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This Homemade Vanilla Cake Recipe is one of the best homemade cakes ever and will quickly become your new favorite. A simple recipe with a tender and moist crumb and just the right amount of sweetness. Delicious with vanilla buttercream or cream cheese frosting!
Why You’ll Love Homemade Vanilla Cake
Being a true vanilla lover, I’ve tried my fair share of homemade vanilla cake, cupcakes, sheet cakes…you name it. It’s my go-to flavor and dare I say I like it more than chocolate cake? It took me several weeks to develop this particular recipe, yielding an end result that is tender with a moist crumb and just the right amount of sweetness. I’m confident that if you don’t like vanilla cake, you haven’t truly had a GOOD one. So friends, meet my vanilla cake recipe.
Simple Cake Recipe ingredients
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- milk
- vanilla extract
- butter
- vegetable oil
- granulated sugar
- whole eggs + egg whites
How to make Vanilla Cake from Scratch
Making a scratch vanilla cake is easier than you think! Just make sure you don’t over-bake! Dry vanilla cake is NOT delicious. For full recipe details with an ingredients list, exact measurements and baking times see the printable recipe card below. Here is step by step what you can expect when making this cake:
Prepare Your Cake Pans
1. Preheat your oven.
2. Line baking pans with parchment paper and/or spray well with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. (I spray my round cake pans, add the parchment paper circles in the bottom and spray lightly again.)
Whisk Dry Ingredients
3. In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients together to combine (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Set aside. Whisking helps aerate the ingredients and works well in place of sifting.
4. Measure milk and vanilla separately and set aside.
Make the Vanilla Cake Batter
5. In a separate large bowl, mix butter, oil, and sugar together until combined.
6. Mix in eggs and egg whites, one at a time, until the mixture becomes very light and fluffy. You want to incorporate a lot of air at this point. Because we aren’t separating the eggs and whipping the whites separately, you want to whip the eggs well.
7. Alternate adding in flour mixture with milk mixture, being sure to start and end with flour.
Time to Bake Your Cake!
8. Divide cake batter between two (8 or 9″) round baking pans, as evenly as possible, smooth the tops and bake on the middle rack in the oven. Cakes will be done when the edges look golden and the middle of the cake comes out clean when tested with a toothpick.
9. Cool 15-20 minutes in pans or until you can handle the warm pans with your hands. Turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely.
Vanilla Cake Recipe Tips for success
After lots of trial and error, here are my best tips and tricks for making a delicious vanilla cake recipe the first time around.
- Follow the recipe. Use the listed ingredients in the recipe card below.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Believe it or not, using butter, eggs, egg whites and milk all at room temperature yields you a smoother, better incorporated cake batter and thus, a better cake.
- Do not over-bake. Moist vanilla cake comes with just the right amount of time in the oven. Start checking your cake for doneness after 30 minutes and then go from there. Every oven is different (some run hotter than others) so be sure you are checking your cake for doneness every few minutes once you’re getting close to it being completely baked.
- Line baking pans with parchment paper. Parchment paper is my favorite kitchen tool. Your cakes will come out with ease!
- Cool completely before frosting. Frosting is primarily made up of butter and the butter will melt if your cakes are not cooled completely.
How to Bake Flat Cakes
Here’s a little trick for getting flat cake tops! The tops of my cakes actually weren’t all that flat, but when I flipped them out of their cake pans, the bottoms certainly were! So that’s why they look so flat. You’re seeing the bottoms of the cakes! So when I frost them, I place them all upside down to have flat “tops” to my cake.
If you overmix your batter, you will tend to have more of a peaked top. If you are wanting to frost a two or three layer cake, use a serrated knife to cut off the tops to achieve that flat, level cake.
Vanilla Cake Recipe FAQs
You bet! This recipe will make:
1- 9×13 thick cake (bake for 40-55 minutes)
2- 8 or 9-inch round cakes (40-50 minutes)
24 cupcakes (bake for 18-20 minutes)
Regardless of how you bake this cake, be sure to use lighter colored baking pans (or glass). Using a darker pan will give you darker, crispier edges which doesn’t really have a place in vanilla cake, in my humble opinion.
The purist in me would recommend making this cake with this Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe but this chocolate frosting would be equally delicious. Both frostings will make you fall in love with vanilla cake, possibly more than you’ve ever loved it before.
For more frosting options, check out these recipes: Cream Cheese Frosting, Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting, Reese’s Frosting, and Poured Chocolate Frosting.
Decorating Vanilla Cake
Decorate your cake with homemade frosting and any embellishments you choose. Here are some frostings that go well with this vanilla cake:
- Vanilla Buttercream
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
- Reese’s Frosting
- Poured Chocolate Frosting
How to store Vanilla Cake
The best thing about making this recipe (and really any baked cake) is they store beautifully if you make them ahead! Here are a few storage options:
Storing at Room Temperature
Once your cake has been baked and cooled, wrap them in plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight. Prepare the frosting, then cover and store in the fridge overnight as well. When you are ready to assemble and decorate, set the frosting out at room temperature to soften for about 30-45 minutes. Give it a quick mix to loosen it up in your mixer for about a minute, then frost away! (You may have to add a splash of heavy cream or milk to bring it back to life.)
Storing in the Freezer
If you want to make this Vanilla cake even farther ahead of time, consider freezing it! Baked vanilla cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap baked cake layers well in two layers of plastic wrap and one layer of heavy duty foil and store flat in the freezer. To thaw, transfer from the freezer to the fridge overnight and then bring to room temperature before decorating.
Love Vanilla Cake? Try These Other Cake Recipes:
You really don’t need a reason to make this vanilla cake but it goes without saying this would be the perfect birthday, anniversary or holiday cake. Maybe you had a rough day. Someone else had a rough day. You had a good day and want to celebrate. Basically, this recipe is perfect for any occasion.
If you make this delicious Vanilla Cake, I would SO appreciate if you would give it a star review and leave me a comment below. Printable recipe card with directions and increments is below! Happy baking, friends!
What others are saying about this Homemade Vanilla Cake Recipe:
This has become my go to vanilla cake recipe. I love making it! ~ MaryJo
This is the best recipe ever. Vanilla cake came out wonderful… ~ ID
This is now my go to Birthday cake. The cake is simple to make and the taste is amazing. ~ Sonia
Made this yesterday…came out beautifully…the cake was moist and flavorful…my family devoured it. ~ Laura
I have combed through the internet, baking through every recipe I could find. This is by far the best one I have made (after 3+ years of trying). ~ Amy
i am just 9 years old and i made it all by myself it tasted so good and sweet ~ Deborah
This is the best homemade cake I have ever tasted. My 11 year old daughter made it for us, and the whole family LOVED it so much. Thank you, we are making it again, tonight! 🍰💛 ~ Amanda
More Favorites from Lauren’s Latest
Simple Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/3 cups milk whole
- 1 tbs vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 whole large eggs
- 2 whole egg whites
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Line baking pan with parchment paper and/or spray well with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. (See notes)
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together to combine. Set aside.
- In a liquid measuring cup, stir milk and vanilla together. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, mix butter, oil and sugar together until combined. Mix in eggs and egg whites, one at a time, until mixture becomes very light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again briefly.
- Alternate adding in flour mixture with milk mixture, being sure to start and end with flour. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure a smooth batter.
- Divide evenly between baking pans and smooth the top. Bake 30-40 minutes in the lower ⅔ of the oven. Cake will be done when a toothpick comes out clean or mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool 15-20 minutes in cake pans before trying to invert on cooling racks. Cool completely before frosting and decorating.
Video
Notes
- 1- 9×13 thick cake (bake for 40-55 minutes)
- 2- 8 or 9-inch round cakes (40-50 minutes)
- 24 cupcakes (bake for 18-20 minutes)
How would I go about adjusting the ingredients for a 10 inch round cake pan? I am making a two tiered cake with 8 inch top layer and 10 inch bottom layer.
How many layers does this make
This is an amazing recipe without too much butter and eggs. Thanks for the recipe dear Lauren ❤️
Melody, 2 layers.
[…] Vanilla Cake | Lauren’s Latest Blog (I’m not a natural baker, but I always like to try my hand at new things, so maybe on a snow day I can whip up this tasty cake.) […]
This is a delicious cake recipe I made it with my older brother on my moms birthday yesterday I just started to bake for my elective (i’m in 7th grade and is home schooled) out of all the recipes I have made this is my favorite.
I made this cake exactly as the recipe said. The batter is too thick, I could have easily made 3, 9 inch layers instead of 2 if I had added another cup of milk to batter. I only sprayed my pans as recipe said, and my cake stuck, right in the middle. I also had to keep checking my cake and put it back into my oven 3 times before it was done. I had to add an additional 25 minutes to baking time. Not a good recipe and will not use again.
Exactly my experience! I’m making it right now and am on my third round of putting it back in!
[…] Vanilla Cake | Lauren’s Latest […]
I’m anxious to try out this recipe! Should flour be sifted before measuring it?
no! Just spoon it into your measuring cup and level the top.
I couldn’t get my cake to rise. Please help me
The eggs are whisked into the butter, oil and sugar? Like ribbon stage ?
yes!
How many cakes does this recipe make
This cake is DELICIOUS. I hope this doesn’t come across as an insult in any way, but I’ve been looking for a recipe that tastes like one you would get premixed in a box (that’s what I always had growing up, so it’s what makes me the most happy!), and this is by far the closest/the best tasting that I’ve come across. It’s honestly the best vanilla cake I’ve ever tasted. Thanks for the recipe!
i would like to ask if i can just use all baking powder instead of using the baking soda. I usually use baking soda for some recipe that uses for instance a buttermilk.
Pls let me know if it wont make a difference.
No! Baking powder and baking soda cannot be interchanged.
Hi, Do you think that I could use safflower seed oil? I have no veggie oil. Thank you!!
any lightly flavored oil would work well!
I have been wanting to bake a vanilla cake from scratch. I think this is the next one I will try when both kids are in school!
This has become my go to vanilla cake recipe. I love making it!
Lauren, could I add sprinkles to this cake recipe without needing to make adjustments? I want to make a Sprinkle Cake for a darling 4 year old’s birthday who loves anything with sprinkles.
I think it should be fine!
wow!!!! es la mejor receta del mundo mundial, he probado tantos que ya no me acuerdo, amo el traductor de google!
tmb hice tu budin de canela y tambien es otra de esas recetas q llevo a todos lados,gracias por compartir tus recetas,soy tu nueva fan.
Natalia, Argentina
Lauren is parchment paper wax paper or dessert paper as I’ve always called it & stressed is desserts backwards. I just learned this & thought I’d share with you doll!🎃🧡🎃🧡🎃???
Wax paper is different from parchment!
Not sure what went working here, or if I’m just one of the only ones who did not like this cake. Mine ended up coming out very heavy. Tastes more like cornbread to me🤷🏻♀️ I’ll just have to see how it turns out once put together.
I have the same issue. I love the recipe- I’ve made it twice now, but I do find it a tad heavy. Is it because of the addition of oil? I would love a slightly lighter more spongey crumb but I have no brain for baking so I don’t know what to change up.
How do you measure your flour?
my tasted to buttery i was so excited, i liked the cake a little just tasted a bit more like butter i don’t know why :/
I made this last night as a birthday cake, the batter was easy to make, even though you need 3 bowls. I replaced milk with half and half for more moisture. I baked in 9″ non- stick rounds, with all that oil the ends got crispy, which everyone liked, but I felt I tasted more valuable oil than vanilla. Next time I would try coconut oil. A trick to having flat cakes is when they are still hot from the oven lay a towel or potholder over and gently press the bump flat, and flip them out bottoms up for decorating. Overall, great recipe, I would use it again.
Does it matter what kind of milk (whole, 1%, etc.)?
No, it doesn’t matter.
Ummm… The amount of fat in the milk affects your cake. Duh!
Yes, different amounts of fat in the milk affect the cake, but not enough to worry about or make a noticeable difference. Duh!
Do you mix by hand or with a mixer?
Either is fine!
I made this cake and it was delicious, however I substituted one of the cups of flour for 1 cup of cornflour. This gives the cake a much lighter and in my opinion better texture. Its an especially nice way to make it if youre making a single layer cake or doubling the recipe.
I made the cake today but it took me 45 minutes to cook Ins a 13×9 inch pan at 325 degrees.
Did I do s something wrong?
Nope, cakes baked at lower temperatures always take longer! And this would make a really thick cake as well.
Totally never baked a cake before especially not from scratch so this might be a super dumb question but for the eggs…is it a total of 4 eggs? 2 whole eggs and then two more eggs but just the whites like I would just throw away the yolk for the whites right?
Yes, 2 whole eggs PLUS 2 egg whites. You can save the yolks if you want, but generally I end up tossing them.
I was a little daunted after reading all the comments HOWEVER I must tell you that the cake came out beautifully! The most important thing is to FOLLOW THE RECIPE. I made a small cake and 12 cupcakes for my husbands birthday. I kept it for few days and it was moist and delicious. I wish I can show you the cake 🎂🥳
I am making this now. Went out and purchased a whole wilton 9×13 pan. 45 min in oven RAW RAW RAW RAW!!
I was actually just coming to the comments as well to see if anyone had adjusted anything for 9×13 pan. My cake has been in there for 30 min and it’s still raw in the middle. Did you figure out how long it took?
Mine is doing the same thing
No acidic ingredient in recipe for baking soda to react with. Why use it then?
From what I understand the lactic acid and heat will also cause the baking soda to react.
Made this and it was very good!!!
This is the best recipe ever. Vanilla cake came out wonderful. I also want to make Choco vanilla layer cake . How can i make adjustments for chocolate cake in this batter. Thanks !!
This is now my go to Birthday cake. The cake is simple to make and the taste is amazing.
Anyone figure out high altitude adjustments? Thanks!
Excited to make this tonight! Do you whip the egg whites before putting them in the mixture?
no, you just whip the eggs and egg whites together with all the batter.
i like vanilla
Does anyone see where it says what to do with the sugar and oil mix? I’ve read the recipe about a dozen times and I swear I’m going crazy.
I was wondering the same
Hi, you need to add milk mixture and flour mixture alternately to sugar mixture and continue mixing. At least that’s what I get from instructions.
Hope this helped.
There is no sugar and oil mix. You mix the sugar with the butter, oil then add the eggs and set aside. then you add your dry and wet (milk and vanilla) to the butter egg mixture
Made this yesterday…came out beautifully…the cake was moist and flavorful…my family devoured it…
[…] Vanilla Cake Recipe by Lauren’s Latest […]
I have a question do u wipe the egg whites
Does this really use both salted butter and extra salt?
Hi, yes – this is my question as well… Does this need salted butter AND extra salt? (Just want to confirm before I go shopping!) Thank you~~
Its personal preference. I added both the salted butter and the salt. You are welcome to use salted butter and omit the salt or use unsalted butter and add the salt. Totally up to you.
Can you refrigerate the batter overnight, and bake it on another day?
Can you use cake flour??
I wouldn’t, just because the increments of the leavenings in cake flour would be different than my recipe and would most likely change your results.
Just found your site and made this!! I’m so excited for a good recipe. I appreciated your comments on the how to for making this. Thanks for posting this. I will be making again!
[…] more I prefer vanilla cake over chocolate…the exact opposite of my husband, the chocoholic. Moist vanilla cake paired with a perfectly sweet, soft and creamy vanilla buttercream frosting doesn’t need […]
[…] Vanilla Cake Recipe […]
I have combed through the internet, baking through every recipe I could find. This is by far the best one I have made (after 3+ years of trying).
To clarify, I have been baking through every vanilla cake recipe I could find, this is the best one so far,
I would also like to know about higher altitude adjustments. I love your cake stand! Where did you find it?
Do you have adjustments for high altitudes?
I thank you ever so much Lauren. I did go to your site but couldn’t find a search bar to hunt up the recipe. I also had scrolled back about 4 or 5 days when I visited there. Anyway…will try again. Your recipes are the best….(other than what my Moms were! 😉 😉 ), …… Cas.
Beautiful cake! I have tried many vanilla cake recipes and so far the is the ONLY one that I can say I believe I will love because the batter tasted great! I do have a question though: how do you keep the cake from falling once it’s removed from the oven? The tooth pick came out clean but as i’m watching it cool(still in the pan) it seems as though it’s starting to fall. Any recommendations for future attempts?
Same for me, I am heartbroken. They looked so good in the oven but collapsed by around 40% when cooling 🙁
We must have done something to upset this batter!
This looks delicious! Pinned for later.
Could you use this cake recipe for naked cake?
yes!
Hello from Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada! Please can you tell me how I can share this to my timeline via facebook? Like cell phones…. I don’t do twitter AND I detest pinterest. Thank you so much,… I will appreciate your reply, Carol Ann Speight aka CanadianShe_Wolf.
You can just go to my facebook page and find the recipe, or simply copy and paste the link into a facebook post on your own page.
Is the frosting recipe available? It looks yummy.
Frosting recipe is right here: https://laurenslatest.com/buttercream-frosting/
Do you have the baking time for a 10” cake?
Hello Lauren,
Thank you for this delicious recipe. My question is if this cake holds well under fondant.
Thank you in advance.
Yes! It’s pretty sturdy!
Beautiful cake! I need the recipe now!
There was some rogue html coding that was making my recipe invisible! Got it fixed! Recipe is here!
Am I going crazy? I don’t see an actual recipe with this, just the description and the photos!
There was some rogue html coding that was making my recipe invisible! Got it fixed! Recipe is here!
Do you have to have vegetable oil or can you use a different kind
Try canola.
For a second I thought that I was never going to make a cake.
How do you get your cakes to bake so flat?
The tops of my cakes weren’t all that flat, but when I flipped them out of their cake pans, the bottoms certainly were! So that’s why they look so flat. You’re seeing the bottoms of the cakes! But when I frost them, I place them all upside down to have flat tops to my cake.
A away
i am just 9 years old and i made it all by myself it tasted so good and sweet
I am 11 years old and I also made a cake all by my self. With it, I am waiting it to finish to make a Hawaiian Wedding cake and I bet it will be delicious because of your help.
Cool! I am 12 years old and I made this cake all by my self to! I had too much batter so I used to rest to make cup cakes 🧁
Yo I’m 13 and made it all by myself and it was amazing😂
Me too, I’m 11 and am currently making a cake ^-^
You can put around it a wet towel will it bakes, so it bakes evenly