An easy Vanilla Cake with a soft and moist crumb and great vanilla flavor. We used our popular Buttercream Frosting here but it’s also fantastic with a Chocolate Frosting. This Vanilla cake recipe is the perfect base for a birthday cake or any special occasion.
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Watch the Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe Video:
This cake really is easy and can even be made ahead. Watch the video tutorial for how to make the perfect vanilla cake and best Buttercream Frosting (which isn’t overly sweet like most American buttercreams).
Why we Love this Vanilla Cake!
Everyone needs a great vanilla cake base and I hope this becomes your new favorite! It’s made from scratch and the combination of ingredients gives it amazing texture and flavor. We used the same base as our famous Vanilla Cupcakes and made this stunning cake. You’ll love the perfectly level cake layers – there’s no need to trim them.
How to Make a Vanilla Cake from Scratch:
Here is a quick visual reference for homemade vanilla cake. Get the full print-friendly recipe below.
- Butter and flour two 9″ cake pans and preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Whisk together dry ingredients.
- With an electric mixer, beat Butter and Sugar 5 minutes.
- Beat in eggs 1 at a time then beat in vanilla.
- Add flour mixture in thirds alternating with buttermilk and mixing between each addition.
- Divide between 2 cake pans and bake at 350˚F for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes then transfer cakes (we use this cake release tool) to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
How to Frost a Cake:
Frosting a cake is the fun part. Once your cake is fully at room temperature, make your Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. We love the vintage vibe of waves in the frosting like we did with our chocolate cake but you can also crumb coat the cake and pipe the frosting onto the cake.
- Place the first cake layer on a cake platter.
- Spread a generous layer of frosting over the top, going to the edges.
- Cover with the second cake layer with the top side down for a perfectly level cake surface.
- Coat the top and sides of the cake with remaining frosting and use an offset spatula or spoon to create waves in the cake.
Add sprinkles if desired. Sprinkles are the easiest way to turn a plain cake into a birthday cake!
Our Best Baking Tips:
- Room temperature ingredients are critical so your batter blends well without separating or becoming grainy.
- Avoid Substitutions! We always recommend trying the recipe as written before experimenting.
- Measure Correctly – check out our post on how we measure ingredients for baking.
- Weigh your pans – we use a digital food scale to make sure the layers are evenly divided.
How to Keep Leftover Cake Moist:
If you have sliced your cake and want to refrigerate leftovers for later, cover the cut side of the cake with plastic wrap, placing it directly onto the cake. This will prevent moisture loss and keep your cake from drying out.
More Top-Rated Cake Recipes:
These are the best-loved and best-reviewed cakes on our site. These are the ones we make most often.
- Chocolate Cake – rich, moist and decadent
- Tiramisu Recipe – coffee-infused Italian dessert
- Tres Leches Cake – the moistest cake you’ll try
- Perfect Cheesecake – with irresistible cherry sauce
- Pumpkin Cake – with the best cream cheese frosting
Vanilla Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, or plain kefir, room temperature
- 1 Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter and flour two 9" cake pans, tapping out excess flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set flour mixture aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer), beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 minutes until thick and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition then scrape down the bowl. Add 4 tsp vanilla extract and beat to combine.
- Reduce mixer to medium speed and add the flour mixture in thirds alternating with the 1 cup of room temperature buttermilk, allowing the flour and buttermilk to incorporate with each addition. Scrape down the bowl as needed and beat until just combined and smooth.
- Divide batter evenly between 2 prepared cake pans and spread out the batter into the pans smoothing out the tops with a spatula. Bake on the center rack at 350˚F for 28-30 minutes. Rest in pans for 10 minutes then run a knife or thin spatula around the edges to loosen and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before applying Vanilla Frosting.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Hi Natasha I already did this cake in october with the frosting and thank you so much I loved the result it tasted exactly like cake bought in bakery
But this time I can only give out slices to my friends only 1 week after I cut the cake so I was wondering how to make sure the cake doesn’t dry out I usually always put cake slices on a airtight container is it sufficient ?
Great to hear that you loved it! To store leftovers, make sure they are cooled first, then place them in an airtight container. Make sure there’s no extra space in the container to avoid drying the cake out if there’s too much space. You can also wrap each slice in plastic wrap or foil before placing them in the container.
I would like to make a 9×13 sheet cake what would the time difference be
Hello there! The baking time should be a bit longer and you’ll likely need to bake it for about 30-40 minutes but it still depends on your oven and the thickness of your batter. Start checking the cake after 28 minutes by insering a toothpick at the center. You can keep the oven temperature the same. Hope that helps!
Hi Natasha, could I make this batter ahead of time, then store it in the fridge until I want to bake it?
Hi Alana! For best results, it should be baked right away. But the cake layers after they have cooled can be refrigerated or frozen.
Hi Natasha,
Love this recipe already tried it !! Came out just perfect. Next time i would like to bake them in 7-inch pans. How many 7-inch pans you think i’ll need?
Thanks alot
Hi Khansa! You’ll likely need 3 pans.
Hi Natasha, can i use 2 springform pans for this?
I imagine that will be fine just be sure to divide the batter evenly between them. Baking time might slightly change too just be sure to check for doneness about 5-10 minutes earlier.
I made this cake for my daughters birthday and it was amazing and delicious 😋
Thanks Natasha🩷
Can I substitute White sugar for brown sugar? love the recipe!
Hi Brie! I haven’t tested that in this recipe. It should be fine but it will change the taste, color, and texture making it more dense.
Could I frost the cake with chocolate frosting?
Hi there! Yes, it’s also fantastic with Chocolate Frosting. (Recipe linked)
Love all you easy recipes. I am making this cake right now and the batter seems a little runny. I added more flour a little at a time until it thickened up a little. Its now in the oven with my fingers crossed. I know I measured everything right. do you know what it could be ? The only thing I can think about was I had to make my own buttermilk, which i measured correctly but the milk was not up to room temp. when I added it to the batter. Could this be it ??
The buttermilk could be a factor, cold ingredients can cause the batter to be thicker or not mix as evenly, which might have affected the consistency of the batter.
Hi Natasha
Can you use a 10 inch pan with this recipe. If so, how long would you bake for. Thanks
Hi Foxy! I haven’t tested it. I wonder if it will be too much batter for one 10” pan. You want to make sure not to overfill your cake pan or it won’t bake properly and will likely be uncooked in the middle.
Great thanks, if I used half of the recipe , would that work??? Xx
I recommend using THIS Adapt Baking Recipes to Fit Different Pan Sizes Guide. If that doesn’t help, you can trying halving the recipe.
Can I use normal milk instead of buttermilk?
Hi Allie, buttermilk works best for this recipe. You can try to use 240 g buttermilk, or plain kefir, room temperature. OR You can do homemade buttermilk, just mix 1 cup milk with 1 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and set it aside for 5-10 mins and it’s ready to use.
Hi Natasha, I simply love your recipes, also love the way you narrate each recipe – makes it so simple to understand. I tried this cake for my daughters birthday yesterday, and it was a big hit! Thank you
Can I make this the night before and leave in the fridge?? Will the cake still be okay?
Hi Sydney! Yes, the cake layers can be stored in the refrigerator. Just make sure to fully cool the cake beforehand and keep it in an airtight container. If you’re frosting the cake, the same applies. I hope you love the recipe!
This vanilla cake came out just the way u did it
That’s great, Valencia! I’m glad you tried the recipe.
Hi Natasha! Is it okay to add confetti sprinkles or any sprinkles in the cake batter?
I think that’s a fun way to make the cake more colorful! I would add the sprinkles into the batter right before baking for a colorful result!
I am not sure what I did wrong, but I tried taking the cake out of the pan and it just fell apart in pieces. Not sure where I went wrong. I followed the instructions exactly as written.
Hi Beverly. I’m sorry to hear that. Was it sticking to your pan? If so, be sure to grease and flour your pan well beforehand and loosen it on the sides with a knife before removing. Also, let the cake cool long enough before removing it from the pan. If it’s too warm, it will break apart.
Cake is very heavy. Good taste but I have expected lighter, melting like texture for sponges and cream.
Hi Ana, it sounds like you are describing our Sponge Cake recipe.
Hi Ana, i just made this. Loved the taste but also found it heavier than expected.
It’s definitely hard to make a perfect yellow or white cake from scratch. Try the reverse creaming method perhaps, or can try separating the eggs, beating the whites then folding into the batter that you’ve already added the egg yolks to.