A good Vanilla cake recipe is one of the most important baking recipes to master. This version is incredibly moist, tender, and has a soft cloud-like crumb thanks to the reverse creaming method. If you've ever wanted a reliable vanilla cake recipe for special occasion cakes, birthday cakes, weddings, or layered cakes, this one has been my go-to professional recipe for over ten years. If you're new to baking layer cakes, my complete how to decorate a cake guide walks through the entire process step-by-step.
Quick Glance: Vanilla Cake Recipe
- Recipe Name: Vanilla Cake Recipe
- Why You'll Love It: Soft, buttery vanilla cake with an ultra-moist crumb that stays tender for days.
- Time and Difficulty: Prep time: 15 minutes Bake time: 20-30 minutes Difficulty: Intermediate
- Main Ingredients: Cake flour, butter, sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla extract
- Method: Reverse creaming method: Dry ingredients are combined with the butter first, then the liquid ingredients are mixed in.
- Texture and Flavor: Light, fluffy crumb with rich vanilla flavor
- Quick Tip: Mix the batter for the full two minutes during the reverse creaming stage to properly develop the cake's structure.
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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!
If you want to make these as cupcakes, my vanilla cupcake recipe uses the same reverse creaming method in a perfectly portioned size.
What Makes This Vanilla Cake Work So Well
One of the key techniques used in this recipe is the reverse creaming method. This mixing technique coats the flour in butter before adding liquids, which prevents excess gluten development and results in an incredibly tender crumb.
The texture of this vanilla cake is extremely soft and moist with a delicate crumb. Some bakers are surprised by how tender it is, but that softness is exactly what makes this cake so delicious.
Another reason this recipe works so well is the combination of butter and oil. Butter adds rich flavor while oil keeps the cake moist for several days.
This cake also bakes very flat, which means less trimming and less cake waste. That makes it perfect for layered cakes, wedding cakes, and decorated celebration cakes.
Vanilla Cake Ingredients
The secret to this ultra-moist and tender vanilla cake is using cake flour and the reverse creaming method.
Cake flour is used instead of all-purpose flour because it has a lower protein content, which results in a softer and more tender crumb. If you only have all-purpose flour, you can make a substitute by removing two tablespoons of flour per cup and replacing it with cornstarch, but the texture will not be exactly the same.
Sugar adds sweetness, moisture, and structure to the cake. Reducing the sugar may affect the texture and stability of the cake.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda These ingredients provide lift and help the cake rise properly. Baking soda reacts immediately while baking powder reacts during baking.
Vanilla is the primary flavor in this vanilla cake recipe. For the best flavor, use high-quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
Unsalted butter adds rich flavor and helps create a tender crumb. Unsalted butter is typically used so the salt level in the recipe can be controlled.
Milk adds moisture and helps activate the gluten structure in the cake.
Vegetable oil helps keep the cake moist for several days. Other neutral oils, such as canola or grapeseed oil, can also be used.
Tips For Success
- Measure your ingredients using a kitchen scale. Baking is a science and weight measurements provide the most accurate results.
- Bring your butter, milk, and eggs to room temperature before mixing. Room temperature ingredients help create a smooth batter and proper emulsion.
- Do not skip the mixing stage. The reverse creaming method requires mixing for about two minutes to properly develop the cake structure.
- If you live above 5,000 feet in elevation, you may need to slightly reduce the baking powder so the cake does not collapse.
Vanilla Cake Recipe Step-By-Step
- Bring your butter, milk, and eggs to room temperature. This step is very important because if these ingredients are not all the same temperature, the batter could curdle and separate during baking, leading to bad texture and rise.
Preheat your oven to 335°F. and prepare your cake pans with cake goop or your preferred pan release.
- Combine the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.
While mixing on low, add softened butter in small chunks and mix until the mixture looks like coarse sand.
- Combine half the milk and the oil.
Add the milk and oil mixture all at once to the dry ingredients mixture and mix for two minutes on medium speed. The batter should look thik and not separated.
- Whisk the rest of the milk, vanilla extract, and the eggs together to combine.
Slowly add the egg and milk mixture while mixing on low speed just until combined.
- The finished batter should be thick, smooth, and slightly glossy.
- Divide the batter into three prepared 8-inch cake pans.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool cakes in the pans until barely warm before removing them onto a cooling rack.
Top it with a batch of my American buttercream recipe for a classic combination that never fails. If you want to skip the buttercream entirely, try frosting this cake with white chocolate ganache instead - it's incredibly stable and has a gorgeous vanilla flavor.
Common Vanilla Cake Mistakes
- Using cold ingredients can cause the batter to separate.
- Overbaking the cake can dry it out.
- Skipping the two-minute mixing stage can prevent proper structure development.
- Using low-quality vanilla extract can result in weak flavor.
Vanilla Cake Recipe FAQ
Yes, but the texture will be slightly denser because all-purpose flour contains more protein.
Yes. Replace the whole eggs with egg whites to create a lighter colored cake.
Yes. Wrap the layers tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to two months.
Yes. Leave out the oil. Fill cupcake liners about two-thirds full and bake at 350°F for about 18 minutes.
More Vanilla Recipes You'll Love
Watch: How To Decorate A Cake Step-by-Step
Before you start decorating, watch the video below where I show you every step of decorating a cake from start to finish. Seeing the process in action makes it much easier to follow along
- Liz Marek.
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
Baking is a science, and measuring ingredients by weight ensures consistent results every time. Cup measurements can vary significantly depending on how the flour is scooped. Room temperature ingredients are essential
Butter, eggs, and milk should all be at room temperature before mixing. Cold ingredients can cause the batter to break and may result in a dense or uneven cake. Do not skip the two-minute mixing stage
Because this recipe uses the reverse creaming method, mixing the batter for the full two minutes is necessary to properly develop the cake’s structure. Pan size options
This vanilla cake recipe makes:
• three 8-inch cake layers
• two 9-inch cake layers
• about 24 cupcakes Cupcake baking instructions
Fill liners about two-thirds full and bake at 350°F for 18–20 minutes, or until the centers spring back when lightly touched. Storage
Frosted cakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours if covered. After that, refrigerate and bring to room temperature before serving. Freezing cake layers
Cake layers freeze very well. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before decorating. Flavor variations
You can easily customize this recipe by adding:
• lemon zest for lemon vanilla cake
• almond extract for almond cake
• sprinkles for funfetti cake
LauraF says
Love this recipe for the cake and easy buttercream...yum! I tried to decorate as you suggested...I wish I could post to show you. It was rough...but with practice I think I can nail it in the future! 😊
Varsha says
Hey I submitted a question before about turning this into a brown sugar cake but I don't know why I can't see my comment. could you kindly tell me, if I replace white sugar with brown (equal amount) would this work as a brown sugar sponge?
Thankyou
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can use brown sugar but I would only replace half the sugar with brown sugar not all
Terra says
Holy moly! I have been searching for forever for a great white cake. I have an amazing chocolate cake recipe but was never able to find the perfect white cake. I am amazed at how good this is! Thank you!! So moist and amazing flavor 😍
BROOKY says
This cake tastes amazing. The problem I have, everytime I make it, is that the middle always sinks! I don’t know how because I do everything right and the batter looks exactly like the pictures! Please tell me what i did wrong cause I can’t figure it out. Other than that this is the best cake ever!
Sugar Geek Show says
Hi, I'm sorry that you're having this issue! It could be a few different things that are causing this to happen. Using a scale to measure out the ingredients instead of converting to cups, and bringing your milk, eggs, and butter to room temperature are the first steps. If you've done that, then sometimes people don't mix for the full 2 minutes on medium speed with a stand mixer. This gives structure to the cake, so don't be afraid of over-mixing and setting a timer. Also using 6" or 8" pans and baking until a toothpick comes out clean from the center is sometimes an issue, definitely go by look and not time. I hope this helps!
Vickie Van Etta says
Hi Liz, Let me start off by saying your recipes are AMAZING. I am new to cake baking and your step by step instructions, pictures and videos make it easier for beginners like me. It really makes a difference having something to compare textures and colors to. I want to also Thank you for your hard work finding the best possible recipes. I have made your strawberry and vanilla cakes so far. I will be making the Oreo cake this weekend and I can’t wait.
Eruejerien O says
Maybe think about updating this recipe to reflect that it makes 2, 8”x 2” rounds. I found out the hard way that you can not fill up 3 pans 2/3 of the way as the written recipe states. It’s important for layer cakes to have a deep enough cake to carve off the brown and of you do 3 pans, the cakes are too thin. Love the reverse creaking method though.
Elizabeth Marek says
When I make this recipe it fills my 6" pans 2/3 of the way full
Blanca says
Hello, this cake is delicious and the amount of sweetness was just perfect. The only thing is that I used All purpose flour and the cake didn't come out fluffy. My cake was moist but denser than a cake. I will try making it again but with cake flour next time and see how that goes. Thank you for this recipe.
Sugar Geek Show says
Hi Blanca, I'm glad you liked the cake. Using cake flour is definitely needed for this recipe, I hope it turns out better for you the next time!
Christy says
I made this cake last month for my husband's birthday. It was so well written and easy to follow. Thank you.
Emily says
I’m about to make this cake but I don’t have canola oil. Can I use vegetable or butter in replace?
Elizabeth Marek says
vegetable oil works great 🙂
Karen says
I purchased the Fat Daddios pans per your recommendation but now you are suggesting another brand. So which one is better?
Sugar Geek Show says
Fat Daddios pans are good, I also like Magic Line and have found those to work a bit better! Both work great, really.
Jacqi Whiteman says
This cake was so delicious! The directions were so thorough and my cake and the frosting came out perfectly! Wait until you see how creamy the frosting is!
I will definitely be making this again. My husband’s favorite cake and frosting flavor is vanilla!
I use my own homemade vanilla paste for both parts of this recipe! Yum!!!
Emily says
Hey Liz I'm trying this recipe out tonight would it work if a folded crushed Oreos into the batter and baked it?
Sugar Geek Show says
I would use my white cake recipe instead, it's a little bit firmer so you don't have to worry about the oreos sinking to the bottom. https://sugargeekshow.com/white-cake-recipe/
Julie Ernst says
I made this for a birthday party last week and it was delicious, thank you for a great recipe! Next time I'd like to add some mini chocolate chips. Would that work okay?
Jasel says
First off i love your blogs and tutorials. I only gave this a 4 because 1 I don’t know why but i am getting less of the batter than it says i should. Yes i am using scale and double checking my weights and ingredients. But the first time i made it i used 2 8x3 inch pans and after they were done baking i had about 2inch cakes. The second time i made this i used 3 8x2 inch pans and my cakes were roughly an inch high less after i leveled them. So will continue to see if i am doing something wrong by re reading the instructions. Also the second time my cakes seemed to want to fall apart more. I made the buttercream and found it too soft to really pipe with and too buttery but I believe I didn’t whip it long enough so will try again. I am planning on making my nieces sweet 16 cake with these two recipes so hoping for the best! Cake was delisted though.
Elizabeth Marek says
Sounds like you are not mixing enough at the 2 minute stage which is where the batter gets its volume and can also make them too delicate. Make sure you are mixing for 2 full minutes at medium high speed.
Ron says
Hi Liz,
I made this recipe today for my 5-year-old grandson's birthday. This is the first time I have made a cake in twenty years. I don't have any fancy stand mixer, just a $30 hand mixer which made it a bit more challenging. Everyone at the party complimented me about the cake and frosting.
Thank you
~Ron