Vanilla Cake – light, tender, and moist vanilla cake covered and layered with a vanilla frosting. Above all, this easy-to-bake cake is the most versatile cake you’ll ever bake. You can doll it up depending on the occasion!
Let me share this with you guys to welcome this vibrant new season. Since spring is finally official, it deserves the most light and buttery cake that can be served on any occasion. Yes, I’m talking about Easter, Mother’s Day, birthday, anniversary – this cake will take you further!
Is There a Difference Between Yellow Cake and Vanilla Cake?
While you can easily distinguish chocolate cake from the rest, that sounds a bit too hard when you place yellow and vanilla cake side by side. But first of all, let’s start with the more debatable “white cake vs. yellow cake.“
White cakes are often used in weddings because of, you guessed it, pure white color. This type of cake uses egg whites only and shortening to keep it’s white color. On the other hand, yellow cakes use both the egg white and yolk and uses butter instead of shortening to give off that yellow tint. Using the whole egg and butter means yellow cakes have more fat compared to the white ones; the reason why it’s more tender and flavorful.
Now here comes the Vanilla Cake to add more confusion. Both yellow and white cake add vanilla in its batter as a flavoring so which means that we can call them yellow vanilla or white vanilla cake. It’s also worth noting that some white cakes stray away from using vanilla to keep its pure white color.
So if you see a recipe that specifically says Vanilla Cake, you’ve got to check its ingredients if it’s white which uses egg whites only OR yellow cake which uses both the yolk and egg white.
As for our Vanilla Cake, I use whole eggs in this recipe and butter. But what makes it even more on the “vanilla-er” side is the smooth vanilla frosting which I think you will love.
What Makes A Cake Moist?
If you’ve noticed (and kudos to you), I use butter and oil in this recipe as oil adds moisture to a cake. Aside from that, adding oil in this recipe also results to a lighter crumb which tends to age better as the days go by than pure butter cake. Moreover, using sour cream on cakes (also try my Moist Banana Cake HERE) makes it more moist as it contains acid which reduces gluten formation which tenderizes the cake or baked goods.
Can I Use Both Butter and Oil in Cake?
Oh yes, you sure can. This recipe has the combination of butter and oil to give off that nice buttery taste while keeping it soft and moist at the same time. Cake using pure butter tends to be more dense and dry compared to adding oil into the batter. I use canola oil for this Vanilla Cake, but you may substitute it with vegetable oil.
Can I use a Different Pan Size?
Yes, you are most certainly welcome to try but make sure to adjust the baking time. I haven’t tried making this recipe with a different pan size as it is specifically written for 9-inch round pans that makes two layers of Vanilla Cake goodness.
For those adventurous enough, feel free to use your favorite frosting and doll it up however you like. You may use a chocolate frosting instead (or check my Guinness Chocolate Cake HERE) or sprinkle this cake with toasted coconut flakes. Your call! That’s probably the best thing about this Vanilla Cake recipe; you can pretty much customize it to go with the occasion. The most basic cake to have on your list. Make every day worth celebrating!
Enjoy!
Tips and Notes:
- Do not skip the oil and replace with butter. A combination of both makes for a far better cake. Oil makes this cake more moist, lighter and it improves its shelf life.
- If you don’t have sour cream, you can replace it with the same amount of greek yogurt or buttermilk. See other substitution options HERE.
- I haven’t tried this recipe without any eggs, but you can check out this ways on substituting eggs on recipes.
- Make sure your ingredients are all in room temperature to avoid over mixing and over baking. To do this, set out all the ingredients an hour before you begin.
- Cool the cake layers completely before you start assembling them. Even semi-warm cake layers causes the frosting to melt completely.
- Refrigerate the cake after frosting for at least an hour to let the frosting set and the crumbs tight.
Watch How to Make It
Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (76 g) unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (75 ml) canola oil
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
- ½ cup (115 g) sour cream
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (312) all- purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons (5 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt
- ½ cup (122 g ) milk
- 2 teaspoons (8 ml) vanilla extract
Vanilla Frosting
- 1 ½ cups (340 g) butter , softened
- 5 – 6 cups (625 - 750 g) icing (Confectioners) sugar
- 2 teaspoon (8 ml) vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons (30 - 45 ml) milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350 degree F. Then grease 2 “9” inch pan generously with baking spray and set aside.
- Using a hand mixer, cream together the butter, vegetable oil and sugar for about 3 minutes, then add sour cream continue mixing until it is fluffy and starts to look white – about 2 minutes or more.
- Add in the eggs one at a time beating well between each addition. Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.
- Then add the milk, vanilla extract. Continue mixing making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so everything gets mixed in.
- Pour batter into the 2 greased cake pans in 2 equal parts. Bake at 350 degree F for 18 -20 minutes until a tester inserted in the center of the cakes come out clean.
- Remove cake from pan and transfer to a wire rack and let it cool completely before frosting with your favorite frosting, in this case I used vanilla frosting.
- Add butter in a medium bowl then sieve in powdered sugar a little at a time . Mix using wooden spoon or electric mixer. Pour in vanilla extract.
- Gently add just enough remaining milk to get to make the frosting easy to spread. Adjust thickness of frosting with more powdered sugar , if too thick add more milk .
- Proceed with frosting and decorate with sprinkles, if desired
Tips & Notes:
- Do not skip the oil and replace with butter. A combination of both makes a far better cake. Oil makes this cake more moist, lighter and it improves its shelf life.
- If you don't have sour cream, you can replace it with the same amount of greek yogurt or buttermilk. See other substitution options HERE.
- I haven't tried this recipe without any eggs, but you can check out this ways on substituting eggs on recipes.
- Make sure your ingredients are all in room temperature to avoid over mixing and over baking. To do this, set out all the ingredients an hour before you begin.
- Cool the cake layers completely before you start assembling them. Even semi-warm cake layers causes the frosting to melt completely.
- Refrigerate the cake after frosting for at least an hour to let the frosting set and the crumbs tight.
- Store leftover Vanilla Cake in an airtight container.
Nutrition Information:
How to Make Vanilla Cake
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. Then grease 2 “9” inch pan generously with baking spray and set aside. Using a hand mixer, cream together the butter, vegetable oil and sugar for about 3 minutes, then add sour cream continue mixing until it is fluffy and starts to look white – about 2 minutes more. Add in the eggs one at a time beating well between each addition.
Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.
Then add the milk, vanilla extract. Continue mixing making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so everything gets mixed in.
Pour batter into the 2 greased cake pans in 2 equal parts. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18 -20 minutes until a tester inserted in the center of the cakes come out clean.
Remove cake from pan and transfer to a wire rack and let it cool completely before frosting with your favorite frosting, in this case I used vanilla frosting.
Vanilla Frosting
Add butter in a medium bowl then sieve in powdered sugar a little at a time. Mix using wooden spoon or electric mixer. Pour in vanilla extract. Gently add just enough remaining milk to get to make the frosting easy to spread. Adjust thickness of frosting with more powdered sugar, if too thick add more milk. Proceed with frosting and decorate with sprinkles, if desired.
Liza Thuu says
HI imma I like ur website n it has been of great help in my baking. Kindly how can I measure ingredients for a 2kg cake separated n 1kg cake?
ImmaculateBites says
Glad to hear this Liza. Sorry I can’t give you an exact measurement without actually trying it out several times.
Liza Thuu says
Thanks Imma for ur reply I will keep on trying. God bless the work of ur hands n you too for the good work u do. Ur recipes are good.
Uduak says
Just tried this recipe and it came out great. Well done Imma for always sharing. Your recipes are incredible.
Tolu says
Hi Imma, thanks for tbe recipe. My cake turned out okay except for the following “glitches”. Cake was too sweet, will be reducing the sugar quantity next time and the top was white; don’t know why this is the case as the oven was at the desired temperature and even very hot by the time i placed the baking pans in it. Could it be the quantity of the sour cream or what?
Adanna says
Hi imma,your recipe is so lovely ..but I want to ask cAn the butter be melted ? As I know you love using melted butter for your recipes ..
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Adanna! For this recipe, I recommend using softened butter for creaming and then adding vegetable oil. The vegetable oil adds moistness to the cake so you really want to keep that part. Hope this helps.
Swatkasa says
Hello Imma, thank you for this recipe. The cake turn out well but the top didn’t brown,I don’t know what went wrong. Can I use 1/2 cup of sugar,the 1 1/2 was too much me.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Swatkasa! Yes, you can reduce the amount of sugar listed.
As for your cake not browning at the top, make sure the oven is properly preheated before baking. Hope this helps.
Tina says
Hi,
Just discovered your website and I already tried a few recipes… turned out very well. Thank you for your amazing recipes. I want to make the vanilla cake, but will just make one layer. Can you please provide the meaurements in grams? I know your receipe is for 2 layers. Many thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Tina. If you have a deeper / bigger cake pan or even a bundt pan, you can make this as just one cake. If not, feel free to go ahead and halve the recipe. Also the measurements in grams are indicated in parenthesis in the ingredient list. Do let me know how this works our for you. Happy Baking 🙂
Prathibha says
I don’t know how I found this recipe but I did in March 2019. And Since then, I have rejected every other vanilla cake recipe. This is the best recipe. I make my own modifications and substitutions esp. for the sour cream bit. N I must say, this is like a piece of heaven esp when left overnight in the fridge and warmed the next day before eating. I also put choco-coconut butter ganache as frosting and its heaven! Thanks, Imma. God bless you! Lots of love.
ImmaculateBites says
Hmm… that choco-coconut butter ganache sounds Delish!!!! I am so glad you love this recipe. Thanks for stopping by!
Sabrina L. Smith says
Hi Ms. Imma,
I LOVE your recipes and THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR SHARING THEM!!
I need to ask a favor of you. Please can you turn the Servings: by # of slices calculator back on? It’s truly helpful.
Thank you.
ImmaculateBites says
Awww… Thanks, Sabrina :)! Will work on getting the calculator back on.
Sabrina Smith says
Thank you!!
ImmaculateBites says
You’re welcome, Sabrina :)!
Laura says
Hi imma
Thanks a lot for your recipes
I used this recipe although I doubled everything. My cake was a bit dense and it seemed it had this egg taste to it too.
I’m not sure where I went wrong.
How will I know if my cake is over mixed
ImmaculateBites says
Hello Laura. Sorry to hear your cake didn’t turn out great. Cake recipes are a little complex in that the ingredients have to be carefully measured out, whether you are doubling the recipe or using it as is. I would recommend you use the metric measurements so that you get the exact amounts. You would also have to consider other factors like long you cream your butter, how long you beat your eggs and even the depth of the pan you will use versus what is recommended.
Also, overmixing your cake batter cake could make it dense. Mix the batter just long enough for the ingredients to be completely combined. I hope this helps 🙂 !
sacha allen says
My kids loved this cake. Thanks Imma
ImmaculateBites says
You are welcome! Glad they love it .
Kelly says
I baked this today and it’s exactly what I have been looking for in a vanilla cake! I am so excited! Thanks Imma, I LOVE your recipes.
imma africanbites says
Yaaay! So happy you love it, Kelly. Thanks for trying it out.
Bess says
Thanks for all your delicious recipes! I tried this recipe;Tasted good but the cake was not spongy-It was very heavy inside I used Greek yogurt. Not sure what i did wrong. Any thoughts?
ImmaculateBites says
Hello Bess. Sorry to hear about that. Did you follow the recipe notes at the end of the instructions? Please do try again. I am sure it will turn out better the second time around!
Doi mcintosh says
I baked this cake…i followed the recipe to the letter….my batter was soupy my cake was flat…the mix is delicious..ill try it again
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Doi, Sorry to hear about that. Did you follow the recipe ? Hope it works out better the second time around. Do let me know how it works out .
Sandra Ohidy says
I just made this cake for my mother’s 92nd birthday party. It was a great hit!! I’m sure I wil make it again.
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback Sandra.
Swatkasa says
Hello Imma, thank you for this recipe. The cake turn out well but the top didn’t brown,I don’t know what went wrong. Can I use 1/2 cup of sugar,the 1 1/2 was too much me.
Mildred Kelly says
It looks delicious. Not sure of the cup measurements though. What would they be in grams and mls
imma africanbites says
Hi. Thanks for dropping by. I already updated the recipe box and wrote the conversion units beside each ingredients to be visible instead of toggling the metric conversion link below. Happy weekend! 🙂