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Simple Vanilla Cake Recipe With Vanilla Buttercream
This simple vanilla cake recipe makes two soft, fluffy, buttery layers with a tender crumb and real vanilla flavor, finished with smooth vanilla buttercream. It’s the classic birthday cake, made with all-purpose flour and buttermilk instead of hard-to-find ingredients, and it comes together with a standard mixer in about 25 minutes of hands-on time. The same batter also makes a 9×13 sheet cake or 24 cupcakes.
Below you’ll find the ingredients with weights, step-by-step instructions for the cake and frosting, how to assemble a neat layer cake, troubleshooting tips and storage. The printable recipe card is at the bottom.
Ingredients for Vanilla Cake
For the cake
- All-purpose flour, 2½ cups (313 g), spooned and leveled.
- Baking powder, 2 teaspoons, and baking soda, ½ teaspoon.
- Fine salt, ¾ teaspoon.
- Unsalted butter, 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g), softened.
- Granulated sugar, 1¾ cups (350 g).
- Large eggs, 4, at room temperature.
- Pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon. Vanilla is the star here, so use pure extract, not imitation.
- Buttermilk, 1 cup (240 ml), at room temperature. No buttermilk? Stir 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 cup milk and let it stand 5 minutes.
For the vanilla buttercream
- Unsalted butter, 1 cup (227 g), softened.
- Powdered sugar, 3½ cups (420 g), sifted.
- Heavy cream or milk, 2 to 3 tablespoons.
- Vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons, and a pinch of salt.
- Rainbow sprinkles, optional.
How to Make Vanilla Cake (Step by Step)
1. Prepare the pans
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the center. Grease two 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment circles, and grease the parchment.
2. Mix the dry ingredients
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Cream the butter and sugar
Beat the butter on medium speed until smooth, then add the sugar and beat on medium-high for 3 to 4 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl.
5. Alternate flour and buttermilk
On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk in 2 parts, beginning and ending with flour. Mix only until combined; a few small lumps are fine.
6. Bake
Divide the batter evenly between the pans (weighing them is the easiest way) and smooth the tops. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cakes are lightly golden, spring back when pressed and a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool
Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn the layers out onto a rack, peel off the parchment and cool completely, about 1 hour.
8. Make the buttercream
Beat the butter on medium-high for 2 minutes until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and salt, mix on low until combined, then add the vanilla and 2 tablespoons cream and beat on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add more cream a teaspoon at a time if it’s too stiff.
9. Assemble
Place one layer on a plate, top side down, and spread about a third of the buttercream over it. Add the second layer, top side down, for a flat top. Spread a thin coat of frosting over the whole cake (the “crumb coat”), chill for 15 minutes, then cover with the rest of the frosting and add sprinkles.
Chef Emma’s Tips for a Fluffy Vanilla Cake
- Room-temperature ingredients mix better. Take out the butter, eggs and buttermilk about an hour ahead.
- Measure the flour carefully. Too much flour is the main reason homemade vanilla cake turns dry.
- Don’t overmix after the flour. Overmixing develops gluten and makes a tough, dense cake.
- Level the layers with a long serrated knife if they dome, for a neater stack.
- Chill before frosting. Fifteen minutes in the fridge after the crumb coat keeps crumbs out of the final layer.
- Don’t eat the raw batter; raw flour and eggs can carry harmful bacteria. See the FDA’s advice on handling flour safely.
Why This Simple Vanilla Cake Recipe Works
Three small choices make a big difference. Buttermilk adds moisture and a gentle tang that makes the vanilla taste brighter, and its acidity reacts with the baking soda for a softer, more tender crumb. Creaming the butter and sugar for a full 3 to 4 minutes beats in tiny air bubbles that the baking powder expands in the oven, which gives the layers their light, fluffy lift. And a full tablespoon of pure vanilla in the batter, plus more in the frosting, means the cake actually tastes like vanilla instead of just sweet. Together, they turn a handful of pantry ingredients into a bakery-style cake.
Other Pan Sizes
| Pan | Bake at 350°F |
|---|---|
| Two 9-inch rounds | 25 to 30 minutes |
| Three 8-inch rounds | 22 to 26 minutes |
| One 9×13-inch pan | 32 to 38 minutes (frost the top only, using about two-thirds of the buttercream) |
| 24 cupcakes | 18 to 21 minutes, liners filled two-thirds full |
Variations
- Funfetti: fold ½ cup rainbow sprinkles (the long “jimmies,” not nonpareils, which bleed color) into the finished batter.
- Lemon: add the zest of 2 lemons to the sugar and use lemon juice in place of some of the cream in the frosting.
- Chocolate frosting: beat ½ cup (42 g) cocoa powder into the buttercream with an extra tablespoon of cream.
- Almond: replace 1 teaspoon of the vanilla in the cake with ½ teaspoon almond extract.
Want a chocolate version instead? Try our one-bowl chocolate cake. For a simple loaf, see our cream cheese pound cake, or browse more cupcake recipes.
Want a spiced layer cake instead? Our moist carrot cake recipe has toasted pecans and cream cheese frosting.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make ahead: bake the layers up to 1 day ahead and wrap them well once cool, or freeze them, wrapped in plastic and foil, for up to 3 months. Frosting cold or partly frozen layers is actually easier.
- Room temperature: a cake frosted with this buttercream keeps, covered, for up to 2 days in a cool kitchen.
- Refrigerator: keep it covered for up to 5 days, and let slices sit out for 30 minutes before serving so the butter softens.
Vanilla Cake FAQs
Why is my vanilla cake dry?
Usually too much flour or overbaking. Spoon and level the flour (or weigh it) and start checking the layers at 23 minutes.
Why did my cake sink in the middle?
The oven door was opened too early, the cake was underbaked, or the baking powder was old. Check the date on your leaveners.
Can I use cake flour?
Yes. Use the same weight (313 g, about 2¾ cups) for an even softer crumb.
How do I keep buttercream from being too sweet?
Add the pinch of salt, beat the butter well before adding the sugar, and use a little more cream. A teaspoon of lemon juice also cuts the sweetness.
Simple Vanilla Cake Recipe Card
Calories are an estimate per slice (1/16 of the frosted cake, without sprinkles) based on USDA FoodData Central values. Find more ideas in our cake recipes.
Simple Vanilla Layer Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch pans and line with parchment.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Beat the butter and sugar 3 to 4 minutes until fluffy; beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
- On low, add the flour mixture in 3 parts alternating with the buttermilk in 2 parts, just until combined.
- Divide between the pans and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then completely on a rack.
- Beat the frosting butter 2 minutes, add the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla and cream, and beat until fluffy.
- Fill and frost the layers, applying a thin crumb coat first and chilling 15 minutes.
