With its outstanding vanilla flavor, pillowy soft crumb, and creamy vanilla buttercream, this is truly the best vanilla cake I've ever had. Make sure you read through the recipe and recipe notes before beginning. This recipe yields approximately 8 cups of batter which is helpful if you need this batter for different cake pan sizes and conversions.
Recipe by Sally on January 8, 2019
Prep time: PT35M
Cook time: PT25M
Total time: PT4H
Rating
4.8 stars ( reviews)
Keywords
vanilla cake, vanilla frosting, birthday cake
Ingredients
3 and 2/3 cups (433g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs + 2 additional egg whites, at room temperature*
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (yes, a Tablespoon!)
1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
1 and 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
5 and 1/2 cups (650g) confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk or heavy cream
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Categories
Dessert
Cuisine
American
Steps
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
Whisk the cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together. Set aside.
Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Beat in the 3 eggs, 2 egg whites, and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. (Mixture will look curdled as a result of the egg liquid and solid butter combining.) Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. With the mixer still running on low, pour in the buttermilk and mix just until combined. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Weigh them to ensure accuracy, if desired. Bake for around 23-26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire cooling rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more milk if frosting is too thick, or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with about 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with about 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. I use and recommend an icing spatula to apply the frosting.
Refrigerate cake for at least 1 hour before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reviews
Cynthia on 2025-07-29 (5 stars): I agree!!! Bake even strips are the best!!
Josie on 2025-07-31 (5 stars): Hello!!
This cake by far, is the best cake I've ever made! It's so good i cant stop eating it.
I made this for my birthday just to try out and was skeptical because I've tried so many different homemade cake recipes. we used a commercial frosting and filled it with instant pudding just to see how the crumb of the cake is. Needless to say, the cake came out better than I could have asked for.
A little back story... I wanted to find a perfect cake for your basic flavors, vanilla, chocolate, coconut etc. I've tried many cake recipes and this by far is the best.
I like the fact that i uses your basic ingredients and is listed in grams as well as cups.
Thank you so very much, I can't wait to see how it turns out as a cupcake!!
Paula on 2025-08-02 (5 stars): Sally, I'm excited to bake this cake for friend's birthday. Question:
She needs it made with coconut sugar. A y suggestions? And for frosting, will ground coconut sugar and small amount of tapioca starch work? Thank you!
Kathy Evans on 2025-08-04 (4 stars): I followed the recipe exactly and two of the cakes turned out great but one sunk in with a spot in the middle. This is a "trial run" for a special birthday cake, so I would appreciate any suggestions as to why this might have happened.
Kim on 2025-08-04 (5 stars): I made a strawberry lemonade cake using only recipes from this site and it came out so good!
I used this recipe for the cake, your lemon curd recipe for the filling, and your strawberry buttercream recipe for the frosting.
Haley on 2025-08-10 (5 stars): DELISH! Used to this make a cake for my sister's birthday and it was perfect! My sis loves almond flavoring so I swapped out the extract and did 3/4 tablespoon of almond extract and 1/4 of vanilla. Worked out beautifully.
