I had a sort of epiphany when I wrote the recipe for this small batch chocolate cake: I think every cake recipe should be available in this tiny size. There are just so many occasions that call for less cake – date night, first birthday smash cakes, small gatherings of 2-4 people, and so on. So I moved right along to testing the most popular cake flavor of all: vanilla. I’m so happy to say that this recipe yields the perfect portion, is extra soft and moist, and is really easy to throw together!
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This small batch vanilla cake is basically a mini version of my favorite vanilla cake recipe. It can be made into three 4-inch layers or one 6-inch layer. The layer cake version is so cute and if you don’t already have 4-inch cake pans, here are the ones I used. But be warned, once you make a tiny layer cake, you’ll probably come up with every excuse to make more of them because they’re so cute!
These mini vanilla cake layers are extra soft and moist for a few reasons. The softness has a lot to do with the cake flour in this recipe, which produces a much fluffier cake than all-purpose (or plain) flour due to its lower protein content (the more protein in your flour the stiffer the dough and less ability to maintain moisture). You can find cake flour in the baking aisle at most grocery stores, but if all you’ve got is all-purpose flour in your pantry, here are instructions for how to make your own cake flour in a pinch.
The sour cream in this recipe is the other key ingredient that locks in the moisture and gives this cake amazing texture. It might seem extra, but don’t skip it! I am a firm believer that it makes all the difference in the final cake.
I paired this vanilla cake with my favorite vanilla buttercream recipe, dyed light pink to make it extra cute. That’s an optional step and you can feel free to pair this cake with pretty much any buttercream or frosting flavor imaginable. It’s vanilla. It goes with everything. Here are some alternative ideas:
- Chocolate Buttercream
- Strawberry Buttercream
- Raspberry Buttercream
- Lavender Buttercream
- Brown Butter Frosting
- Funfetti Buttercream
- Cream Cheese Buttercream
- Salted Caramel Buttercream
Small Batch Vanilla Cake
Equipment
- 3 4-inch cake pans OR
Ingredients
Small Batch Vanilla Cake
- 3/4 Cups (79g) sifted cake flour* DIY recipe in notes
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 Cup (57g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 Cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 Tbsp (30g) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 Cup (80ml) whole milk, room temperature
Vanilla Buttercream
- 1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 Cups (180g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp whole milk or heavy whipping cream, room temperature
- pinch of salt, or to taste
Instructions
Make the Small Batch Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 4-inch or one 6-inch cake pan by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting the bottom(s) with a wax paper or parchment paper cake circle.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (a handheld mixer works fine too!), cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and add the egg, mixing until just combined and scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed. Add the vanilla and sour cream, turn the mixer to high, and beat for one full minute. It may look a little curdled at this point, but don’t worry – it will become smooth cake batter by the end.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and add the dry ingredients all at once. Mix until just combined, then slowly pour in the milk. Continue to mix on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs with a whisk to make sure there are no lumps. The batter will be slightly thin.
- Pour the batter evenly between the prepared 4-inch cake pans (or all into one 6-inch cake pan). If using 4-inch cake pans, bake for 18-22 minutes. If using a 6-inch cake pan bake for 24-28 minutes. The cake is done when it springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before assembling and decorating.
Make the Vanilla Buttercream
- With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light (almost white) in color. About 5 minutes.
- With the mixer in the off position, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and salt. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix until fully combined and uniform, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed, 2-3 minutes.
Assembly
- Once the vanilla cake is completely cooled, frost and decorate with the vanilla buttercream. To create the mini layer cake pictured, level the cake layers to your desired height. Add a swipe of vanilla buttercream onto a cardboard cake circle and place the first cake layer on top. Fill and stack the cake with vanilla buttercream, then crumb coat the cake with vanilla buttercream. Place the crumb coated cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the buttercream set firm.
- Use the remaining frosting to create a smooth buttercream finish and pipe a star border on top using Wilton Tip 4B. Decorate with sprinkles (I used these rainbow sprinkles).
Notes
- The small batch vanilla cake layer(s) can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature.
- The vanilla buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and rewhip with your stand mixer to bring back to frosting consistency.
I hope you love making this small batch vanilla cake recipe! Let me know who you made it for in the comments below + be sure to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you create!
Hi!
If I wanted to use your recipe for cupcakes what would the time and temperature be?
Hi C! This recipe makes about 9 cupcakes and you’ll want to bake at 350ºF for 14-18 minutes. If you need more than 9 cupcakes, this is my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe: https://sugarandsparrow.com/vanilla-cupcake-recipe/
How long would I need to bake the cake in a 6″ tin that is 4″ deep- and at what temperature? Looks delicious, I am looking forward to making it. I have recently got into smaller but deeper tins and struggling a bit with best oven temperature and bake time.
Hi Kerith! For this recipe you should be able to bake at the same oven temp (350F) for 24-28 minutes. Since it already makes enough batter for one 6-inch cake layer the pan height shouldn’t make much difference. Hope that helps!
This looks amazing! Would I be able to add raspberries or blackberries to the cake batter? Thanks!
Hi Anna! I haven’t tried that so it would be an experiment. If you try it I recommend either using frozen berries and breaking them into smaller pieces before folding them into the batter or chopping up the fresh berries. Whole raspberries and blackberries are more prone to sinking in a recipe like this. Hope that helps!
Thank you for this advice!! 🙂
Hi, i will try this recipe over the weekend. How much salted caramel do i need to add to this frosting if I want to make salted caramel frosting?
Hi Bee! To make salted caramel buttercream, add 1/4 Cup of salted caramel to the buttercream portion of this recipe. Follow these instructions for when to add: https://sugarandsparrow.com/salted-caramel-buttercream-recipe/ enjoy!
I made this in a 6″ cake pan. It turned out so good, moist and delicious. My husband loved it. I used all purpose flour, but next time I’ll use cake flour (i.e., I’ll replace a little of the flour with cornstarch).
Yay, Kathleen! I’m so happy to hear this was such a hit!
I wanted to surprise my husband with his own mini cake because he loves Cakes and cookies. I make homemade cookies all the time but I’d never made a homemade cake. So I searched and found a few recipes online and decided to try yours because the instructions seemed really clear & easy to follow.
I am soo glad that I chose this recipe because it was a HUGE hit in my household! He allowed 4 other family members to taste some of his mini cake and they all absolutely loved it!
They asked me to make another one but in a much bigger size for them all to get a complete slice. My husband would not allow them to try any more than just a spoonful. So.. I will definitely have to make a bigger version of this cake very soon or they will not allow me to rest peacefully. Lol I followed your cake recipe exact. I also used your Vanilla buttercream frosting recipe but decided to use some of the brown butter from the fridge I often use in cookie recipes along with regular room temp butter. I topped the cake with chopped pecans and OMG.. Everyone loved the texture & flavor of the cake and said that it reminded them of buttered pecan ice cream. This was absolutely the most delicious & moist homemade cake recipe I’d ever tasted!
It was not at all super sweet or dense.
I honestly have zero complaints. ♥️
My husband was indeed surprised and said how proud of me he was for making such a tasty homemade cake. He tried his best to save some for dessert tomorrow but he kept going back for spoonfuls & ended up eating it all in one day. I will be saving this recipe as my favorite. TYSM for sharing your recipe with us!
Yay, Britty! I’m so happy to hear that this was such a hit and I bet it was next level with the brown butter frosting and chopped pecans! Delicious. Here’s the recipe for the full-size version in case you need it: https://sugarandsparrow.com/vanilla-cake-recipe/
Awesome! I’d planned to make a bigger version of this cake for my family later on today. Tysm for the link! ♥️
This cake is absolutely amazing! The instructions were so clear and easy to follow — at first I thought it would be difficult or even impossible to pull off, but it turned out to be surprisingly simple and incredibly delicious. I made it for my son’s 1st birthday as his smash cake, and it was perfect. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
Yay, Mariangela! I’m so happy you were able to celebrate your son’s first birthday with this recipe 🙂 thanks for letting me know it was a hit!
Hi. Came across this recipe just now. I am planning to make this tomorrow but in a 2 layer 6inch cake. Should i just double the recipe? And how long will i bake it?
Hi Aiza! Yes, you can double the recipe to make two 6-inch layers. Bake for 24-28 minutes. Enjoy!
Can you use the yolk opposed to the egg in the cake?
Hi Ayana! I haven’t tried that so I don’t know what the outcome will be, but you are welcome to experiment!
Hi, id like this to be a white cake. Can I use the egg white opposed to the one egg?
Hi Ayana! I haven’t tried that yet, so it would be an experiment. I’ll add a small batch white cake recipe to my list!
Can I make a 5 inch round cake with this recipe?
Hi Evy! Yes, you can use a 5-inch round pan but just be sure to fill it no more than 2/3 full. You might have a little more than enough cake batter since it’s written for a 6-inch round.
Hi!
Is it possible to use greek yoghurt instead of sourcream? Its not very common where i live.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Sanne! Yes, you can substitute the sour cream in this recipe with plain greek yoghurt. Enjoy!
My brother destroyed my cake☠️♂️️ but it was still good? I think I love it?
Hello! I’m celiac, so I was wondering if you knew how substituting the cake flour for a gluten free alternative (ie. King Arthur Measure For Measure Gluten Free Flour) would work? Would I still need to make a ‘cake flour’ version of it, or use it as-is? Thanks for your help!
Hi Ash! I have heard of people using King Arthur GF flour in my recipes with success. You can use it as-is!
Hi Whitney if I don’t have a 4 inch mold or 6 inch mould can I use a 5 inch mold and do three layers or only two?
Hi Davinia! I would probably shoot for two 5-inch layers. Just be sure to fill them no more than 2/3 full. Enjoy!
Hi Whitney! I’m assuming that if I want 2 6-inch pans (to make a 2 layer cake) I would just double the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Denise! Yes, you could double this for two 6-inch pans.