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Made with buttermilk, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste, this classic vanilla cake has a light, fluffy texture and the best vanilla flavor. Add your favorite frosting for the very best birthday cake!
I have been blogging for so long that sometimes I forget when I haven’t shared a certain recipe with you.
Like, I recently looked at my cake recipes and realized I hadn’t shared my vanilla cake recipe with you yet!
Sure, I’ve shared vanilla cupcakes and even an easy vanilla bundt cake and tons and tons of other cake flavors…but no classic vanilla layer cake.
And as much as I Iove my best chocolate cake recipe (and believe me, that is one delicious cake), sometimes you just need a really amazing vanilla cake recipe. And I promise you, this one is really great.
Save this recipe because it’s one that you’re gonna want to have it on hand for birthdays, parties, and holidays from here out.
The best classic vanilla cake
This cake is proof that sometimes it’s the recipes that seem like they’ll be the simplest that turn out to be the trickiest.
This recipe is not as simple as putting the batter for my vanilla cupcakes into cake pans and changing the baking time. It actually took a good bit of fiddling to make sure that the texture of this cake was just right and that it would bake evenly in the cake pans.
But lemme tell ya, it was worth it. This vanilla cake has a light texture and tender crumb – no dense cakes here!
And don’t let anyone tell you that vanilla is boring, because this cake is absolutely delicious. I use a combination of vanilla extract and vanilla paste to get the very best vanilla flavor.
It tastes incredible, it looks beautiful, and it will totally make you rethink everything you knew about vanilla cakes before this.
Is this a yellow cake or a white cake?
White cakes use only egg whites and sometimes a combination of butter and shortening to get their bright white color. Funfetti cupcakes and angel food cake are two examples of white cakes.
White cake is also traditionally used for wedding cakes, although that is less true these days with couples choosing less-traditional cake flavors.
Yellow cakes use the whole egg – white and yolk – and butter. This gives them a richer, more yellow color.
Since this vanilla cake uses whole eggs and butter, it is a type of yellow cake!
How to make my vanilla cake
This is a pretty standard cake recipe and one that just about anybody can whip up for a birthday, holiday, party, or simply because it’s Thursday and you want some cake.
Ingredients you’ll need
To make my vanilla cake, you will need:
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups room-temperature buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 12 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large room-temperature eggs
This cake uses cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Cake flour helps give the cake its light texture.
My favorite chocolate chip cookies, blueberry cupcakes, and lemon layer cake all use cake flour, too, so there are plenty of other ways you can use up the box.
Buttermilk is the key to the perfectly tender crumb. I tried the cake with regular milk and I promise it just wasn’t the same! You absolutely need to use buttermilk in this one.
I know that using vanilla paste and vanilla extra seems extra, but trust me. The amazing vanilla flavor is worth using both of them!
Making this cake
You can use 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans for this vanilla cake. Grease 2 of whichever size you choose, then line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds.
Sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for about 3 minutes, or until the mixture is very light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla paste and extract. Scrape down the bowl.
Now alternate adding the buttermilk and the dry ingredients: Add 1/3 of the flour mixture on low speed, then half of the buttermilk. Repeat, then finish with the last of the dry ingredients.
Be sure to mix well after each addition and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Divide the cake batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake at 350°F for 25-35 minutes. The cakes are done when a toothpick or tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Make sure the cakes are completely cool before decorating as desired.
Helpful resources
- Before you start baking, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly. This will help your cake turn out perfect every time.
- If you don’t keep cake flour on hand and don’t want to buy a box for this recipe, learn how to make a cake flour substitute.
- Forgot to buy buttermilk? Make a buttermilk substitute with just 2 ingredients and save yourself a trip back to the store.
- Make sure your butter and eggs are both at room temperature before you start baking. If you forget to set them out ahead of time, check out my post on how to bring butter and eggs to room temperature quickly.
Frosting and filling suggestions
With a classic vanilla cake, the options are endless when it comes to frostings you can use!
You can never go wrong with vanilla buttercream or chocolate buttercream.
Flavored buttercream frostings are also a great option. Try raspberry buttercream, strawberry frosting, or even lemon-blueberry frosting.
If you’re not a fan of buttercream frosting, cream cheese frosting, whipped cream frosting, or even marshmallow frosting are all great choices.
Cake fillings
There are also lots of ways you can fill your vanilla cake. Lemon curd or lime curd, chocolate ganache, or salted caramel sauce are all delicious.
You can also go with sliced fresh berries, your favorite fruit preserves, or even nutella! Try pairing different fillings and frostings to come up with your family’s favorite combinations.
Vanilla cake storage tips
Your baked and cooled vanilla cake layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 1-2 days before frosting and decorating.
Once the cake is frosted, store it in a covered container. If you have used a buttercream frosting and your kitchen is not too warm, you can leave it at room temperature for up to 3 days.
If you have used a cream cheese frosting or your kitchen is pretty warm, store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let the cake come to room temperature before serving.
And don’t forget about the freezer! You can freeze cooled, unfrosted cake layers for up to 2 months, or a frosted full cake or cake slices for up to 1 month.
For more details on how to prepare your cake for freezing and how to thaw, check out my post on how to freeze cake.
Classic Vanilla Cake
Equipment
- 2 9-inch Cake Pan or 8-inch cake pans
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Grease (2) 8- or 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed for 3 minutes, or until the butter and sugar are very light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, making sure they are fully mixed in before adding the next. Beat in vanilla paste and extract.
- Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, beating on low speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Beat in half of the buttermilk, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until well incorporated. Add the rest of the buttermilk, beating until the batter is fully incorporated and smooth, then add the last of the dry ingredients, beating until the ingredients are thoroughly combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Divide the batter equally between the prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Let cool briefly in the pans, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before topping with desired frosting and decorating.
Notes
- Before you start baking, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly. This will help your cake turn out perfect every time.
- If you don’t keep cake flour on hand and don’t want to buy a box for this recipe, learn how to make a cake flour substitute.
- Forgot to buy buttermilk? Make a buttermilk substitute with just 2 ingredients and save yourself a trip back to the store.
- Make sure your butter and eggs are both at room temperature before you start baking. If you forget to set them out ahead of time, check out my post on how to bring butter and eggs to room temperature quickly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
