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    Home » Cakes and Cupcakes

    The Best Vanilla Cake

    Published: Jun 30, 2020 Updated: Jul 28, 2020 by Alison Hope · This post may contain affiliate links · 19 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Vanilla Cake

    This vanilla cake is moist, light, fluffy, flavorful and seriously delicious. It’s also the easiest vanilla cake you’ll ever make.

    Vanilla cake with a slice cut on a white cake stand.

    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.

    Vanilla cake with a slice cut on a cake stand.

    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.
    Step by step process photo collage of making the batter for a vanilla cake.
    • 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.
    Step by step process photo collage of making a vanilla cake.

    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.

    Vanilla cake with a slice cut on a white cake stand.

    Recipe FAQ

    Can you make this dairy-free?

    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.

    Can you make cupcakes from this recipe?

    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!

    What size cake pans are needed for this recipe?

    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.

    Slice of vanilla cake on a cake lifter.

    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.

    Slice of vanilla cake on a white plate.

    More Cakes and Cupcakes

    1. The Most Divine Chocolate Cake
    2. The Best Carrot Cake
    3. Red Velvet Cake
    4. Vanilla Cupcakes
    5. Crazy Cake
    6. Red Velvet Cupcakes
    Slice of vanilla cake on a white plate.

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below.

    Vanilla cake

    Vanilla Cake

    This vanilla cake is moist, light, fluffy, flavorful and seriously delicious. It's also the easiest vanilla cake you'll ever make.
    5 from 14 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 731kcal
    Author: Alison

    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
    US Customary – Metric

    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

    1. 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). 
    2. The butter for the frosting should be lightly salted. If yours is unsalted then you can add ⅛ tsp salt to the recipe. 
    3. 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. 
    4. 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. 
    5. Keep the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days or in the fridge for up to a week. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 731kcal | Carbohydrates: 101g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 341mg | Potassium: 206mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 80g | Vitamin A: 679IU | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 1mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @gimmethatflavor on Instagram and hashtag it #gimmethatflavor
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    About Alison Hope

    Hi I'm Alison, I'm the voice and cook behind Gimme That Flavor. I am a big time foodie and probably cooking up a storm in my kitchen right now! I'm also a cat mom. And a sweet tooth. Binge watcher of TV shows. Terrible sleeper always staying up too late....Find out more about me here.

    Gimme That Flavor is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Gimme That Flavor will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kutlwano Mokgatle

      January 06, 2023 at 11:53 am

      The most perfect and moist vanilla cake ever 🙏🏾5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Hope

        January 13, 2023 at 1:54 pm

        Thanks so much Kutlwano!

        Reply
    2. Julie Janetka

      June 06, 2022 at 8:35 pm

      Can you substitute buttermilk for regular milk?

      Reply
      • Alison Hope

        June 08, 2022 at 11:14 am

        Sure!

        Reply
    3. Stephanie Waite

      March 22, 2022 at 8:39 pm

      Awesome cake and frosting recipe! Made it last night and it came out perfect. Thanks Alison.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Hope

        March 23, 2022 at 8:54 am

        So happy to hear that Stephanie! Thanks so much!

        Reply
    4. Kelly Higgins

      March 17, 2022 at 2:06 pm

      I am wondering if I could use this cake for a jello poke cake? Cat mom, also.

      Reply
      • Alison Hope

        March 18, 2022 at 8:18 am

        Hi Kelly and fellow cat mom! I saw an awesome definition of a cat mom recently: ‘Someone who works hard so her cats can have a good life.’ hahaha I love it. Regarding the cake, I don’t see why not, I haven’t tried it that way, but I think it would work! All the best!

        Reply
    5. Sha

      December 30, 2021 at 8:18 pm

      Can I half the recipe?5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Hope

        December 31, 2021 at 12:51 pm

        Sure! In that case I would just bake it in a single 9-inch round cake pan for a single layer cake.

        Reply
    6. Rima

      December 10, 2021 at 6:50 am

      Thank you for the recipe, I’ve baked this 4 times now, for every birthday party. We love your recipe. Very easy to prepare.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Hope

        December 10, 2021 at 11:58 am

        Thanks so much Rima!

        Reply
    7. Hannah Ruban

      October 28, 2020 at 5:17 pm

      Thank you so much for this recipe…it was soooooo delicious!!! 💜5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Hope

        October 29, 2020 at 12:18 pm

        So happy to hear that Hannah! Thanks for the amazing review!

        Reply
      • Paris

        March 17, 2022 at 8:41 am

        Hi…I’m looking for a vanilla cake that uses oil and milk instead of butter and sour cream/yogurt. This seems like it can work. I want something that can be used as a base for a strawberry filling and whipped cream topping. I have a few questions. Can I use egg 4 whites in place of the 2 whole eggs? Can I use 2% milk or is whole milk best? Should I add any heavy cream to make up for losing the egg yokes?

        Reply
        • Alison Hope

          March 17, 2022 at 10:04 am

          Hi Paris, I haven’t tried it with egg whites instead of whole eggs, but I think it should work. You can literally use any milk you have on hand. I don’t think adding heavy cream will be necessary at all. All the best!

          Reply
          • Paris

            March 17, 2022 at 9:54 pm

            TY…

            I’m making it today. I’ll let you know how it came out.

    8. Diane

      July 07, 2020 at 11:31 am

      I can’t believe how easy this cake recipe is! And the taste and texture are as good or better than any vanilla cake I’ve ever had. What a breeze to make it. Thanks for the recipe, it’s a keeper.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Hope

        July 07, 2020 at 11:31 am

        Thanks so much Diane! xoxo

        Reply

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    Alison Hope Author

    Hi! I'm Alison! Big time foodie. I'm probably cooking up a storm in my kitchen right now. I'm also a cat mom. And a sweet tooth. Binge watcher of TV shows. Terrible sleeper always staying up too late.... 

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