A perfectly plush, soft, classic vanilla cake recipe made entirely from scratch! It’s so simple to make, and tastes much better than a box mix! Recipe includes a how-to video.
A Classic Vanilla Cake, Made Entirely From-Scratch
Every baker needs a solid vanilla cake recipe in their repertoire, and today’s recipe is just that.
It’s soft, plush, and perfectly moist. Not to be confused with my white cake, this recipe is a beautiful pale golden color and distinctly vanilla flavored. It pairs beautifully with any frosting, although a traditional chocolate frosting is my favorite finish!
Like my chocolate cake, this has been one of my most popular recipes for years (and you may recognize it as the base for both my pineapple upside-down cake and my marble cake). It’s a simple, classic, and incredible vanilla cake. So many of you have tried and loved this recipe, and while the recipe remains exactly the same, I thought it was about time for a facelift with new photos and a new video.
The flavor and texture of this cake is so much better than box-mix, and the preparation is almost as easy. I’ve included a few tips below to help you be successful, so make sure to read all the notes before you get started.
What You Need
After testing many versions and combinations of ingredients, I’ve found that a good vanilla cake needs the following ingredients:
- Oil AND butter. A blend of these two ingredients gives the cake the best possible flavor and texture. Butter provides flavor while oil adds moisture and keeps it from being too dry. A cake made with all oil would be moist but lacking in flavor, and an all-butter cake may have a more buttery taste, but would be more dry. Any neutral cooking oil will work here, but I typically recommend using either vegetable or canola oil. For the butter, unsalted is best so we have maximum control over the flavor of the cake
- Sugar. Plain granulated sugar works best. Brown sugar would add moisture, but would detract from the classic vanilla flavor and even weigh down the cake a bit.
- Eggs. You’ll need four eggs, and it’s best if you bring them to room temperature before adding them (this helps them incorporate into the batter more evenly).
- Vanilla. You can’t have vanilla cake without vanilla! I recommend using a good quality vanilla extract, so if you’ve got a batch of homemade vanilla extract, use it here!
- Flour. I developed this vanilla cake recipe to be work with all-purpose flour and that’s what I always use. However, you *could* use cake flour instead. To substitute by weight, you would use the same amount, but if you are using measuring cups you will need to substitute your flour properly.
- Baking powder. I know a tablespoon of baking powder may seem like a lot, but that’s not a typo. Always make sure your baking soda is fresh and avoid using a generic brand, which I’ve had mixed results with in the past.
- Salt. You can just use plain table salt.
- Buttermilk. I strongly recommend using full-fat buttermilk for the best flavor and texture. While I do have a buttermilk substitute, it doesn’t really make this vanilla cake quite as moist and flavorful as I like it to be, so now I strictly recommend using real buttermilk. And no, you do not *need* to have baking soda in a recipe in order to use buttermilk; we’re using it for its moisture and flavor here!
SAM’S TIP: One of the biggest mistakes you can make with this recipe is neglecting to measure your flour properly. If you over or under-measure your flour, your cake will not turn out right! Use the right method, be as precise as possible, and use a kitchen scale if you have one.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Vanilla Cake
- Cream the butter, oil, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then, add your vanilla and stir to combine.
- Combine your dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add about ⅓ of the mixture into your bowl. Use a spatula to gently stir until just combined. Follow this with about ½ of your buttermilk, and stir again until just combined. .
- Add ½ of the remaining dry ingredients stir, and then add the remainder of the buttermilk. Finish with the final portion of dry ingredients and use your spatula to make sure the batter is smooth–do NOT overmix!
- Divide the batter evenly into two greased baking pans.
- Bake, then use a toothpick to test for doneness. Let the cakes cool in their pans a bit before inverting onto a cooling rack, where they’ll need to cool completely before frosting.
SAM’S TIP: While a toothpick that comes out clean indicates a fully baked cake, an over-baked cake will also yield a clean toothpick. It’s best to pull your vanilla cake out of the oven when a toothpick shows moist crumbs!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This vanilla cake recipe will make 24 vanilla cupcakes. I’ve included instructions for cupcakes in the recipe notes.
A cake that has been over-baked or one in which too much flour was used will be crumbly when cut into. If you invert the cake too soon or try to handle it while it’s too warm, this could also make it break.
Cakes made from scratch require a bit more care and technique than those that come from a box-mix. When making any cake from scratch, take care to not over-mix, over-bake, or use too much flour, or the cake can end up tasting like cornbread. This applies to any cake that is made from scratch, not just this recipe!
What causes dry cake?
Dryness is typically the biggest complaint bakers have when making a cake from scratch, so I thought this FAQ deserved its own space. There are three main causes for a dry cake: over-measuring the flour (addressed above), over-mixing, and over-baking.
- Do not over-mix your batter! Mixing the batter properly can be tricky and this is often where most mistakes are made with homemade cakes. To avoid over-mixing, thoroughly cream together the wet ingredients, particularly the butter, sugar, oil, and eggs. I highly recommend using an electric mixer for this step! However, once you get to the point of combining your wet and dry ingredients, you need to be gentle and fold by hand using a spatula. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, folding thoroughly, but not aggressively. The batter will be smooth and mostly cohesive; there may be some small lumps remaining, but that’s fine! Also, remember that while over-mixing can make your vanilla cake both dry and dense, under-mixing has its own risks and should be avoided as well!
- Do not over-bake your cake! Even a minute too long in the oven can cause a cake to be too dry and dense. When baking, place your cake pans on the center rack of your oven and always make sure your oven is running at the proper temperature (most ovens do not, so keep a thermometer in yours!). Don’t check your vanilla cake too early (that can make it sink!), but do keep an eye on it. When your cake is ready to come out of the oven, the center should spring back if lightly touched–it should not deflate or appear jiggly. You can also use the toothpick test to check for doneness. To do this, simply insert a toothpick in the center of your cake; it’s done if the toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). Once your vanilla cake is done, let it cool in the pan for only 10-15 minutes before running a knife around the edge and inverting it onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
SAM’S NOTE: Under-mixing your cake batter, not baking the cake for long enough, or opening the oven door too frequently while the cake bakes can cause the cake to sink as it cools.
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (113g)
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil¹ or avocado oil (120ml)
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar (300g)
- 4 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk room temperature preferred (300ml)
- 1 batch Chocolate Frosting click link for recipe, or use one of the other frostings recommended in the notes below
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (177C) and prepare two deep 8" round cake pans² by lining the bottoms with parchment paper and lightly greasing the sides. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using an electric mixer) cream together the butter, canola oil and sugar until creamy and well-combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until thoroughly combined after each addition.
- Stir in vanilla extract.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Using a spatula and gently hand-mixing, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined after each addition. The batter should be thoroughly combined, but there may be some small lumps in the batter and avoid over-mixing (and do not use your electric mixer or stand mixer for this step).
- Evenly divide batter into your prepared cake pans, and bake on 350F (175C) for 30-35 minutes. When the cake is done, the surface should spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean with few moist crumbs (no wet batter).
- Allow cakes to cool in their cake pans for 10-15 minutes before inverting onto cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost cake using my chocolate frosting (or see notes for other favorite frosting options) and decorate with sprinkles (if desired).
Notes
¹Cooking oil
You may use any neutral cooking oil instead of vegetable or canola oil. I generally don’t recommend olive oil, which is heavier and has a distinct flavor that could affect the end taste result of your cake.²Different size baking pans
- 13×9″ pan: This recipe makes enough for one 13×9″ baking pan. Readers have reported the approximate bake time is 30 minutes.
- Two 9″ pans: Readers have reported this cake takes approximately 25 minutes to bake in 9″ pans.
- Bundt pan: Readers have reported this cake takes approximately 40-45 minutes to bake in a bundt pan
Vanilla Cupcakes:
This recipe will make approximately 24 vanilla cupcakes. Fill cupcake liners no more than ¾ of the way full. Bake on 350F for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs or clean.Frosting Options
The chocolate frosting I linked to in the ingredients is my favorite pairing with this cake, but here are some other great options:Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Lee
Thanks a million for this incredible recipe, the absolute BEST vanilla cake recipe in the planet, even with my dozens of recipe books nothing comes close! Made it a few times sleazy and a winner by far!
Celestucce Milburn
This cake has almost no flavour and sort of tastes like cornbread. How does it have almost 5 stars??? What a waste of time and ingredients.
Sam
Unfortunately it sounds like the cake may have been over-mixed and over-baked. 🙁
Ashley
In your recipe you call for 1 and 1/4 cup buttermilk, but in your video you say 1 and 1/2. Will either work?
Sam
Hi Ashley! Sorry for the confusion. The written recipe is correct here. 🙂
JL
What would you suggest as a substitute for the buttermilk if you don’t have it?
Sam
My buttermilk substitute. 🙂
Rebecca
I’ve used this recipe many times in my shop and LOVE it. We have made loads of cupcakes and cakes with it. I have a wedding cake to make this weekend and want to know if this cake will stack well? Just two 4 layers.. 9″ and a 6″. Thanks so much
Sam
Hi Rebecca! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it so much! This cake will hold up to 4 layers. 🙂
Andrea
Thanks for this wonderful recipe! I’ve made this cake several times and everyone always raves about it! I want to make a two-tiered cake and the bottom tier will be 10”. How can I go about modifying the ingredients so it fits in the 10” pan? Also how do I modify the time in the oven using a 10” pan instead of 8”? In the past I multiplied all the ingredients of the 8” cake times 1.56 and my 10” cake came out super flat!
Sam
Hi Andrea! You would need to increase the recipe by 1.5 as you have been doing. With more batter you will want to take care to not over-mix it. Also make sure baking powder is still good. I hope this helps. 🙂
kaydee
I baked 2 9×12 pans of this at 350° for 33 minutes but was surprised to see the cake was still raw. What would have caused the cake to not bake?????
Sam
Hi Kaydee! The cake may have just needed longer to bake. 🙁
Lexi
So delicious! I was making a birthday cake for my sister and it came out more than delicious!
Betty
Can I substitute stevia or xylitol for sugar, preferably xylitol? And what does the baking powder do for the cake?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Betty! Unfortunately we don’t have experience using those sugar substitutes, so we can’t say for sure how they would work. Baking powder helps the cake rise 😊
Betty
I grew up with my grandma using only self rising flour but I find that most bakers don’t use this, doesn’t it take away the need for baking powder, because she never used it?
Sam
Hi Betty! Self rising flour typically has baking powder and salt mixed into it already so that’s why you didn’t see her using baking powder. 🙂
Mike
Hi, I made this recipe but for some reason it tastes like raw flour even though I let it bake for 35 minutes. So I discarded that first round and baked a 2nd cake but it still tastes like raw flour. I followed the recipe exactly. I am not sure where I am going wrong. I noticed you said 1-1/2 cups of oil in the video but the recipe calls for 1/2 cup. Any suggestions?
Sam
Hi Mike! I’m so sorry to hear this! A few things that may cause your cake to taste like flour are the cake not being properly mixed or under-baking the cake. You do just need a single half cup of oil in the cake. I hope this helps! 🙂
Mike
3rd time was the charm, I baked it for 33 mins at 350, turned off the oven and left it resting in the oven for an additional 5 mins. Came out perfect this time, thanks!
Maria B Rugolo
Question please: cam I use this cake recioe, add sprinkles and call it funfetti. I’m absolutely awful at whipping egg whites correctly to incorporate into the batter. (Thank God for cake pops!) I really want to make an 11 year old a funfetti cake for her graduation (her request) but I’m failing repeatedly. Thank you.
Sam
Hi Maria! That will work just fine. 🙂
Lex
How long should I bake if I’m doing them in 6″ pans?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Lex! We’re not 100% sure on the bake time, but it’s probably close to 30 minutes. Enjoy! 🙂
Savita
I want to make this cake for a bday today, only have a 6 inch pan .. should I half the receipe ?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Savita! Cutting the recipe in half will make enough for two 6-inch pans 🙂
Olivia
Could this recipe be made a couple days in advance?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Juliette Eisenson
I haven’t made this cake yet! I’m thinking about making it for 30 servings .How many cups of batter does this recipe make ? Can I double &/or triple this recipe without diminishing the quality?
Thanking you in advance,Sam.
Happy Baking,
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Juliette! This recipe will yield roughly 8 cups of batter. It would probably be safest to make the cake in batches instead of doubling or tripling, that way you don’t end up over-mixing. Hope that helps!
Maria
Followed the video to a T and this cake is perfection!
Jeff
I have a 1/2 sheet pan 18x12x3 would you recommend this recipes x 3?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jeff! Doubling the recipe should work for pan 😊
Paula
Can I add confetti to this cake
Sam
Sprinkles would be a great addition. I would just advise against using nonpareils. 🙂
Mary
Can I make this recipe using gluten free Cup 4 Cup flour?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That should work just fine here. We hope you enjoy the cake, Mary!
Ash
The taste was okay, but it came out dry. I followed the recipe precisely I do not understand.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Ash! We’re so sorry your cake was dry 🙁 We actually have a section within the post that discusses dry cake and what can cause it. Have you checked that out? We are happy to help troubleshoot further if you can’t find your answer there.
Megan Mollett
Can I double this recipe for a 3 layer 8” cake?
Sam
Hi Megan! You would just need to increase the recipe by 50% for 3 layers, but yes that will work just fine. 🙂
Cindy
I love this recipe! I make cupcakes with it. I was wondering if I could half the recipe…sometimes I need just 12 or 14 cupcakes and not 24. Thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sure! Enjoy, Cindy 😊
Len
The video says 1-1/2 cup buttermilk but recipe says 1-1/4. Which one is it?
Sam
I’m so sorry for the confusion, Len! The written recipe is correct 🙂