This vanilla cake is moist, light, fluffy, flavorful and seriously delicious. It’s also the easiest vanilla cake you’ll ever make.
I’ve been testing this vanilla cake recipe for weeks now, as I wanted something that would be super easy and quick. For me that means using oil, not butter, so we can make it in one bowl and don’t have to use a mixer.
And this recipe is it! It’s a simple one-bowl recipe and has all the vanilla flavor you could dream of in a cake with a perfect texture. This will soon be your favorite vanilla cake recipe!
And if you love cake, well our totally divine chocolate cake is a winner too, so is our red velvet cake and our carrot cake.
How To Make Vanilla Cake
Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add white sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Add milk, eggs, oil and vanilla extract and mix into a batter. You can use a hand whisk to give it a quick whisk to remove any lumps but don’t overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between two 9-inch cake pans (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with parchment paper).
- Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool for a few minutes before removing them from the cake pans and placing them onto a wire cooling rack.
- Let them cool completely before frosting.
The Frosting
We frosted this cake with our vanilla buttercream frosting, we just increased the recipe by a quarter because we wanted the frosting to be nice and thick!
If you want to mix and match your cakes and frostings, then a chocolate buttercream frosting would also be delicious on this cake.
Recipe FAQ
You can EASILY make this vanilla cake dairy-free by using a plant-based milk such as soy milk or almond milk instead of the dairy milk. Of course then you’ll also need to use a dairy-free butter product for the frosting such as Earth Balance Buttery Sticks.
This recipe will make around 18-24 cupcakes depending on how high you fill the liners. We have a recipe for a perfect 12 vanilla cupcakes though!
This recipe makes a two layer 9-inch cake OR a three layer 8-inch cake. You can also do a two layer 8-inch cake but the layers are quite fat.
Storing and Freezing
Keep your cake stored in an airtight cake container at room temperature where it will stay fresh for a few days or in the fridge where it will keep for up to a week.
The frosted or unfrosted cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then bring to room temperature before enjoying.
More Cakes and Cupcakes
- The Most Divine Chocolate Cake
- The Best Carrot Cake
- Red Velvet Cake
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Crazy Cake
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below.
Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
- 2 and ½ cups All Purpose Flour Correctly Measured*
- 1 and ½ cups White Granulated Sugar
- 3 tsp Baking Powder
- ¾ tsp Salt
- 1 cup Milk
- 2 Large Eggs
- ¾ cup Canola Oil Or Vegetable Oil
- 3 tsp Vanilla Extract
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1 and ¼ cup Butter Lightly Salted, Softened
- 5 cups Powdered Sugar
- 5 Tbsp Milk
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and spray two 9-inch cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.
- Sift the all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Add the milk, eggs, oil and vanilla extract and mix into a batter. Do a quick whisk with a hand whisk to remove any lumps. Don't overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool for a few minutes before removing them from the cake pans and placing them onto a wire cooling rack.
- Let them cool completely before frosting.
Vanilla Buttercream:
- Add the softened butter to the bowl of your stand mixer, start at slow speed and gradually increase speed. Let it whip for until your butter is smooth and pale in color.
- Add the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract and beat for a few minutes until very fluffy and smooth.
Video
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly using the spoon and level method – spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level off the top with a knife. Don’t pack the flour into the cup and don’t scoop it. Alternatively, weigh your flour on a food scale (click the link below the ingredients that says ‘metric’ to get the correct weight of each ingredient).
- The butter for the frosting should be lightly salted. If yours is unsalted then you can add ⅛ tsp salt to the recipe.
- Make It Dairy-Free: You can make this cake dairy-free by using a non-dairy milk option such as soy milk or almond milk. To do the same for the frosting, use a dairy-free vegan butter option such as Earth Balance Buttery Sticks.
- You can make this in two 9-inch cake pans or three 8-inch cake pans. It also works in two 8-inch cake pans but the layers are quite thick.
- Keep the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days or in the fridge for up to a week.
This is delicious! Wasn’t too fussed about my measures, and yes it was a thicker batter, but still turned out really well. Just having a second slice now! Thank you for this easy recipe 🙂
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Deb. Thanks for sharing and for your great review!
I think I messed up somewhere for sure. I think i measured everything correct. I may have misread an ingredient. I popped it in the oven for 30 mins but when I pulled it out at was still runny in the middle. Maybe I accidentally used too little flour. so I popped it back in. I will say it is a very delicious vanilla cake and sure easy to make. ill have to try again in the future.
Hi Madelyn. Sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe. Did you measure the ingredients by cup or by weight?
I used less sugar but compensated with more milk and oil (just control the consistency so that it doesn’t get too runny). it will turn out quite doughy when you use less sugar. It turned out absolutely amazing in the end, so light and airy. This will definitely be my go to recipe for plain vanilla cake from now on.
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for your great review!
This recipe was so yummy! I just made mine in a large 1 layer pan so the edges got a little brown but also my oven is old and temperamental. The only thing I did differently was add extra vanilla because really I usually always measure that with my heart! My whole family loved it and I love knowing what’s in the cake mix! This recipe was so easy unlike cinnamon rolls lol they are my nemesis but someday I will get them right! Anyways thank you for a easy sweet treat that doesn’t take 3 hours after a long work day!
That’s great Ashley! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for the great review!
This is an amazing recipe but the frosting is super sweet and is separating
Mine sink in the middle. I whisked only until the clumps were gone. I did use 8″ pans so I don’t know if that was the issue.
Hi Teresa. There are a number of reasons for a cake to sink in the middle. Did the cake sink while it was still in the oven or after you took it out to cool? How did you measure your dry ingredients (e.g., using cup scoops or a digital kitchen scale)? What method did you use to test if the cake was fully cooked through?
Can I use buttermilk instead of milk?
Yes you can Michelle.
All the way from Nigeria…I saw your recipe and I love it
This is one of the best cake I’ve eaten in my life…very good vanilla recipe 🙏🙏
Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for sharing and for your great review!