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!

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!

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.