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 reshare this with you guys just in time for the holiday season. Since Christmas is just a few days away, it deserves the easiest, lightest, and buttery cake that can be actually served on any occasion.
Yes, I’m talking about Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, Easter, Mother’s Day, birthday, anniversary – you name it. This cake will make a great dessert centerpiece for any celebration.
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 its white color.
On the other hand, yellow cakes use both the egg white and yolk and use 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 (see my Homemade Vanilla Extract HERE) in their 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 their 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 in 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 moister as it contains acid which reduces gluten formation that tenderizes the cake or any baked goods.
Can I Use Both Butter and Oil in Cake?
Oh yes, you sure can. This recipe has a 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 make 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 just like this Coconut Cake HERE. 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!
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, canola or vegetable oil, and sugar for about 3 minutes. Then add sour cream and 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 degrees F for 18 -20 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the pans and transfer to a wire rack and let them 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 a wooden spoon or electric mixer. Pour in the vanilla extract. Gently add just enough remaining milk to get to make the frosting easy to spread. Adjust the thickness of the frosting with more powdered sugar, if too thick add more milk. Proceed with assembling and frosting the cakes and then decorate the cake with sprinkles, if desired.
Watch How to Make It
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This post was first published in March 2019 and has been updated with a video.
Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (118ml) canola oil
- 1½ cups (300g) sugar
- ½ cup (115g) sour cream
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2½ cups (312g) all- purpose flour
- 1¼ teaspoons (5g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
- ½ cup (122g) milk
- 2 teaspoons (8ml) vanilla extract
Vanilla Frosting
- 1½ cups (340g) butter, softened
- 5-6 cups (625-750g) icing sugar (confectioners or powdered sugar)
- 2 teaspoons (8ml) vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/177℃. Then grease two 9-inch cake pans generously with baking spray and set aside.
- Cream the butter, canola or vegetable oil, and sugar using a hand mixer for about 3 minutes. Then add sour cream and continue mixing until it is fluffy and starts to look white – about 2 minutes or more.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until combined.
- Then add the milk and vanilla extract. Continue mixing, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl, so everything gets mixed in.
- Divide the batter between the two greased cake pans equally. Bake at 350℉/177℃ for 18-20 minutes or until a tester inserted in the cake's center comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the pans, transfer them to a wire rack, and let them cool completely before frosting with your favorite frosting. In this recipe, I used vanilla frosting.
Vanilla Frosting
- Add butter in a medium bowl then sift in the powdered sugar a little at a time. Mix using a wooden spoon or electric mixer. Pour in the vanilla extract.
- Gently add just enough milk to make the frosting easy to spread. Adjust the thickness of the frosting with more powdered sugar if it's too thin. If too thick, add more milk.
- Proceed with assembling and frosting the cake, then (if desired) decorate it with sprinkles.
Tips & Notes:
- Don't forget to preheat your oven for that beautiful browned top part of the cake.
- Don't replace the oil with butter because the combination makes a much better cake. Oil makes this cake moister, lighter, and improves its shelf life.
- If you don't have sour cream, you can replace it with the same amount of Greek yogurt or buttermilk (learn How to Make Buttermilk). Also, see other substitutes.
- I haven't tried this recipe without any eggs, but you can check out this way on substituting eggs in recipes.
- Avoid overmixing your cake batter because that makes the cake dense. Mix the batter just long enough for the ingredients to be completely combined.
- Make sure your ingredients are all at 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 cause the frosting to melt completely.
- If you have a deeper/bigger cake pan or even a bundt pan, you can make this just one cake.
- Refrigerate the cake after frosting for at least an hour to let the frosting set and the crumb tighten.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition Information:
Zed says
Hi, could I substitute the sour cream for buttermilk?
Also, just wondering if I could add some white chocolate to this batter?
Thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Yes you sure can.
Olanike Oladapo says
This recipe is great, i tried it and it came out great . I am a bit confused with the recipe, i use cup for my measurements and 1 cup is equivalent to 250ml but the measurement you gave for 1 cup varies with the ingredients example 1 cup of your flour is different from 1 cup of sugar. Please could you please explain, thanks so much
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks. It is best to measure ingredients by weight , especially if you are not using standard U.S measuring cups. Some ingredients weigh more than others.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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! 🙂