This Classic Vanilla Cake recipe pairs fluffy vanilla cake layers with a silky vanilla buttercream. The perfect cake for birthdays, weddings, and holidays!
This classic Vanilla Cake is one of the most beloved recipes on Liv for Cake.
I always thought that there were so many of these recipes out there that I’d stick to more unique ones. But really, I think the world needs my version of this simple, classic, delicious flavor combination.
Truthfully, most of my cakes use this vanilla cake recipe, but I’ve never paired it with a vanilla buttercream.
I know it’s easy enough for some people to grab a cake recipe from one post and a frosting recipe from another, but for those of us that are a little less comfortable mixing and matching for fear of epic failures, I’m putting it together for you into one recipe!
How to Make this Homemade Vanilla Cake
This vanilla cake recipe is the one I use as the base for all of my white/yellow cake-based recipes.
I’ve changed up the liquid like in this Pink Champagne Cake, the butter in this Brown Butter Cake, and sugars in this Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake, etc. to create different flavors. Some recipes require more experimentation, like this Coconut Cake.
Cake Tip!
Modifying cake recipes requires expertise and experimentation, so don’t make changes to a recipe unless you’re confident it will work out. It’s always best to ask if you’re not sure!
I use the creaming method to make this vanilla cake which requires:
- Creaming the butter and sugar
- Incorporating the eggs one at a time
- Alternating adding the flour and liquid
I use buttermilk in this vanilla cake recipe because I love the flavor and texture it gives the cake. The buttermilk in the cake helps ensure that it’s not super sweet, and it works well with any kind of frosting.
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can easily make your own at home:
- Simply add 1 Tbsp of either fresh lemon juice or vinegar into 1 cup of milk. Stir and let sit for about 10mins. The milk will start to curdle and essentially turn into a perfect buttermilk substitute.
That being said, if you don’t have buttermilk on hand and if you prefer a sweeter cake, you can use regular milk instead. Ideally use whole milk, but I never have that on hand, so I use 1% and it works just fine.
Milk substitutes such as almond milk or coconut milk, etc. will work fine too.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
I used a Swiss meringue buttercream here because it’s my favorite, but you can use an American buttercream instead if you prefer.
If you’re going to make Swiss meringue buttercream for the first time, have a read through my detailed tutorial so you know what to do and what not to do to make it a success. I provide a thorough step-by-step process as well as tips and troubleshooting.
I chose to decorate this classic vanilla cake with simple rosettes and sprinkles. I used a decorating comb to make the lines in the sides of the cake, and I love how it turned out!
Definitely going to be trying the other combs in the set, as it’s such an easy way to give a pretty result.
I typically shy away from decorating combs since they remind me of grocery store cakes (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but this one gives it a particularly modern, clean look.
Keys to Success with this Vanilla Cake recipe
Or any cake recipe, really. When it comes to baking, especially cakes, it’s best not to take shortcuts. You want to follow the recipe exactly as written and pay attention to any notes.
Here are the key things you should keep in mind to help bake cakes successfully:
- Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature. Or whatever temperature is specified in the recipe. This helps make sure everything gets incorporated together properly. Not doing this can result in poor emulsification and a less-than-perfect final product.
- Measure your flour properly. Spoon and level the flour into the measuring cup rather than using the measuring cup as a scoop. The latter packs in the flour and can result in dense and dry cakes.
- Don’t skimp on creaming the butter & sugars. You want to make sure they are pale and fluffy. Beat for at least 2-3 minutes.
- Fully incorporate each egg one at a time. Again, for proper emulsification and to ensure a good texture, add one egg at a time and mix well until adding the next.
- Don’t overmix once you add the flour. Mix on low and only till the flour is just incorporated. Overmixing can cause dense but also fragile and crumbly cakes.
- Grease & flour your pans & line bottoms with parchment. To help ensure cakes come out cleanly.
- Use baking times as a guideline only. Every oven is different. Some run hot, some run cold, some have hot spots. Only you know how your oven bakes and it will require some testing on your part to know what works for you.
- Cool your cakes in the pans for 10mins. Any more and the sugars will start to set and the cakes will stick to the pans, any less and the cakes will be too fragile and might break when you’re turning them out.
- Cool cakes completely before frosting. This is critical or you’ll melt your frosting and have a very hard time of putting the cake together.
Following these steps will really help ensure your cakes are successful. It will also make your life easier and less stressful, trust me!
If you’re looking for a delicious vanilla cake recipe, whether it be for a birthday, anniversary, or any celebration (even if it’s just making it through the week), you will love this cake!
Looking for more Classic Cake recipes?
- Classic Chocolate Cake
- Black Forest Cake
- Coconut Cake
- Classic Birthday Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Classic Hummingbird Cake
- Classic White Cake
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I convert this recipe?
- The recipe as-is will also work in three 6″ pans. For three 8″ pans, 1.5x the recipe. Baking time may need to be adjusted. You can use two 9″ as well but the layers will be thinner (reduce baking time accordingly).
- To make cupcakes, all you need to do is reduce the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so. The recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes depending on size.
- You can bake it in a 9×13 pan. Baking time will be slightly shorter.
- You can bake it in a Bundt pan as well but you’ll need to increase the baking time.
- For other conversions go here. Bake time may vary depending on pan size.
- Baking time will vary if you change the pan size. Every oven is different so I can’t say for certain what you’ll need to adjust it to. Be sure to check on the cakes while they are baking.
Can I make it in advance?
- The cooled cake layers can be baked ahead of time, double wrapped in plastic wrap, and frozen for up to 3 months. Take out 2-3 hours before assembly.
- The frosting can be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for 3 months. Bring to room temp and rewhip before using.
- The finished cake (whole or sliced, stored airtight) can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Can I get the measurements by weight/grams?
- There is a Metric option in the recipe card. If you click it it will convert everything to grams.
- This conversion is done automatically and I cannot guarantee the accuracy but many readers have had success using the metric option on my recipes.
What if I don’t have buttermilk?
- For best results, use actual buttermilk, but if you don’t have any you can make your own at home by combining 1 cup of milk (whole milk ideally, but I often just use 1%) with 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar and letting it sit for 10mins.
Tips for this Vanilla Cake recipe:
- If you don’t have buttermilk on hand you can make your own (see post for details) or you can use regular milk or milk substitutes instead.
- If you’d prefer to use an American buttercream, you can use one full recipe of Simple Vanilla Buttercream instead.
- Or if you’re looking for a chocolate buttercream version, check out my Classic Birthday Cake.
- If you want a white cake instead of a yellow cake, use this recipe here.
- I used a decorating comb for the texture on the sides of the cake. I used the left side of the one on the left pictured here.
- I prepare my cake pans using Homemade Cake Release and line with parchment paper.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- Learn how to keep your cakes moist using Simple Syrup.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, check out my How to Bake Flat Cakes post!
The BEST Vanilla Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk or whole milk, room temperature
Vanilla Buttercream:
- 6 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Assembly:
- confetti sprinkles
- nonpareils
Instructions
Vanilla Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 8″ cake rounds and line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on med-high until pale and fluffy (about 3mins). Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition.
- Bake for 30-35mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack.
Vanilla Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- Place bowl over a pot with 1-2″ of simmering water and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch or reads 160F on a candy thermometer (approx. 3mins)
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.**
- Add vanilla and whip until smooth.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with approximately 1 cup of buttercream. Repeat with remaining layer and crumb coat the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake and smooth with a bench scraper.
- If desired, use a decorating comb to give texture to the sides.***
- Mix confetti and nonpareils in a small bowl. Press sprinkles gently along the bottom of the cake and sprinkle along the top. For the speckled sides, I grabbed a pinch of sprinkles and tossed them randomly at the sides.
- Pipe rosettes using a 1M tip with remainder of frosting.
Notes
This recipe was originally published on June 12th, 2017 and was updated with new content on January 30th, 2023.
amelia004 says
very helpful
Olivia says
Thank you!
Chanelle says
Hi Olivia,
Would the SMBC recipe work well as a filling for Macarons? Regular buttercream is a bit too sweet for my liking. Would there be a better way to stabilize buttercream so it holds it’s shape but its not overly sweet? Would Xanthan Gum help with this?
Olivia says
Hi Chanelle! It would be perfect for macarons! But also, check out my German Buttercream recipe for a less sweet option. It’s delicious! I’ve never tried adding Xanthan gum — what issues are you seeing with the buttercream? Too soft at room temp?
huria abdul says
Hi, I am trying to make the cake. Is the recipe for one layer or for both layers? And if its both by how much should the batter be split?
Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Huria! The recipe is for two 8″ cake pans. Split the batter equally between the pans. If you have a kitchen scale you can weigh it and split it that way.
Marilia Iordanou says
My pan are 7cm is that ok
Olivia says
Hi Marillia! This recipe is for two 8″ pans, which are about 20cm each.
KD says
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday today. I made it with the simple vanilla butter cream. The cake looked good (I’m no professional) and tasted good, but it was very dense and dry. I followed your recipe to the T and even read through the tips before starting. I even spread simple syrup before frosting. Oh, and how do you get that frosting so smooth and even!
Did I overmix the flour? Is there a particular brand of flour you use? I want to make the classic birthday cake for my husband in 2 weeks and don’t want to make the same mistake again. Do you have a video?
Thanks so much!
Olivia says
Hi KD! Overmixing can certainly cause dense cakes, I mix only until the flour is incorporated. I use Robin Hood AP flour. Is your baking powder fresh still? That can be another culprit if the cake didn’t rise enough. As for dryness, that’s usually due to overbaking — every oven bakes/heats differently so it’s important to adjust baking times as needed. Simple syrup should help counteract that though!
Sonya Thompson says
I made cupcakes using this recipe last night but they were not sweet enough for me. I reviewed the recipe again to make sure I did everything correctly and that’s when I noticed your comment about using whole milk for a sweeter cake. Have you tried it? The texture of the cake was fine, but Its just not sweet enough. I’m thinking its because of the buttermilk.
Olivia says
Hi Sonya! The buttermilk will give it more of a tang for sure. I often make it with regular milk these days!
Sarah says
I want to make a number 3 shaped cake for my son’s birthday. I need two round cakes to cut to make the number 3 shape. Does this cake hold together well enough for me to be able to use for that purpose? Thanks. 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! This cake holds together great. It’s a bit more on the dense side so I think it will work just fine. Let me know how it turns out!
Mursal Hould says
Delicious however it came out very dry…
Olivia says
Hi Mursal! It sounds like it was overbaked a bit, is that possible? You can always save dry cakes with simple syrup.
Maryam says
How do I make the simple syrup?
Olivia says
Hi Maryam! Here’s the recipe: https://livforcake.com/simple-syrup-recipe/
Annebakerim says
What a wonderful recipe, it looks appetizing, I showed it to my husband, he made me promise to prepare it for the next Thanksgiving
Olivia says
Thank you! I hope you like it 🙂
Sharon Taylor says
can you use salted butter in the buttercream frosting
Olivia says
Hi Sharon! You can, but the buttercream will be very salty (too salty in my opinion), but it’s a preference thing. Some people prefer it that way.
HB says
Hi, there…
If I wanted to make a 4 layer 12″ cake how much batter would a bake for each cake so all 4 cakes are even? Or even a 3 layer…for a wedding cake?
Olivia says
Hi there! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
WilliamsLoreleiA says
it so awesome
Lynn says
My layers didn’t seem to rise as much as yours. Any thoughts on what would cause that? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Lynn! My layers are about 1.5″ tall or so. If yours were shorter than that then it could be due to either expired baking powder or overmixing once the flour is added.
Mia says
Hi Liv,
My friends and I are having a christmas themed cake decorating competition and i want to decorate my cake like Santa. I want to make santa out of icing, using a piping bag of course. I was just wondering would the buttercream icing for this recipe work for decorations and for dye and all that. I’m not the best baker and I’ve never heard of using egg whites before so just checking.
Thanks in advance
Olivia says
Hi Mia! This type of buttercream does not take color as well as an American buttercream. If you’re looking to do colors, I would recommend going with this recipe instead: https://livforcake.com/simple-vanilla-buttercream/. Both buttercreams pipe very well though!
Mia says
Thank you so much! Looking forward to trying the recipes
Karin says
Hi, my daughter wants a fairy themed cake for her 7th birthday. So I need to use fondant to do the decoration. Would this recipe work for a cake that will be covered fully by a fondant layer? Or would your recommend another recipe? Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Karin! This cake will work great covered in fondant as it’s on the denser side.
Karin says
Thank you so much!
Denise says
Made it. Really happy with results
Olivia says
Hi Denise! So glad you liked it 🙂
Logan says
Nice vanilla cake recipe, i will try this recipe and let you know
Olivia says
Hi Logan! I hope you love it 🙂
Ellie says
Is the batter supposed to be thick
Olivia says
Hi Ellie! Yes, the batter is on the thicker side, but should still be pourable and easily spreadable.
Sarah says
Hi Liv,
Just wondering how far in advance of an event you would recommend the cake could be made? I have a one year old and I need to do a bit of time management to make sure I can bake and assemble with enough time! Could I back 2-3 days in advance of the event and store the layers in the fridge and then assemble and ice it the day before? Is it also appropriate to place sliced strawberries in between the layers with SMBC? Thanks in advance!
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! I would recommend freezing the cake layers (cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap) as this will help retain moisture while the fridge can dry them out. You can make them months in advance this way.
The buttercream can be made in advance too and either frozen (for up to 3mos) or refrigerated for a week or two. Be sure to bring the buttercream completely to room temp and rewhip before using. See this post for tips: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Assembling the day before will be totally fine (refrigerate after but take out 2-3 hours before serving so it comes to room temp). You can do the sliced strawberries for sure, the cake layers will absorb some of their moisture, but I think it will be totally fine if just the day before.
I hope that helps. Let me know how it turns out!
Carly says
I’ve made this recipe several times, including for my wedding! I made a 3 tiered cake with 3 layers of round at 12″, 10″ and 8″. It worked so well and I got so many compliments on how tasty it was. Thank you for sharing it with us all! I’m also gluten free, so I substituted Trader Joe’s gluten free flour and added the appropriate measurement of Bob’s Red Mill xanthum gum and it worked very well, FYI for any other gf bakers out there.
Olivia says
Hi Carly! Thanks so much for your tips. So happy you loved this one so much to have it as your wedding cake!
HB says
Hi carly, how much batter did you put in for each cake for 3 layers? Did you weigh it or measure it with cups? I want to make my sister in laws wedding cake and I’m trying to make a 2 tier of either 3layers or 4layers on a 12″ and a 10″…your advice would be really appreciated…thank you very much
Shon-Ann Sinclair says
Hi Carly, did you double or triple the recipe? Or did you just make more batches of the recipe above?
Karla says
Reading other comments I did notice other people were finding that the cakes did not rise as much as in your pictures? Used the same measurements in pans. Definitely not a sweet cake if that’s what you’re looking for because of the buttermilk didn’t get a vanilla taste either more like white velvet?
Olivia says
Hi Karla! The cake is not overly sweet due to the buttermilk. If you prefer a sweeter cake you can use regular milk. You can also add more vanilla if you like. The cake layers should be just under 2″ tall — if they are shorter than that it could be due to overmixing or expired baking powder.
H says
Mine also did not rise high enough but my baking powder was fresh. At what stage would this overmixing occur? I figured mixing a lot while it’s just the wet ingredients would be okay, and I simply folded in the dry ingredients until everything was mixed together.
Please advise!
Thanks,
H
Olivia says
Hi there! Overmixing mostly happens once the flour is added, but you don’t want to go too crazy once you add the eggs either. The cake does not rise a ton but should be between 1.5-2″ tall in an 8″ cake pan.
Kai says
Hi, I’m wanting to bake this Vanilla Cake for my birthday using vegetable oil instead of butter. Can I simply swap 1/2 cup of oil for the 3/4 butter and skip the creaming step? Or do you have a vanilla cake recipe that uses vegetable oil instead of butter? Thank you for all your help.
Kai
Kai says
* I’m trying to make a light, fluffy, and moist Vanilla cake.
Olivia says
Hi Kai! Sorry for the delayed reply. I don’t have a vanilla cake that uses oil, but if you like you can try to swap the butter one for one with the oil. Or use part butter and oil. It will change the texture and mouthfeel of the cake, but should make it a bit fluffier. You can try using cake flour instead as well and regular milk. I hope that helps!
Victoria says
Hi Liv, if i wanted to make a slightly larger cake with two 9’’ pans, should I for example add 15% to all measurements and adjust the cooking time or how do you recommend this recipe to be scaled? Thank you!!
Olivia says
Hi Victoria! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html For ease of measurements I would increase the recipe by 1/3 (change the Servings to 16 and you’ll get the new amounts). The layers will be slightly thinner though I think still, so I would reduce the baking time by a bit. See how they are at 25mins and add more if needed.