Classic Vanilla Cake
Classic Vanilla Cake – tender and flavorful vanilla cake layers with a light and fluffy vanilla buttercream.
Classic Vanilla Cake
Happy Monday, friends! Thanks for helping me decide which cake recipe to publish today! I’m excited to share with you my new Classic Vanilla Cake. I’d like to think this is the only vanilla cake recipe you’ll need in your life from here on out! It’s that good!
I’ve had requests for a this cake for a while now. I usually suggest using my Classic White Cake as a vanilla cake, but felt like I needed a true vanilla option for you too.
This cake is similar to my Classic White Cake, with a few minor changes in ingredients – but major changes to texture and flavor! This cake is so tender and flavorful.
What’s Different
For the cake layers, I’m only using egg whites to keep a whiter color in the cake layers. Since I’m only using whites, that means I don’t have any fat from the egg yolks – which is what helps create moisture in cakes. To supplement the batter with more fat, I’ve added sour cream (which you’ve likely seen in the Golden Oreo Cake and my Champagne Cake). It’s my new love.
Moist Cake
I’ll be writing an entire blog post about how to get a moist cake every time you bake, but for now, my best tip (other than making sure you don’t over bake your cake) is: sour cream! Adding a little sour cream to a cake recipe that tends to bake dry will do wonders to the texture. More on that later!
Vanilla Bean Paste
This recipe calls for vanilla bean paste in the cake layers and buttercream. The bean paste is what creates those gorgeous specks you see. There are so many brands of vanilla and vanilla bean paste. I say, use whatever you can find and is cost efficient. I know prices have gone up significantly and it’s likely they’re not going down any time soon either. You can find vanilla bean paste at Walmart, Michaels craft store, Amazon and even some grocery stores now too. If you’re having a hard time finding paste, use extract – same amount.
Vanilla Buttercream
The buttercream for this one is my basic vanilla buttercream with vanilla bean paste. It’s one of the tastiest and easiest buttercream recipes you’ll ever have.
Buttercream Tips
Remember these few tips when making buttercream:
- Start with slightly cold butter
- Beat the butter alone for a few minutes
- Sift your powdered sugar
- Use heavy whipping cream
- Beat the buttercream for 3 to 5 minutes
For all my tips for making the best buttercream ever, head over to THIS post.
ADDITIONAL TIPS
Room Temperature Ingredients Matter
Remember, for your cake batter, make sure all of your refrigerated ingredients are ROOM TEMPERATURE. Having room temperature ingredients for the cake batter ensures your cake will bake evenly AND that it has a light, fluffy texture and rises well.
For more explanation on why room temperature ingredients matter, check out THIS IGTV post.
Flavor Combinations
If you’re looking to add more flavors to this classic vanilla cake, I’d suggest these as great fresh fruit or compote fillings:
- Strawberry
- Blackberry
- Raspberry
- Mango
- Peach
- Coconut
Happy baking!
Classic Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tbsp. (13 g) vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
- 1 tbsp. (10 g) baking powder
- 1 tsp. (5 g) salt
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, room temperature
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
- 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slighly cold
- 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
- 1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy cream, cold
- 1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla bean paste
- pinch of salt
- *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray and then line with parchment. Spray again. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar for 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed. The mixture should be light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg whites on medium speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between addition, continue beating on medium-high speed until the texture is smooth and the volume is nearly doubled, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the vanilla bean paste or extract and beat until incorporated.
- With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 cup of the buttermilk. Repeat the additions, 1/3 flour mixture, 1/2 cup buttermilk and the final 1/3 flour mixture. Only mix until the flour mixture is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again for another 20 to 30 seconds on low. Fold in the sour cream.
- Pour about 16-18 ounces of cake batter into each of the three 8-inch cake pans or 12-14 ounces in each of the 6-inch pans and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Let cool in the pans for about 15 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. (Tip: spray your wire cooling racks with nonstick spray).
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy and pale in color.
- With the mixer on slow, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the heavy cream, vanilla, and pinch of salt.
- Once all of the ingredients are combined, turn the mixer to medium-high and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for a couple minutes more.
- Before using the buttercream, make sure to beat it by hand with a wooden spoon or large spatula to help push out the air pockets.
ASSEMBLY
- Place the first cake layer top side up, in the center of the cake board.
- Spread about 1 cup of the the buttercream over the cake layer.
- Place the second cake layer on top of the buttercream and spread more buttercream across the layer.
- Place the final cake layer top side down on the buttercream.
- Apply a thin layer of buttercream around the entire cake. Freeze the cake for 10 minutes. This is your crumb coat.
- Once the crumb coat is set, continue frosting the cake with the remaining buttercream.
Hi! Quick question… I baked this cake tonight (my house smells INCREDIBLE) but it’s too late to crumb coat and frost. What is the best way to store your cake layers so you can come back to? Do I freeze them until I’m ready to frost? What if I wanted to bake up several so I have them on hand, how should I store?!
Always best to let cool to room temp, cover completely and freeze.
Hello,
Just wondering why you baked this cake at a lower temperature?
Thanks!
To make sure it didn’t brown at all around the edges and I noticed that when I bake these lighter cakes at a lower temperature, they’re less likely to give you problems with dryness from overbaking
Thank you for this recipe! I got married 1 month ago and LOVED my wedding cake but only got one piece. This recipe is almost exactly like it!
I used what I had, i.e. regular vanilla instead of vanilla bean paste, and it still turned out great.
This will forever be my go to classic vanilla cake.
Hi Courtney!
Can this recipe be reduced by half pretty straight forward or is there a ratio for the ingredients to be mindful of?
Thanks!
It can be reduced in half. For the eggs, better to use more than less.
Hi Courtney: Im so excited to try this receipe out this week. I was curious if I would be able to sub greek yogurt for the sour cream?
Yep!
Is there a typo in this recipe? I’ve made it twice now and it was awful
No typo. What’s going wrong with your cake?
Same here! I have not made this cake twice I’m not sure what I am doing wrong. But it’s dry and I feel like a sour cream gives it a weird taste. The cake is really dense and not moist and fluffy at all. Any advice?
This cake is beautiful! I was wondering how you got the rustic effect with the buttercream?
I just used my straight spatula on the sides!
Hi Court is there a sub for cake flour, I am in the UK and we have no cake flour like the USA… xx
You can certainly make your own cake flour if you’re in a pinch and can’t find premade cake flour. Here’s what you do:
1 cup all-purpose flour – 2 tablespoons
+
2 tablespoons corn starch
=
1 cup cake flour
For one cup of AP flour, take out two tablespoons and replace with two tablespoons cornstarch. Then sift the mixture at least six times. You need to get the mixture as fine as actual cake flour, so don’t skip this step.
When all frosting is also completed how much will this cake weigh? Any idea about the completed cake weight?
Well you are putting in two pounds of butter in the frosting plus two pounds of powdered sugar and the cake is probably a pound so maybe 5 pounds?
This cake had great flavour but for me it took a lot longer to bake and came out quite dense. Any suggestions?
I added the egg whites slowly but all at once, would adding them one at a time work better?
I made your green velvet cake and it was amazing in flavour and so soft.
One at a time is suggested!
So I have been using a recipe for vanilla cake that I found off Pinterest for the last three years. Don’t get me wrong its a good cake but yesterday I was craving something different. A vanilla cake that lighter and more sophisticated in flavor. I came across this cake… lets just say WOW. This is the best from scratch vanilla cake I have ever tasted. SO GOOD. Light, tender, and with subtle hint of vanilla… just go make it now! you wont regret it! (also always always always room temp ingredients 🙂
Thank you so much!!
How did your cake come out so white? Are you using the vanilla bean paste? Or the extract? I used the paste and my cake is definitely not white. It’s delicious, but definitely has a brown hue from the vanilla paste.
I’m using the vanilla bean paste! could be how long you cooked it!
Hello!
I was wondering if I can use regular milk instead of buttermilk for this cake?
You can if you mix it with greek yogurt. half milk half greek yogurt. Otherwise it needs to be buttermilk.
This looks delicious. My daughter is asking for an almond cake. Could I substitute almond for the vanilla? Thank you!
Sure!
Just curious to why there is baking powder and no baking soda? Given the acidic ingredients. So many recipes and they’re all so different and it’s confusing 🤣
Baking powder and baking soda can work similarly but need different amounts. I tend to use baking powder in my recipes.
Hi,
Why do you use 6 egg WITES in this recipe, and normal eggs in the marble cake (the vanilla one). What is the difference in using egg whites?
Thanks!
It makes the cake fluffier!
Just baked this exactly as you have it and ran into a few snags. The cake is a bit under done on top and the sides baked at an angle instead of straight. It also didn’t raise as much as I thought it would, and I made sure to use fresh and room temperature ingredients. Just wondering if you have any ideas for troubleshooting? Thanks!
Bake it until a few moist crumbs come out. And then use a cake leveler to flatten the top! It’s ok if they aren’t huge layers!
I’ve made this twice and also have had very white or “underdone” looking top, despite getting a few moist crumbs on my toothpick and the edges looking done. Is the white top normal? I’m used to cakes turning a little golden when done. Thank you!
Totally fine.
This is the most delicious vanilla cake I have ever had!! I doubled the recipe for a thick 9.2 three layer cake. AMAZING!
Oh my gosh this recipe is heaven! Even when…you are super distracted… and accidentally add the frosting recipe amount of butter… into the cake batter. Still turned out amazing! Thanks for sharing your incredible talent and recipes!!
Hi, Can I use the mentioned quantity in the recipe for 2 – 9” pan?
Yes for 2 it is the same.
Hi! I have made this recipe 5 times now and I have only gotten it to taste good once. I altered the recipe slightly and it worked only once. I cut the sour cream down by 20 grams and added a splash more vanilla because i had made it twice and the sour cream taste was overpowering. Do you have any tips?
I just stick to the original recipe! Sorry.
Can I use regular milk or Heavy whipping cream instead of the buttermilk in this recipe?
Yes you can use milk.
I am at 7k ft. I’ve noticed you have some high altitude adjustments on some recipes. Do I need to make any adjustments to this one?
No you will be totally fine!
If I’m using 9in pans, should I use 2 or 3 and how should I adjust cooking time?
2 and keep your eye on the baking time! Might take longer.
I thought larger pans took less time to bake because the cake would be thinner.
I’m going to try to make this cake I’m a 9 by 13 and I know you have to turn down the temperature and cook for longer but do you have any suggest about what temp and how long? Is 300 to low?
Cook at 325 and keep your eye on it. It’ll take longer than a normal cake. Around 50-55 minutes.
Can I use entire eggs versus only egg whites? If so, how many whole eggs should I use?
You want to just use the egg whites to keep it light and fluffy.
how would you suggest I adjust bake time to make it into a layed sheet cake?
It will be longer like 45 minutes or so. Keep an eye on it.
Can I use salted butter if I leave out the salt in the recipe?
Yes!
I had a couple of problems that I’m hoping you can shed some light on. Admittedly, I over baked the cake a little so it was a bit dry. But, it was also incredibly dense – like a pound cake. Do you think this is because I overbaked it? Or was the density because of something else I might have done wrong? (Note: my ingredients were room temp) I will say the actual flavor of the cake was pretty delicious and probably the best vanilla flavor I’ve tried out of many different recipes. If I could just get the density fixed (and don’t overbake it again) this cake will be perfect! Any advice appreciated! 🙂
The over baking could have something to do with it! It’s also a heavier cake than my others like chocolate. Remember to beat the sugar and butter for awhile at the beginning! That helps get it more light and fluffy.
Courtney, I’ve made your cake – this vanilla Cake recipe in the past, I am looking at this current recipe and it now has sour cream, I want to make the same recipe without the sour cream, is it possible to get the recipe before you added the sour cream.
Thank you!!
Sorry I don’t have it anymore!
WOW!!! If I could give a hundred stars, I would!
My husband requests vanilla cake with vanilla frosting all the time. I have tried every recipe out there with “meh” results…until this one!
This cake was what my 1970s childhood memories of boxed cake was…what I mean by that is I have been searching for a vanilla cake recipe that had the same moistness and crumb of the boxed cake mixes from the 70s…before they tasted like baked chemical sponges. This is the highest of compliments in MY eyes bc of what I have been trying to recreate for years.
I thought i had found the ultimate vanilla buttercream recipe until I made yours! Almost the same proportions but 100 times better!!!
I used my cake discs and my cake is not only GORGEOUS but insanely delish!! I used vanilla bean paste to get those flecks! I am so so so very pleased with this recipe…thank you!
I can’t wait to try more flavors!
This was the nicest compliment ever! Thank you so so much! I really appreciate it!
Hi! i’m currently searching the internet for the best vanilla cake base. i’m wondering if i can use whole eggs instead?
No. It will have too much liquid and it will change the texture of the cake It will make It denser.
Are pasteurized egg whites okay in this?
Yes
I have been searching for an amazing vanilla cake and after trying this recipe, I have finally found it! It was so tender, fluffy and moist. I used vanilla extract, but next time I will try vanilla bean to see if there is a noticeable difference. Thank you!
I’m so glad! Thank you!
I made this cake for a special occasion and followed the directions to a tea. When I asked them how the cake was they said it was dry. I was surprised at that response so wanted to ask if keeping the cake in the fridge overnight caused that. I wasn’t there so trying to figure out what might have caused it to be dry. I made the cake on a Friday night, stored it in my fridge covered and it was delivered Saturday (after a 3 hour ride) and they didn’t have it till Sunday evening. I don’t know if they covered it or not. Is there a point where best to have a cake stored at room temperature?
Refrigerators will always dry out a cake. Even if its for a day. Freezer wrapped is your best bet.
The recipe attached here is for tiramisu cake not your vanilla cake..?
Should be fixed!
I made this cake and it was delicious and moist. Cant wait to try more recipes!
Thank you!
Hi there. Im made this cake in 3, 8 inch pans but it seems really thin. like maybe it didn’t rise like it should have. Normal or should I double the recipe and put more batter in the pans to make thicker cakes?
Make sure you don’t overmix your batter and that your baking powder/soda aren’t expired.
Just made this cake. Flavor is superb. Mine was done before it browned at all. Cake was done in 26 minutes. Cake is moist but a little dense. Like others mentioned, my cake layers rose very little. Baking powder was fresh. I set a timer and mixed exactly the amount of time stipulated in the recipe. When folding in the sour cream, perhaps some of the air dissipated. Would it work to add the sour cream with the buttermilk so as to minimize handling of the batter? Also, I barely had 16 oz per layer. The only thing that I did not follow to a T was that I used cake strips to avoid brown edges. I usually use them when make white or light colored cakes and have not encountered any problems before. Thanks for all the work you put in to making our cakes tasty.
You can definitely add the sour cream with the buttermilk. Make sure to beat the butter sugar and eggs really well. That’s going to increase rise.
What would the difference be if I were to make 3 10 inch cakes with this recipe?
You would want to double the recipe.
I’ve made several of your cakes and LOVE all of them! I have made this cake before and it was fantastic! I am using this recipe to make cupcakes for a baby shower. How would you change the baking time and/or recipe if needed?
Recipe will be the same! Just keep your eye on the cupcakes for timing! About the same.
Hi Courtney!! I love this recipe and have used it several times since I found it and it has always been a crowd pleaser! I need to make a tiered cake and the bottom layer being a 10 in cake. Would I adjust the temperature at all for a 10 inch cake? Or just adjust the cook time? Thank you!
It will take a little longer because you will want to double the recipe for a 3 layer 10 inch cake.
Hi Courtney, when I started adding the eggs, I found by the time I got to the 5th and 6th egg white the mixture has curdled. Am I adding the eggs too quickly? I had to add a bit of the flour to compensate for the curdling. It got worse when I added the sour cream. Should I wait longer between each addition to prevent curdling? Your recipe still tasted yummy though but wasn’t sure if the texture was affected by the curdling. Thank you!
It will curdle a little bit but shouldn’t be a problem after you add the flour. Make sure you are taking your time adding the eggs one by one.
I absolutely love this recipe! It is my go-to for vanilla cake. With that being said, I may be doing this cake for a wedding later this year. I normally do 2-3 layer 8in rounds but for this one the bottom tier would be 10in. How much batter would I need for this? How would I calculate it?
Double it!
If I need to bake this in a 9×13, how long would I bake it?
Depends on your oven. It will take longer. Maybe 45-50 minutes? Keep your eye on it!
For a 9×13 cake do we use same recipe and just cut cake in half? Or do we bake two different cake pans with half of the recipe in each?
Just cut it in half!
Hi Courtney! This has become my go to vanilla cake recipe! It’s so delicious and can be paired with all sorts of flavours for the filling and icing. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe 🙂
Thank you! I appreciate that!
Percent-wise, how much can I reduce the sugar without adversely affecting the texture/taste?
Maybe 1/4 cup. If you’re worried about sugar, check out my sugar free cake.
Hi Courtney!
Cant wait to try this recipe! I have a butter vanilla emulsion at home and wondering if I could substitute that in for this recipe or any recipe really.
Thanks!
Yes!
LITERALLY THE BEST VANILLA CAKE IN THE HISTORY OF EVER!!!! So delicious!! I made a 6” layer cake and cupcakes for a baby shower and everyone raved. Didn’t believe they weren’t from a speciality bakery😜
Thank you so much!
Hi.
Can I substitute whole butter with oil in this recipe?
No.
Hi! I’m so excited to try this recipe! Im Making cupcakes and it has been requested that I do half of them chocolate. Would it turn out well if I were to half the batter and add cocoa powder? If so, how much would you add?
No I would recommend making my chocolate cake recipe instead.
I made this cake and the layers looked beautiful but when slicing them into thinner layers, I noticed that it is quite a dense can not light and fluffy. Is this correct?
It’s a denser cake yes.
I tried this recipe and it is so good!!! It was an absolute hit. The cake almost tasted like a sugar cookie. Thanks Courtney!
Thank you so much!
The flavor is wonderful, but maybe I did something wrong. I divided it between 3 8″ rounds, and when I took them out of the pan, the layers were so thin! Maybe 1 inch thick each? If I put all three together, the height wouldn’t exceed 4 inches. From the picture, I think this is way too short, right?
Did you use fresh ingredients? That could hinder the rising, if they are old.
Made this yesterday in a 9×13 pan for my daughter’s birthday. It took me about 50 minutes to bake. It was delicious, light, fluffy, and a new family favorite. This was the first time I have used vanilla paste. Totally worth it, the smell was divine. I halved the butter cream and it was the perfect amount! Thanks for a great recipe.
Thank you!!
I’m wondering if you use the on the stove flour frosting?
I haven’t made it yet but my sister says she loves it. I don’t have the same tastes as her. Is this kind of frosting good?
I’m looking for the Kroger cake recipe n frosting.
I will try yours soon.
I use all organic. It’s hard to find organic sour cream n buttermilk where I’m at.
I’ve never tried it!
I love this blog and just got your cookbook and I’m loving it, thank you so much for your words of wisdom.
I have made this vanilla cake and feel like it was too dry, what could I have done wrong? Perhaps, cooked it too long? Do you ever use a sugar syrup on your cake layers to keep them from drying out?
You could use a sugar syrup if you want! But it was probably from over baking!
Too bad there is not a rating higher than 5 stars! I am a 14-year-old baker and I have been trying to find the perfect vanilla cake for a few months now. LET ME TELL YOU NOTHING IS BETTER THAN THIS CAKE!! Getting to level it and eat the cake is my favorite part I have to hide it from my sister! LOL
The cake is so so so moist and so easy to make!! The only thing I had to be mindful of is baking it about 15 minutes longer because of my oven but this is not an issue at all! Thank you Courtney for this recipe! I will definitely be trying more of your recipes!!!
This was so nice of you! thank you!
Made this cake to test it out before making for my sons wedding. Im wanting to add rasberries to the cake batter, would this recipe work for that? It is such a yummy vanilla cake and would love to stick to this recipe.
It will add a lot of moisture to the cake so be advised it could take longer to bake!
Hello, if I wanted to add whole eggs instead of just egg whites how many whole eggs would you recommend?
This recipe needs the egg whites to stay light and fluffy.
Hi Courtney,
I tried your vanilla cake recipe today but made into cupcakes! OMG it was so so delicious!! Light, fluffy, moist and lovely taste of vanilla. My hubby thought it was really good so did my toddler! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. It is going to be my go to vanilla cake recipe 🙂
For those who would like to make the cake into cupcakes; I halved the recipe which made 12 cupcakes. I filled 2/3 of the cupcake paper, baked at 150 degree celcius (with fan) for 20 minutes. The cupcakes baked nice and flat – perfect for icing!
Thanks for the tip! I’m so glad you love the recipe!
Hi Courtney!
Love your recipes and will be trying this one out next! I was wondering if I could substitute the sour cream for full fat plain Greek yogurt? Thanks!
You can do 1/2 yogurt 1/2 whole milk.
Thank you for this vanilla dream of a cake! We enjoyed it with a pool of raspberry coulis under each slice. Delicious! For our family of three, I halved the recipe and made two 6-inch rounds and followed it exactly as written (including room temp liquids and fresh baking powder 😉) and had layers that were 1.25 inches tall. Is that about the right height, or should they be taller?
I made this cake for Eid it was so good but mine didn’t rise like yours and wasn’t airy , what should I do next time to make it airy and has better rising ? besides I used fresh ingredients also they were at room temperature 🙂
Glad you loved the flavor! For the rise, make sure your beating the butter, sugar and eggs really well – to the point that the texture is silky smooth, and light and fluffy. That will help greatly.
Courtney,
I guess I’m tired. I just saw that I need to fold the sour cream in. Not sure if I should waste it and start over. I’m so goofy
Thank you
Did you just mix it in? I’m sure its ok!
This cake is really good! I am struggling with the rise though. The first batch I made, I misread the recipe and only added 1 tsp of baking powder instead of 1 Tbs. So I made that into cake balls, and made another batch of batter. I let everything sit out a room temp, and I feel like I beat the butter/sugar/egg whites really well. What else am I missing? My baking powder is brand new too. The cake is fluffy and good, it just didn’t get as tall as I thought it should have.
This cake, and most of my cakes, should come out to 1.25″ – 1.5″. Sounds like you’re doing a lot of things right. The other things to consider: are you using good quality pans like fat daddio pans? Is your internal oven temp accurate?
I got new pans! Thank you for reply! My daughters used this recipe for their county fair cakes, and both got 1st place ribbons on them, so we are baking again this weekend for the state fair! They both have to decorate their cakes within certain guidelines. I will report back on the new pans, and how the girls do with their cakes. 🙂
Hello! I was just curious if you had a recommendation on how to make this cake GF? I’m trying to decide between Bob’s Red Mill and Cup 4 Cup.
You want to use the exact same amount.
Can I add whole eggs to it will it work as well ?
No
Hi Courtney ! I would love to try this recipe, but I do have few questions before .
– Can I use liquid egg whites in a carton?
– Can I use salted butter , and eliminate the salt in the recipe?
– Can I substitute like 2 tablespoons of butter for a tablespoon of oil ? How would adding oil affects the cake ?
Thank you so much !
I wouldn’t use egg whites from a carton. I’ve tried and it doesn’t work as well. Yes you can use salted butter. And I wouldn’t sub the oil and butter.
love this!!!
Love this recipe and flavor! Best vanilla cake I’ve tried. My cake has been coming out very dense. Any suggestions on how to fix that or is that expected? I don’t mind a dense cake but I had some feedback from people who wanted it fluffier. I have been following the directions and my batter looks similar to yours (double the size, airy, etc) but it’s baking very dense. I have been making it as a double batch could that be an issue? I’ve made it three times and each time it has been consistently dense so I am making the same mistake each time.
Yeah try making it as a single batch, but also be sure ingredients are totally room temperature and mix the butter and sugar really well to start. We want that mixture to be light and fluffy.
I’m making is for the first time today but my husband requested mini cupcakes. Do you have the baking time conversion for different versions like regular cupcakes and mini cupcakes?
About 20-22 mins for regular cupcakes and maybe half the time for mini.
Can this cake be made gluten free and if so what brand flour (Bob Red Mill or Cup4Cup) do you use since there is no gf cake flour.
Thanks
cup4cup is my favorite
I tried the recipe and it turned out delicious. I made the cake for my wife on our anniversary.
happy anniversary!
LOVED the recipe! I’m wanting to make this into cupcakes since my nieces are requesting those for easter but we will be super busy the days leading up to it! Can i make these this weekend and freeze them? Or i guess my question is there a way to store these for down the road but have the same texture?
Yes you can!!
This is the one! I have tried every big baking blogs vanilla cake recipe and have been disappointed by every single one. This cake is literally perfect in texture and taste. Tastes like the most perfect bakery cake!
I made your confetti cake as a sheet cake using regular vanilla and some almond extract. It was absolutely divine! I was just curious how the taste and texture of that cake compares to this one. I’m debating if I should try this one sometime or just stick to the confetti cake as a base vanilla cake recipe. I would love your input! 😊 Thanks!
Would this recipe hold up to adding crushed Oreo bits? My daughter wants an Oreo cake for her birthday, but wants vanilla Oreo cake layers.
Sure!
I love this cake recipe! Does it do well for cupcakes?
Yes it does. I’d reduce the bake time about 5ish minutes.
I want to make this for a friend’s baby shower but I am trying to challenge myself into making it into a two-layered cake. So in other words, I want to add a smaller 6-inch layer on top. How do you recommend I bake that?
You can do a half recipe in two 6 inch cake pans.
I want to make a “almond” cake for a wedding. Would I just add almond extract to this recipe or swap out some vanilla for almond?
I am wanting to make a vanilla almond cake. If I used this recipe and added about 1 tbsp of almond extract – would that work? I want to make sure I don’t mess up the consistency.
Yes that should work great.
What adjustments, if any, would I need to make for baking at high altitude? I live at 4500′ if that helps. 🙂
This cake was so delicious, and such a huge hit! Thank you. It’ll definitely be my go to recipe.
Thank you!
If I use all purpose gluten free flour what would be the difference?
If you use the cup 4 cup brand it would be the same.
Looks delicious, I’m trying it today just wanted to ask if it’s ok to use half butter and half oil instead of only butter?
You can, but the texture will be a little different. You might notice it’s a little oily.
Looking for help – I’ll make my cakes the day before I need them and I’ll wrap them in Saran Wrap after they have cooled and put them in the fridge. The next morning I will assemble it and put it back in the fridge till I need it. Take it out 30 minutes before the party but when we cut into it, it’s dry. The flavor is there and it looks nice and fluffy. Just dry. What can I do?? 10/10 recommend your cakes always and I always make them!
Don’t put them in the fridge. Only freezer. The fridge dries them out.
Thank you!!
Hi Courtney! I’m interested in making this recipe into cupcakes for my daughters birthday…how might I tweak the bake time? Thank you!
About 18-20 mins. Keep an eye on it.
Hi! Can this be made in a 9×13 pan? Thank you
yes!
Can I use strawberry instead of Vanilla bean paste for the buttercream? Or would that mess up the buttercreme?
It will change it.
I absolutely love every one of your cakes that I have made. I just had a request for a 10” round vanilla cake for a bridle shower and this is definitely the recipe that I want to make. Any hints on adjusting this recipe for 3 10” rounds? I’m going to be ordering some items from your shop for sure since I need to step up my cake decorating game! Thank you.
You want to double the recipe.
Hi, how would you recommend to reduce the recipe for a 3 layer 6inch cake?