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.
Sophie says
I only have one cake pan, sadly 🙁 Should I
A) half the batter and bake one layer at a time (this is kinda hard bc I can’t half 3 eggs)
Or…
B) make all the batter and just leave half of it in the bowl while one layer bakes in the oven (idk if the batter while get ruined)
Thank you!!!
Olivia says
Hi Sophie! I would halve the recipe and bake one at a time for best results. For half an egg just use one yolk or white.
Ella says
I only have one cake pan, my question is should I halve the recipe and do the cakes one at a time or can I make the recipe as is but cook it one layer at a time?? I’m worried if I leave the batter in the bowl too long, it’ll become unusable
Olivia says
Hi Ella! I would halve the recipe and bake one at a time for best results.
ava says
Are there any different steps for high altitude?
Olivia says
Hi Ava! Yes, you’ll need to make some adjustments but it might require some experimentation on your part. Here are some guidelines: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Sophie says
I have a 9” cake pan and a 7.5” springform pan. I’m thinking about using the springform pan, will that be ok???
Olivia says
Hi Sophie! How tall is your springform pan? It will need to be at least 4″ tall to bake all of the batter at once.
Sophie says
wait, if I use the springform pan, do I pour it all in there at once and just cut it once it’s finished baking?
Anushka Makkar says
Hi! I love this vanilla cake recipe!! I wanted to change it up a little so how much lemon zest/lemon juice would I add to make this a lemon cake? Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!!
Olivia says
Hi Anushka! I would make this recipe instead: Lemon Elderflower Cake
Dhahamya says
Hi. Can I add about 2 tablespoons ofmango puree to the sponge and buttercream to make a mango version of it?Will it spoil the cake if I do so?Thank you.
Olivia says
Hi Dhahamya! 2 Tbsp shouldn’t make or break the cake. It might change the texture slightly to be more dense, but shouldn’t be too bad. I don’t think 2 Tbsp will be enough to give the flavour though. If you can find freeze-dried mango powder that would be ideal. Or make a mango curd as a filling.
Dhahamya says
Hi Olivia. Thank you for your advice. I was not able to find dried mango powder so added some mango extract for the sponge cake and the frosting.Topped the cake with some mango curd and it was so delicious. I would always recommend your recipes as they always turn out great and I love the fact that you explain every single detail which makes it even more easier to make great cakes!
Olivia says
Hi Dhahamya! So happy it worked out and thank you for the sweet comment!
Armandas says
Hi! Could I reduce the butter to 1/2 cup and add 1/4 of vegetable oil in the place of that, and keep everything the same?just like you did in the white cake recipe except you used egg whites.Maybe this change will produce even better texture and keep the cake soft in the fridge. What do you think? Also,what about cake flour, maybe it will make the cake even lighter? 🙂 Will these changes work with your other cake recipes based on your vanilla cake too? Would be very thankful if you would reply. xx
Olivia says
Hi Armandas! Yes, you can replace some of the butter and use cake flour instead. It should work for *most* of my recipes to do that.
Jamie says
Can I add confetti sprinkles to the cake batter to turn this into funfetti cake? it’s for my niece’s 2nd birthday.
Olivia says
Hi Jamie! Yes, that will be totally fine. Just fold them in at the end.
Taya says
Would a 9” pan also work? It’s okay if the cakes are a bit thinner as a result
Olivia says
Hi Taya! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html I would 1.5x the recipe for two 9″ pans.
Afroza Akther says
Hello, is there any way this recipe could be adjusted for two 9 inch round pans?
Olivia says
Hi Afroza! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html I would 1.5x the recipe for two 9″ pans.
Marilyn Mandel says
I forgot the vanilla,I guess you shouldn’t bake when your tired.But I just tasted the cupcakes and they are delicious.I made this cake on a sheet pan to do the Momofuko cake ,I liked your recipe better plus used your recipe for the buttercream,amazing the only thing I did from the Momofuko was their crumble.I can’t wait to try your other cakes !I forgot to tell you added a 1/4 cup of sprinkles to your cake.Im going to ice the cupcakes with your buttercream mmmm
Olivia says
Hi Marilyn! Thanks so much for your feedback! I’m so glad you loved it. And thanks for your tips too 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what else you try!
Cece Sky says
I can’t stress how much this recipe has helped me. But because butter is sometimes expensive, i usually just use an equal amount of margarine as a replacement and it still turns out great. This cake is literally the best cake I make and everyone loves it! Thank you!
Olivia says
Thank you so much Cece! I’m so happy you love it 🙂
Esme fancy says
Hi Liv! I adore your recipes. I don’t have a paddle attachment for the Swiss meringue buttercream… is there anything else I can use? Can I just continue with the hand mixer?
Olivia says
Hi Esme! You can do it with a hand mixer but it will take a long time. Have a read through this post for my tips!
Amanda McNamara says
This is the best vanilla cake I have ever made and it always turns out great. We use it at work, made the Matric Dinner cake with it and decorated it with vanilla icing and red Rose’s. People couldn’t get enough of it. Thanks Olivia for sharing
Olivia says
Hi Amanda! Thanks so much. I’m so happy you love it!
Fran says
Hi Liv! I tried this recipe and the cakes came out really thin they didn’t rise at all 🙁 not sure where i went wrong. They were at least 1 inch in height and very dense. I added the flour and milk alternately starting and ending with the flour. Any advice? Not sure if it was over/ under mixed why it came out so flat.
Olivia says
Hi Fran! They should definitely be taller than that. Did you use 8″ pans? Overmixing can cause for short dense cakes, but also have you checked to see if your baking powder is still fresh?
Fran says
Hi Liv, Yes i did use an 8″pan and I literally just opened this baking powder so i’m not sure. the batter itself could fill 1 8 inch pan half way but I used 2 pans thinking it would have risen.
Fran says
Hi Liv! I did infact use 8″ pans however the batter was really a small amount the batter could fit into one 8″ pan and fill it 3/4 way up and the batter was pretty thick. I just opened this baking powder so its still fresh.
Olivia says
Hi Fran! That is really strange. Did you use a stand mixer and beat the butter & sugar till they were pale and fluffy? Were all your ingredients at room temperature? Are you at high elevation? These are the only things that come to mind that could have caused it not to rise.
Vanessa says
Hi! I want to make this for my sons 1st birthday but I have only q tin which is 8″. Can I use that and then cut the cake in half?
Olivia says
Hi Vanessa! Do you mean you only have one tin? It would need to be at least 4″ tall and I worry that that would be too much cake batter to bake at once. For best results, I would halve the recipe (change the Servings to 6) and so do that twice.
Eliana says
Hi Liv,
I’ve tried making this cake for Fathers Day, and could use some help troubleshooting. The first time I made this it was undervalued, so I’ve now made this twice. Both times they’ve only come out one inch tall. I’ve checked my baking powder, and it’s still good so I know it’s not the culprit.
Eliana says
Whoops! The first time it was underbaked, not undervalued! Autocorrect got the best of me on that one 😛
Olivia says
Hi Eliana! Are you using 8″ pans? The cake layers should be almost 2″ tall. Is it possible that the batter is being overmixed? That can cause short, dense cakes. Once you start adding flour, only mix until it’s incorporated. The only other thing that comes to mind is altitude. Are you at high elevation by chance?
Eliana says
Hi Liv,
Yep! I’m using 8” cake pans, and since I don’t have a stand mixer, I used a spatula for the last bit of mixing to be sure I wasn’t over mixing. I’m not at a high altitude.
Olivia says
Hmm, are you using a hand mixer or similar to beat the butter, sugar, and eggs? I wonder if not enough air is being incorporated during those steps to fluff up the batter.
Meghna says
Hi ! I was wondering when to add the butter , eggs , sugar , and vanilla mixture to the cake . It’s never mentioned in the recipe . Should I add it the same time I add buttermilk or …
Olivia says
Hi Meghna! This is the 3rd step in the recipe.
“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.”
Pooja says
Hello.. Can i use oil instead of butter.. And will the measurment for oil be the same.
Olivia says
Hi Pooja! You can, but it will give the cake a different texture — softer with a bit of a greasy mouth feel potentially. It should be fine though if you prefer that. It will definitely make a less dense cake! The measurement and instructions would be the same.
Irene says
I would like to use this buttercream recipe for my mum’s birthday cake. Will the buttercream be stable enough to pipe the whole cake with rosette in a warmer kitchen?
Olivia says
Hi Irene! You might just need to chill your buttercream once in a while. If it looks soft, I would chill for 20mins and give it a good rewhip. Keep doing that until it firms up. Don’t overfill your piping bag as the heat from your hand will warm up and soften the buttercream too.