Vanilla Cake Recipe

This is my best vanilla cake recipe. A classic butter cake but with Japanese techniques applied for the most plush, soft and moist yellow cake like you’ve never had before. This professional bakery style cake stays fresh and moist for 4 days — that’s unheard of! Use the same batter for perfect Vanilla Cupcakes.

My best Vanilla Cake – stays moist 4 days!

Recipe video above. Your classic vanilla butter cake but with Japanese techniques applied for the most plush, soft and moist yellow cake like you’ve never had before. This professional bakery style cake stays fresh and moist for 4 days — that’s unheard of! This is THE Vanilla Cake recipe for all occasions — from layer cakes to birthday cakes, Victoria Sponge to strawberry shortcake … the possibilities are endless…..Frosting – classic vanilla buttercream provided, see here for my secret Less-Sweet Fluffy Frosting. Different pan sizes – Note 9. Cupcakes – see Vanilla Cupcakes recipe. Metric/weights – click button above ingredients. Sweetness – Note 11. Cake flour – no need, better with plain flour. Guarantee success – read top 5 points in Notes below. For chocolate cake – see this recipe.

Prep: 20min

Yield: 10

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 339 kcal, Carbohydrate 51 g, Protein 6 g, Fat 13 g, Saturated Fat 7 g, Cholesterol 91 mg, Sodium 97 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 31 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plain / all purpose flour ((cake flour OK too, Note 1))
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs ((50 – 55g / 2 oz each), at room temp (Note 3))
• 1 1/2 cups caster / superfine sugar ((granulated/regular ok too, Note 2))
• 115g / 1/2 cup unsalted butter (, cut into 1.5cm / 1/2” cubes (or so))
• 1 cup milk (, full fat (Note 5))
• 3 tsp vanilla extract (, the best you can afford (Note 6))
• 3 tsp vegetable or canola oil ((Note 7))
• 225g / 2 sticks unsalted butter (, softened)
• 500g / 1 lb soft icing sugar / powdered sugar (, SIFTED)
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 – 4 tbsp milk (, to adjust thickeness)

Instruction:

1. Grease 2 x 20cm / 8” cake pans with butter, then line with parchment / baking paper. (Note 9 more pan sizes) Best to use cake pan without loose base, if you can.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Then beat for 7 minutes on speed 8, or until tripled in volume and white.
4. Scrape and final mix: Scrape down sides and base of bowl. Beat on Speed 1 for 10 seconds – batter should now be smooth and pourable.
5. Bake 30 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean.
6. Frost with frosting of choice, or cream and fresh berries or jam. See list of ideas in post!
7. Add vanilla and milk, then beat for a further 30 seconds. Use milk only if needed to make it lovely and soft but still holds it’s form (eg for piping). Use immediately. (If you make ahead, refrigerate then beat to re-fluff).

Best Vanilla Cake

With its outstanding vanilla flavor, pillowy soft crumb, and creamy vanilla buttercream, this is truly the best vanilla cake I’ve ever had. Make sure you read through the recipe and recipe notes before beginning. This recipe yields approximately 8 cups of batter which is helpful if you need this batter for different cake pans and conversions.

Prep: 35min

Total: 4h

Yield: 12

Ingredients:

• 3 and 2/3 cups (433g) cake flour (spoon & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs + 2 additional egg whites, at room temperature*
• 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (yes, Tbsp!)
• 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
• 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 5 and 1/2 cups (650g) confectioners’ sugar
• 1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk or heavy cream
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
2. Whisk the cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together. Set aside.
3. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the 3 eggs, 2 egg whites, and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. (Mixture will look curdled as a result of the egg liquid and solid butter combining.) Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. With the mixer still running on low, pour in the buttermilk and mix just until combined. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
4. Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Weigh them to ensure accuracy, if desired. Bake for around 23-26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
5. In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more milk if frosting is too thick, or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
6. Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with about 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with about 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. I use and recommend an icing spatula to apply the frosting.
7. Refrigerate cake for at least 1 hour before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
8. Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Vanilla Cake

This is my perfectly soft, plush, and classic vanilla cake recipe, made completely from scratch! So simple to make and tastes much better than box-mix! Be sure to check out the how-to video!

Prep: 30min

Total: 65min

Yield: 12

Serving Size: 1 slice (without frosting)

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 slice (without frosting), calories 404 kcal, Carbohydrate 51 g, Protein 6 g, Fat 20 g, Saturated Fat 7 g, Trans Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 85 mg, Sodium 228 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 26 g, unSaturated Fat 12 g

Ingredients:

• ½ cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature (113g))
• ½ cup canola or vegetable oil¹ ((120ml))
• 1 ½ cup granulated sugar ((300g))
• 4 large eggs (room temperature preferred)
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour ((375g))
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cup buttermilk (room temperature preferred (300ml))
• 1 batch Chocolate Frosting (click link for recipe, or use one of the other frostings recommended in the notes below)

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 350F (177C) and prepare two deep 8″ round cake pans² by lining the bottoms with parchment paper and lightly greasing the sides. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using an electric mixer) cream together the butter, canola oil and sugar until creamy and well-combined.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until thoroughly combined after each addition.
4. Stir in vanilla extract.
5. In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. Using a spatula and gently hand-mixing, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined after each addition. The batter should be thoroughly combined, but there may be some small lumps in the batter and avoid over-mixing (and do not use your electric mixer or stand mixer for this step).
7. Evenly divide batter into your prepared cake pans, and bake on 350F (175C) for 30-35 minutes. When the cake is done, the surface should spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean with few moist crumbs (no wet batter).
8. Allow cakes to cool in their cake pans for 10-15 minutes before inverting onto cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
9. Frost cake using my chocolate frosting (or see notes for other favorite frosting options) and decorate with sprinkles (if desired).

Basic Vanilla Cake

This Basic Vanilla Cake recipe is the perfect base for all of you cake-making needs. This recipe makes enough for two layers — just top with your favorite frosting.

Prep: 0 30min0

Total: 0 1 0

Yield: two 9-inch cakes

Serving Size: 1 of 2 servings

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 of 2 servings, calories 2235, Fat 108g, Saturated Fat 64g, Carbohydrate 279g, Fiber 5g, Sugar 134g, Protein 38g, Cholesterol 630mg, Sodium 1352mg

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pans
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk (or 3/4 cup heavy cream mixed with 1/2 cup water)

Instruction:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch-round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper; butter the parchment and dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess.
2. Whisk 3 cups flour, the baking powder and salt in a bowl until combined. Beat 2 sticks butter and the sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium; beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. (The mixture may look separated at this point.) Beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with flour, until just smooth.
3. Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are lightly golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. Remove the parchment. Trim the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife to make them level, if desired.

The Best Vanilla Cake Recipe