Vanilla cake is one of the most important recipes to have in your baking arsenal, and this version has been my go-to professional recipe for over ten years for weddings, birthdays, and special occasion cakes. The reverse creaming method gives it an incredibly moist, tender crumb that stays soft for days, and it bakes up naturally flat so there is almost no trimming or waste. If you are new to baking layer cakes, my 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.
Jump to:
- Quick Glance: Vanilla Cake Recipe
- What Makes This Vanilla Cake Work So Well
- Vanilla Cake Ingredients
- Tips For Success
- Vanilla Cake Recipe Step-By-Step
- Batter & Frosting Calculator
- Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
- Cups of Batter Needed
- Cups of Frosting Needed
- Common Vanilla Cake Mistakes To Avoid
- Vanilla Cake FAQs
- More Vanilla Recipes You'll Love
- Watch: How To Decorate A Cake Step-by-Step
- Recipe
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 thick and not separated.
Scrape the bowl thoroughly after the two-minute mix. If you skip this, hard lumps of flour will stay in the batter and will not mix in fully later.
- 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. Immediately tap the pan on the counter once to release air and reduce shrinking.
- Cool cakes in the pans until barely warm before removing them onto a cooling rack.
Batter & Frosting Calculator
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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Cupcake Tin Size
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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.
This recipe makes three 8-inch cake layers, two 9-inch cake layers, or about 24 cupcakes. The easy buttercream recipe included makes 8 cups of frosting, enough to frost and fill the layered cake. Store leftover frosting in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months.
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, which is incredibly stable and has a gorgeous vanilla flavor. Or you can top with a pretty pink drip cake finish
Common Vanilla Cake Mistakes To Avoid
Using cold ingredients. Cold butter, eggs, and milk will not emulsify properly during mixing and can cause the batter to look curdled and broken. Set everything out at least an hour before you start, or warm your eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes and microwave your milk for 20 seconds.
Overbaking the cake. This recipe bakes at a lower temperature for a reason, but it can still dry out if left in too long. Start checking at 30 minutes with a toothpick and touch the surface gently. If it springs back, it is done. A few moist crumbs on the toothpick are fine. A completely clean toothpick often means it went too far.
Skipping the two-minute mixing stage. The reverse creaming method requires the full two minutes of mixing after the milk and oil go in. This stage is what develops the structure of the cake. Cutting it short results in a weaker crumb that can sink or have an uneven texture.
Not scraping the bowl. Hard lumps of unmixed flour and butter hide at the bottom of the bowl during mixing. If you do not scrape down thoroughly after the two-minute mix, those lumps will stay in the batter and create dense spots in the finished cake.
Using low-quality vanilla extract. Vanilla is the only flavor in this cake, so it has nowhere to hide. Use a good pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. Imitation vanilla will produce a noticeably weaker, more artificial flavor.
Vanilla Cake FAQs
Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, which produces a softer, more tender crumb. The reverse creaming method coats the flour in butter before any liquid is added, and cake flour's lower protein helps prevent excess gluten from forming during the two-minute mixing stage. If you only have all-purpose flour on hand, you can make a substitute by removing two tablespoons of flour per cup and replacing them with cornstarch, but the texture will not be exactly the same.
Yes, this recipe is flexible across several pan sizes. The full recipe makes three 8-inch cake layers, two 9-inch cake layers, or about 24 cupcakes. For a half sheet pan, you will need three full batches of batter to fill the pan properly. Smaller pans bake faster than larger ones, so check for doneness with a toothpick starting at 18 to 20 minutes for cupcakes and 25 to 30 minutes for 8-inch layers.
Yes, this vanilla cake recipe works beautifully as cupcakes. Fill cupcake liners about two-thirds full and bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the centers spring back when lightly touched. The full recipe yields approximately 24 cupcakes.
Yes, this vanilla cake freezes very well. Wrap each cooled cake layer tightly in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw the layers at room temperature for one to two hours before frosting and decorating. The buttercream frosting can also be frozen separately for up to six months in an airtight container.
Yes, you can use a non-dairy milk like almond, oat, or soy milk in place of regular whole milk in this recipe. Choose an unsweetened and unflavored variety so it does not change the cake's flavor. Some non-dairy milks have a thinner consistency than whole milk, which can slightly affect the cake's final texture, but the recipe will still work.
Yes, this vanilla cake is a great base for many flavor variations. Add lemon zest for a lemon vanilla cake, a teaspoon of almond extract for an almond cake, or sprinkles for a funfetti cake. You can also fold in mini chocolate chips, fresh berries, or a swirl of fruit jam between the layers to customize the flavor without changing the structure.
The slightly lower oven temperature gives the cake a more even rise without doming or cracking on top. At 350°F, the edges of the cake set faster than the center, which often causes the top to dome and the edges to dry out. Baking at 335°F allows the cake to rise slowly and evenly, producing a flat, tender layer that is easier to stack and decorate without trimming.
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 20-30 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
saira afzal says
liz please help.. i made this again and did everything as you mentioned... correct oil this time, and again the cakes sunk in the middle and formed a deep crater this time.. oven temp was correct, i didn't open the door at all i did everything as i should have.. no idea why it keeps sinking in the middle.. could it be that i over mixed??.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Sounds like you are under mixing if it keeps collapsing
saira afzal says
i figured it..!! i am from the uk i assumed cake flour was the same as our self raising flour (has raising agents in it.. the addition of the extra raising agents caused the cake to collapse during baking!.. took me ages to figure it but glad i finally did. cake is gorj!
saira says
Hi Liz thank you for this recipe.. I have been looking for a vanilla recipe for ages, tried many that failed and have tonight tried yours.. The only issue i have had is that the cake sunk very slightly in the middle. I did everything you suggested, room temp ingredients and mixing, I also have an oven thermometer. I did bake in a 8x3 pan and it took longer to bake, but tastes great. Any idea what i did wrong?
Also do you advise cooling, wrapping in film and leaving in the fridge overnight before torting, filling and crumb coating? I am a little confused on this.. Thank you x
The Sugar Geek Show says
Sounds like you just took it out too soon. I let my cakes cool until you can handle the pan without it burning you then flip onto a cooling rack then cool for another 5 minutes or so then double wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight before frosting or you can put them in the freezer for an hour if you need to frost right away or you can freeze for a few days if you need to use them later in the week. I hope that helps!
saira afzal says
it tasted amazing..!!! few days on and still moist.. after analysing everything i had realised i accidentally added double the oil :-/ as i only made half of the listed quantity to trial the recipe but somehow didn't half the oil!!.. do you think would have caused the cake to sink slightly?? when it was in the oven it rose to almost 3inches high then sank back to 2 inches with a depression in the middle...
if not then i will leave in the oven longer, although it was still depressed in the middle whilst baking..
thank you for your prompt reply x
Tristan N Myers says
Looking forward to trying this recipe! I have a couple of questions before I begin.
1. Is it absolutely necessary to use a Stand up mixer or can I use hand held?
2. Is Ultra Fine Unbleached Cake Flour okay to use?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can use unbleached, it just won't be as white which I think is totally fine. I have not tried this recipe with a hand-held mixer, might take a bit more to get that first part mixed fully until it's fluffy 🙂
Monique says
Best recipe ever!!! I made it gluten free and it was so moist. It lasted 5 days without drying out and becoming that crumbly gluten free mess. I can’t wait to make this again. Thank you so much for all your hints.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yay I'm so happy to hear that!
Samantha says
Hello! I’ve tried a few of the versions of your vanilla cake and tried this one a few days ago.... oh my! I could tell from the first part of the 2 min mixing it was going to be good. The batter was fluffy and white and my place filled with the amazing smell of it baking. It made a really good amount of batter and came out nicely for me after 30 mins at 335. The cake itself had a really nice crumb and flavour and even after sitting in the fridge wrapped overnight still had a nice spring to it when I touched it. Can’t wait to play with this some more thank you!!!!
Hazel A says
Hello Liz, I plan to bake 3 cakes of size 6" by 2". I have not baked three cakes in one batch before but I would like to save time. Do you think it is a good idea? 😀
Hazel A says
Thanks in advance for your reply!
MARTHA CRAIN says
"Oh My" this cake is delicious. I have never used this mixing method. But I'm tempted to try with other recipes. Thank you for sharing.
ERIKA says
Hello I am about to make the recipe but I noticed that the video mentions baking soda but the recipe does not. Which one is the correct one? If it includes the baking soda what is the measurement?
Thank you for the help
The Sugar Geek Show says
The recipe is the correct one
Sarah Crites says
Just got these cakes out of oven as a test before I have a 2 tier baby shower cake on December 1st. The cakes are delightfully light, fluffy, and moist! The recipe is easy and produced a silky batter.
I will definitely use this recipe again, but I will be lining my pans - I just greased & floured my pans and it stuck horribly! The recipe, as listed, produced 54 oz (1531g) of batter or just a little over 7 cups.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Try using cake goop next time (in the recipes section) the best! Cakes always release easily
Simon says
Hi Liz, Hello from down under. For years l have been looking for recipes for half or full size sheet cakes but as yet no luck. Can your recipes be used for making sheet size cakes and if so do l double the ingredients and cooking time...
PLEASE HELP.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes all cake recipes should be able to work as full half sheet cakes with no issue, they have for me. I have never made a full sheet cake though, that would require a gigantic oven lol
Susan F says
Hi Liz! Can you tell me your process for decorating a cake from baking to finish? Do you bake one day, decorate the next?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Hey Susan! I sure can! Check out our basics cake series that goes over every single step. I usually bake and chill on day one then decorate on day two for ultimate freshness 🙂
https://sugargeekshow.com/cake-decorating-fundamentals-series/
Rianna Trout says
I tried this recipe over the weekend for my boys birthdays. Rave reviews on them! However, I found them to be quite dry. Probably due to some misstep on my part. I followed the directions to the letter, timed my mixing, the whole lot. The only thing I can come up with is that perhaps I baked them too long for my oven. I have been on the search for the perfect cupcake recipe for years and had yet to find it; this one, however, has everything I was looking for in a recipe. If anyone can suggest anything that may be able to help me out in the "dry" area. I would be ever so grateful! I am by far no pro, but I LOVE this recipe. The flavor is AMAZING. I think I should mention that I did bake them on convection bake. Would that perhaps be part of the issue?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Over-baking can definitely cause the cake to dry out. You can counteract that issue with a little simple syrup brushed over the top of the cake before you stack it
Rianna Trout says
Thank you for that suggestion! I'll give it a try if I run into this issue again. I think, perhaps, the next time I make them, which will be in the very near future as I am determined to perfect this, I will try baking them for a few minutes less, or perhaps on regular bake instead of convection.
Krutika Sankpal says
Hi,
The recipe says 4 large eggs, but the video shows only 3 eggs. I am bit confused.
The Sugar Geek Show says
You can adjust the recipe for the size of the cake you're making. Just follow the recipe.
Mariela Gonzalez says
If I substitude the vanilla extract for vanilla bean paste, the quantity would be the same? 1tbs
The Sugar Geek Show says
I would about half as much since vanilla bean paste is much stronger (and delicious!)
Andrea Shine says
So, I am making my own wedding cake and was completely sold on my standard vanilla cake that I use all the time for my clients and then I came across this recipe. I’m totally going to take a chance and try this recipe instead. So excited to see how it comes out.