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Simple Vanilla Cake Recipe
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This simple Vanilla Cake is one of the best homemade cakes ever and will quickly become your new favorite. A basic cake recipe with a tender and moist crumb and just the right amount of sweetness. Join the hundreds who’ve made (and loved) it. One peek at the comments will tell you it’s a keeper!
Ingredient Notes + Variations
This cake uses classic pantry staples that come together into the most tender vanilla cake. Here’s what you need to know about a few of the key ingredients:
- Eggs + egg whites – This mix gives structure without making the cake dense.
- Milk – Whole milk works best for richness, but 2% will work too.
- Vanilla extract – Use a good-quality vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Butter + oil – Butter adds flavor, while oil keeps it extra moist.
How to Make a Cake
This is one of the easiest cakes you’ll ever make, and the batter comes together quickly. For full recipe details, including ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card is below.
1. Preheat Oven and Prepare Your Cake Pans
Preheat your oven to 325° F. 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.)
2. Mix Dry Ingredients
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.
Measure milk and vanilla extract separately and set aside.
Pro Tip: Make sure you are measuring your flour correctly using the fluff, spoon, and level method. Fluff the flour in the bag or container with a spoon to loosen it up. Spoon the flour lightly into your measuring cup—don’t scoop directly from the bag, or you’ll pack it down and end up with too much. Level it off with the flat edge of a knife. Voila! An accurate measurement.
3. Make the Cake Batter
In a separate large bowl, cream butter, oil, and sugar together until combined. Mix in eggs and egg whites, one at a time, until the mixture becomes very light and fluffy.
Alternate adding in flour mixture with milk mixture, being sure to start and end with flour.
Pro Tip: Why alternate dry and wet ingredients in this order? If you dump all the liquid in at once, it can cause the batter to separate. And if you add all the flour/dry ingredients at once, it can get over mixed, which can make the cake tough. Alternating lets everything blend more evenly and gently. The batter can better absorb flour than liquid, so starting with flour helps it come together smoothly. Ending with flour helps keep the structure of the batter balanced and stable.
4. Bake
Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake on the middle rack of your oven until a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs.
Can I use a different baking pan?
You bet! This recipe will make:
1- 9×13 thick cake (bake for 40-55 minutes)
2- 8 or 9-inch round cakes (30-40 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.
Step 6: Cool + Frost
Cool 15-20 minutes in pans then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely. Frost with vanilla buttercream or your favorite frosting.
Decorating a 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 (obviously)
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
- Reese’s Frosting
- Almond Buttercream
- Lemon Buttercream Frosting
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 exactly. 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.
- Please please please do not over-bake. Moist 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, 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.
This vanilla cake recipe is my go-to for birthdays, special occasions, and “just because” days. Once you make it, you’ll understand why it’s my favorite. The printable recipe card is below. Have a great day, friends!
Simple Cake Recipe
This Vanilla Cake will become your new favorite. A simple recipe with a tender and moist crumb and just the right amount of sweetness.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups milk whole
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg whites
- Vanilla Buttercream Frosting or frosting of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside. (See notes)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a liquid measuring cup, stir milk and vanilla together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter, oil, and sugar together until smooth and well combined.
- Add eggs and egg whites one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Continue mixing until the batter is light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the flour mixture and milk mixture to the batter in alternating additions, starting and ending with the flour (flour → milk → flour → milk → flour). Mix just until combined—don’t overdo it.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and smooth the tops.Bake for 30–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Let cakes cool in pans for 15–20 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks and cool completely. Frost with vanilla buttercream or your favorite frosting.
Video
Notes
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)
Storage Instructions
- Room Temperature: Keep frosted cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Store tightly covered for up to 5 days. Let slices come to room temperature before serving.
- Freezer: Wrap unfrosted cake layers well and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then frost.
- Make Ahead: Bake cake layers a day ahead, wrap tightly once cooled, and frost the next day.
Nutrition
Calories: 425kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 6gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 236mgPotassium: 150mgFiber: 1gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 325IUCalcium: 68mgIron: 2mg
Rate This RecipePlease consider Leaving a 5-Star Review!
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 over mix 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.
More Cake Recipes to Try
- Chocolate Cake – Rich, moist, and totally irresistible.
- Funfetti Cake – Sprinkle-filled perfection.
- Strawberry Cream Cake – Starts with this vanilla cake + fresh strawberries and cream!
- Red Velvet Cake – Great for Valentine’s Day or Christmas.
- Southern Coconut Cake – Coconut lovers unite!
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
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Great recipe!
Hey I’m just about ready to make this cake. I was wondering if you ever put white chocolate chips in it before? I’m thinking I’d try it, but if you had and it wasn’t good, then I won’t do it.
I thought before this recipe used buttermilk? Was it updated?
You made my day !!! I can’t wait to make this cake…
I followed the directions and everyone loved the cake . I thought it would be a more fluffier cake however it was a little dense but I got great reviews so I will make again
Kathyqnina, glad everyone loved it! Sounds like maybe you may have measured your flour differently than me.
I always use the fluff, spoon, and level method. Fluff the flour in the bag or container with a spoon to loosen it up. Spoon the flour lightly into your measuring cup—don’t scoop directly from the bag, or you’ll pack it down and end up with too much. Level it off with the flat edge of a knife. Voila! An accurate measurement.
Hope that helps for the next time you make it! 🙂
Hands down the best cake that I ever baked. I have been baking for years and years. I do not know how to create recipes so I am always on the pursuit of recipes. I have always wanted to be able to bake a cake that tasted like a professional cake. This recipe is it. Lauren’s vanilla cake and chocolate cakes are the most amazing recipes. Fluffy, yet structurally sound for decorating. They taste soft all week, no drying up. I have never tweaked thr recipes once and every single time the perfect cake comes out.
I am thirteen years old and it turned out a little brown it overall good
Love the flavor and texture. ? Delicious and thank you for sharing your talents
Very nice and easy
Thanks for sharing
Lauren, is there any substitute for vanilla extract? Will the cake taste fine without it?
If I wrap the cake without frosting in plastic how long will it stay good in the fridge?
I added a teaspoon lemon extract and fingers crossed
I’ve made this cake recipe several times already. It is so delicious! I must say that if you make cupcakes with the batter it makes MORE than 24 cupcakes.
This cake was perfect. My hubby requested a homemade cake, and this recipe was perfect. He LOVED it. He doesn’t like cakes that are too sweet, but I do. This cake was just right. I paired it with another strawberry icing recipe I found. It was delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Incredible recipe
Could I use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil?
Yes! I’ve used Avocado oil and coconut oil. I prefer coconut oil to give it a slightly nutty taste.
very good cake thanks
loved this vanilla cake! such a moist cake with a wonderful crumb, and great flavor! we followed the steps of Homemade Strawberry Cream Cake Recipe but swapped the whipped cream out for cream cheese frosting because we needed to be able to freeze the whole thing for transport, and it came out SO GOOD! huge hit
this was always my go to recipe. However, the last two times I made it it did not come out well! Has there been changes made to this recipe? I noticed it was updated in August? Thank you.
mm
Just the pictures were updated, mm. The recipe was not changed.
I had tried 2 other vanilla cake recipes but the top always feels damp & sticky when completely cooled . I was careful not over mixing the batter & did a skewer test. Do you have any advice on this problem ? I had to shave off the top of cake bf I frost it. I had no problem baking chiffon cakes though
I will try your recipe soon, thanks.
Doesn’t have written measurements and baking time and degrees!!!!
Ana, those can all be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. Would love if you would give my recipe a star rating AFTER you’ve actually made it. Thank you!
Didn’t work for me. My round cakes turned out very dense. 🙁
Tracy, so sorry to hear that! Sounds like maybe you may have measured your flour differently than me.
I always use the fluff, spoon, and level method. Fluff the flour in the bag or container with a spoon to loosen it up. Spoon the flour lightly into your measuring cup—don’t scoop directly from the bag, or you’ll pack it down and end up with too much. Level it off with the flat edge of a knife. Voila! An accurate measurement.
Hope that helps for the next time you make it! 🙂
can I use 1 percent
milk or 2 percent in this recipe?
This is sooooooo good. Me and my family loved it
Excellent recipe. Nice and moist.
What is temperature for baking
It’s delicious i loved it texture is perfect
This was an excellent recipe for vanilla cake. I make a strawberry cream cake every year for my mother on her birthday and have been trying different recipes that got good reviews. I’ve finally found the one I, and everyone else, love, so thank you. I would suggest listing your flour amount in grams as well cups so people use the proper amount. Depending on how people measure their flour, there can be a huge difference in the amount they wind up with, which will obviously affect the recipe (ie ‘batter too thick’ comments). I used the King Arthur All Purpose flour equivalent of 3 cups which was 360 grams. It was perfect. I also used Whole Milk since I had it on hand which I’m glad I did since you use enough of it to have the higher fat content make a difference. Also… I always use crisco shortening along with parchment paper (and then more on top of the paper) when I make cakes. They never stick. (That was for the people who had sticking issues)
Best vanilla cake recipe!
This cake is delicious! Made it for my boyfriend’s birthday. We ate the whole cake in a week. I made two round tins. Layering one on top of the other. You will need a TON of icing.
Cake gave me a very medival vibe. Not your typical “fluffy” cake, super moist but not super fluffy. Delicious to say the least, not super sweet aswell. It was 10/10 easy to make aswell.
I am a lousy cook and baker. I’ve tried numerous cake recipes and they turned out horribly. This recipe was very easy and the cake is moist and delicious. This is definitely my go to.
Ps-I need a sugar cookie recipe ?
Thank you
Timing in recipe indicates 30 to 40 minutes for two round pans. Timing for two round pans at end indicates 50 minutes. Quite the disparity. How long?
Lauren, I used to make your other recipe. I noticed that you updated it by adding an extra 1/2 cup of flour. What is the difference?
Thank you in advance.
This is a great recipe!! 🙂 It was nice and crispy on top. And soft and chewy on the inside! Made cupcakes with it. By the way, I have never liked a recipe enough to comment. But I couldn’t resist with this one! Just follow her directions accordingly!!
I am on my way in trying this recipe… very easy to follow.. nothing seems complicated.. can’t wait!
Thank you
I made it in a glass pan just a bit smaller than a 9×13 and it took about 70 minutes.. Followed the recipe exactly, but I will have to skim the bottom because to me its not burnt, just a bit darker than Id like 🙁 I think 2 round pans would be better, but I wanted a larger cake. Will write a second review after the party in 3 days…
I loved this recipe! Found it tasted even better using OliveNation’s Vanilla Bean Paste rather than generic vanilla extract from the store. It gave it more of a vanilla taste rather than an alcoholic tasting one. Highly recommending grabbing that as an essential for any recipe calling for vanilla.
My mother is on a low sodium diet. Would it be possible to omit the salt and also use unsalted butter? I plan on baking the cake in a 9×13 cake pan. I wanted also to make this cake into a Jello poke cake (basically poking holes in the cake when cooled and pouring hot jello mixture on it and letting it set in the fridge). Do you think it would work with this cake recipe?
I love this recipe. I will like 2 use it. But I will appreciate if d measurement in cups can be converted 2 scale measurement pls
The vanilla cake is absolutely amazing! So fluffy and moist. Used it with the strawberries and cream cake recipe and it was perfect. Really easy to follow instructions too. My first time ever baking a cake and it turned out brilliantly and gave me confidence to make other treats. Recipe says to bake at 325 degrees which I assume is American so I baked it at 180 celcius for the first 20 minutes and then turned it down to about 160. Baked it in 3 trays that weren’t too thick and only took around 30 minutes to bake to perfection. Thank you for the recipe, family is already putting in requests for their birthdays to have it again!
This was my first homemade vanilla cake I thought it was ok a little on the dry side for me. I gave it 3 stars because I’ll need to consider other recipes for vanilla cakes.
Do you know how we could turn this into sheet cake? In terms of pan size and cook time… thank you!
Lauren thank you so much for all your receipts. I will be trying to bake this vanilla cake for my retirement dinner with the family at the end of this year. Will it be moist?
Will definitely be making this amazing cake. Will put a butter cream icing. So good!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!
This Looks Delishous I Was Always A Cook And Bakery Manerger For A Super Market I Will Defintely Make This Cake ,Love Baking Thank You For Shareing
Pliz I need more recipes for homemade pizza.
I would like your recipes.
Why is there baking soda in this recipe if there is no acid ingredient to react with it?
Can I make this in two 10” pans? Would I need to double the recipe?
I don’t think so. It makes two thick 8″ layers, so 10″ should be just fine.
I made this recipe for my first time today. The cake fell. What do I do to prevent that?
This is a very good vanilla cake. I did use unsalted butter and just an extra punch of salt to the dry ingredients. I also used almond milk and canola oil. I noticed in my oven 325 was too high after 30min so I decreased to 300F for an extra 15min (covered with foil) and they came out beautifully! I will be using this recipe again.
Has anyone ever tried this recipe as a sheet cake? I really want to try but wondering if it needs to be doubled and also what size sheet to use. Thank you!
Good ,am going to bake it as it’s..
Thanks
Family loved this with chocolate frosting
Wonderful recipe – just turned this recipe into a “Zebra-striped” cake, – tinted 1/3 batter with black and 1/3 with dusty rose. Gorgeous and tasty!!
Hi there! Regarding the mixing of the butter, oil and sugar, do you just combine or really cream the three?
Yes, combine all three really well.
Great white cake recipe! It was moist and light and had the right crumbly texture that I look for in a really good cake. I tried the cream cheese/powdered sugar icing for the first time, and it was light and delicious. Got rave reviews when I served this cake for Christmas! Thanks Lauren!
Cake came out with a oli film on top hope its not going to be oily
I would like to try this cake as a tiered cake. Three layers of eight on bottom and three layers of 6 on top. I will use straw dowels and if needed a wood dowel in the center all the way through. Will this cake handle this? I need it today and I will decorate it. I am a baker and most of my vanilla cake recipes will not handle this. THNX
Step 6 says the round pans cook 30-40 min. Below it says round pans cook 40-50 mins.
My problem is I looked at 30 mins and the batter was bubbling over my two 8 inch pans. I had used the wet bands around the pans for flat tops. Has anyone else encountered this?
Going to try this recipe this weekend. Two questions:
1. Are you using a convection oven? If not, typically temperature needs to be dropped about 25 degrees, so just wondering.
And 2. Have you tried in a bundt pan? Sometimes a recipe for layer cake, though acceptable for use in any mold, might not be a good match for bundt cake. Just wondering if you have (or anyone else has) tried and recommends (or doesn’t).
Thanks for sharing the recipe! Looks like exactly the vanilla cake texture I’ve been looking for =) Can’t wait to try it.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe , you saved me . Made a two tiered marbled cake with it. Would it be a good chocolate cake recipe if I added cocoa powder?
Thank you for this wonderful vanilla cake recipe. I’ve made it thrice already. The first time for a wedding cake, it tasted so good, I was requested to make it again!
Hi, can i just add the two yolks so it’ll be 4 whole eggs? Thank you!
Hi Lauren!
Can’t wait to try out this recipe! It looks so delicious! I wanted to make a 3 layer cake, would these recipe amounts work for (3) 9″ pans. I’m looking to feed 18-20 people so I think I need to do 3 layers. If I were able to use this recipe to fill 3 round cake pans how many minutes would you suggest I bake it for? 30 minutes?
Yes, this will work with three layers, you’ll just want to reduce the baking time. Start checking at 20 minutes and go from there!
Hi Lauren! This recipe sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try it. If I plan to use 8×2 pans, how much of the pan should I fill it? I’m afraid if I overfill it the cake could turn out too dense.
You can always use 9″ pans or use three 8″ if you’re worried about it.
Cake was absolutely delicious! Was wondering though, can I use buttermilk instead of whole milk? If so, would I have to add more baking soda? Thanks! 🙂
Moist, sweet, and light! Perfect for what I was using it for.
I HAVE MADE IT TWICE AND I LOVE IT. I WANT TO MAKE A TWIST AND USE COCONUT OIL AND COCONUT MILK INSTEAD TO MAKE A COCONUT CAKE. WOULD THIS WORK?
Thank you for this wonderful recipe Lauren, it was a moist & delicious cake. I made it for a wedding and it came out perfectly. I got 2 nice high 8 inch cakes. Thanks again!
Dear Lauren, thank you for this wonderful recipe. I followed your recipe exactly to make a wedding cake for the first time. The cake is moist and delicious. Thanks again!
I made this cake today and it turned out perfectly! I’m so impressed with the taste and the way it baked. This was my first time ever baking a cake from scratch so I was pretty nervous but this recipe turned out incredible! Thank you for sharing!!
Can you use buttermilk for this recipe?
Hi, Just wondering, can i use plain flower instead of all purpose flour, if not, what other flour can I use?
What do you mean by plain flour? Typically, when people are talking about plain flour, they are talking about all purpose.
Look no further – this is it – I have been making new vanilla cake recipes for years every time someone requests vanilla cake. They are always flawed in some way – often too heavy and more like pound cake or too blah and not tasting very much of vanilla at all or not sturdy enough to use for a layer cake. This is perfect – moist, sturdy enough to make a beautiful layer cake and tastes amazing! I made my BFF a gorgeous Strawberry Vanilla Layer cake for a special birthday celebration with this cake recipe, local & picked that morning strawberries topped with vanilla bean buttercream frosting. It was great! I have also used this recipe with chocolate buttercream frosting – so good.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. They loved the vanilla cake that I baked. Thank you for sharing your recipe. 🙂
Hi can you tell me how many mls the milk and oil are please …I need to try this cake ASAP I looks amazing ?
So I tried putting into 3 small glass rounds and it was a disaster. It spilled all over the oven causing the oven drippings to go on fire. I have no idea, but when I took out the cupcakes the tops would not stay what a mess. Way too much batter. I hope you can tell me what I did wrong
because the taste of the cake is delicious. I know not to fill the cupcakes 2/3 full again,
I had so much batter, I filled the cupcakes (12) pan holder 2/3 cup each and they are no where near done at 18 minutes. Please le the know what I did wrong because they smell delicious.
I had so much batter left I put in small 4″ round glass baking dishes and Im going to see if I can get a small three layer cake out of this next. So concerned about what I might have done wrong.
This was so delicious. I used melted butter instead of veg oil and it still came out wonderfully. I did have to cook it a while longer than what the recipe says. SO good!
I tried this recipe and it was the best vanilla cake ever. I tried it again a week after with brown sugar. I blended it in the blender to give it the consistency of granulated sugar and then followed the recipe verbatim.. it was also fantastic.
Thanks Lauren, I totally loved making this, I halved the whole ingredient on the list for a smaller quantity and then substituted some of the milk for froyo, it turned out amazing, couldn’t stop munching
The cake was delicious and so moist! I will definitely make it again.
I am excited to make this for my daughter’s upcoming 5th birthday cake! She wanted me to add a fruity element… If I stirred in a little bit of strawberry jam, would you scale back the metled butter to keep the texture correct? Or adjust anything else instead? Looking forward to trying this recipe. Thanks for making one so simple to understand!
[…] the layers of the cake, I made three thin layers of vanilla cake using this delicious vanilla cake recipe. I frosted the top of the bottom two layers and the bottom of the top two layers with this caramel […]
I followed the directions exactly, why does my cake feel so oily on the bottom when I take it out of the pan to finish cooling?
That’s weird. Did you line your pans with parchment and sprayed them with nonstick cooking spray? Or did you butter them?
Thank you so much Lauren for an absolutely delicious Vanilla cake. I just used it again and made a Unicorn cake
I made this cake it was perfect delicious and right texture. I loved the texture. What is the recipe if I want to make 2x 12 inch round pans do I double the recipe or what ?
very delicious and moist cake recipe are we used the buttercream and cheese cream both for frosting?????
you can use either! You don’t have to use both.
hi I was wondering what the serving size is considering that its 400 calories?
That is 1/12th of the cake. So cut into 12 slices and each slice would be 400 calories.
Could I use 2 small yoplait fruit yogurt containers instead of the milk. Years ago I made a cake using a yoplait in a cake mix recipe but there’s to many mystery ingredients in cake mixes. I’d much rather use this recipe. What do you think?
thank you Lauren for this awesome recipe,
I made it for my 22 year old son’s birthday and the only thing he wanted was a vanilla cake with oreos.
So mixed some crushed oreos inside the batter and some on the middle layer and top layer as a decoration. Used only 1 1/4 sugar and now this recipe is a keeper. I also have to add that due to this success, I tried your pizza and macaroni and cheese recipes and they were all exceptionally good. More recipes to try now… keep it up and share more.
Best,
R
I baked half the recipe just to try it and it came out amazing! So moist and flavorful 🙂 I was wondering if I could make it a confetti cake by adding sprinkles and if so how much? Thanks
I’m only like EIGHT and I made this! :>
I followed the recipe to a T. I made cupcakes. They sunk and have large air holes. What could have happened?
How high in inches are each layer before filling and put together?
I’d say about 2.5 inches.
Do I have to mix the sugar and butter until white and fluffy and the sugar has dissolved? I don’t have a mixer so I will be mixing by hand so I want to know
Hello Lauren. I do not have baking soda available, just baking powder. Can I bake it like that or should I increasethe qty of my baking powder? What should I do, I really want to try this recipe. RSVP.
[…] cheese frosting is out of this world delicious. The batter is made in a similar fashion to my vanilla cake, and believe it or not relatively straight forward to make! Keep reading…I’ll convince […]
Hi Lauren i get little bis of something in batter made 3 times so far the same it taste like butter but hard. help
Are you using room temperature butter, eggs, milk, everything? That would definitely help create a completely smooth batter.
I tried this recipe just as an after thought of using the one I normally use and I’m very impressed with how the cake came out (I did 1-9″). The batter texture was smooth and so was the cake. I however opted for gluten free cake flour over all purpose flour. I tried the cream cheese frosting also as a topper, but I think it was too sweet, even though i used half of the stipulated powdered sugar. Will try this same recipe again however it’ll be lemon flavor over vanilla. 🙂
I’d recommend using 3 pans if you’re using 8 inch rounds. Mine overflowed a bit while baking.
Right now I’m making this recipe with half the ingredients for an 8 inch square pan. Also I made my own cake strip for getting flat surface. I’ll comment again after the cake is done. Hoping that it would turn out great! Fingers crossed. Also I’ll decorate using buttercream frosting as mentioned by Lauren with half the quantity.
The cake turned out soft and great. I got almost flat layers with using my homemade cake strips wrapped around square pan. Coming to icing, it’s summer here and the buttercream recipe was a failure. I had tried cream cheese frosting recipe which worked out well and was holding up good on cake. Anyways I put it back in fridge as soon as I completed decoration. Thanks for the wonderful recipes
I followed the recipe to the letter and the batter would not reach ribbon stage as it was extremely liquidy. I added a tiny bit more flour and a bit more vanilla and then popped it in the pan and put it in the oven.it came out very cornbread like and developed a crust and tasted very much like cornbread. I’m assuming it wouldn’t reach ribbon stage because it’s hot and humid in my area.
Did you try to reach the ribbon stage after you added the flour? It’s unclear from your comment. Thanks!
[…] This is a go-to recipe for vanilla cake with an amazing vanilla frosting. Originally found here (cake) and here […]
Great recipe.. easy to make and the results are as expected. If you’re a plain vanilla cake lover this one is for you!
my brother was turning 15 yesterday and he asked for a vanilla cake, so I made this one. and then I made my cream cheese frosting. everybody that went to the party said that I made the cake very good. I am only 12 years old, and I have been baking for a few years, and this is the best cake ever.
Hello! I just wanted to say I made this cake for a birthday and it was a bit hit! Thank you, I will definitely be saving this one to use again. 🙂
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! ??
How long should I bake them if they’re in a 6 inch pan?
I’ making this cake for my husband’s birthday, hope it comes out well. With the quarantine I have way more time to make/bake goodies. I am not a baker basically because I don’t looove sweets, also baked goods don’t come out very good when I make them, but hopefully if young bakers 9-11 years old are able to make it so will I… 52! Lol! Wish me luck 😉
My cake in a 9×13 pan has been in a 325 oven for 50 minutes and still no t don
I hope you kept baking it until it was done! That seems odd that it wouldn’t bake in 50 minutes. What rack in the oven was it baking on? Were you using a glass or metal pan? Do you have a convection oven?
I thought I Followed the recipe to the letter, unfortunately it remained raw on the inside while it burned on the outside. I wish I knew what I did wrong!
Followed the recipe to the letter, unfortunately it remained raw on the inside while it burned on the outside.
What was your oven temperature? Do you have a thermometer in your oven? What rack did you bake it on? Were your pans lighter colored or darker colored? Did you use two rounds or a 9×13?
Thank you for the very easy and uncomplicated vanilla cake recipe. I have tried others and this is now the one I will use. They came out perfectly flat and just the right height for a layer cake. I finished the cake with a sweetened whip cream frosting and put raspberries in the middle with some on top for decoration. It turned out great. Thanks again.
I was looking for a good vanilla cake recipe but i only have unsalted butter will that work if i add a bit more salt?
yes!
Made for my fiance’s birthday! He loves vanilla! Can’t go to the stores right now so forced to bake at home but, this is better than any cake I’ve ever bought from a store! Great frosting too! Thanks!
heyy 350 degrees farenheit, right? plz reply fast gotta bake cake for my sister’s birthday which is like tomorrow!!!! so pls can u reply fast and btw the recipe seems pretty good.
How many cakes does this recipe yield
This makes one 8-inch layered cake; 12 servings (or slices).
Hi! Yeserday I’ve tried 6 different recipies of vanilla batter from diffferent popular blogs and yours turned out to be the best by far! Thank you very much for sharing this recipe, it is definitely going to be my go-to recipe for vanilla cake!
Have a nice day,
Eli
I am going to try and make this cake for my wife ? ?
I found mixing the milk and flour into the butter mix-back and forth- overmixed the final batter so it was quite stiff when ready to put in the pans. The flavor of batter and final cake are still delicious, but a bit dense! I was hoping for a light and fluffy cake. Did I do something wrong?
does this make a two-layer cake or a one layer cake?
two large layers that can be sliced in half after baking to make four.
“Oh my gosh”!!! My cake turned out beautiful, and it smelled so good cooking!!! I didn’t kiss my kitchen floor but I’m so impressed that it turned out so good! I baked it exactly as written, no changes to the recipe except of course the egg mess and kitten interruptions! So ladies if I can do it with my screw up, I know you certainly can!!!
Thanks to the lovely lady that posted it for all of us!, whew!!
“If this cake turns out right I’m going to kiss my kitchen floor”!!!
I got a real letter in the mail today , stamp and everything from my daughter that I haven’t see in over a year, so I was all happy and thought I would make this cake.
I am a tenured cook/baker, Mom of four children, Grandma, Great Grandma and I have made plenty of cakes in my time believe me, so I should have had no problem making a cake! My mother used to make jelly cakes ( using jelly as ice as the frosting/icing) when we were small Children, and I loved it! I just found some Cherry preserves while shopping and I thought that would be so good on a vanilla
Cake. As I never ever find Cherry preserves or Jelly.
While I was beating the butter and oil and sugar, which I had everything at room temperature, I stopped to crack the eggs and divide the yolk and whites, I bumped the small bowl and spilled the egg white all over my cabinet, had to get a cold egg out of the fridge to replace that one. Already had one egg in the bowl with the sugar mixture, started beat that in, my kitten jumped up grabbed the cord of my mixer to play, my egg yolk jumped out of the bowl, the mixer flew out of my hand onto
the floor, still beating, the kitten was running in place trying to get away, egg yolk all over my cabinet and floor, another cold egg.! I have no damn idea how many or what parts of the egg I have in that cake, but my mess is cleaned up the cake is in the oven, so we will see!!
Hi Lauren! What baking time do yo recommend for 6 inch, light colored round pans?
This is my exact question.
This would make enough batter to fill probably 3 6-inch cake pans. I would guess 20-25 minutes at 325, but every oven is different, so start checking for doneness at 20.
Thank you! Last night at dinner, I was trying to explain to a friend why a yellowcake isn’t a vanilla cake isn’t a white cake. I can’t wait to bake this. That a 9-year-old posted in your comments has me so happy. ?
The flavor is amazing, but my cupcakes sunk when I took them out the oven. I did everything according to the recipe. A little disappointed.
This cake was delicious and easy for a beginner like me. I used the recipe to make a Victoria sandwich cake and it was divine! The notes were super helpful. Thanks, Lauren!
why should the dry ingredients and wet ingredients be mixed separately
I just made this , absolutely the best vanilla cake ever! Thank you
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