Vanilla Cake is the recipe that Teresa makes for every birthday and every celebration where she wants to put something on the table that is so completely and perfectly classic and so deeply and genuinely extraordinary in its most beautifully even tender crumb and its most silky and most luxuriously vanilla-fragrant buttercream frosting that every person who receives a slice immediately and completely understands why a perfectly executed vanilla cake is one of the most beloved and most enduring celebration desserts in the entire baking tradition.
She sifts the flour with baking powder and salt, creams the butter and sugar until genuinely pale and the most beautifully fluffy, adds the eggs one at a time and the most generous tablespoon of the finest vanilla extract she can source, alternates the flour mixture with the buttermilk for the most evenly combined and most tender batter, bakes until the most gently golden and most perfectly risen, and then whips the most silky and deeply vanilla buttercream from butter, powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla for the most beautifully cloud-like frosting.
Vanilla Cake is the most moist and deeply fluffy from-scratch celebration layer cake made with sifted flour baking powder and salt creamed with butter and sugar combined with eggs vanilla and buttermilk alternated until smooth baked at 350°F in two 8-inch pans and frosted with the most silky vanilla buttercream. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful cake recipes and easy celebration baking favorites from our kitchen every single week.
Why You Will Love This Vanilla Cake Recipe
This Vanilla Cake recipe is the from-scratch celebration cake that produces the most completely extraordinary result from a recipe that is genuinely approachable for any home baker because every step has been developed and tested to eliminate the most common points of failure in vanilla cake baking, from the sifting of the dry ingredients to prevent lumps that would weigh the batter down, to the alternating addition of flour and buttermilk that ensures the most evenly combined and most properly emulsified batter without any risk of curdling.
Buttermilk is the single most important ingredient for the most beautifully moist and most perfectly tender vanilla cake crumb. The lactic acid in buttermilk weakens the protein in the flour, which inhibits gluten formation and keeps the cake layers the most tender and least dense possible. The added fat in whole or low-fat buttermilk also contributes the most lasting moisture that keeps the cake beautifully fresh for days after baking. Our Soft Vanilla Cake makes a beautifully equally moist and equally celebration-worthy companion for a complete and wonderful classic vanilla cake collection.
Ingredients Needed for This Vanilla Cake Recipe
For the Vanilla Cake Layers:
- 2½ cups (300g) All-Purpose Flour
- 2¼ tsp Baking Powder
- ¾ tsp Salt
- 1⅔ cups (333g) Granulated Sugar
- ¾ cup (170g) Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature
- 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 to room temperature
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 5 cups (600g) Powdered Sugar, sifted
- ¼ cup (60ml) Heavy Cream or Whole Milk, plus more as needed
- 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- Optional: Sprinkles for decorating
How to Make This Vanilla Cake Recipe
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour or lightly grease two 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Sifting the dry ingredients prevents lumps that would weigh down the batter.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the room-temperature softened butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and beat on high for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down as needed.
Reduce the speed to medium and add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix on high until combined, approximately 1 minute, cara mia.
Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture in three batches alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Once almost combined, remove the whisk attachment and fold in any remaining flour by hand with a spatula. Do not overmix the batter.
Divide the batter equally between the two prepared pans. Tap the pans gently on the counter 4 to 5 times to release any large air bubbles. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the edges pull 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 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack, remove the parchment, and cool completely to room temperature before frosting.
For the buttercream frosting, beat the room-temperature softened butter and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, adding one tablespoon of heavy cream between each cup of sugar. Once all sugar is incorporated, add the vanilla and increase to high speed for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy.
Spread one cup of frosting over the first completely cooled cake layer. Place the second layer on top and use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides.
How to Serve This Vanilla Cake Recipe
Serve at room temperature for the most completely soft and most beautifully tender vanilla cake slice and the most perfectly creamy and spreadable buttercream. Allow refrigerated cake to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving so the butter in both the cake and frosting softens to the most delicious serving consistency.
Present on a beautiful white cake stand with optional sprinkles scattered across the frosted top for the most completely joyful and most genuinely celebration-worthy birthday cake presentation. Our Mini Vanilla Cake makes a beautifully equally moist and equally vanilla-forward companion for a complete and wonderful vanilla celebration cake collection.
How to Store This Vanilla Cake Recipe
Store covered with a cake dome or plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Chill the frosted cake uncovered for 1 hour before covering with plastic wrap to set the frosting without disturbing the decorations. Freeze unfrosted cake layers individually wrapped in plastic then foil for up to 3 months. For extended moisture, swap 2 tablespoons of the butter for vegetable oil to keep the cake beautifully moist for even longer.
Tips to Make This Vanilla Cake Recipe
Measure the flour using a kitchen scale or the spoon-and-level method rather than scooping the measuring cup directly into the flour bag. Too much flour is the primary cause of dry or dense vanilla cake. Spooning flour gently into the measuring cup and leveling with a straight edge produces the most accurate and most consistent flour measurement every time.
Ensure all refrigerated ingredients including butter, eggs, and buttermilk are fully at room temperature before beginning. Room-temperature ingredients cream and combine most evenly and most smoothly into the most uniform batter. Cold ingredients resist proper emulsification and can produce an uneven and curdled-looking batter that results in a less evenly textured cake.
Helpful Notes for This Vanilla Cake Recipe
Listen to the cake to know when it is done. A cake that is still baking makes a crackling sound when an ear is held close to it. Once the crackling has stopped and the sides are pulling away from the pan, the structure is set and the layers are done. This listening technique works as a most reliable secondary test alongside the toothpick test.
Use the whisk attachment for both the cake batter and the frosting rather than the paddle attachment for the most beautifully fluffy and most airy result. The whisk incorporates more air than the paddle and produces a noticeably fluffier and more delicate cake crumb.
Variation of This Vanilla Cake Recipe
Maria made a version adding two teaspoons of fresh lemon zest to the batter alongside the vanilla for the most beautifully bright and deeply fragrant lemon vanilla cake that was completely extraordinary for a spring celebration. Teresa tried swirling a generous amount of strawberry jam between the two cake layers beneath the buttercream for the most completely beautiful strawberry vanilla layer cake.
For a funfetti version, fold a generous quarter cup of rainbow sprinkles through the finished batter just before dividing into the pans for the most festive and most completely joyful birthday funfetti cake variation. Our Vanilla Cupcakes make a beautifully equally moist and equally vanilla-rich companion for a complete and wonderful vanilla baking collection.
FAQs About This Vanilla Cake Recipe
Why is buttermilk used instead of regular milk?
Buttermilk contains lactic acid that weakens the protein in all-purpose flour, inhibiting gluten formation and producing a noticeably more tender and less dense cake crumb than regular milk achieves. Buttermilk also contributes to the most beautifully moist cake that stays fresh and tender for longer. If buttermilk is unavailable, make a substitute by stirring one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into one cup of whole milk and allowing to sit for 5 minutes before using.
Why must dry and wet ingredients be alternated during mixing?
Alternating the addition of the flour mixture and the buttermilk in batches rather than adding all at once produces the most evenly emulsified batter without any separation or curdling. Adding all the liquid at once can overwhelm the emulsion created by the creamed butter and eggs, causing the batter to look curdled. The alternating addition maintains the most stable and most smoothly emulsified batter throughout.
How can I tell when the vanilla cake is done?
The most reliable visual indicators are the edges pulling away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center coming out completely clean. Additionally, listen to the cake — a baking cake makes a crackling sound and once that sound stops and the sides pull away, the structure is set and the layers are ready.
Conclusion
This Vanilla Cake is the most completely classic and deeply beautiful from-scratch celebration cake that makes every birthday and every special occasion feel genuinely and completely extraordinary through the most moist and tender buttermilk crumb and the most silky and deeply vanilla-fragrant buttercream frosting in every single perfectly layered and completely irresistible vanilla cake slice. We hope it brings the same deeply joyful celebration and the same completely delighted gathering 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.
Vanilla Cake The Most Easy Moist Buttermilk From Scratch Celebration Cake You Will Bake
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes including cooling
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The most moist and fluffy Vanilla Cake made from scratch by sifting 2 1/2 cups flour with baking powder and salt then beating room temperature butter and sugar 2 to 3 minutes adding room temperature eggs one at a time with 1 tbsp vanilla alternating flour and buttermilk in three additions folding final flour by hand dividing between two buttered parchment-lined 8-inch pans tapping to release bubbles baking at 350°F about 30 minutes until edges pull away cooled completely then frosted with silky vanilla buttercream of butter salt powdered sugar cream and vanilla. A completely perfect from-scratch celebration cake recipe.
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 to room temperature
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 sifted
1/4 cup 60ml Heavy Cream or Whole Milk
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract for frosting
Sprinkles optional
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour or grease two 8-inch round pans. Line bottoms with parchment.
2. Sift or whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Beat softened butter on medium with whisk attachment until smooth. Add sugar. Beat high 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape bowl.
4. Reduce to medium. Add room temperature eggs one at a time scraping between each. Add vanilla. Mix high 1 minute.
5. Reduce to low. Add flour in 3 batches alternating with buttermilk. Fold remaining flour by hand with spatula. Do not overmix.
6. Divide batter equally between pans. Tap 4 to 5 times to release air bubbles.
7. Bake about 30 minutes until edges pull away and toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Invert onto wire rack. Remove parchment. Cool completely.
9. For frosting: beat butter and salt medium-high 5 minutes until fluffy. Add sifted powdered sugar 1 cup at a time with 1 tbsp cream between each. Add vanilla. Beat high 1 minute.
10. Spread 1 cup frosting on first cooled layer. Top with second layer. Frost top and sides.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cake, Celebration
- 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, easy moist vanilla cake recipe from scratch buttermilk, best vanilla layer cake with vanilla buttercream frosting, moist fluffy vanilla cake recipe
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