leftover batter (which you can use to make a few extra cupcakes!). It will be sturdy enough to be removed from the pan to frost and serve. Enjoy!
Hi Sally, loving all your recipes. Just wondering if I can add couple of cubed peaches (in can and strained well). How do I adjust the ingredients? thanks so much.
I’ve actually never tried adding peaches to this cake but please let me know if you try it! I do have this peach cake recipe which I love: https://route-span.live/peach-bundt-cake-with-brown-butter-icing/%3C/p%3E
Hey, Sally! Can I make this cake then cut it into smaller, round, layers to make either a 4″ or 6″ round layer cake? (I don’t have the smaller pans, but can get them if they’re necessary). Thank you!
I can’t see why you couldn’t do that! If you do get smaller round pans you can use this recipe: https://route-span.live/6-inch-cake-recipes/%3C/p%3E
Hi Sally,
I apologize in advance if this question has been posed!
Is it okay to sub Fage 2% Greek yogurt for the sour cream in this recipe as well as your Simply Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes recipe? Will it make a huge difference in the end result?
Thanks!
Hi Nicole! You can definitely use plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream in most baking recipes. Sour cream produces a *slightly* lighter texture, but you won’t notice a huge difference in either of the recipes you listed. Hope this helps!
Excellent! I am so excited to make these for my son’s 5th birthday this weekend. Thanks, Sally!! Your recipes are the best and always my first go-to when I’m planning sweet treats.
This turned out absolutely perfect, thank you! I love to make my kids’ birthday cakes but I have trouble when I have to adjust a given recipe for different size pans (based on the “shape” needed to make their requested theme). I’ll return to this recipe for some of the replies you gave for adjustments, but I’m wondering if you’ve done a post/general guide on adjusting recipes to different size pans/adjusting baking times? Would you say times .5 is as much as you’d recommend before just making the entire recipe separately twice?
Hi Diane, I haven’t published a guide for larger pan sizes but it’s a great question! I usually only recommend making the batter one recipe at a time. When we add more batter we tend to over or under mix the recipe which I find is the leading cause to a dense cake!
Could I make this with the addition of dessicated coconut? My partner has asked for jam and coconut sponge for his birthday which is sponge cake topped with jam and dessicated coconut something from our childhood at school. Thanks Claire
You certainly could add it to the batter. I would also suggest looking at this recipe for my all time favorite coconut cake: https://route-span.live/coconut-cake/%3Cbr /> You can add jam between the layers or see my recipe notes on how to bake this as a sheet cake as well.