Vanilla Cake is a CLASSIC cake recipe made with vanilla extract and topped with buttercream frosting, ready in under 60 minutes! Try today!
A layered cake in your favorite flavor, like this Vanilla Cake, is a simple but elegant Cake Recipe perfect for any occasion. Be sure to check out my other classic cake flavors like Red Velvet Cake, Chocolate Mint Cake, Carrot Cake, and of course, Easy Chocolate Cake!
Table of contents
- Sabrina’s Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe
- Chef’s Note: A versatile cake!
- Ingredients
- Kitchen Equipment & Tools
- How to Make Vanilla Cake
- Recipe Card
- Buttercream Frosting Recipe
- Can This Be Made Ahead?
- Nutritional Facts
- Baking Tips and Tricks
- How to Store
- Troubleshooting Cake Baking
- Frequent Questions
- Variations
- Related Recipes
Sabrina’s Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe
Vanilla Cake is one of the best, all-time favorite, CLASSIC cake recipes! The light, tender crumb with warm vanilla flavor and sugary buttercream frosting make a perfectly balanced sweet bite. My no-frills, easy vanilla layer cake recipe may look simple, but it definitely outshines fancier cakes in taste and flavor!
Chef’s Note: A versatile cake!
One reason I love this cake is that you can easily make it a bit more special whenever you want a few bells and whistles. Whether it’s a few drops of food coloring in the homemade Buttercream Frosting, some warm spices in the batter, or a fruity filling layer, it’s easy to transform this cake for any occasion. See my Variations section for ideas!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Unsalted Butter: I always use unsalted butter, so I can add the salt myself. Soften it at room temp so it whips better.
- 3 large Eggs: Make sure you also bring the eggs to room temperature before starting. For this recipe, you can use medium eggs or extra large eggs without any adjustments.
- 1 ⅓ cups Sugar: You’ll want to use regular granulated sugar for the light and soft crumb. I don’t recommend brown sugar for this cake because you’ll need to adjust for the extra moisture.
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract: Use real vanilla extract for the best flavor. Liquid extract is better for cakes, but if you also have vanilla bean paste, try using the paste in your frosting for an extra creamy vanilla flavor!
- 1 cup Whole Milk: This should also be at room temperature to get the best texture. 2% should be okay in a pinch.
- 2 ¼ cups Flour: For more delicate cakes like white cake, use cake flour because it requires a finer texture, but for this vanilla cake, you can use all-purpose flour without issue. If cake flour is all you have, you can use it for this cake.
- 2 ¼ teaspoons Baking Powder: This is the leavening agent. If you’re out of baking powder, don’t substitute with baking soda—they’re not interchangeable.
- Classic Buttercream Frosting: Making the frosting from scratch adds a nice touch and tons of flavor. I included a quick summary of my frosting recipe in this post, below the recipe card.
Kitchen Equipment & Tools
- Baking Pans: Use two 8-inch non-stick cake pans to make this cake. You can also use 9-inch cake pans and lower the baking time by a few minutes.
- Stand Mixer: It is best to use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to beat the butter and sugar. This whips in a lot of air which makes your cake softer and lighter. A mixer also makes fluffier frosting.
How to Make Vanilla Cake
Time needed: 45 minutes.
- Preheat and Prep Pans
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans.
- Sift Dry Ingredients
Sift together your flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside until needed.
- Cream Butter and Sugar
In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla
Add eggs one at a time. Then mix in the vanilla extract.
- Combine Ingredients
Lower the mixer speed and add in the ingredients. Start with a little flour mixture, then add some milk, continuing until both are fully incorporated.
- Bake
Pour the batter evenly into your prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, checking with a toothpick—if it comes out clean, the cakes are done.
- Cool and Frost
Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans before removing them. Once cooled, you can frost them with your prepared buttercream. Enjoy!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk , room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Classic Buttercream Frosting , (recipe)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour two 8 inch cake pans.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt then set aside.
- To your stand mixer add the butter and sugar and beat them together until light and fluffy on medium speed, 2-3 minutes, then add in the eggs one at a time 15 seconds apart along with the vanilla then lower the speed to low. Add the flour mixture and milk, alternating a little of each at a time.
- Pour into the cake pans evenly and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Once cakes are cooled frost them with your buttercream frosting.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Buttercream Frosting Recipe
- Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, 6 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream
- Instructions: Cream the butter on low speed then start adding in the powdered sugar in ½ cup increments until fully combined.Raise the speed to medium-high for 2 additional minutes. Add in the vanilla and heavy cream and beat until light and fluffy for an additional minute.
Can This Be Made Ahead?
Yes! Bake the layers up to two days early, let them cool completely, then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and keep them at room temp—or freeze them for a couple of months if you need to. The frosting’s fine to make up to a week in advance too; just store it in the fridge, and when you’re ready to use it, let it soften up and re-whip it to bring back that fluffiness. If you want to assemble the whole thing ahead, go for it—just keep the frosted cake in the fridge, loosely covered, and give it time to come to room temperature before serving so the frosting isn’t too firm.
Nutritional Facts
Baking Tips and Tricks
- Cooling Before Frosting: After the cake comes out of the oven, make sure it cools down completely before frosting. This will take about an hour or two at room temperature or you can pop it in the freezer. You want to make sure the buttercream and cake are the same temperature, or you’ll pull up crumbs when trying to frost.
- Preventing Cake from Sticking: If you’re having trouble with your vanilla cake sticking to the cake pans once they’re done baking, try lining the bottom of the cake pan with a piece of parchment paper. Trace the bottom of the pan on the parchment paper, then cut out the circle and it should fit exactly.
- Sifting Ingredients: Make sure you sift together your dry ingredients before adding them to the cake, to make sure everything is evenly dispersed before adding to the wet ingredients. If you don’t have a sifter, you can whisk your dry ingredients together but the texture might be slightly less light in the final cake.
- Mixing Methods: It’s a good idea to make cakes in a stand mixer because it makes sure that everything is incorporated nicely, but you can use a hand-held mixer if that’s what you have.
- Testing Doneness: You can see if most baked desserts are done by inserting a toothpick into the middle. If the toothpick comes out clean, the dessert is done. This works for both cake and cupcakes.
How to Store
- Store: If you’ve frosted the cake with a dairy frosting, it can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours. If you’re just making the cake layers, you can store the cake on the counter tightly wrapped or sealed in an airtight container. If you’ve frosted the cake, it depends on what type of frosting is used. For dairy frostings, like cream cheese or vanilla buttercream, store them in the refrigerator.
- Freeze: Freeze unfrosted cake layers tightly wrapped in plastic for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature.
Troubleshooting Cake Baking
How do I make a cake more moist?
- Don’t substitute butter, milk, or eggs for lower-fat ingredients. The fat in this vanilla cake recipe helps keep everything moist and light.
- Try using buttermilk instead of milk because the acid and fat in the buttermilk will work with the gluten to help give your cake a softer, fluffy texture.
- You can add more moisture to the cake by substituting part of the butter with vegetable or canola oil.
- Bring the cake to room temperature before serving it for the best texture. When cakes are colder than room temperature, they are sometimes mistaken for stale or dry. If you take it out of the refrigerator about an hour before you’re ready to serve, it will be room temperature when you cut into it.
Why did my cake fall apart?
- If your cake is falling apart it is most likely too dry. There are a few reasons this might happen. Make sure your oven is cooking at the right temperature because an over-baked cake can easily be dry and crumbly. Try using an oven thermometer and set your oven temperature, then make sure they match so you’re not over-baking anything.
- Measure your all-purpose flour exactly to make sure you’re not adding too much. Try weighing the all-purpose flour or using a knife to level the measuring cup.
- If you’re replacing the eggs or butter in this recipe, make sure you’re not removing all of the fat because it helps keep the texture of the cake soft. I also recommend not using any butter substitutes, like margarine.
- Make sure you’re not over-mixing the cake batter. Stop mixing when everything is just mixed in.
- If your cake falls when you take it out of the oven, it’s possible that there was too much baking powder used. The baking powder causes the cake to rise really fast, then fall before it’s done baking. Try leveling the baking powder in the measuring spoon with a knife, similar to how we did the flour.
Frequent Questions
Yes, the difference is that vanilla cake uses all purpose flour, whole eggs, and regular vanilla extract. A white cake is made with cake flour, clear vanilla extract and whipped egg whites which not only gives it a whiter color but a much airy, lighter crumb.
No, I would not recommend swapping vegetable or canola oil for the butter in this cake recipe. The butter not only adds flavor but it adds structure to the cake by whipping it with the sugar. Oil would make this cake dense and the crumb would not be as soft.
A vanilla sponge cake recipe will usually have more eggs and less butter than a regular cake. This is why sponge cake has a lighter fluffy texture, and can be used for recipes like this Chocolate Cake Roll. A regular cake like this vanilla cake will have butter, oil, and a more dense sweet texture.
Variations
- Filling: Add a delicious fruit filling to the center of the cake. Pipe a bit of frosting around the edge of the frosting filling. This creates a barrier and shallow well to hold the filling. Spread a thick fruit jam like Strawberry Jam or Raspberry Jam in the well and add the second cake layer. If you want to use a fruit topping like Strawberry Topping, strain most of the syrup so it doesn’t leak out. You could also use Lemon Curd, Chocolate Ganache, or Caramel Sauce, but I would chill it in the freezer for about an hour so that it doesn’t squish out.
- Decorations: Pipe extra frosting as swirly mounds around the top of the cake for an easy decoration. Add decorative sprinkles, chopped or chocolate shavings on top of the mounds or over the top of the cake. You could also press them halfway up the sides.
- Frosting: Instantly upgrade this cake with other frosting flavors like Rich Chocolate Buttercream, Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting or Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting. My recipes usually make about a cup of frosting extra that is perfect for adding some decorations.
- Food Coloring: Another easy way to upgrade the frosting and cake is to add some food coloring. I like gel food coloring because you only need a couple drops to get a bright vibrant color.
- Spices: Make a lightly spiced cake by adding a teaspoon of cinnamon, or a baking spice blend like Pumpkin Pie Spice or apple pie spice. You could also use more aromatic spices like nutmeg or cardamom, I would just only add about ¼ teaspoon of these stronger spices.
Related Recipes
More Classic Cake Recipes
Photos used in a previous version of this post.
Do you personally make this by measuring with cups or scale? I’ve gotten so use to sourdough that I almost only use my scale now but don’t want to if the recommended weights are just autogenerated
I use cups and the weights are autogenerated. Thank you for asking and let us know how your cake turns out!
Have made this cake at least 5 times. It always comes out so moist with amazing flavor. Very easy. So much better all the way around than box! Thank you so much for sharing I love making this for my kids’ birthdays! They love it too!
So glad your family enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for the five stars!
This is our go-to recipe for an all-vanilla treat, which is my daughter’s favorite kind! We have made it again and again, and it always is delicious. We also like pairing this cake with the vanilla cloud frosting.
Sounds perfect and thank you for the five star review. Love your “Dinner then Dessert fan mom” Post Name!
The PERFECT vanilla cake recipe. I needed to add extra flour for my altitude but everything else was spot on. This cake is so moist. Saving it for all future cake recipes!
I made up the dry ingredients and put the recipe on the outside of the bag. I have used this recipe for several dump cakes and a cake with icing. I’m loving it! Tastes great!
This recipe was SO GREAT!!!! Everyone loved it. This will be my go-to recipe from now on. Thank you!
You’re welcome and thank you Jamie, for the 5 star review!
You didn’t mention the temperature to bake it at. Would 170 C or 180 C be better?
350 degrees is the temperature to bake the cake which is 176 celcius.
Is the flour all purpose or self rising?
All purpose. Remember this: if you add salt, baking powder, baking soda or yeast, it’s All Purpose. Otherwise, it is Self Rising. They are not interchangeable in most recipes. However, in a pinch, you can use self rising.
I made this for my wedding in 2019; it is super good and everyone loved it. I now make it every year for my wife’s birthday!
Came out dry and dense.
Sensational recipes, thank you ?
Sensational recipes, thank you ?
Hi I am planning on making this cake, but want 3 layers any advice on amounts?
Also for 3 layer what will the butter cream measurement be? do you have to add heavy cream to the butter icing? Or is there an alternative
Hi Ree, what size layers are you wanting?
Do I need to use whole milk? Or would 2% be okay?
It should be ok, but we prefer whole milk.
Hello
I want to bake this cake but what is 3/4 cup in grams?
96 grams
I’m sure this will be great! Do you know how long the cake can keep? Do I need to refrigerate it?
Cakes usually start to dry out after about 4 days. You only need to keep it in the fridge if the frosting is a dairy one (cream cheese or butter cream). Enjoy!
Hi…!
Which sugar should i use caster or granulated? I want to try this today and give you a feedback.
Thanks!
Granulated sugar 🙂
Can I make this without any mixer at all I do not have one or a way to get one and I’d like to make this cake today
Do you have a hand held mixer you can use?
I do not have a hand mixer or stand mixer. I do it all by hand. It came out great
Hello,
I was wondering if I could bake this in one tin? Thanks,
You would either need to cut the recipe in half or use a tin large enough for the batter. Good luck!
Amazing! Made this for my family and they loved it! 5 stars! One question though. How do you get your buttercream so smooth and even? Mine always turns out choppy and uneven.
Do you mean in the frosting process? I use a wet paper towel to gently smooth it after refrigerating. But I am definitely no cake expert! Glad you enjoyed it! Happy Thanksgiving!
i like to referigerate my cake for a good 2 hours so that it won’t heat up the frosting and clump up.
i’d ask heavily recommend a turntable! it’s so much easier
This cake is THE BEST! its so good, … I LOVE IT
Thanks for the 5 stars, Taya. I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much.
It did not turn out well at all; it fell, it was heavy and dense, actually sorta chewy. It was for my daughter’s birthday, I was horrified.
Oh no!
Can i use only one 8” cake pan because I don’t want to be layered
Please answer me.
Yes, just cut the recipe in half. Enjoy!
This cake was delish! I loved it because it was soooooo moist and flavorful. To be honest I use sour cream and milk (I added extra vanilla too) this website officially has my respect
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
How much sour cream did you add?
I have made this recipe so many times now. It works great for cupcakes too! This was the first recipe I’ve used to make a cake from scratch and now it’s my go to! Thanks for sharing !!
Can we use brown sugar instead?
I haven’t tested it. The sweetness level will be there but it will change the texture and flavor of the cake when substituted. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!
love this recipe!
So. The taste was really great! I did do some wrong things when making mine without realizing it(main thing was keeping ingredients at room temp.) Wr decided to make almost like muffins and it was really good. Keep up the good work!?
Is there a way i can make this without a stand mixer
You can use a hand mixer too.
How long should we beat sugar and butter with hand held mixer ?
You’ll want to beat it on medium speed until it’s light and fluffy.
I’ve been searching high and low for true vanilla cake recipes that can be baked in a sheet pan so I can cut 6” rounds for a layer cake. Does this bake up in a half sheet, and if so, what is the bake time/temp? Easier still would be this recipe for 6” round pans … two or even three, but I’m fine doing it Christina Tosi-style. Your cake looks gorgeous and I’m gonna convince my husband vanilla cake is as good as he thinks chocolate cake is. I always make chocolate or mocha but I prefer vanilla cake with vanilla frosting
Best vanilla cake I ever made!!
I’m so glad you love it so much!
Made this cake (with your classic buttercream frosting recipe) yesterday for my son’s birthday. It was delicious! Thank you!
Fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know how much you all enjoyed it. I appreciate the 5 stars.
Really easy and fun to do with little siblings, cousins, grandparents, and parents. Comes out fluffy and not to sweet but just right ;):)
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
How many cupcakes would this recipe yield?
About 24 cupcakes 🙂
Just letting you know that I did the gluten free version of it with the 1 to 1 flour and it was wonderful! Best cake I ever ate…
Thanks for coming back and letting me know! I’m so happy it turned out great as a GF cake!
Could I use unbleached pastry flour and get a similar result?
So sorry for the delay on answering – you can substitute unbleached pastry flour on a 1:1 ratio.
There is something wrong with your recipe, I have tried it 3 times and each time it has curdled. I am using a stand mixer and have followed your instructions to the tee each time and I still have ended up with the same result. I even tried with the milk being at room temperature as everything else and it still made no difference. I have never had this happen to me before with any recipe that I have made! I am extremely frustrated.
I’m so sorry you had issues. I know another person stated once they changed the milk to room temperature, the recipe worked for them. I didn’t need to adjust the temperature personally but want to give as much advice for it to work for others.
Ive made it several times and never had an issue. The recipe isn’t the problem.
i added the sugar, butter, vanilla and milk together in the order you described and the milk seemed to curdle and separate and float to the top?
I’ve never had that happen before. Were you using a stand mixer? Usually milk will curdle if the temperatures are different (milk was too cold and the other ingredients were much warmer) but I can’t imagine why that would happen with these ingredients.
The same thing happened to us. It would be beneficial to add to the recipe that the milk should not be too cold. We took care and time to bring eggs and butter to room temp, but it said nothing about the milk. We that first wet batch and had to start over…money and lots of wasted time. Even on the re-do, with less cold milk, it seemed to be heading in the chunky direction. But we added the milk very slowly and started adding the dry ingredients before all the milk was fully added and that worked well. All in all, a yummy recipe. Lesson learned to read the comments too!
Thanks so much for the feedback. I took your advice and adjusted the recipe card to show that.
Completely messed up on the ingredients…
and the instructions were not very detailed…
but I’m sure it would’ve tasted good if I had done it right!
:)??
Can water be a substitute for milk
In a pinch you can use 1 cup of water but add an additional 1 ½ tsp. butter.
How many cakes does this recipe make and in what size pans
Enough batter to fill 2 8 inch cake pans. I made 1 double layer cake. 🙂
I’m making this cake today but instead of vanilla I’m using marshmallow extract and making a rainbow cake for my son’s birthday.
How fun!!
Could this recipe be cooked into cupcakes?
Yes, just adjust the cook time to 18-20 minutes. Enjoy!
What kind of flour did you use?
All purpose flour 🙂
You can’t beat a classic vanilla cake! One of my all-time favorites!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This needs to happen at my house very soon! I’m going to have to try this.
Best decision EVER!! Enjoy!
Oh wow, looks insanely delicious! These are absolutely a huge hit on our table, can’t wait to try!
This is my family’s favorite cake. I am so glad to make it at home now! A must try recipe!
Simple The Best! I have tried many cake recipes, this hit the ball over the park and beyond!! Yummy!
Fantastic! Thanks for the 5 stars.
very delicious and moist cake recipe is we used the buttercream and cheese cream both for frosting!!!
Best cake ever…loved it
It’s almost the weekend and this cake looks like the perfect way to celebrate. So happy to not have to rely on a mix from the store anymore!
Fantastic!