Homemade Vanilla Cake is the recipe that Maria makes every birthday and every most joyful family celebration when she wants to create the most completely extraordinary and the most genuinely universal celebration cake that pleases every single palate at the table — because the most brilliantly unusual technique of simmering the water and sugar together on the stovetop until dissolved, then adding the butter to melt into the most warm sugar syrup, chilling.
And using this most concentrated and the most beautifully rich individual sugar-butter liquid as the primary wet ingredient for the batter produces the most extraordinarily moist and the most properly dense yet tender individual vanilla cake layer that uses the most clever simmer-method for the most superior result compared to every conventional cream-butter-and-sugar individual approach. The double vanilla boost of both the most generously measured pure vanilla extract and the most beautifully fragrant scraped vanilla bean makes this the most intensely and the most genuinely vanilla-forward individual celebration cake imaginable.
Homemade Vanilla Cake is the most easy and deeply extraordinary 1 hour 20 minute two-layer celebration cake made by simmering 2 cups water and sugar adding butter chilling whisking in oil vanilla and vanilla bean beating in eggs adding dry ingredients baking at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes and frosting with vanilla buttercream from butter powdered sugar vanilla and cream. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful cake recipes and easy celebration favorites from our kitchen every single week.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Homemade Vanilla Cake Recipe
This Homemade Vanilla Cake recipe is the most completely extraordinary and the most genuinely impressive double-vanilla celebration cake that delivers the most intensely authentic and the most deeply fragrant individual vanilla flavor through the most cleverly maximized double-vanilla approach — both the most potent pure vanilla extract AND the most beautifully aromatic scraped vanilla bean seeds incorporated into the batter together for the most genuinely unmatched vanilla-forward individual celebration cake.
The most brilliantly unconventional simmer-method wet ingredient preparation — dissolving the sugar in the most warm simmered water before adding butter — creates the most rich and the most completely dissolved individual sugar liquid that incorporates the most effortlessly into the batter for the most beautifully fine and the most properly even individual crumb without any creaming of butter required. Our Banana Layer Cake makes a beautifully equally moist layered and equally celebration-worthy companion for a complete and wonderful celebration cake collection.
Ingredients Needed for This Homemade Vanilla Cake Recipe
For the Vanilla Cake:
- 2¼ cups All-Purpose Flour (spoon and level method)
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 cups Water
- 2 cups Granulated Sugar
- 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Vanilla Bean, scraped (or 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste)
- 2 large Eggs
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 to 3 tbsp Heavy Cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
For Decoration:
- ½ cup Rainbow Sprinkles (optional)
How to Make This Homemade Vanilla Cake Recipe
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the water and sugar. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar dissolves — approximately 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the butter, stirring until the most completely melted. Chill this butter mixture in the refrigerator for approximately 20 minutes until no longer warm to the touch, cara mia.
Once the mixture is chilled, whisk in the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and the most beautifully scraped vanilla bean seeds. Beat in the eggs. Whisk in the dry ingredients until the most smooth.
Divide the batter most evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pans before frosting.
For the vanilla buttercream, cream the room-temperature butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until the most light and the most fluffy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing the most thoroughly after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and beat for 3 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of cream if the frosting is too thick.
Assemble the two layers with a thick layer of frosting between. Apply a thin crumb coat, freeze for 10 minutes, then apply the final thick and the most even layer of frosting. Decorate with rainbow sprinkles.
How to Serve This Homemade Vanilla Cake Recipe
Serve at room temperature for the most beautifully softened and the most properly creamy vanilla buttercream texture. Allow 20 to 30 minutes out of the refrigerator before serving for the most perfectly softened and the most completely extraordinary individual vanilla cake experience.
For the most beautifully personalized and the most genuinely fun celebration cake, tint the buttercream any color with gel food coloring for the most completely extraordinary and the most perfectly themed individual birthday or holiday presentation. Our Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Cake makes a beautifully equally celebration-worthy and equally moist companion for a complete and wonderful celebration cake collection.
How to Store This Homemade Vanilla Cake Recipe
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to one week. Wrap individual cake layers tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months before frosting for the most conveniently make-ahead celebration cake preparation.
Tips to Make This Homemade Vanilla Cake Recipe
Measure the flour using the spoon-and-level method rather than scooping from the bag — fluff the flour with a fork, spoon lightly into the measuring cup, and level with a straight edge. Scooped flour from a packed bag can add 20% more flour than the recipe requires, producing a most dense and the most dry individual cake layer.
Allow the sugar-butter liquid to cool the most completely in the refrigerator before adding the eggs. Hot or warm liquid scrambles the eggs on contact and produces the most undesirably lumpy and the most unevenly mixed individual batter.
Helpful Notes for This Homemade Vanilla Cake Recipe
The crumb coat technique is the most essential step for the most beautifully smooth and the most professionally finished individual vanilla cake exterior. Apply a most thin layer of buttercream over the entire assembled cake, freeze for 10 minutes to the most completely set the crumb coat, then apply the most final thick and the most beautifully smooth individual layer of buttercream.
For the most beautifully customized celebration cake, fill the center of the assembled layers with homemade fruit jam, lemon curd, Nutella, or dulce de leche alongside the buttercream for the most completely extraordinary individual flavored filling.
Variation of This Homemade Vanilla Cake Recipe
Maria made a version adding the zest of two lemons to the batter alongside the vanilla for the most completely extraordinary and the most vibrantly bright lemon vanilla individual celebration cake. Teresa tried substituting pure almond extract for the vanilla extract for the most completely extraordinary and the most delicately nutty almond layer cake.
For a funfetti version, fold three-quarters cup of rainbow jimmies sprinkles through the finished batter before dividing between pans for the most completely extraordinary and the most joyfully colorful individual funfetti celebration cake. Our Banana Layer Cake makes a beautifully equally moist two-layer and equally elegantly frosted companion for a complete and wonderful layer cake collection.
FAQs About This Homemade Vanilla Cake Recipe
Why simmer the water and sugar instead of just mixing them?
Simmering the water and sugar together dissolves the sugar the most completely and the most uniformly, creating the most homogeneous and the most smoothly consistent individual sugar liquid that incorporates into the batter without any granular sugar texture remaining. This most dissolved individual sugar solution also contributes to the most beautifully fine and the most even individual cake crumb compared to granulated sugar added directly.
Can I use all-purpose flour or cake flour?
Both work beautifully in this recipe. Cake flour with its lower protein content produces the most tenderly delicate and the most finely crumbed individual vanilla layer. All-purpose flour produces a most slightly more structured and the most properly substantial individual crumb. Either produces the most extraordinary individual result — cake flour is the most specifically recommended for the most tenderly melt-in-your-mouth result.
What if I don’t have a vanilla bean?
Substitute one tablespoon of pure vanilla bean paste for the scraped vanilla bean in the exact same quantity. Vanilla bean paste contains the most actual vanilla seed specks and provides the most similarly beautiful and the most authentically vanilla-forward individual result as a freshly scraped vanilla bean pod.
Conclusion
This Homemade Vanilla Cake is the most completely extraordinary and the most genuinely beautiful double-vanilla two-layer celebration cake that makes every birthday and every gathering feel genuinely and completely magnificent through the most intensely fragrant vanilla bean and extract batter and the most luxuriously fluffy vanilla buttercream in every single beautifully sprinkled and completely irresistible homemade vanilla cake slice.
We hope it brings the same deeply joyful vanilla celebration and the same completely delighted table to your kitchen 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
Homemade Vanilla Cake The Most Easy Moist Vanilla Bean Buttercream Sprinkle Two Layer Celebration Cake You Will Bake
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The most extraordinary moist Homemade Vanilla Cake made by preheating oven to 350°F buttering two 8-inch pans whisking 2 1/4 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt setting aside simmering 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar in saucepan over medium-high heat 1 minute until dissolved removing from heat adding 6 tbsp butter stirring until melted chilling in refrigerator 20 minutes until no longer warm whisking in 2 tbsp oil 1 tbsp vanilla extract and scraped vanilla bean seeds beating in 2 eggs whisking in dry ingredients until smooth dividing evenly between pans baking 25 to 30 minutes until toothpick clean cooling completely in pans making buttercream by creaming 1 cup room temperature butter adding 4 cups powdered sugar 1 cup at a time adding 1 tbsp vanilla and 2 tbsp heavy cream beating 3 minutes assembling with thick frosting between layers crumb coat freezing 10 minutes applying final thick frosting layer and decorating with rainbow sprinkles. A completely perfect double vanilla moist celebration cake recipe.
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour spoon and level
2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
2 cups Water
2 cups Granulated Sugar
6 tbsp Unsalted Butter
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Vanilla Bean scraped or 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
2 large Eggs
1 cup 2 sticks Unsalted Butter room temperature for buttercream
4 cups Powdered Sugar
1 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract for buttercream
2 to 3 tbsp Heavy Cream or milk
1/2 cup Rainbow Sprinkles optional
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Simmer water and sugar in saucepan medium-high heat 1 minute until dissolved. Remove from heat. Add butter. Stir until melted.
4. Chill butter mixture in refrigerator 20 minutes until no longer warm.
5. Whisk in oil, vanilla extract, and scraped vanilla bean seeds into chilled mixture. Beat in eggs. Whisk in dry ingredients until smooth.
6. Divide evenly between prepared pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until toothpick clean.
7. Cool completely in pans.
8. Cream room temperature butter in stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time mixing thoroughly. Add vanilla and 2 tbsp cream. Beat 3 minutes. Add more cream if too thick.
9. Assemble layers with thick frosting between. Apply thin crumb coat. Freeze 10 minutes. Apply final thick even frosting layer. Decorate with sprinkles.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cake, Celebration, Birthday
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 637
- Sugar: 79g
- Sodium: 369mg
- Fat: 26g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 98g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 91mg
Keywords: homemade vanilla cake, easy moist homemade vanilla cake recipe vanilla bean buttercream sprinkles, best double vanilla two layer celebration cake from scratch, moist vanilla bean extract layer cake vanilla buttercream
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