Vanilla Cake is the recipe that Lucia rigorously tested and retested and tested again until she had produced the most genuinely perfect and completely reliable moist vanilla layer cake recipe imaginable, because she believes with complete conviction that every baker deserves to have one vanilla cake recipe they can return to for every birthday, every celebration, and every occasion that calls for a beautiful and deeply satisfying classic without ever wondering if it will turn out right. The secret is the buttermilk.
Not just as a liquid ingredient but as a tenderizing agent that weakens the flour proteins, inhibits gluten formation, and produces a cake crumb that is so extraordinarily tender and moist and melt-in-the-mouth that every person who takes their first bite immediately goes still with genuine satisfaction.
Vanilla Cake is the most moist and fluffy buttermilk vanilla layer cake that melts in the mouth in every tender and beautifully crumbed bite, made with a carefully developed combination of room-temperature butter creamed with sugar, eggs added one at a time, and flour alternated with buttermilk for the most reliably perfect two-layer classic birthday cake frosted with the dreamiest vanilla buttercream. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful vanilla cake recipes and classic celebration baking favorites from our kitchen every single week.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Vanilla Cake Recipe
This Vanilla Cake recipe is the moist classic birthday cake that earns nearly two thousand five-star reviews from home bakers who describe it as the most moist and perfectly crumbed vanilla cake they have ever made from scratch, better than any box mix and more reliable than any other from-scratch vanilla cake recipe they have tried before finding this one. The buttermilk is the ingredient that makes this specific vanilla cake so completely extraordinary compared to a milk-based vanilla cake recipe.
Buttermilk contains lactic acid from its culturing process. This acid interacts with the protein in the all-purpose flour and weakens the gluten structure, producing a crumb that is softer and more tender than a cake made with regular milk. The fat content in low-fat or whole buttermilk also contributes to the lasting moisture of the finished cake layers, keeping them fresh and soft for longer during storage. Our Soft Vanilla Cake makes a beautifully equally moist and equally celebration-worthy companion for a complete and stunning classic vanilla cake spread.
Ingredients Needed for This Vanilla Cake Recipe
For the Cake:
- 2½ cups (300g) All-Purpose Flour
- 2¼ tsp Baking Powder
- ¾ tsp Salt
- 1⅔ cups (333g) Granulated Sugar
- ¾ cup (170g) Unsalted Butter, softened
- 3 large Eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup (240ml) Whole or Low-Fat Buttermilk, room temperature
For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
- 1½ cups (340g) Unsalted Butter, softened
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 5 cups (600g) Powdered Sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) Heavy Cream or Whole Milk, plus more as needed
- 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- Sprinkles for decorating (optional)
How to Make This Vanilla Cake Recipe
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper circles. The parchment paper is an essential step and not optional, cara mia. Without the parchment lining the bottom of the cake layer can stick to the pan during release and tear, leaving a portion of the crumb behind in the pan and compromising the evenness of the finished assembled cake.
In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the softened butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and beat on high for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is noticeably light, fluffy, and pale yellow in color. Scrape the bowl down as needed. The creaming method is the technique that creates air pockets in the batter and produces the light and fluffy texture of the finished cake. Cream for the full time specified.
Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl down between each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix on high for about 1 minute until combined.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in three batches alternating with the buttermilk: flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, flour. Once almost combined after the final flour addition, remove the whisk attachment and fold in any remaining flour and butter by hand using a wide spatula. This final hand-folding step prevents overmixing the batter which develops too much gluten and produces a tough and dense cake rather than the tender and moist result the recipe is designed to deliver.
Divide the batter equally between the two prepared pans. Gently tap each pan on the counter four to five times to burst any large air bubbles trapped in the batter. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the edges of the cake begin pulling away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack, remove the parchment, and set aside to cool completely before frosting.
For the vanilla buttercream, beat the softened butter and salt in the stand mixer on medium-high for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, adding a tablespoon of heavy cream between each cup addition. Once all the sugar is incorporated add the vanilla and increase the speed to high for about 1 minute. The finished buttercream should form a soft peak with a slight curl.
Spread one cup of frosting over the first cooled cake layer. Add the second layer and cover the top and sides with the remaining buttercream, smoothing with an offset spatula.
How to Serve This Vanilla Cake Recipe
Present on a beautiful cake stand for the most completely classic and elegant birthday cake presentation. Vanilla cake is endlessly versatile in decoration. Smooth white buttercream with a scatter of rainbow sprinkles is the most joyful and universally beloved birthday finish. Piped buttercream rosettes around the top border using a 1M tip is the most elegant. Rustic textured swoops made with the back of a large spoon are the most effortless.
Slice into 12 generous wedges and serve each with a small fork for the most beautifully and individually plated birthday cake presentation. Our Orange Velvet Cake makes a beautifully vibrant and equally celebration-worthy companion for a complete and stunning birthday cake celebration spread.
How to Store This Vanilla Cake Recipe
Store a frosted vanilla cake at room temperature under a cake dome for up to 2 days, or covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Bring refrigerated cake to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving for the most tender and pleasant crumb texture. Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 3 months. The buttercream frosting stores in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature and beat again briefly before using.
Tips to Make This Vanilla Cake Recipe
Prepare all pan and parchment setup before beginning the batter. Once the baking powder contacts the liquid ingredients in the batter it begins activating immediately. A batter that sits in the bowl while pans are being prepared loses some of its leavening power before it reaches the oven. Having the pans greased, floured, and parchment-lined before beginning ensures the batter goes directly from bowl to pan to oven without any unnecessary delay.
Use a kitchen scale to measure the flour. Too much flour is the most common and most significant cause of dry and dense vanilla cake layers. The spoon-and-level cup measuring method is more accurate than scooping but a scale is the most reliable approach of all. For this recipe, 1 cup of flour weighs approximately 120g.
Helpful Notes for This Vanilla Cake Recipe
Listen to the cake to determine doneness. A vanilla cake still baking makes a quiet crackling sound when you hold your ear near the oven door. When it goes completely quiet the structure has set and the cake layers are ready. The edges will also be pulling away from the sides of the pan at this point. These two visual and auditory cues together are more reliable than the clock alone.
If the finished cake is dry, it was likely overbaked. Check the cake 5 minutes before the stated baking time ends and look for the pulling edges and the silent sound. If the finished cake is dense, the batter was likely overmixed after the flour was added. The hand-folding final step exists specifically to prevent this.
Variation of This Vanilla Cake Recipe
Maria made a version adding two tablespoons of fresh lemon zest to the batter alongside the vanilla for a lemon vanilla cake that was completely extraordinary at a spring birthday celebration. Teresa tried filling the assembled layers with a thin spread of fresh strawberry jam beneath the buttercream filling layer for a strawberry vanilla cake that was both more vibrant and more complex in flavor than the plain vanilla version.
For a funfetti birthday version, fold three tablespoons of rainbow sprinkles through the finished batter just before dividing between the pans for the most joyful and completely festive birthday cake that makes every single slice look like a celebration in its own right. Our Mini Vanilla Cake makes a beautifully small-batch and equally moist companion for complete and perfectly portioned smaller celebration spread.
FAQs About This Vanilla Cake Recipe
What makes this vanilla cake moist?
The primary moistening ingredient in this cake is buttermilk. The lactic acid in buttermilk breaks down the gluten proteins in the flour and produces a finer and more tender crumb that retains moisture more effectively than a milk-based cake. The fat content of the butter and eggs also contributes to the lasting moistness of the finished layers.
Can I make this vanilla cake as cupcakes?
Yes. Fill lined muffin cups two thirds full with batter, approximately a quarter cup of batter per cup, for about 18 standard cupcakes. Bake at 350°F for 18 to 22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Can I make this vanilla cake a day ahead?
Yes. Bake and cool the cake layers completely, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Make the buttercream the day of the celebration and frost the chilled layers. Chilled layers are actually slightly easier to frost because they are firmer and more stable during the crumb coat and final frosting application.
Conclusion
This Vanilla Cake is the classic birthday and celebration bake that deserves to be in every home baker’s permanent repertoire as the single most reliable and most completely extraordinary from-scratch vanilla cake they will ever need. Moist, tender, fluffy, deeply vanilla-fragrant, and frosted with the dreamiest buttercream imaginable. We hope it brings the same completely beautiful celebration and the same deeply satisfied gathering to your table that it has always brought to ours. Make it, share it, and come back to tell us all about it. With all our love, Maria, Lucia, and Teresa.
Vanilla Cake The Most Moist and Fluffy Classic Birthday Cake You Will Ever Bake
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes including cooling
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The most moist and fluffy classic Vanilla Cake made with the creaming method using room temperature butter granulated sugar eggs vanilla and all-purpose flour alternated with buttermilk to produce the most tender and beautifully crumbed two-layer 8-inch birthday cake frosted with a silky vanilla buttercream of butter powdered sugar cream and vanilla. A completely perfect and reliable classic from-scratch vanilla birthday cake.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups 300g All-Purpose Flour
2 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Salt
1 2/3 cups 333g Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup 170g Unsalted Butter softened
3 large Eggs room temperature
1 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup 240ml Whole or Low-Fat Buttermilk room temperature
1 1/2 cups 340g Unsalted Butter softened for frosting
1/4 tsp Salt for frosting
5 cups 600g Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup 60ml Heavy Cream or Whole Milk
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract for frosting
Sprinkles for decorating optional
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 8-inch round pans. Line bottoms with parchment.
2. Sift or whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Beat softened butter on medium until smooth. Add sugar. Beat on high 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs one at a time on medium. Scrape bowl between each. Add vanilla. Mix on high 1 minute.
5. On low add flour in 3 batches alternating with buttermilk: flour buttermilk flour buttermilk flour.
6. Once almost combined remove whisk and fold remaining flour by hand with spatula. Do not overmix.
7. Divide batter between pans. Tap each pan 4 to 5 times to burst air bubbles.
8. Bake 30 minutes until edges pull away from pan and toothpick clean.
9. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Invert onto racks. Remove parchment. Cool completely.
10. For frosting: beat butter and salt on medium-high 5 minutes. Add powdered sugar gradually on low adding 1 tbsp cream between each cup. Add vanilla. Beat high 1 minute.
11. Spread 1 cup frosting over first cooled layer. Add second layer. Frost top and sides.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 750
- Sugar: 78g
- Sodium: 329mg
- Fat: 38g
- Saturated Fat: 24g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 99g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 144mg
Keywords: vanilla cake, moist vanilla cake recipe from scratch, best classic vanilla birthday cake, fluffy buttermilk vanilla layer cake
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