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
Hi! I need to make a quarter sheet cake that is half chocolate and half vanilla. How would you recommend I do that?
Hi Charity, you can use our zebra cake batter to make a chocolate and vanilla swirled sheet cake (we’re unsure of the exact bake time). If you want the batters separately, you’ll have to make two separate cakes (one chocolate and one vanilla). You can cut them in half, place them next to each other, and frost over that if desired.
I love your recipes. Everything I have made turns out terrific. I want to use this recipe to make a sheet cake using a jelly roll pan. Will this recipe easily convert? What would the baking time be?
You can reference this cake pan sizes and conversions guide to find out how much batter you’ll need for that pan.
Hi Sally, I’ve made many of your recipes and loved each one. My question is, can this cake be used for a strawberry trifle?
Absolutely! I can’t see why not.
Hi, Sally! I apologize if this is a repeat question. I don’t have any whole milk right now, what can I substitute it with? Thanks in advance!
Hi Charla, you can swap with another lower fat or non-dairy milk, but the cake may not be as tender and soft.
Hi. This recipe looks great, making it tomorrow. Do you think i could add some lemon juice (and zest) or would that mess with it?
Hi Marisa, We recommend using our lemon cake recipe instead! See recipe notes for details on baking in a 9×13 pan.
This cake had good flavor but was dry. Frosting was very good.
Hi Kate, we’re glad you enjoyed it! Was it over baked perhaps? And 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 significantly dry out the cake. This post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes will be a helpful resource, too. Thanks again for giving this recipe a try!
Can I put the batter into a sheet pan? Or would I need more batter in order to completely fill it?
Hi Mac, You can try making 1.5 times the recipe although you might have a bit of leftover batter (which you can use to make a few extra cupcakes!). For a precise calculation using a different size pan you can use the post Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions to help calculate how much batter you would need.
Is it possible to use Butter Milk instead of whole milk?
Hi Bob, if using buttermilk as a substitute, use it to replace the milk AND the sour cream. So, 1 and 1/3 cups total. Happy baking!
Oh man. I really wanted to love this recipe since the batter was delicious. Unfortunately the cake was full of holes (I was careful not to over mix) and not a huge amount of flavor, and dry. I took it out of the oven before the minimum baking time and it felt good and dense. It tasted the opposite.
Will the frosting hold up to using food coloring? I like this lighter frosting, but want to do a multi color frosting job
Hi Emmy! Yes, you can add food coloring to this vanilla buttercream. We recommend using gel food coloring.
Hi! Can this recipe be modified for a half sheet cake pan? 18×13 pan Thank you : )
About 1.5x the batter should be just about right for that size pan. Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes. Enjoy!
Hi Sally, I need to adapt this cake to a chocolate flavor for a chocky mad grandson. How can I do this please, thanks in advance.
Hi Gail! Our favorite chocolate cake recipe can be baked in a 9×13 pan – same oven temperature, about 35-40 minutes bake time.
Sally, I made this cake for a church event and it was a hit. Everyone was raving about it. Several people commented that they thought it was from a bakery. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi, I have a 12 x 18 inch cake pan. Can I adjust this recipe?
Hi Sophie, the cake would be very thin, but you may certainly try it. We’re unsure of the best bake time. (Here is our cake pan sizes and conversions guide as well, for a helpful resource.)
Hi! Do you think this recipe would work in an 18×13 pan for a thinner cake layer?
Hi Jordan, the cake would be very thin, and you can certainly try it. I’m unsure of the best bake time.
Can I make this in two 9×13 pans to make a layer sheet cake?
Hi Christine, you could divide the batter in two 9×13 pans for thinner layers. The bake time will be a bit shorter with less batter in the pans, so keep an eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Some readers have also had success baking the cake as is, then using a knife to slice the cake horizontally for two layers. Let us know how it goes!
what if I want to make a much larger sheet cake 18 x 12? double the recipe okay?
Hi Janet, here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
I want to make a 2 layer cake in an 11×15 pan please. How should I increase the measurements? 1.5x for each layer?
Hi Linz, You certainly 1.5 the recipe for an 11×15 pan. Although you might have a bit of leftover batter (which you can use to make a few extra cupcakes!).
I made this recipe split it into 2 rectangular tins (23 x 33) and it was too thin but amazing sponge!! So made the full cake in the same tin same temp and everything but it booked everywhere but the middle and was brown on top! Any suggestions on what I’ve done wrong??
Hi Jasmine! You can try moving the cake to a lower position in your oven or carefully tenting with foil to prevent excess browning.
Hi there! Love your recipes! Was wondering if the Vanilla sheet cake could be made with egg whites instead of whole eggs like a white cake mix for more of vanilla cake taste rather than yellow! Thank you
Hi Marcie, for a sheet cake that uses only egg whites, you can use our white cake recipe and follow the recipe Notes there for a 9×13 pan. Feel free to use this whipped buttercream on top if you’d like!
Hi Sally. I’m looking to make a two layer 9×13 cake for my daughters birthday with Italian merengue buttercream and strawberries. Would this cake work for slicing in half with a cake leveler to make two layers?
Also would like to use vanilla bean paste instead of extract, any tips? Thank you I always love your recipes!
Hi Kelsey, that should work!
Everyone loved this cake! My husband has requested this one for the past few years for his birthday. He loves almond cake so I replace half the vanilla extract with almond extract on the cake on frosting. Turns out fabulous!
Sally, this is superb! Thank you it was a hit with everyone. I increased my batter by one third using the metric measurements and it was perfect x
Hi! I’m planning to cut this sheet cake into thirds to construct a dump truck for a toddler bday cake, which requires stacking. Would this versus the yellow sheet cake hold up similarly? Will it crumble when stacked? Thanks!
Hi Sarah, this is a pretty sturdy cake; it shouldn’t crumble during or after assembly.
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 a great crumb and flavor. I’ve made it into a two layer cake several times, following the baking time listed in the notes. I’ve added sprinkles, mini chocolate chips and made a double batch to use for a pinata cake!
Sally
I love the cake but when looking for the recipe I came across your ‘yellow sheet cake’ which I think is the recipe I initially used opposed to the vanilla sheet cake.
My question: there isn’t much difference between the vanilla and yellow sheet cake.
. But the amount of eggs and flour
What is the difference in taste or height etc
I’m making the cake for brother’s birthday this Saturday
Hi Meg, there isn’t too much noticeable difference between the two in height or taste. The vanilla sheet cake bakes up a little taller, and has a slightly fluffier crumb. They’re both delicious with pretty much any kind of frosting you want to use, so you can’t go wrong either way. Hope your cake turns out great!
Hi sally I’m so excited to try this recipe. Do you think I could add sprinkles to make this a Funfetti cake ?
Sure can! See the recipe notes.
This cake was a HUGE hit. I looked up MANY vanilla cake recipies when deciding what to make for my daughter’s birthday. I wanted something tasty, moist yet light and fluffy. I followed the directions exactly and went to the store to get cake flour just for this. It’s perfection for making a sheet cake and everyone loved it.
Hi, could I double this recipe to make a large sheet cake? 12 x 17 (deeper dish)
Hi Janet! Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Would it be ok to use Bobs red mill fine pastry flour instead of cake flour? Thanks!
Hi SMarie, we recommend sticking with cake flour here. If you cannot get your hands on cake flour, you can make a DIY cake flour substitute.
Love this cake. I started mixing all the dries together then went to my cupboard and realised I had no sugar!!! Had to use icing sugar ratio- 1cup sug =1 3/4 cup icing sugar. No probs bob! Get to the sour cream… oh no I picked up parsley and garlic sour cream so I replaced it with lemon yoghurt ratio 1:1. Hands down the best cake I have ever made thank you