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homemade vanilla cake recipe
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5 from 1 vote

Vanilla Cake Recipe

This easy homemade vanilla cake is full of vanilla flavorful, tender and moist but sturdy enough to be frosted with my easy American buttercream recipe.
Author Alissa
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cooling 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 20

Equipment

Ingredients

Vanilla Cake Recipe

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
  • 3 cups granulated sugar (600g)
  • 2 tsp baking soda (10g)
  • 1 tsp kosher salt (6g)
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (226g)
  • 2 large whole eggs + 3 egg whites, room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk, room temperature (360g)
  • 3 tsp vanilla extract (12g)
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil (30g)

Easy American Buttercream

  • 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (452g)
  • 7 ½ cups powdered sugar  (855g)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract (12g)
  • ¼ cup heavy whipping cream (or milk) (60g)
Makes: 8inch round

Instructions
 

Vanilla Cake Recipe

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F(175°C). Line three 8" round cake pans with parchment rounds then spray the sides with non-stick baking spray.
  • In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, add all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together and whisk together until combined.
  • Use a knife to cut the room temperature unsalted butter into tablespoons. Add the butter into the flour mixture slowly on low speed. Mix until there's no more large pieces of butter. It should look like moist sand and a few pieces of small butter chunks are okay. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg whites, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil.
  • Add the wet mixture in two parts on low speed, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix everything on medium speed until it's fully combined.
  • Pour the batter evenly between the three prepared baking pans. I use a digital kitchen scale for accuracy so the layers will be the same height. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
    vanilla cake
  • Let the cakes cool for 5 minutes. Use a knife or offset spatula to run around the edges of the cake. Use oven mitts or a dish towel to hold the pans (they'll still be hot) and turn the cakes onto a wire cooling rack. Let the cakes cool completely before frosting. You can put the cakes into the freezer for 10-20 minutes to cool them faster.
    vanilla cake
  • If you prefer to level your cakes and remove any caramelized tops or sides, use a serrated knife to trim them. If you're baking ahead for freezing, trim the cakes and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. You can freeze cake layers for up to two months. To use, take out the cake layers and let them thaw for 15-20 minutes. It's much easier to frost colder cakes to avoid crumbs getting into the frosting!

Easy American Buttercream

  • Equip the paddle attachment to your stand mixer or use a hand mixer. Beat the room temperature butter on high speed for one minute. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.
    american buttercream
  • Add one cup of powdered sugar and mix on low. Continue to add powdered sugar one cup at a time to avoid sugar clouds. After all the powdered sugar is all added, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  • Add the salt, vanilla, and whipping cream and mix everything on medium speed for two minutes. Then, change the speed to low and mix for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, if the buttercream is too stiff, add 1 tsp of additional whipping cream at a time.

Assemble

  • My favorite way to easily frost cakes is using a turntable with a cast iron base. You can also frost a cake without one. Stack a cake layer on a grease proof cake round.
  • Spread a layer of buttercream in-between each layer. Use an offset spatula to smooth out the buttercream. Add more buttercream to the top and the sides, smoothing it out with a bench scraper. This is the crumb layer. This means it will "catch" all of the crumbs!
  • Chill the cake for 10 minutes. Then add more buttercream and smooth it out again with a bench scraper. You can clean up the edges or leave them for a rustic design.
  • *Optional* To make a naked cake as pictured in this post, Follow steps 1 and 2 above. Add a thin layer of buttercream to the sides and use the bench scraper to evenly distribute the buttercream.
    vanilla birthday cake recipe

Notes

Tips for the best vanilla cake

    1. Room Temperature: take the cold ingredients out 30 minutes to an hour ahead of time. Room temperature ingredients mix better and the cake tastes better!
    2. Scale: use a digital kitchen scale to measure your ingredients. 
    3. Bake Ahead: you can make these cake layers ahead of time, which will save you a lot of time! See the section above about making ahead.
    4. Level: use a serrated knife to level cakes and remove caramelization.
    5. Frost: take your time to make the buttercream correctly. Smooth and silky buttercream frosts better and won't have any lumps.
 
Tools that help me make the best vanilla cakes: three 8" round cake pans | parchment rounds | stand mixer | hand mixer | rubber spatula | digital kitchen scale | turntable with a cast iron base | grease proof cake round | offset spatula | bench scraper