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
hello
I want to make cake push pops can I use this recipe and color the batter??? what do you recommend?
Hi Maria, yes, you can color this batter. We recommend using gel food coloring for best results.
I read a lot of comments saying this cake was dense or dry but mine has never turned out like that. It’s the most moist en fluffy cake ever and I now use it as my go to recipe for letter and number cakes. Absolutely amazing and so quick and easy too!
Hi there!
Could I use a 9×9 square pan for this recipe? Does 3” or 2” depth make a difference? Would it make two layers if I were to do this?
Thanks so much!
Hi Britt! This recipe as written is too much for one 9×9 pan. Here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions so you can scale the recipe as needed. Enjoy!
It did not adequately fill a 9 x 13 pan and was dry at 35 minutes and nothing special, very disappointed.
2 questions:
1. Can I use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?
2. Can I use milk instead of heavy cream?
Hi Audrey! You can use Greek yogurt in the cake batter. Milk in the frosting will result in a thinner frosting but should work OK. Let us know how it goes!
Hi there! I want to make this recipe tonight, but I am concerned about so many comments saying it was really dense and dry. I see you responding to other comments, but I don’t see where you have responded to any of those. Could you let me know what they could be doing wrong so I can avoid the same result?
Hi Jessi, dry cakes can be caused by many things, like over-baking, not using proper room temperature ingredients, etc. This post on baking perfect cakes should be helpful!
This cake turned out great! The one thing I will say is that it took a lot longer in the oven… Probably an additional 15 minutes! Not sure how to explain that because it turned out great otherwise!
My butter cream doesn’t come out the way it shows in the picture. Could it be the butter that I use or not mixing it right.
Hi Evangelina, make sure you’re using proper room temperature butter. This can make a big difference!
Excellent recipe, easy to follow, and the best vanilla cake I’ve ever had! I do have a question: do you have the nutrition information for this recipe anywhere? Thanks (:
Hi Rachel, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients, and many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients. However, there are many great online calculators where you can plug in your exact ingredients like this one: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Awesome thank you so much. My boyfriend made this for my birthday and my entire family loved it.
Hi! I want to make this cake for my son’s birthday tomorrow, but we’re in the middle of an ice storm and I don’t have any sour cream, and don’t want to go out for it. Could I use vanilla greek yogurt instead?
Hi Casey, that should work in a pinch. Let us know how it goes!
Thanks so much for the quick reply, I’ll let you guys know how it works!
Hi Sally! Your recipes are amazing! I love them so much! I have a question for you – I have a favorite buttercream frosting recipe of mine that I’ve been using for years (not this recipe, though this one is amazing too!) and I wanted to know if I could freeze my leftover frosting, and if so, for how long? I made way too much today and I need to save some for several weeks!
Thank you!
-Taylor
Hi Taylor, for our buttercream recipe we recommend freezing up to three months. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator then beat the frosting on medium speed for a few seconds so it’s creamy again. After thawing or refrigerating, beating in a splash of heavy cream or milk will help thin the frosting out again, if needed.
Could I use the regular creaming method with these ingredients?
Hi Kenzie, You could but the texture will be different. Or use this recipe our our white cake and follow the recipe notes to bake it in a 9×13 inch pan.
I read the reviews and although many people said the cake was dense, I was still surprised at just how dense and also a little dry. It got eaten at our family dinner, but didn’t get many comments. It was a lot of work to make, the next time I’ll use a box mix!
Hey Sally! I want to add sprinkles in the cake to make it a confetti celebration. What step do you suggest adding them? Thanks!
Hi Todd! Fold them in at the end of preparing the batter. Enjoy!
It pains me to write this but I also found this recipe to be a total bust. I get what went wrong….
Delicious! Light and spongy cake with good vanilla flavor. I’ve been baking for 25 years and tried this recipe on a whim when asked to bake for 200 for a funeral and it was a delight. The whipped vanilla buttercream was a little on the sweet side for my tastes but others thought it was just right.
Is there anyway to make the cake part chocolate vs vanilla?
Hi Ariana! Try our favorite triple chocolate cake instead (9×13 inch cake instructions can be found in the recipe notes). Enjoy!
Hi Sally! I made this cake as a sheet cake for a children’s birthday party and it was a huge hit! Now I want to make it chocolate – can I do this exact recipe an add cocoa powder? If so, how much?
Hi Alyssa, Unfortunately cocoa powder is a unique ingredient and not a simple swap. We’d recommend following our Triple Chocolate Cake recipe instead — see recipe notes for details on making in a 9×13 pan. You can use the chocolate buttercream listed there or the whipped buttercream frosting from this post — whichever you prefer!
This was the worst cake recipe I ever did …and it was for 4 year old birthday…I wish I never did it it was so bad I wish I throw it away before I gave it to them ….it is not recipe for a sheet cake period …I will NEVER make this cake again
Hi Elvira, I would love to help troubleshoot. What made the cake bad? Was it the texture or taste? Did you alter any ingredients or use a different size pan?
Can I use this recipe for a 16 inch round pan?
Hi Kate, this post on cake pan sizes and conversions will be helpful for scaling the recipe for your 16 inch pan. Enjoy!
Hi Sally! First of all, I love your website. Second, does the heavy cream need to be room temperature as well?
Also, can I double the recipe?
For best results, we recommend making the recipe twice instead of doubling.
This is the only recipe from this site that has not worked for me. Too dense, too dry, and I wound up having to THROW CAKE AWAY (gasp!) because it was just awful (and I rarely throw food away, let alone dessert of any kind). I tried it with strawberries on top, then with ice cream and nothing made it edible. I wish I’d read the reviews before I made it.
What would I have to times this recipe by for a 38x28x7 rectangle cake tin?
Hi Lusizo, our cake pan sizes and conversions guide should be helpful for determining how much batter you’ll need. Keep in mind, we recommend making separate batches rather than doubling (or more) in order to prevent over mixing.
Hi Sally,
Can I turn this cake out of the 9×13 pan and frost sides and top or does it need to be kept in the pan to serve? I want to make it for my granddaughter’s birthday party.
Thanks,
Vicki C
Hi Vicki, after the cake is completely cooled, you can turn it out of the pan if you’d like.
Can you freeze the buttercream?
Hi Jackie, absolutely. Frosting should freeze well for up to three months.
Followed the recipe exactly, but would have to agree with a couple other reviews that the cake seemed rather dense. I was hoping for a more fluffy, light cake.
But the flavor was great!
Pretty sure the recipe doesn’t have enough raising agent for a cake of that size
My husband absolutely loved the more “dense” cake. Such an easy recipe and will be saving it for a quick bake! Thank you Sally! (Other favourites are the chocolate mouse cake- we just don’t use the ganache as too rich but make double the mousse to be user for the outside AND the strawberry cake!!)
Hi Sally! My sister and I made this cake recipe yesterday. Our family and us loved it so much! Definitely the best cake recipe, we’ve made so far this year. The frosting wasn’t too sweet, and the cake flour tasted great in the cake.
Not sure what I did wrong but my cake is only 1″ high. Baked in a 9×13 pan. If I made this cake again I would double the recipe.
Can I make this into a full sheet cake?
Do I just make 3x the original recipe?
Hi Susie, here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
I had the same issue. My cake is also very dense. I’m a pretty experienced baker, and I’m not really sure what went wrong.
Hi Sally.
This cake is for my kids. Can I just use 1/3 cup sugar instead of the full amount? When you use less sugar, do you need to alter the amounts of any other ingredients?
Hi Mia! Reducing the sugar will impact the taste, texture, and structure of the cake. Without testing ourselves, we can’t guarantee results. You are welcome to try reducing it, but know that the results may be a bit different than if you made it as written. Let us know what you try!
Hi Sally.
I made the vanilla cake tonight with only half a cup of sugar instead and it turned out great! My only question is can i reduce the amount of butter in it? It tasted more like a butter cake than a vanilla cake. Or perhaps if i added a touch more cake flour it would help as the cake is so amazingly moist it could handle a bit more flour?
Hi Mia, It’s likely that by changing the amount of sugar in the recipe the flavor changed also and now you are tasting more butter. It would take some recipe testing in order for us to give you a confident answer on how to reduce both. Let us know if you try anything!