This vanilla cake recipe is extremely moist and tender! It has an amazing flavor, a soft, cloud-like crumb, and is so incredibly moist. Cake flour, the reverse creaming method, milk, and a touch of oil keeps this cake moist for days. This was my first cake recipe posted in my first cookbook, Artisan Cake Companys Visual Guide To Cake Decorating. It was one of my most popular flavors for wedding cakes back when I was still a storefront.
Next to my white velvet buttermilk cake, and lemon blueberry cake, this moist vanilla cake is one of our most popular recipes. I have been using this recipe for over ten years for my cake clients with nothing but rave reviews. This is the cake that turns those "I don't even like cake" consultations into OMG we need to book you right now clients! This is perfect for special occasions like weddings, showers, and it makes the perfect birthday cake!
What's In This Blog Post
What Makes This Vanilla Cake The BEST
I have tested this recipe over and over and tweaked it many times until I achieved in my mind, what is the BEST vanilla cake. To me, the best cake is soft, moist, buttery, flavorful, and moist even after a few days. It's versatile and can go with just about any flavor combo. I've used this recipe as a base for other recipes like my applesauce spice cake, pink champagne cake, and yellow cake recipes.
- The Texture of this vanilla cake is incredibly soft and has a tender moist crumb thanks to the reverse creaming method. The reverse creaming method is where you combine the butter with the dry ingredients first and then add in the liquids. There are no large holes, toughness or dryness to be found in this cake. A common complaint is that it's SO tender some people think they did something wrong but I assure you, this tenderness is totally normal and delicious.
- Incredibly delicious flavor! Using high-quality butter, vanilla, and whole eggs not only adds tons of flavor, it keeps this cake moist for days.
- The cake layers bake flat so you have no cake waste.
- The cake is VERY moist but stable enough to make layered cakes or wedding cakes.
- This recipe is not too sweet and goes really well with my vanilla buttercream.
Vanilla Cake Ingredients
Cake flour is used in this recipe instead of all-purpose flour because cake flour has a much lower protein content resulting in a more tender and moist cake. If all you have is all-purpose flour, then you can use the cornstarch hack to make your own cake flour BUT I will warn you it won't taste exactly the same.
Vanilla is the main flavor ingredient in this recipe so ideally you should use pure vanilla extract or even vanilla beans for the best flavor.
Unsalted butter is what bakers normally use for baking so that you can control the level of saltiness in your recipes. If you don't have unsalted butter you can use salted butter but it can affect the flavor of your cake layers and they may be too salty.
Vegetable oil is used to help keep this cake moist for days. If you don't have vegetable oil or don't want to use it, you can use any other type of oil like canola, olive oil, or grapeseed oil.
Tips For Success (trust me, you want to read this)
- Measure out all of your ingredients with a kitchen scale. Baking is a science and because you can accidentally add too much flour or have not enough flour when you use cups, a scale is needed for accuracy. You can purchase a kitchen scale in the baking aisle at most grocery stores for less than $20.
- Bring your butter, milk, and eggs to room temperature. Room temperature ingredients will create an emulsion properly but if any of your ingredients are cold then the batter will not mix together properly and you'll end up with a wet layer at the bottom of the cake. Click the link above if you need to know how to warm up your eggs, milk, and butter properly.
- Don't be afraid to mix. If you've never used the reverse creaming method before you might get freaked out about the mixing stage because we are going to mix for TWO minutes. When you're traditionally making a cake, you would never mix that long because you would over-mix your cake batter and create huge holes (tunnels).
- With the reverse creaming method, we coat the flour in the butter first which inhibits the gluten from developing. We are also using cake flour which isn't as strong as regular flour so it needs to be mixed more. Reverse creaming also allows us to add more liquids and sugar to the cake than the typical mixing style which is why this vanilla cake is SO incredibly moist and tender.
- Check your altitude - If you live above 5,000 ft you may need to reduce your baking powder a bit so that your vanilla cakes do not collapse.
Vanilla Cake Step-By-Step
- Preheat your oven to 335ºF. I like to bake at a lower temperature because it results in a flatter cake. If your oven doesn't have that capability, it's still ok to bake at 350ºF. You might have a tiny dome after baking but you can just trim it off.
- Place the first measurement of warm milk (4 oz) into a separate measuring cup. Add in the oil and set it aside.
- To the second measurement of milk, add the eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk lightly to break up the eggs.
- Place your cake flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment attached. You can also use a hand mixer. *before you ask, this is my Bosch universal plus affiliate link if you're interested in learning more.
- Add in your softened butter in chunks while mixing on low speed. Mix everything until it looks like coarse sand. Don't walk away because this happens pretty quickly.
- Now add in the milk/oil mixture all at once. Mix for two full minutes on medium speed to develop the cake's structure. The batter should be light, white, and not curdled looking or broken.
- Now we are going to slowly add in our egg/milk mixture while mixing on low. We are adding it slowly because we are creating an emulsion with our eggs and liquids. If you add it too quickly, your liquids will separate from the butter and sink to the bottom of the cake.
- The cake batter should be fairly thick and look smooth and shiny.
- Divide the batter into three, eight-inch pans prepared with cake goop or your preferred pan release. For added insurance, you can put parchment paper into the bottom of the pan but it's really not needed. I use a scale to make sure all my pans have the same amount of batter.
- Bake your cakes for 25-30 minutes in a preheated oven until the center is set and a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake. You may need more time so do not be afraid to bake the cake for longer.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and place them onto a cooling rack. Let them cool down until the pans are barely warm. Don’t let them get cold or they will stick. The cake layers do not go all the way to the top of the pan and that is ok! The cakes are VERY delicate when warm so handle them carefully.
- After the cake layers are cool, flip them out onto the wire rack to cool fully before frosting. You can also freeze your cake layers if you don't plan on frosting them right away.
How To Decorate A Vanilla Cake
So now that you've made the worlds best homemade vanilla cake you are probably wondering how to decorate it! Would you believe me if I told you it's not as hard as you think! You can easily turn this recipe into a layer cake by following my tutorial on how to make your first cake. The tutorial will walk you through how to trim you cake layers, how to make the vanilla buttercream frosting, how to stack, crumbcoat, and decorate your cake.
If you want to decorate your cake making palette knife buttercream flowers you can watch this video I made on YouTube.
FAQ
Adding cocoa powder to this vanilla cake won't take it from vanilla to chocolate. Baking is science so the best thing to do is to just go with a tried and true chocolate cake recipe like my easy chocolate cake.
This difference between a vanilla cake and a white cake is just egg yolks. You can easily convert this recipe to a white cake by replacing the egg yolks with egg whites.
This recipe is formulated to bake up perfectly flat so it's not the best in my opinion for cupcakes. If you really want to use them for cupcakes, try my vanilla cupcakes recipe instead.
This recipe is formulated to bake up perfectly flat so it's not the best in my opinion for cupcakes. If you really want to use them for cupcakes, try my vanilla cupcakes recipe instead.
More Cake Recipes You'll Love
WASC (White Almond Sourcream Cake)
Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.
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(based on 2" tall cake pan)
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Cupcake Tin Size
Choose number of pans
Cups of Batter Needed
8 cups
Cups of Frosting Needed
5 cups
Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.
Recipe
Equipment
- Food Scale
- 8" x 2" Cake Pans (3)
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake Recipe
- 4 ounces milk to be mixed with the oil
- 3 ounces canola oil
- 6 ounces milk to be mixed with the eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean pod
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 13 ounces cake flour
- 13 ounces granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces unsalted butter softened to room temperature but not melted
Easy Buttercream Frosting
- 16 ounces powdered sugar
- 4 ounces pasteurized egg whites
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 16 ounces unsalted butter softened to room temperature but not melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 TINY drop purple food coloring to offset the yellow color (optional)
- 3 drops electric pink food coloring for the flowers
- 1 Tablespoon white sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
Vanilla Cake
- IMPORTANT: This is the BEST vanilla cake because I use a scale so it turns out perfectly 🙂 If you convert to cups I cannot guarantee good results. Make sure all your (cold ingredients) butter, eggs, milk are at room temperature or a little warm. See my post about how to use a scale if you don't know how to measure by weight.
- Heat oven to 335º F/168º C . Prepare three 8"x2" cake pans with cake goop or another preferred pan release.
- Place the 4 oz of milk in a separate measuring cup. Add the oil to the milk and set it aside.
- To the remaining 6 oz of milk, add the vanilla and room temperature eggs. Whisk gently to combine. Set aside.
- Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Turn the mixer onto the slowest speed. Slowly add chunks of your softened butter until it is all added then let everything mix until it looks like coarse sand.
- Add your milk/oil mixture all at once to the dry ingredients and mix on medium (speed 4 on kitchenaid, speed 2 on the Bosch) for 2 full minutes to develop the structure. Set a timer! Don't worry, this will not over-mix the cake.
- After 2 minutes, scrape the bowl. This is an important step. If you skip it, you will have hard lumps of flour and unmixed ingredients in your batter. If you do it later, they will not mix in fully.
- Slowly add in the milk/egg mixture while mixing on low, stopping to scrape the bowl one more time halfway through. Mix until just combined. Your batter should be thick and not too runny.
- Divide the batter into your greased cake pans and fill ¾ of the way full. I like to weigh my pans to make sure they're even.
- Bake for 30 minutes and check your cakes. Do the "done test". Insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. Sometimes wet batter doesn't show up so make sure it's clean and not just wet. Then gently touch the top of the cake, does it spring back? Oven temperatures vary so if it's not done yet, bake for a few more minutes (2-3) and check again until it passes the "done" test.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and give them a tap on the countertop to release air and prevent too much shrinking. Let them cool on a cooling rack until they are barely warm.
- After cooling for about 10 minutes, place the cooling rack on top of the cake, placing one hand on top of the cooling rack and one hand under the pan and flip the pan and the cooling rack over so the pan is now upside down on the cooling rack. Remove the pan carefully. Repeat with the other pan.
- After the cakes are fully cooled, carefully wrap them in plastic wrap and place them into the freezer or fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up the cakes and make them easier to handle for stacking.
Easy Buttercream Frosting
- Place egg whites and powdered sugar in a stand mixer bowl. Attach the whisk, combine ingredients on low and then whip on high for 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and salt.
- Add in your softened butter in chunks and whip with the whisk attachment to combine. It will look curdled at first. This is normal. It will also look pretty yellow. Keep whipping.
- Whip on high for 8-10 minutes until it's very white, light and shiny. If you don't whip it enough, it could end up tasting buttery.
- Optional: If you want whiter frosting, add in a tiny drop of purple to counteract the yellow in the butter (too much will make the frosting grey or light purple.)
- Optional: Switch to a paddle attachment and mix on low for 15-20 minutes to make the buttercream very smooth and remove air bubbles. This isn't required but if you want really creamy frosting, you don't want to skip it.
- After your cakes are chilled, fill them with your favorite frosting and frost the outside. If you're not familiar with decorating cakes, check out my how to make your first cake blog post! Watch the video to see how I made the palette knife buttercream flowers.
Video
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients to avoid cake failure. Using a kitchen scale for baking is super easy and gives you the best results every single time.
- Make sure all your cold ingredients are room temperature or slightly warm (butter, milk, eggs, to create a cohesive batter. Curdled batter causes cakes to collapse.)
- If you're in the UK search for Shipton mills cake and pastry flour. If you're in another part of the country, search for low protein cake flour.
- When you do the reverse creaming method, you're coating the flour in butter and stopping gluten from developing. This creates a super moist and tender cake. When you add the milk and oil, you have to mix for a full 2 minutes to develop that gluten. This creates the structure of the cake. If you don't mix for the full 2 minutes, your cake could collapse.
- Make your own pan release (cake goop!) The best pan release ever!
- Need more help with making your first cake? Check out my how to decorate your first cake blog post.
JoyA says
Hi Liz,
Thank you so much Again! My cake was almost perfect, then I got lazy making the goop so my cake stick on the side... But I managed, this is what I have been looking for Taste and texture!!! Im so excited to make cakes for every birthday now! Your blog is like an addicting series to watch
More power to you!
Karina Tovar says
Hi Liz. I´m very happy with your vanilla cake. I did make. It´s very very delicious. Only one objetion, the voice volume is a little low.
I´m from Colombia and speak spanish, for me is a little difficult undestand you when you speak low.
I love your job.
Congratulations
Elizabeth Marek says
Thank you for your feedback! I will definitely try and speak up when we re-make this video
Francinr says
Hi. This cake recipe looks perfect! I’m making my sons wedding cake. Due to the virus, only about 25-30 guests are invited. I want to make a 2-tiered cake... I think an 8” and a 6” is what I read. How much cake do you recommend? And how much batter will I need? 2 batches doesn’t seem enough. I’m in kind of a panic because they asked me at the last minute. Any suggestions, hints or recommendations greatly appreciated
Elizabeth Marek says
If your cake tiers are two layers high you will only need a double batch since one batch makes two 8" rounds. If you want each tier to have three layers I would make 2 1/2 batches of batter.
Blair says
Easily the best vanilla cake I have made, and the wait for the eggs, milk, and butter to soften was worth it. Thank you so much, the cake was soft, moist, and tender, but was still easy to cut and shape. I have tried Sally's recipe and 8 more, but your's is now going to be my go-to. I replace your frosting with a creme diplomat and blueberry compote with granola in the middle and did an Italian meringue for the outside. But I recommend this cake to anyone and everyone. I would give it10 stars if I could.
Elizabeth Marek says
ohh that flavor combo sounds divine! I'm so glad you liked the recipe!
Shawnie says
I have searched, as many others stated, for the perfect vanilla cake. I came across many that has almost a cornbread like texture. That was not what i was looking for. This, THIS is definitely my go to vanilla cake recipe. The only thing is i get a lot of requests for vanilla cakes and cake flour is a bit pricey. Do you have a vanilla cake recipe that i can use the homemade version?
Elizabeth Marek says
No I don't use the homemade version because as you said, it has a cornbread texture. The only thing close to this is the white cake recipe which is not as tender but still very good. I suggest rising your prices to reflect the cost of cake flour and to buy it in bulk 50lb bags.
Jane Churchon says
I love this cake as a vanilla cake! I recently bought some bergamot extract from Bako and want to make an Earl Grey flavor d cake with this recipe, but subbing thd bergamot extract for thr vanilla. Do you think that will work?
Elizabeth Marek says
I don't know what bergamot extract is but you can def substitute extract for any other kind of extract but some are stronger than others so you might need more or less.
Susan says
I was originally using another recipe I found to bake a mini birthday cake for my boyfriend, taste trial was fine but when I made the real thing the night before I made a series of errors and it turned out VERY DENSE (i am writing this as I am trying to eat up my failure). I tossed and turned in bed for the whole night and decided to remake the cake in the morning. I was too scared to use the original recipe and I came across yours - LUCKY ME!!!! I was able to remake, rebake and refrost a cake within 2 hours and it tasted even better than the recipe I first used! THANK YOU SO MuCH! I divided your recipe by 3 and was able to make a mini 2-layer 5 inch cake.
Dilini says
Can I know how to change the recipe for 3 6 inch cake tins.
Elizabeth Marek says
You can use the cake batter calculator located just above the recipe card
Marcela Amaral says
Hi Liz! I will try your recipe tomorrow and I'm wondering if it would work in 6" pans instead of 2 8" pans (I'm planning in using 4 6"pans in this case).However, I'm insecure to try, haha, because the area of an 8" pan is around 50 square inches and the area of a 6" pan is around 29 square inches. So it is a big difference. But I did read in the comments that someone will make a 2-tired cake (one 8" and one 6") and your recommendation on the amount of batch. So it really works in a 6" pan?
Thanks so much in advance and I love your work!
Elizabeth Marek says
You can use the cake batter calculator located above the recipe card
Lauren romine says
I made an 8” round with this recipe and it was incredible! I see above you told someone for a 1/2 sheet you have to triple the recipe. I hate to sound dumb but Is that tripling every single ingredient? Or do you make three different batches and combine them in the pan? I don’t want to mess this up because it tasted so amazing!
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes that means you triple every single ingredient, make sure you have a big enough mixer if you are going to triple the recipe
Rebecca says
What happened to the ingredients adjustment calculator? I liked that tool. It was very beneficial.
Elizabeth Marek says
Its still there. Just adjust the servings but the recipe is now in cups because we have a cake batter calculator located right above the recipe card
Rebecca says
If I want to bake 3-8x2 cakes, do I need to do the recipe at 1-1/2?
Elizabeth Marek says
Use the cake batter calculator right above the recipe card
Lori says
Thank you so much for posting this recipe and video of how to make it! I have tried many different "best vanilla cake" recipes and this is by far the BEST one. The taste was delicious and the texture was perfect! Everyone that tried this cake loved it.
Mariana Covarrubias says
Hi Liz! Would you recommend sifting the cake flour?
Elizabeth Marek says
You can if you want but I never do because we're not folding flour into te mixture and it all get's mixed up with the butter anyway.
Emaan says
Hi! We are in the UK. can’t seem to find cake flour anywhere. But I really want to try this recipe as I’m in search of a good sponge recipe as a base for my cakes. As I want to get into baking professionally.
My cakes come out a bit denser than my liking. I love how fluffy and cloud soft your cake looks. Thanks in advance for your help x
Elizabeth Marek says
In the UK you can buy cake flour, its called Shipton Mills soft cake and pastry flour
Amber says
Hi! Would sprinkles ruin the integrity of this cake? I want to use this recipe instead of your funfetti recipe. Would I just add the same amount of sprinkles to this recipe? Thanks!
Elizabeth Marek says
You can add sprinkles to this no problem
Emmy says
Hi. I love you cake so much but I have a problem. I made this recipe for cupcakes and they tasted good. But I struggled with the timing and oven temperature for cupcake version of this recipe. Please can you let me know how long should I bake and what temperature it should be for cupcakes? The problem I met many times baking cupcakes was the bottom of my cupcakes feel like the cake is been lifted and the cupcake cases shrink when I hold them which feels like there's an empty space at the bottom of the cupcake . I don't know why it happens. When you touch the bottom of the cupcake it gets pressed which makes it visible that there's an empty space at the bottom of the cupcake. This space could be about 3/4 cm height. But I fill them well too. Please give me a solution. Thank you
Elizabeth Marek says
Check out my vanilla cupcake recipe, its much better for making cupcakes
Chrystal Hockett says
Hello, I'm excited to try this recipe. Can you add poppy seed to this recipe? I'm making a raspberry poppy seed cake for a wedding and have not found a good tasting cake that will stand up to stacking
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can definitely add poppy seeds
dayna says
This is the best vanilla cake ever!! The crumb is so tender and moist and looks really beautiful when cut.
Thank you for another great recipe!
Tonya says
Hello,
I was just curious which type of cake flour you use. Did you develop this recipe using bleached cake flour, or an unbleached flour like King Arthur? From my experience these two flours seem to cause cakes to rise differently depending on the recipe.
Also, how many grams do you consider to be a teaspoon of baking powder? I get anywhere from 2-4 grams depending how much I have moved the container around, which seems like that could create issues if the amount is off.
Thanks!
Elizabeth Marek says
I use bleached cake flour (swans). Unbleached cake flour has a higher protein content, more like AP flour so I avoid it if possible.
Bethany Peppers says
Ok... I’m 100% sure it’s user error but I have attempted this recipe 6 times. The first time I had to cook it for 45 minutes and the center was still not cooked... and sank and was gooey. The outside of the cake tasted so delicious I decided I had to keep trying. I ended up cooking the next batch for an hour and 5 minutes before the center set. When I tried to gently get them out of the pans after cooling for 15 minutes because they were still very hot at 10minutes the bottom crumbled badly and stuck to the pan just a little. Slight golden color to the Sides and bottom of cake just very delicate but not really gooey. I used a thin layer of cake goop and last confection cake pans. I am only making it the serving size as the recipe states. I alternated making batches between 2-8inch cake pans and 3-6 inch cake pans. Ingredients at room temp/warm. I mixed for the full 2 minutes. Oven at 335f. I used swans cake flour. I tried with parchment paper.. with and without cake pan strips. I did weigh all of my ingredients. Why am I needing to cook this for so long??? I am not at high altitude...and how do I keep it from crumbling when I remove from cake pan? Any suggestions?? I’ve tried everything I can think of but I am just a beginner! Thanks for your help!
Elizabeth Marek says
It could be that your oven is just not baking at an accurate temperature. If you have an oven thermometer you can check. I suggest increasing your oven temp to 350 just to be safe and make sure you preheat the oven for 30 minutes before putting your cakes in the oven. Let the cakes cool in the pan until the pans are just barely warm, then turn them out onto the cooling rack. That might take longer than 15 minutes. I hope that helps.
Tonya says
Ahhh, thank you! That makes so much sense now why cakes have not turned out the way I wanted them to. Switching to bleached cake flour now 🙂
Gracie says
Hi Liz! Just wondering if you're using a fan assisted oven or a conventional oven? Thanks for sharing your recipe x
Elizabeth Marek says
Conventional
Kajanthiny says
Hi
I live in Canada. I cant find cake flour where I shop! But I found cake and pastry flour from Robin hood brand! Can I use this for the vanilla cake recipe?
Thanks
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can!
Tanisha Mantifel says
Hey there! 🙂
I was going to make this for Canada Day!
Can I put red food gel in half the batter to make a half red half white cake?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can 🙂