Vanilla Cake Recipe (VIDEO)
An easy Vanilla Cake with a soft and moist crumb and great vanilla flavor. We used our popular Buttercream Frosting here but it’s also fantastic with a Chocolate Frosting. This Vanilla cake recipe is the perfect base for a birthday cake or any special occasion.
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Watch the Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe Video:
This cake really is easy and can even be made ahead. Watch the video tutorial for how to make the perfect vanilla cake and best Buttercream Frosting (which isn’t overly sweet like most American buttercreams).
Why we Love this Vanilla Cake!
Everyone needs a great vanilla cake base and I hope this becomes your new favorite! It’s made from scratch and the combination of ingredients gives it amazing texture and flavor. We used the same base as our famous Vanilla Cupcakes and made this stunning cake. You’ll love the perfectly level cake layers – there’s no need to trim them.
How to Make a Vanilla Cake from Scratch:
Here is a quick visual reference for homemade vanilla cake. Get the full print-friendly recipe below.
- Butter and flour two 9″ cake pans and preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Whisk together dry ingredients.
- With an electric mixer, beat Butter and Sugar 5 minutes.
- Beat in eggs 1 at a time then beat in vanilla.
- Add flour mixture in thirds alternating with buttermilk and mixing between each addition.
- Divide between 2 cake pans and bake at 350˚F for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes then transfer cakes (we use this cake release tool) to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
How to Frost a Cake:
Frosting a cake is the fun part. Once your cake is fully at room temperature, make your Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. We love the vintage vibe of waves in the frosting like we did with our chocolate cake but you can also crumb coat the cake and pipe the frosting onto the cake.
- Place the first cake layer on a cake platter.
- Spread a generous layer of frosting over the top, going to the edges.
- Cover with the second cake layer with the top side down for a perfectly level cake surface.
- Coat the top and sides of the cake with remaining frosting and use an offset spatula or spoon to create waves in the cake.
Add sprinkles if desired. Sprinkles are the easiest way to turn a plain cake into a birthday cake!
Our Best Baking Tips:
- Room temperature ingredients are critical so your batter blends well without separating or becoming grainy.
- Avoid Substitutions! We always recommend trying the recipe as written before experimenting.
- Measure Correctly – check out our post on how we measure ingredients for baking.
- Weigh your pans – we use a digital food scale to make sure the layers are evenly divided.
How to Keep Leftover Cake Moist:
If you have sliced your cake and want to refrigerate leftovers for later, cover the cut side of the cake with plastic wrap, placing it directly onto the cake. This will prevent moisture loss and keep your cake from drying out.
More Top-Rated Cake Recipes:
These are the best-loved and best-reviewed cakes on our site. These are the ones we make most often.
- Chocolate Cake – rich, moist and decadent
- Tiramisu Recipe – coffee-infused Italian dessert
- Tres Leches Cake – the moistest cake you’ll try
- Perfect Cheesecake – with irresistible cherry sauce
- Pumpkin Cake – with the best cream cheese frosting
Vanilla Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, or plain kefir, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter and flour two 9" cake pans, tapping out excess flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set flour mixture aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer), beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 minutes until thick and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition then scrape down the bowl. Add 4 tsp vanilla extract and beat to combine.
- Reduce mixer to medium speed and add the flour mixture in thirds alternating with the 1 cup of room temperature buttermilk, allowing the flour and buttermilk to incorporate with each addition. Scrape down the bowl as needed and beat until just combined and smooth.
- Divide batter evenly between 2 prepared cake pans and spread out the batter into the pans smoothing out the tops with a spatula. Bake on the center rack at 350˚F for 28-30 minutes. Rest in pans for 10 minutes then run a knife or thin spatula around the edges to loosen and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before applying Vanilla Frosting.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi Natasha, I’m a seasoned baker of chiffon cakes. I wanted to bake a Vanilla cake for a birthday. I tried 2 other recipes but the top always feels damp f sticky after cooling.
I will try your recipes soon but can you advise me what could be the problem?
Love your bana cak recipes.
It’s hard to say. It could be the recipe, the humidity in the room, the process of cooling the cakes. Sorry I can’t be more help. I hope you love this recipe.
I’ve made this vanilla cake and the cupcake recipes with great success. I would love to make lemon instead of vanilla. Any suggestions? Thanks!!
Hi Shari! I’m so glad you love it. You should be able to use lemon extract or lemon zest in this recipe to change up the flavor. I haven’t done it myself to provide the amounts so you’ll likely need to experiment to reach the desired lemon flavor. Let us know how it turns out.
Hey Natasha –
I tried baking this today. The texture turned out amazingly good. It’s super soft and moist.
I just have one question. Why does the cake taste like pancake? I baked 2 batches – that’s 4 layers. Both batches taste the same. Followed the recipe as is. My 9 year also pointed the same.
HI Jeba, I never really thought they tasted like pancakes, although vanilla cupcakes have similar ingredients buttermilk pancakes. Did you possibly leave out the vanilla?
I did not. I’m sure I added vanilla. May be it’s because I make a lot of pancakes 😅 I’m yet to frost the cake. I’ll be doing it today. I’ll let you how it tastes with the frosting. Thanks for your reply.
Just a comment, if your flour isn’t fresh or past the expiration date it can cause problems .
Comments on the ( Vanilla Cake)
Hi Natasha,
Let me start off by saying that I simply love every single recipe that I’ve made of yours. They are perfection. This recipe was the very first of many that didn’t come out as expected. The cake was very dense. I made sure that I followed the recipe to the t. I know I measured correctly and didn’t over bake. I used a stand mixer, but I didn’t think that should’ve been a problem. (unless it was over mixed?) Anyway, I still think you are THE BEST out there!
Hi Rhonda! I’m so sorry to hear that. Over-mixing the batter will result in dense and gummy cupcakes. Using too much flour will cause dense cupcakes as well. Did you measure your flour the way I recommend to do it here in my How to measure ingredients tutorial?
Yes, I always measure the flour that way now. Thanks for responding. Can’t wait for your cookbook.
Hello Natasha.Im reading your comments and some say the cake was dense.Im also a baker and I have made this recipe dozens of times.My cake was perfect.it was extremely moist.Never had any complaints.Everyone loves this recipe.Maybe some of the people who did this recipe either missed an ingredient or put too much of something or simply can’t bake.But again,this cake was very moist and absolutely amazing.I’ve made several of your recipes.Keep up the great work.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment and review, Nat! The culprit often tends to be due to a measuring mishap or an elevation change.
Best vanilla cake I’ve ever made – this is now my go-to! I did play a little with the buttermilk ingredient. I had neither buttermilk nor kefir on hand, but I did have plain greek yogurt. I made a curdled milk (milk + lemon juice as buttermilk substitute), and combined that 1:1 with the plain greek yogurt, for the 1 cup required in the recipe. It turned out great! I may start doing this more in recipes, depending on what it is. Thanks for this recipe! Your website is one of my 2 faves for cooking and baking, and the videos are fabulous.
Hi Jane, great to hear that it worked so well! Thanks so much for sharing that with us as a lot of people are asking for substitutions, that’s helpful.
I made it for a party the other day, and the cake was surprisingly dense. It also lacked the signature yellow color. We all decided that it was little too sweet. I’m wondering if it is a dense cake or if I over-beat it. I weigh my ingredients. Thanks!!
Hi Sarah! I’m sorry to hear that. Over-mixing the batter can result in a dense cake, or using too much flour. But if you are measuring your flour in grams then that wouldn’t be the problem. The yellow tint in the batter is dependent on the eggs and butter used. Fresh home eggs have a darker yolk, and different brands of butter are lighter more yellow than others.
My cake batter came out very thick but didn’t really pour that well. I watched the video and yours looked thick as well but still able to pour. Did I do something wrong?
Hi Adrian! It could be that you are using too much flour. It’s best to fluff the flour and use a spoon to fill your cup and not scoop it out with your measuring cup. Watch my tutorial on how to measure ingredients. I hope that helps.
Hi, why do we add the flour on medium speed? I thought that when adding flour to any recipe you should be mixing the flour on low speed so you don’t activate the gluten-making the end product dense/tough. Or does it not matter in this case since we are alternating it with a liquid(buttermilk).
Hi Adrian! Low or medium speed will work. That is correct, you do not want to over-mix-allow it to beat just until it’s combined and smooth.
Natasha, I live in Mexico and buttermilk isn’t sold here in the supermarkets, as this ingredient is not employed in Mexican cuisine. Can I use whole milk instead?
Plain kefir will also work well instead of buttermilk. You can also make your own buttermilk at a ratio of whole milk to 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Combine and let it sit 10 minutes to curdle then stir and use.
Hi Natasha! I’m sure this is a great recipe but I always struggle with my cake being too dense. I am not quite sure why but I make sure not to the over beat the batter and make sure my ingredient’s are at room temperature! Are they any ways to prevent this?
Hi Serene! The other thing that comes to mind is that you’re using too much flour. Be sure to measure ingredients correctly. If you scoop the flour out of the bin, you could be using too much. I hope that helps.
Thankyou so much! I tried this recipe and it turned out great. Definitely something I will make again!
Awesome! We’re happy to hear that you loved our Vanilla Cake Recipe a lot!
hello! i was wondering what i should convert the measurements to in order to make this cake with 3 – 6 inch cake pans?
Hi Sofie! I have not tested this in different size pans to advise on exact measurements, I’m sorry. You will also have to watch them in the oven, as they will bake faster.
Could I add brown sugar to the cake batter? Like 1 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar. How would that effect the cake.
Hi Adrian! I have not tested that to advise. Generally, it can make the cake more dense and give it a richer, molasses flavor.
I followed this recipe exactly as written. I did not over mix the cake nor did I over bake the cake. It was dry and grainy tasting. I will not be making this recipe again.
Hi Sue! I’m sorry to hear that. This recipe has excellent reviews and we do not have that issue when the recipe is followed correctly. The most common reason for this to happen is overbaking or not measuring your flour correctly. I have a tutorial on how to measure ingredients that shows you how I measured my flour. You can also click on “metric” in the recipe card for the gram conversion and weigh out the flour for the most accurate results. I hope this is helpful for your future baking endeavors.
I keep hearing in these reviews the cake texture isn’t right and the response is always perhaps too much flour was used. Wouldn’t it be better if the recipe said the weight of flour in grams or ounces instead of cups?
Hi Natasha,
LOVE your recipies and made lots of them…
For this one though my buttercream curred 🙁
Keep up the good work.
Thank you.
Ela.
Hi Ela! Do you mean curdled? The frosting I recommended in this recipe uses heavy cream and cream cheese, it’s not buttercream. I’d be more than happy to help troubleshoot if you’d like to clarify the concern and let me know which recipe you tried using.
Hi Natasha,
I’m so confused. The recipe states to use your vanilla buttercream frosting which does not have cream cheese in it. Can you tell me which recipe that is please? Thanks
Hi Ann Marie. In the first paragraph of the blog, you’ll see “buttercream frosting” in red font. If you click on the red font words, they are links. That will direct you to the recipe that I’m referring to.
Hi Natasha! Do you recommend cake flour or is regular flour okay?
Hi Gillian! This recipe uses all-purpose flour.
I’m not a baker, but lately been trying to bake simple things like cookies and cakes. I followed the recipe instructions and this is best cake I’ve made. my husband love raspberry so I put raspberry jam for the filling, and use the buttercream frosting for ice the cake.
Wow, you did a great job! Keep it up and I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try from us.
Natasha – I do the baking in our family and recipes are always delicious. Not sure you can help me, but our son just graduated from college and I was hoping to turn your vanilla cake into a marbled sheet cake for his party. Is there any chance you have tips to share before I set off on this type of adaptation? Thanks very much for your channel – You’re the best!
Hi Ken! Thank you so much. I’m glad you are loving my recipes. I haven’t tested this batter with cocoa powder to advise. Cocoa powder absorbs more moisture so I am not sure how it would affect the texture of the cake without making some modifications. If you experiment, please let us know how it turns out.
This recipe made the absolute best cake I’ve ever had. The batter is so smooth and it bakes into a moist a tender crumb. I paired it with your chocolate buttercream and it’s absolutely delicious!! Thank you for all your hard work, your recipes are always fabulous!!
Hi Amanda! Thank you so much. I’m glad you loved this cake. It’s our go-to vanilla cake and we love it! I appreciate the feedback and review.
Can I substitute the butter for oil? How much oil would I need?
Hi Rebecca, I have only tried this specific cake with butter so I can’t advise on the outcome if using oil instead. I didn’t see anyone mentioned using oil in the comments either. I wish I could be more helpful!
I can’t wait to make the cake for Mother Days. Is look so delicious.
I hope it becomes a hit!
I made this cake for my father’s birthday. While the taste is good, the cake is too dense. I don’t think I would make it again.
Hi Teri! It sounds like you could have used too much flour. I recommend watching my tutorial on how to measure flour HERE. Also, don’t over-mix the batter. I hope that helps!
So I followed the directions and mine tastes like cornbread. I’m not sure what happened?
Hi Morgan! I would look over the ingredients and instructions again to make sure you did not miss anything. Make sure you are using all-purpose flour and not substituting it with flour that contains corn. Other causes could be that you are using stale flour or possibly not mixing the batter well enough. You don’t want to over-mix but if you under-mix it can have the consistency of cornbread. I also suggest watching my tutorial on how I measure my flour HERE. I hope that helps.
Hi can I use your cream cheese frosting for this? And can I make a day ahead?
Hi Dina, I imagine that would work! I hope you love it!
Can I make this recipe into a rectangle 13x 9 pan instead of the round 9”?
Hi Erica, I haven’t tried this recipe in that size pan, but I recommend using THIS Adapt Baking Recipes to Fit Different Pan Sizes Guide.
Hello, So make cake layers were a bit dense. Could this have happened because I used unbleached flour or because I overmixed the batter.
Hi Adrian, those can definitely alter the end result. I recommend making the recipe as written.
Hey Natasha!
I plan on making this cake for my daughters birthday, but is there a way I can add sprinkles to the batter to make it Funfetti? Any tips?!? I read on a different recipe to add 1/2 of sprinkles mixed with a tablespoon of flour to help suspend the sprinkles in the batter so they don’t sink to the bottom of the cake?? Thoughts?!? Thanks!
Hi Caitlin! I have not tested it to advise. I think it could work fine. You may try researching to see which sprinkles are best to use that would dissolve easily and bleed into the batter.
I really love baking, especially cakes! Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe with us, Natasha K! This is my first time making Vanilla cake actually, and it tasted absolutely perfect! Thank you so much for sharing your impeccable recipes, once again!!
Hi Georgia! That’s wonderful news. I’m so glad you tried this recipe. 🙂
It’s lovely! Thanks for sharing. Vanilla Cake is my favorite (only after cheesecake!) LOL!! I ended up making it though, thanks to your recipe! You make it super easy to understand. Thank you so much again, Natasha K!
Hi Sofia! You’re very welcome. Thank you, I’m glad you enjoy the recipe. 🙂
Cake was overcooked and everything together was too sweet. Definitely not the cake I wanted to present to my husband on his birthday 🙁
Hi Melinda! I’m sorry to hear that. Did you make any substitutions or use a different size pan that could have caused the cake to bake faster? Every oven bakes differently so I highly encourage the use of an internal oven thermometer.
Also, be sure to measure your ingredients correctly.
The colour of vanilla buttercream frosting is bright white in your photos. The actual colour is light beige.
That’s misleading.
Please explain
Thx
HI Barb, if you start with a yellow-tinted butter then the color won’t be quite as bright white. This is why I prefer the cheaper, lighter colored butter for frosting.
I want mine to be pale like yours. I’d love to know what brand of butter you use or recommend
Hi Adrian! I have used several brands. Some of the ones that tend to be lighter in color are: Challenge, Land-O-Lakes, Great value, and Kirkland brand.
Can you make ahead and freeze the cake layers for use later?
Hi Stacy, I bet that could work. Ensure you wrap them well.
Made this cake this weekend. Frosting and cake are beautiful. Everyone loved it. Live all of your recipes.
So glad it was a huge hit! Thanks a lot for sharing that with us.
Hi Natasha! I’m 12 and I’ve been baking for a long time and I’ve made this recipe many times using gluten-free flour, which works better that all-purpose flour. The cake was crumbly and the frosting started ripping off the golden brown layer of cake and got crumbs in it. What was I doing wrong that made the cake crumbly?
Hi Gigi! I have not tested this recipe with gluten free flour, so I am not sure if that is what effected it. Some things that you can try to help… make sure the cake layers have fulled cooled before you frost (you may even try to refrigerate them). Also, if you used my recipe for buttercream frosting, I would check the texture and consistency of your frosting. If the butter was too cold, or if you did not add any cream or enough cream to the frosting, the frosting will be harder to spread which will break off pieces of cake crumbs as you frost the cake. I hope that helps!
Hey Natasha! Thank you for replying, and I did cool the cakes overnight actually. Overall, this cake was very delicious!
You’re welcome, Gigi! Try cooling/chilling the cake to see if that helps. Often times it can be difficult to frost when it’s so fresh because it’s fragile. If you refrigerate the cake layers, be sure to let them fully cool and put them in an airtight container so they don’t dry out.
Hi, I’ve made this cake many three times and the buttercream frostings ends up tasting like a blob of butter and greasy. Am I doing something wrong. If so, how can I fix it? Lastly, is the buttercream frosting American?
Hi Adrian! Yes, the frosting linked in this recipe is American buttercream. Often times if it tastes like butter, it’s because it needs to be mixed longer. If you prefer a different frosting, you may try one of my other frosting recipes HERE.
Hi, thanks for the reply.
When you mean it needs to be mixed more, do mean the butter itself or when you are mixing the ingredients together for the final time? How long would you say I need to mix it more because I don’t want it to curdle. Lastly, would chilling the before making the Frosting reduce the chance of curdling. I believe that’s the last question
Hi Adrian, I assumed you were referring to the frosting tasting too much like butter. Is that correct? If so, it shouldn’t curdle since this isn’t a whipped cream-based frosting. I have a video for the frosting, watch my process so you can see the texture of my frosting at the end. Mixing it longer incorporates more air into the frosting to make it light and fluffy, as well as making sure the sugar is incorporated well. The temperature of your butter is important so read my tips/notes in the blog/recipe post.
The cake layers should be completely cooled (I even chill them sometimes) before I frost the cake. Hope that helps!
Okay, I lied, I have another question. Do I have to refrigerate the leftover cake after I cover it in frosting? I remember the second time I made this cake I left it out on the counter with a bowl covering it and got coagulated grease puddles at the rim of the cake plate.
Yes, you can refrigerate it. Just make sure to keep it in an air-tight container to help keep it moist. It will dry out a bit when refrigerated but let it come to room temperature again before cutting/serving.
Hi Natasha, I am planning to bake this cake for my son’s birthday, but I have a few questions:
We don’t really like buttercream frosting but your cupcake frosting on the vanilla cupcakes is divine! Could that frosting work here? Knowing that I will be making a 3-layer cake, most likely a day ahead, any tips here? How long ahead should I get it out of the fridge?
Hi Sara! That would work fine. Just be aware, the frosting is not very stable so it is not the best for tall cakes. Make sure the cake layers are cooled down completely and even cold when frosting. I would not take the cake out too soon, this frosting does not harden as much as buttercream so it can be served directly from the refrigerator.
I made this for Christmas Day for the first time. I followed the directions perfectly (I think) but it turned out really dense, bready and heavy…like a brick. Any ideas on what may have caused that? I made it the day before and stored in fridge overnight.
I love your recipes so much!
Hi Nancy! It sounds like you could have used too much flour. I recommend watching my tutorial on how to measure flour HERE. Also, don’t over-mix the batter. I hope that helps!
baked this yesterday and it turned out really well! a bit dense for my liking but everyone has different preferences.
Totally understand. Thanks for Sharing!
i tried to baked your chocolate,red velvet and this vanilla cake and my family loves it, and even sell it and got a positive response from my customer….
That’s great! I’m glad it’s enjoyed.
Seven minute frosting would be great on that cake. Looks good either way.
Hi Natasha
Love your receipes!
Please advise on cake Tin Sizes, at the top of the screen it says to change for no of slices, but how does this work for cake tin sizes? Thanks
Hi Heather, changing the number of servings on the recipe card will change the ingredient list but unfortunately, it does not change the instructions or give new pan sizes. I did not test this recipe in multiple pan sizes to provide that information. You may find this article on cake pan conversions helpful.
I made this recipe for a 24″ x 16″ 2 layer slab cake for a 80 person corporate event with the vanilla butter cream frosting.
Huge hit! I used vanilla custard and whipped cream between the layers. Needless to say, there was no cake left!
Thank you for this amazing recipe! Best vanilla cake recipe I have ever used in 50 years.
Wow! That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Susan! I’m so glad this was a hit with a crowd!
how many times did you have to multiply this recipe to make a cake that size?
thanks!
Hi Nathasha, love your recopies, But I find it hard to measure the ingredients in cups. It would be super helpful if you had your ingredients in grams.
Hi Su! If you click on “metric” in the recipe card, it will convert the ingredient list to grams for you.
Vanilla cake recipe
My first time making a cake from scratch. I followed the directions exactly as in the recipe
My oven temperature was confirmed at 350 degrees
I was disappointed the height of each cake is a little over 1 inch. I was hoping for more height in the cakes.
Hi Natasha – My son wants a chocolate chip cake for his birthday. I have made this cake many times with rave reviews. Would you recommend adding the chips at the end? And if so, how much?
Hi Angela, I haven’t tried that myself, but I bet that could work. Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Your are the BEST !! I love watching you cook and bake !! You have amazing recipes!! Thank
You !! 🌸♥️
Thank you for that wonderful compliment, Sofia! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi
I love love love your recipes!!!
Have you ever made a surprise cake? I want to make a surprise cake with confetti filling inside. Will this cake be suitable for that?
I’m happy that you’re enjoying my recipes! I have not tried making a surprise cake yet but here are some of my Cake recipes that you can try.
Ha ha
I have tried every one of your cakes and I LOVE them
Thank you
So glad you enjoy them. Thank you!
This cake was so delicious and easy to make. It turned out very moist! The layers baked evenly as well. It was a huge hit at my mom’s 82nd birthday party!
That’s great, Sheryl! I’m so glad it was a huge hit! Happy Birthday to your mom. 🙂
Hi! I want to try this cake out for my family and I was wondering if I could use salted butter instead of unsalted and some salt. Would that work too? And my other question is would I be able to use whole milk instead of buttermilk? Thanks for this recipe!
Hi Anna, buttermilk is what really adds the flavor profile and texture to this recipe. You can make your own buttermilk using 1 cup of milk and 1 tbsp white vinegar, stir and let is sit for 5-10mins and its ready to use. I think salted butter would be fine if you omit the salt. I have tested it and it may be a bit on the salty side but could possibly work just fine.
Hi, I’m super excited to make this cake for a surprise party, but I was wondering how long I could store it (unfrosted) before the party? I’ve got a really busy week ahead of me and wanted to make it early.
Hi Averia, this cake can be made ahead; I have made it up to two days in advance. After it is assembled, you want to refrigerate the cake (covered with a cake cover or large inverted pot). It will be softer at room temperature, so let the cake sit out a little before serving.
Hi Natasha,
This is a wonderful cake! I use, what I don’t eat, it in trifle. I only need an 8×8 cake. Do you think I should half the recipe?
Hi Jacki, I have not tested this recipe in a different pan size. I used 2 pans that are 9”x2”. You may try looking up a cake pan conversion chart to help.
Hello, Natasha
I love this recipe, it was hit when I made it for my mom’s birthday 2 years ago. I want to make it again in either a 6 inch or a 8 in pan, but I want to do 4 layers do I need to increase my ingredients?
Hi Brittney, it might be difficult to layer this cake as 4 layers since it is fairly heavy. I haven’t tested that so I can’t provide specific advice. It would be very tall if you doubled the recipe. You might be able to do 1 1/2 times the recipe and bake in 4 separate cake pans. As a 4-layer cake, the buttercream will be a safer bet or Swiss Meringue Buttercream as a whipped cream-based frosting might not hold up well under the weight of the cake layers.
Ok thank you so much, I will definitely give that a try, and maybe I can us my 6 inch pans
Hi Natasha,
I tried this recipe. It came out perfect. Thank you very much. Is there an email address that I can send you the cake I made? Unfortunately I’m not on Instagram.
Hi Ronali, you can use the contact form on my website or if you have a Facebook account, you can share the photos on our Facebook page or group!
Wow!… I tried this recipe this morning with a couple of adjustments, I used Clover instead of butter & sour cream that I had left over,and I baked it in 3 x 6inch tins & 6 cupcakes…. the most beautiful sponge ever,although in one of my tins,the sponge came away from the sides, but next time I’ll use butter to see if that makes a difference. Absolutely beautiful.
Thanks for the awesome feedback, Debra! I’m happy to hear that you loved the result of this recipe.
Hi Natasha, here in Mexico we don’t have buttermilk. what happens if I use regular milk?
Hi Laura! You can make your own buttermilk by mixing 1 TBSP white vinegar with 1 cup milk, see my recipe notes.
I made this cake for my family! They loved it. Have outride cake flour?
I’m so glad they all loved it, Roylene! I can’t say this will work with cake flour to advise. With baking being such a science it may not work. If you happen to experiment please let me know how you like that.
Hi Natasha One of your reply comments was Recommend conventional bake mode not convection why is this
Hi Cynthia, we use conventional bake mode so the recipe is based on that. You will need to make adjustments to the recipe and bake time/ temp using convection.
Hi Natasha
If I would like to turn this into a baby gender reveal cake, how much colouring is required for each cake, and would I need to eliminate any ingredients as a result of adding the colouring?
Hi Alyson, I haven’t experimented with food coloring in this recipe, but I imagine gel would work best. If you happen to test that, I would love to know how you like it.
Question: Can I use low-fat buttermilk for this vanilla cake recipe?
Hi Maria, I haven’t tried this with low-fat buttermilk. Any substitutions may hinder the outcome of the recipe but if you experiment, please let us know how it works for you.
This has been my go to yellow cake recipe since I first seen it on YouTube. I love that it just uses 4 eggs( a lot of others use more), also 1 and a half cups of sugar( some others use 2). This comes out perfectly also. Thank you SOOOOOO much for this one!!!!
You’re very welcome, Carolina! Thank you for the excellent review.
Hi Natasha!
If i wanted to make this in smaller cakes for a birthday smash cake do i need to adjust temp/time for cooking?
And also, would adding sprinkles like your confetti cake work in this recipe?
Hi Alice, I haven’t tested that with sprinkles, but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hello Natasha,
can I replace the buttermilk with
milk as I do not have the buttermilk or kefir?
Tx!
Plain kefir will also work well instead of buttermilk. You can also make your own buttermilk at a ratio of 1 cup whole milk to 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Combine and let it sit 10 minutes to curdle then stir and use.
Can I use just whole milk as another substitution I don’t have kefir or butter milk? and most of the time I don’t have lemons on hand
Hi Carla! Do you have vinegar? You can make it into buttermilk with 1 tbsp vinegar and 1 cup of milk.
I think using regular milk will be fine as well, but we’ve seen the best results to flavor and texture with buttermilk.
Hi Natasha!
I’m planning to make this cake for my daughter’s Confirmation that it will be in 2 weeks.
I have two questions can I substitute vanilla extract with almond extract? And it is ok to double the recipe?
Thank you very much! Your recipes are amazing!
Hi Paola, I haven’t tried it with almond extract, but I bet that could work! I haven’t tested doubling this so I can’t provide specific advice. It would be very tall if you doubled the recipe. You might be able to do 1 1/2 times the recipe and bake in 4 separate cake pans.
I’ve tried so many vanilla cake recipes and I’m so grateful for this absolutely wonderful recipe it tastes sooooo delicious thank you so much Natasha. The pictures throughout the recipe are really great and also helpful for people who aren’t confident when baking 🙂 if I could I would give more stars. I love watching all your recipes so delicious.
Thank you, Antonia! That is very kind. So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for the wonderful review.
I made this cake with chocolate icing. I followed the directions exactly as written. The layers are dry! I don’t know why. I bake cakes all the time so I’m not new at this. Do you know what may have happened?
Hi Angela, could it have been over-baked? Not all ovens are created equal and I highly recommend the toothpick test to check for doneness. Also, make sure not to bake on convection mode.
Hello Natasha,
How much one cup of butter in oz or in grams?
Hi Amani, If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
Love love love this cake recipe! It’s worth all the effort and definitely having all the ingredients at room temperature.
I accidentally left the cake uncovered in the refrigerator after cutting some pieces though and was wondering if there is anything I can do to make it more moist again. I feel awful that I didn’t cover it because it was so incredibly soft and fluffy!
Hi Melanie! I’m sorry to hear that. I do not know what can be done to fix the dryness now. If you leave it out to come to room temperature before eating, that may help it not feel so dry.
Hi Natasha,
I am thinking of using this vanilla cake recipe and frost it with the mascarpone frosting from your strawberry layer cake recipe, and add fresh berries in between the layers. Do you think the flavors will work together? Thanks so much. Love all your recipes.
Hi Marg! Yes, I think that would work very well. This vanilla cake is so versatile.
Hi Natasha,
I wanted to let you know that the cake was a huge hit. The slightly tangy frosting paired beautifully with the vanilla cake and berries. My husband, who normally is not a cake guy, said “What a great cake. I love the texture and it’s not too sweet. Is it Natasha’s recipe?” 🙂 THANK YOU ❤ I am trying your chicken marsala recipe next.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Marg!
Hi Natasha!
I am looking forward to making this cake in the next couple of weeks! I was wondering if you have ever tried this cake with a raspberry compote filling in the layers? I am wanting to add some freshness to the cake and wondering if its possible with this recipe!
Hi Jordan, I have not but I think that would work and be yummy.
Hi natasha do you think I could just use egg whites to make the cake be white?
Hi Sabrina, I have not tested that. Using only egg whites will affect the texture of the cake and it may even come out tough or dry. It would need a source of fat replaced if it’s too dry. You’d have to experiment with it. Please let us know how it works out if you try it.
Love what Hong all your recipes and I have tried a few with great results.
I was trying to find your vanilla recipe for making your cakes ?
I don’t seem to be able to find it?
Thank you!!
Hi Debbie, my Vanilla Extract recipe turned out great! I hope you love it!
hi i was wondering if i dont have store bought buttermilk could i make my own (getting one cup of milk and adding one tablespoon of vinegar) ?
Hi Mylisa, yes that will work. You can make your own buttermilk at a 1 cup whole milk ratio to 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Combine and let it sit 10 minutes to curdle, then stir and use. I hope that helps.
I used with gluten free flour and 1/4 cup less sugar and it turned out great. I also used almond milk instead of buttermilk but I added vinegar to it. Awesome!
That’s fantastic! I’m glad that turned out well, thank you for sharing that with us.
Can you please tell me what GF mix you used? Was it still it still light and fluffy?
Hi! I would love to make this cake for my grandpa’s birthday. Can I use Salted butter instead of unsalted butter for the cake?
Hi there, that sounds like a good plan. Yes you may use salted butter but lessen or omit the salt in the recipe.
Hi,
I followed the recepie exactly how it was written and followed the video. The cake was delicious, but When I cut the cake, noticed it was dry and hard. What do you think I did wrong?
Hi Myri, It’s hard to say without being there but a dry cake is usually due to overbaking. I wonder if it was due to baking for too long?
Hi Natasha, I made your Vanilla Cupcake recipe and Loved it and now I would like to make your Vanilla Cake recipe. I always measure my ingredients using metric. Is the metric amount stated for sugar in your recipe correct as it states 354.88g? Should it be 300g instead? Thanks so much!
Hi Nona, thank you so much for pointing that out. I have no idea why it showed incorrectly but you are absolutely correct. It should be 300 grams. Maybe there was a glitch in our system the first time we ran the numbers. I’m sorry about that and thank you so much for asking! I have corrected it to be 300 grams of sugar.
In the video it says the recipe for vanilla is in the notes but I’m not seeing it?
Hi Patty, if you click Jump to Recipe at the top of the post that will take you to the printable recipe card, you will see the vanilla ingredient is highlighted in red. You can click that link to see the recipe. You can also find it HERE. I hope this helps!
Hello,
Can powdered buttermilk be used in this recipe?
Thank you and I can’t wait to make this!!
Hi Lindsay, I haven’t tried it with powdered to advise on the outcome. I imagine you will need to make a few adjustments.
Can I use 2 x 8 inch pans instead? Do I need to reduce the amount of ingredients to it better? I don’t have any pans bigger than 8 inch 🙁 love the cupcakes recipe btw!
I have no tested it in 8″ pans but that should be fine. Just make sure you do not overfill the pans. I am not sure how deep your pans are but you may have some leftover batter but I cannot say what adjustments need to be made to avoid this. As far as baking time, you may need to check a few mins early but it shouldn’t make too big of a difference in baking time. Hope that helps!
Hi!! If I want to use this recipe for 7” cake and to make a 3 layer what would the ratio ingredients be then? Or should I just double the recipe fill the 3 pans 2/3 of the way and have left over batter for cupcakes etc?! Also to make the cake easier to work with, without breaking apart do I leave it in the cake pan until cool then remove to chill more and refrigerate for 20mins before frosting? Or take them out of the pan immediately once out of the oven to cool on pan? I don’t want it to break apart again. It’s so frustrating! Thank you!!
Hi Sabrina, without testing that myself, you would need to experiment on timing, but I would keep the temp the same and do your best to fill the pans the same as you would for two pans. It might work to divide them into three 7-inch pans.
I’m going to try this cake recipe for my Caramel Cake! I love all your recipes!!!!
Thank you, I hope you love it!
Aw man, this is a dangerous recipe! I made this in a 9 by 13 pan and baked it for about 35 minutes at 350. I couldn’t wait until it was all the way cooled before trying it, so I cut a piece for myself and frosted it with Natasha’s vanilla frosting. Wowza!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
What do you think was the reason my cake(Bundt type) of this recipe came out so dense?
Hi Pat, check that your leavening is working and not expired. Also, see our post on how we measure dry ingredients since too much flour can be a culprit.
Of all the cake recipes on the internet, this one is the most practical with excellent results! No need to go purchase expensive cake flour and no separating your egg whites – what a relief! My 2 year old loves to bake with me and we were able to quickly make delicious cupcakes with this recipe (baked at 350 for 19 minutes). I especially love that this produces such soft cake that isn’t overbearingly sweet. You can slightly taste a hint of butter and to me that is the hallmark of homemade, from scratch. Thank you, Natasha! We are long-time fans beginning with your jello and pretzel layered dessert years ago!
Thank you for your great review, Amy! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Hi there!!
Can I make this the night before and store in an airtight container once cooled? I’m hoping it won’t dry out. I have made your vanilla cupcakes several times and they are amazing.
It’s always better to make it on the same day so it will really be fresh but making it ahead shouldn’t be a problem too, just let it thaw after from the fridge before serving.
Am eager to try this recipe. Thank you for all your great recipes, videos and tips. I tried the link to the cake pans, but it did not come up with the same type seen in your video. Could you cite the source for the gold pans? Thanks.
Hi Maria, you can find our favorite kitchen tools in our Amazon Affiliate Shop HERE.
Baked it on our wedding day and on Christmas eve. It’s now my husband’s favorite cake. Thanks natasha
Wow, that’s wonderful!
Natasha this cake is perfect, I was worried about baking a whole cake for the first time but this recipe was so easy. The video helped a lot as well. I also tried the cupcakes my children love them, Thank you love from Trinidad..
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you all enjoyed it, Trini!
This cake is delicious – did not use an electric mixer but it was easy enough to do “the old fashioned way”. Made it for my son’s 5th birthday and we all loved it. Thank you so much for this recipe
You’re most welcome! I’m glad that you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi! I want to make this for my daughter’s first birthday. I was wondering if I could make one layer of cake in a 9 x 13 pan? If so, do you have baking times? Thank you!
Hi Sarah, I haven’t tested that yet to advise of the baking time. You may check the other comments at the bottom of the recipe if others have tried it.
Made this and the frosting. Followed the instructions carefully and exactly. Turned out perfect and tasted great for a basic vanilla cake. I am a tragic baker – so this recipe must be pretty foolproof. Thank you so much for posting this and the video!
Wow, that’s awesome! Thanks for sharing that with us, I’m glad it was a success!
Hi Natasha- what is your elevation where you bake? Wondering if I need to adapt for high altitude. We’re about 5,000 feet here.
Hi Anne, we’re at about 2500 feet here. I don’t have experience with high-altitude baking but you can find more tips on High Altitude Baking HERE.
Hi Natasha! I love your recipes. I specially like how they’re not as sweet as their American counterparts. I want to use this vanilla cake recipe as a base for a coconut cake with coconut buttercream. What changes do you suggest I make to get a coconut cake? Thank you!
Hi Dayelis, I haven’t tried this with coconut substitute to advise on the amount, but I think that could work in place of vanilla. If you happen to test this out, I would love to know how you like that.
I love this cake so much! I use this recipe multiple times (birthdays, celebrations, etc.). Every time I bake this cake it turns out wonderful. Everyone I have baked this cake for has loved it! Thank you for providing this cake recipe!!
Aww, I’m so glad you found a favorite on my site, Rakhi! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I have made this vanilla cake on multiple occasions, especially on birthdays. Every time this cake turns out wonderful! Everyone I have baked this for has loved it!! Thank you so much for providing this recipe.
Can I use a 6 inch cake pan instead of 9 inch. If yes then how long do we have to leave it in the oven?
Hi Crystal! I bet this could work in a couple of 6″ pans. Depending on how deep your cake pans are, that may alter the total time they need to be cooked.
Hi Natasha! I love, love your recipes and videos but I have a question. If I were to make a 3 layer cake with the same measurements of a 9 inch pan how would I add to your recipe to acquire that. Hope you see this and thanks in advance
Hi Lauchele, this recipe makes a two-layer cake, making 1.5 times the recipe may allow for the 3 layers. I haven’t tried that myself to advise, I hope that works for you!
Thank you very much Natasha this really helped a lot. I love your cake recipe☺️
You’re so welcome!
Hi Natasha I love your recipes 😋. I want to make 3 layers 10″ pans. Can I double the recipe?
Hi Victoria, this recipe makes a two-layer cake, making 1.5 times the recipe may allow for the 3 layers. I haven’t tried that myself to advise, I hope that works for you!
This is hands down a cake to remember!! I use vanilla bean paste for a deep vanilla flavor and I get lovely butter sugar fluff before I start. I made this once and served it as a single layer fresh for my father and the crumb was so light it almost melted. I used my now pasted grandmothers frosting recipe on it and he nearly cried. Since that day I have played with layering the cake and adding Ermine filling and which has lead to refrigerator time before serving it. The cake is still out off this weld and everyone loves it, but it lost that original beautiful fluffy texture.
My question is.. Can I restore that after its been in the fridge? Or should I serve room temp? I love your channel 💞
Yum! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Rebecca! Thank you for that wonderful review! I bet this is so good with vanilla bean paste! It’s always better to make it on the same day so it will really be fresh but making it ahead shouldn’t be a problem too, just let it thaw after from the fridge before serving.
Can you make a chai cream cheese buttercream please? Thanks! 🙂
Thanks for your suggestion, Ruby.
Just made this cake today. Turned out beautifully! My family loved it😊
Great to hear that they loved it!
Love all your recipes I have tried but this Vanilla Cake was so dry and heavy. Did not look at all like your pictures I followed the recipe directions to the T The only thing different was I used Low-fat Buttermilk and baked in a 9x 13 cake pan for about 30 min. Had good flavor tho. Probably won’t make it again however your salmon and meatloaf recipes I make all the time.
Hi TK, a dry cake is usually due to overbaking. I wonder if it was due to baking in a 9×13 pan and then baking for too long? I’m so glad you enjoy the salmon and meatloaf!
I made this cake and found it to be extremely dense. What did I do wrong? frosting was yummy.
Hi Lou Ann, check that your leavening is working and not expired. Also, see our post on how we measure dry ingredients since too much flour can be a culprit.
Thanks Natasha. I used two 6″ pans because I wanted a smaller cake, and some bonus cupcakes. Maybe because it took longer to bake in those pans. Tastes good though.
Natasha
We don’t have butter milk here
What can I substitute it with?
Thanks
Hi Paulette, You can make your own buttermilk at a 1 cup whole milk ratio to 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Combine and let it sit 10 minutes to curdle, then stir and use. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha, do you think this recipe would be enough for a one layer 12in cake pan? If so, do you think 35 mins would be ok?
Hi Brandie, without testing that through, it is difficult to guess.
Hi Natasha,
I made this cake today with the vanilla buttercream frosting and both were delicious. I used 4 – 6 inch Wilton pans and made a 4 layer cake. I some times have trouble with white cakes being too gummy – maybe I over mix. But this was perfect! Thank you!
Lovely to hear that, Mattie! Thank you for your good comments and feedback, glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi ! Did you just make the original recipe ? Or did you double the batch ?
Hey Natasha! Can I cream the butter and sugar using a simple whisk? I don’t have a stand mixer or electric hand mixer at the moment.
Hi Sindhu, it would definitely be more difficult to do that by hand, You might try pressing the butter into the sugar with a spatula first and then take over with a whisk when they are combined.
Hi Natasha, absolutely love this recipe, everytime I make this, people find it impossible to believe that it’s been baked by a young teen! I wanted to ask that approximately how much batter goes into each pan (in grams)?
That’s just awesome, Anusha! I wish I measured it to know the amount per pan. I try to get it as even as possible!