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!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings

Calories 1100kcal

Author Imma

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.

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