I have a little confession to make: when I first started making cakes, my secret go-to for far too long was the box vanilla cake mix by Betty Crocker.
Phew. Now you know.
Since I became accustomed to the light and fluffy texture of said box mix, every time I tried to make a vanilla cake from scratch, the result seemed off. Blame it on the lack of Propylene Glycol Mono (or the handful of other ingredients in box mixes that you’ve never heard of), but my from-scratch vanilla cakes always ended up too dense, tasted a little cornbread-ish, and just didn’t have that fluffy appeal. Finding a go-to vanilla cake recipe from scratch felt like a mountain I had to climb, but after (what felt like) five hundred tries and a whole lot of not giving up, I’ve found a recipe that is beyond my wildest cake dreams.
This vanilla cake is soft and moist, so easy to whip up, and tastes like a dream. The secret to it’s perfect texture is the cake flour, which produces a much softer, fluffier cake than all-purpose because of 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 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.
To make this cake even more moist I’ve added a little sour cream for good measure. Trust me on this – sour cream is essential! There’s also an entire tablespoon of vanilla extract in there to really up the flavor, because yum. It pairs well with so many buttercream flavors, but if you want to keep things on the vanilla spectrum, try pairing it with this Vanilla Buttercream Recipe. It does not disappoint!
I whipped up a video to show you the process of making this vanilla cake recipe and share my favorite baking tips for success. Take a look before you dive in:
Update 2022: I slightly changed the measurements of these same ingredients to make this cake even more soft and light! The original recipe is in the video above just in case you are too in love with it to let it go. The main differences:
- Instead of 3 large eggs, I now use 2 large eggs + 2 egg whites to make this cake lighter
- I reduced the sugar slightly to prevent over-browning (but don’t worry, it still tastes perfectly sweet)
- I reduced the butter and whole milk slightly to lighten the cake while keeping it extra moist with the sour cream
- I reduced the leavening slightly because it doesn’t need the additional baking powder
Whew. That seems like a lot to change but trust me! The original was one of my very first blog recipes almost a handful of years ago. I’ve learned so much since then (always learning!) and after baking this revised recipe side-by-side with the original, I know you’re going to love these changes!
Perfect Vanilla Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 Cups (290g) sifted cake flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 Cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 Cups (300g) granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs + 2 egg whites, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare three 6-inch or two 9-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with a cooking spray (Baker's Joy is my favorite) and fitting a parchment paper circle to the bottom of the pan.
- Sift the cake flour and then measure by spooning and leveling it in your measuring cup. Add the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (a handheld mixer works fine too!), beat the butter on high for two minutes until it's light and creamy. Add in the sugar and continue to mix on medium-high for another two minutes. Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs and egg whites, one at a time, 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 will look curdled at this point, but don’t worry – it will become smooth cake batter at the end.
- Add in the dry ingredients all at once and turn the mixer to low speed. 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 thick.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. They're done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for five minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack for an additional few hours of cooling. Make sure they're entirely room temperature before applying any frosting.
Your tips and tricks are the best! It’s like you know the questions I would ask before I ask them! You have the gift of teaching and a huge talent for creating!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Megan! I’m so happy to be able to share all of this with you!
OMG! After watching your blogs and videos, I can not wait
To follow your recipes for my son’s birthday. Can I use a colouring gel for this cake?
Yay! I’m so happy you’re inspired and I’m excited for you to make your son’s birthday cake! You can definitely use a color gel to tint the cake batter and/or buttercream. Cheering you on!
Thanks and it looks yummy
Hi, I was wondering can I make this cake 8 inch instead of 6 inch?
Hi Toni! Yes – you can make this cake as a 2 layer 8-inch cake as-is or if you want 3 layers, you’ll just need to make 1.5x the recipe to have the right amount of batter.
Hallo Whitney,
I like your Blog!!!! I am from Berlin. Please, how big (ml) is one cup? Wir have another cups in Europa.
Thank you very much
You inspire me
Elena
Hi Elena! Thanks so much for the kind words about my blog and I’m so happy you’re inspired! I just looked up the conversion from cups to ml online and it appears that 1 cup = 236.6ml. Hope that helps!
Hey!
This recipe is so yummy and!!
I was just wondering how many times the recipe you’d need to make this cake for around 100-160 people (5 inch tall tiers) ahah I’m being ambitious and making this for my 21st birthday! eeeekkk
Hi Laura! Wow, you’re really going all out for your birthday! I applaud your ambition 🙂 This recipe serves 12 comfortably, so if you’re thinking about serving 100 or so, here’s what I would do:
1.5x this recipe makes a 6 inch diameter, 5 inch tall cake. 2x this recipe would make a 8 inch diameter, 5 inch tall cake. And 3x the recipe makes a 12 inch diameter, 5 inch tall cake. Three tiers in those dimensions would serve 100-115. That would mean 7x the recipe total. Phew.
Thank you so much Whitney! You are amazing! and yes very ambitious ahah lets hope it all goes to plan and my Australian ingredients don’t mess with this gorgeous recipe! xx 🙂
Yes! Feel free to email me if you have any questions throughout. And happy birthday!!
Hello Whitney
Thanks for this recipe, Am thrilled with the idea of making this cake.. Quick question though, can I use margarine instead of butter in this receipe?
Thank again
Hi Cordelia! I’m excited for you to make this cake! I can’t recommend substituting the butter for margarine just because I’ve never tried it before and don’t know how it will turn out. I hear that you can substitute butter with margarine in baking though, so it might be worth a try. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
I made this today and it came out soooo well (despite me forgetting to add the milk into the cake mixture!!) – the cake is moist and delicious, you can really taste the vanilla, it’s lovely and solid and has smooth outsides perfect for decorating. Thank you so much!!!
Yay Lia!! I am so happy to hear that you loved the recipe 🙂 Can’t wait to see how you decorate!
Hi Whitney !
I live in Spain and we don’t have sour cream. What do you recommend I can substitute the sour cream with?
Thank you!
I love your blog!!
Hi Monica! Thanks for the kind words 🙂 there are two ways to substitute the sour cream: 1) replace it with a full fat greek yogurt or 2) omit the sour cream completely and replace the whole milk with buttermilk. If you don’t have access to buttermilk, here is a diy version: https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/how-to-make-homemade-buttermilk/
Hi Whitney
I recently made a cake that called for sour cream and dont feel it was as moist as when I used buttermilk. I am going to make your recipe but wondering your thoughts on sour cream vs buttermilk? Is it correct to simply omit sour cream and use buttermilk in same amount and in place of milk?
Hi Kristen! In my experience, sour cream is the ultimate moist-maker when it comes to cakes. It shouldn’t make the cake dense. If you want to try buttermilk, I would recommend subbing the sour cream for buttermilk + the whole milk for buttermilk as well. That would equal 1 1/2 Cups of buttermilk added at the end of the recipe. I think the comment you read about omitting the sour cream completely is old and I was just guessing at that point since I’d never done it before. Hope that helps!
Thank you for the recipe, Whitney! I’m from Brazil!
I’ve never bake a cake like this and I’d like to start with a 4 inch on.
How many layers of cake should I use?
If do you use 4 layers with 4 inch each this recipe have a perfect size right?
Hi Lana! For four inch cakes, I typically use three layers but have used four layers for taller designs. It’s totally up to you! When using a 4 inch pan, this recipe yields 8 layers of cake, so you could easily choose the perfect amount of layers after they’re baked.
Hello Whitney! I just wanted to ask a question based upon I use springform cake pans and I was wondering how could I adjust this recipe to create two 10” cake, which I will cut into 2 which will become a 4 layer cake?
Thank you x
Hi Nagina! I have never made this cake in a taller cake pan (mine have 2 inch sides), so I am not sure how the baking times will be affected. I would definitely triple the recipe to accommodate that amount of cake batter, but you’ll need to bake them for longer than the recipe specifies since there will be more volume of cake batter in the oven. How long do you usually bake cakes of that size? I would set the timer for however long you’re used to with those pans and keep an eye on the cakes to make sure they don’t cook for too little or too long.
I want to thank you for sharing this recipe! I have been looking for a GREAT vanilla cake recipe and this was it! I made this for a thanksgiving party and paired it with a Hershey milk chocolate buttercream and it was gone before everybody got a chance to get a piece
I must admit I did make 2 changes, I used buttermilk instead and added an extra tbsp of vanilla.
Everyone LOVED it! Thank you once again for sharing this amazing recipe!
Hi Jasmine! I’m SO happy to hear that this was a hit!! Glad you loved the recipe and consider it a great one. I’ll have to try it with the buttermilk and extra vanilla! Thanks for letting me know!
Hi there
I love the sound of this recipe. My twins have asked for a unicorn cake (one each) for their birthday. It has a fondant unicorn head on the front. As I’m making 2 cakes I want to make two quite small ones (to prevent waste) with a bit of height to accommodate the unicorn head, so multiple layers will be required. Any help on how to adapt this recipe would be very much appreciated (tins cooking times etc). The smallest tins I have are quite high sided 6inch tins but I could buy 5 inch. Many thanks. Nicola.
Hi Nicola! This cake recipe works well with smaller sized pans. Although I’ve successfully made it with 4 inch pans, 6 inch pans, and as cupcakes, I’ve never tried it with a taller sided cake pan, so I have no idea what the baking time would be. For the 6 inch pans (2 inch tall sides), I baked for 40 minutes. I would be sure to fill the pan no more than 2/3 full and check it at 40-50 minutes to see if it needs more time for the taller sides. The reason the 8 inch pans need less baking time is because the layers aren’t as tall as my 6 inch pan.
Many thanks. Looks like my pans are 3 inches high so hopefully that won’t make too much difference to baking
times. Will let you know how I go!
Oh perfect! For some reason I read that as you having a pan with 6 inch tall sides 🙂 For a 6 inch cake with 3 inch sides, just check it at 40 min and gauge whether or not you need more time. My estimate would be about 50 min total, but let me know how it goes!
Hi there! So excited to try this recipe! I plan on using a 6″ cake pan – does this recipe still yield two 6″ cakes? Just with longer cook time? If I want a 3 layer cake, am I going to have to make another half recipe? Thank you so so much! Your directions are so helpful! 🙂
Hi Catie! So excited for you to try this recipe too! It will yield two 6 inch cakes as is (bake for about 40 minutes), or if you want a third layer you can 1.5 the recipe. If you eliminate the sprinkles from this funfetti cake recipe the measurements for a 3 layer 6-inch cake are perfect (it’s the same vanilla cake recipe, only with sprinkles added at the end): https://sugarandsparrow.com/funfetti-cake-recipe/
You’re the best, thank you!!
Another great one, thank you! I too have been looking everywhere for a good light and fluffy vanilla cake and this fits the bill. This is the third this month from your blog and all have been fantastic. The cake sank slightly while cooking but after leveling it off it turned out great, I might of opened the oven to check at the wrong time or maybe because I used 6″ silicone pans, I never know why it sometimes sinks. I did your buttercream but added a little passionfruit concentrate for flavor and was awesome.
Hi Chad! I’m so happy that these recipes are working well for you! The addition of passionfruit to the buttercream sounds heavenly. I’m gonna have to try that! And about the sinking – I’ve never tried silicone baking pans so that could be it, but also opening the oven door before the batter is set can cause a cake to sink slightly. Not entirely sure what happened but I’m glad it was perfect when you leveled it!
Hi, I see this recipe makes 3 – 6 inch layers but how can I adapt it to 3- 8 inch and 10 inch layers pls?
Hi Eveline! For three 8-inch layers I would 1.5x the recipe, and for three 10-inch cake layers I would double the recipe.
Looks divine! I will try this recipe next as the last recipe I tried turned out way too dense . Would it be okay to substitute the butter with vegetable oil? Or even half butter, half oil? If will it be the same measurements? Also would this recipe work well with cake strips? Thank you!
Hi Roxane! I haven’t tried this recipe substituting the butter with vegetable oil before, so I can’t recommend it. This recipe is really light, fluffy, and flavorful as-is. And yes, you can totally use bake strips with this cake recipe. I hope you love it!
Omgosh! I have made vanilla cakes and they all taste like cornbread:( Im so excited to make this!!!!!!! But, can i use ap flor instead of cake flour? Would therr be any difference?
Hi Iris! I can’t wait for you to try this recipe! The reason it calls for cake flour is because that’s what makes it soft and fluffy – all purpose flour tends to make vanilla cake dense and cornbread-y in my experience, so I wouldn’t recommend substituting the cake flour with all purpose. You can make your own cake flour in a pinch if you can’t find it at your grocery store. The recipe is in the notes section of the recipe.
Can i substitute sour cream with yogurt?
Hi Dora! I have never tried the recipe with yogurt as a sour cream substitute, but I think as long as you go with a full fat yogurt you should be alright. The purpose of the sour cream is to add extra moisture, and only a full fat substitute will do that.
Hi, do you have any recommendations for baking this at altitude?
Hi Roxanne! I have never tried modifying this recipe for high altitudes, but I did find this info on the web for how to modify it: http://dish.allrecipes.com/high-altitude-cake-baking/
Awesome, thank you so much!
Hi Whitney! It’s Jasmine again♀️. I hope all is well with you! I wanted to ask if by any chance you know how many cups of batter the recipe makes? I am making cake pops 2 different ways (in the cake pop maker and old fashion mush and squish ) and cupcakes but it is a very small quantity that I need. I was thinking of making one batch of batter and splitting it between all 3 treats.
Hi Jasmine, I don’t know how many cups of batter this recipe makes, but I’m sure one batch will accommodate all of those treats. If you want to make absolute sure that you have enough, you can always make this version that is 1.5x the batter (same recipe, just omit the sprinkles) to have a little bit more: https://sugarandsparrow.com/funfetti-cake-recipe/
Helllooo there! I was wondering how many batches I would need to make a two tier cake? The bottom needs to be an 8 inch round and 3 layers and the top tier is a 6 inch round also 3 layers
Also, do these bake relatively flat?
Hi Jillian! For a two tier cake of that size, I would triple the recipe. That’ll give you a little bit extra batter, but it’s better to have a little more than you need than a little less. These cakes do bake relatively flat, but I always use a cake leveler after baking them to make sure each layer is perfectly even. Hope that helps!
I just made this cake and i’m quite pleased with it! The layers baked up perfectly, its got good flavor without being TOO sweet. It is a smidge on the dense side, but i really think i should have baked it a few minutes longer, which probably would have helped. I’ll try that the next time. Overall, i think i may have found my new go-to recipe. Also, this post is how i found sugar&sparrow, i’m enjoying exploring.
That’s so great to hear, Charity! I’m so happy you may have found your new go-to! 🙂
Hi, I’m Vicky and new to baking. I’m eager to make this cake for my lil girl’s 3rd birthday…but I’d like the cake to be 8inches wide and stacked up three levels with butter cream in between. I read from the comments that I may have to double all my ingredients. Will I have to double the creaming time too? Say from 2 mins to 4 mins? And will I have to double the recipe for the butter cream too?
Hi Vicky! For a three later 8-inch cake, I would 1.5 the recipe. It’s the same recipe and measurements as my funfetti cake recipe, only don’t add sprinkles into the batter at the end (unless you want to!). You’ll find all the instructions and measurements you need here: https://sugarandsparrow.com/funfetti-cake-recipe/
You will have to double the amount of buttercream to fill and frost a cake, unless it’s part of a recipe that specifies that it’s meant to fill and frost a cake of that size. Hope that helps!
Thanks, Whitney! The vanilla cake recipe turned out great!
So happy to hear that, Vicky!!
Hey Whitney! I was super excited to try this receipe (and the batter was delicious!) but things didn’t go as planned. About 20 min into baking the pans completely overflowed. I used two 9×1.5 in cake pans. Do I need taller? My oven is also pretty old, so perhaps that factored into the issue. Any idea where I might’ve gone wrong? I’d like to try it again!
Hi Hannah! So sorry to hear that your cake pans overflowed! The pans I use are a little over 2 inches deep, I’m sure the shorter pan has something to do with it. I would recommend only filling a pan of that depth 1/2 full instead of 2/3 full. Let me know how it goes next time and I hope these ones can be salvaged!
Hi, Whitney.
Thanks. I have a question
Doesn’t this cake need any egg?
Thank you for responding.
Hi Fatemah! It does call for three eggs, as shown in the recipe 🙂
Hi Whitney,
If I want to make 2 or 3 layers, but only have 1 9″ pan, will the batter be okay sitting out while the first layer bakes and cools, or is it meant to go in the oven right away after mixing?
Thanks!
Heather
Hi Heather, the batter is totally ok sitting out at room temperature while the other layers bake. I do that all the time. Just be sure to cover your mixing bowl with a cloth or paper towel while the other layers are baking.
Hello! This looks so delicious! I’d like to make this cake with 6 inch diameter pans (each pan has 3 inch tall sides) to make a more narrow and tall cake with three layers. Would you recommend increasing the recipe or changing the baking time if I did this? Thanks!
Hi Ali! So excited for you to try this recipe. For a three layer 6-inch cake, I always use the measurements from my Funfetti cake recipe. It’s the same vanilla cake recipe, adapted for a three layer 6-inch cake, just don’t add the sprinkles at the end: https://sugarandsparrow.com/funfetti-cake-recipe/
Hey can you please tell the substitute for eggs in this recipe..please
Hi, Meenu! Unfortunately, I’ve never made an eggless version of this recipe, so I can’t recommend a substitute. I would either find an eggless vanilla cake recipe to try or do some searching to see what is most commonly recommended for substituting eggs in a cake recipe.
I just tried your recipe and it is the perfect vanilla cake recipe, it’s the recipe I’ve been looking for! Thank you
I’m so happy to hear that, Julissa! Thanks for letting me know!
Hi Whitney! I would like to make this recipe for my friends sons birthday party, but I was asked to make 2 dozen cupcakes and a large cake. I was planning on doubling the recipe for the cake (I will be using a 14×2 in square pan), but do u think I should double the cupcakes as well? Also, what do u think the baking times should be for the cupcakes and the cake? Thank you, Jess
Hi Jessica! The instructions for using this recipe as cupcakes is here: https://sugarandsparrow.com/vanilla-cupcake-recipe/ and it yields 24 cupcakes. I’ve never made this recipe in that large of a pan, so I would recommend using a flower nail or heating core to make sure everything bakes evenly. If it’s going to be a one layer cake, I would use the recipe ratios as-is and check the cake at 40 minutes to see if it needs more time than that. If it’s going to be two layers, I would double the recipe. I hope that helps!
Hi, Just wondering, how many batches will i need to make 100 serves?
Hi Jess, this cake recipe serves 12 comfortably, so you’d need to make about 8 batches to serve 100.
I wanted to try out this recipe beforehand for my daughter’s first birthday. So I halved your recipe (to make one 9” round) and used your DIY cake flour recipe. I also used your basic vanilla buttercream to frost. It turned out amazing! So I’ll definitely use this for her birthday cake! I will buy some cake flour though bc sifting was too much for me HA! Thanks for this simple and easy recipe!
That’s so wonderful to hear, Rekha!! I’m so happy you love the recipe and happy first birthday to your daughter!!
Hi Whitney,
Do you think I could use eggs replacer in this recipe to get similar results?
And….have you got any tips for eggless/vegan cakes please?
Thank you so much for sharing your tips.
Hi Sharmila! I’ve never tried egg replacers with any of my recipes so I can’t say for sure how it will turn out. Someday I hope to try making vegan cake recipes but until then I don’t have any tips myself! I’ve heard a LOT of great things about Minimalist Baker’s vegan cake recipes though, so I’d give some of those a try: https://minimalistbaker.com/tag/cake/
Hi Whitney. Just wondering if it’s ok to use self raising flour instead of plain with soda, powder and salt? Thank you. :0)
Hi Lovanah! I don’t use self-rising flour because it doesn’t have the low protein content of cake flour and has additives like baking powder (hence the term self rising). If you substitute self-rising flour, it would add too much leavening agent to this recipe which would actually make it sink in the middle once you bake it. Instead, I recommend store bought cake flour, or if you don’t have that on hand, you can convert all-purpose flour into cake flour using this recipe: https://sugarandsparrow.com/homemade-cake-flour-recipe/
Hi Whitney,
I was just wondering how to ensure the sides of the cakes don’t get too dark? I’ve noticed from following a lot of Instagram bakers that the sides of their vanilla cakes are not much darker than the rest of the cake. I made your funfetti cake for my daughters birthday which was delicious but the sides of the cake were quite dark and a bit over cooked even though I only kept them in the oven long enough to be cooked properly in the middle.
Thanks heaps
Hi Renee! The only reason that the sides might get darker is if your oven temp is actually hotter than what the display reads. This cake (which is the same recipe as the funfetti cake minus the sprinkles) should only get golden brown on the edges and top when it’s done cooking. You can buy an oven thermometer to read the actual temp and adjust accordingly.
Hi Whitney! Could you tell me if this recipe would this recipe work in a 9×13 pan?
Hi Mel! I’ve actually never tried this as a 9 x 13 sheet cake, so I’m not sure how it will turn out but my hunch is that it will work. Just make sure to fill the pan no more than 1/2 full, bake at 350, and check it at 35 minutes to see if it needs longer. Let me know how it turns out!
Hi, This was my first time making a cake and I ended up using this recipe. The cake turned out amazing!
I can’t wait to try it again
The steps were very easy to follow
And I will definitely try some of your other cakes
Thanks so much
Oh and I forgot to rate it 5 stars 🙂
So happy you loved the recipe, Zoe! Thanks for letting me know and I can’t wait for you to try some more cake recipes!
I made birthday cake following all the parts of the recipe including vanilla Butter cream frostin. It was great,just felt little too sweet.to adjust that what should i do?
Hi Atiya! Glad you loved the recipe! If you want to reduce the sweetness in the cake, you can reduce the amount of white granulated sugar to 1 1/2 Cups. If you want to reduce the amount of sweetness in the frosting, you can either use salted butter instead of unsalted, or add a little more salt at the end. You can also try reducing the amount of powdered sugar by 1/2 Cup but it will be less thick.
Hi, I just randomly found this recipe on Instagram and am so excited to try it out. I was wonder, since the recipe uses cake flour, does that mean the sponge will be a little softer than other normal sponge cakes? Will it be stable enough to stake and add fondant figurines on top of the cake? Thanks!
Hi Kim! Happy you found this recipe – it’s one of my all time faves! The sponge of this cake is soft and fluffy, but it’s definitely stable enough to stack and add fondant figures to the top. I’ve done that many times before 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi Whitney 🙂 I am going to use this recipe tonight and cant wait! I only have 7″ tins and I would like to for 5/6 layers? should I double the recipe? Also – I have a fan assisted oven, would you lower the temp in degrees Celsius?
thank you so much 🙂
Hi Emily! For 5-6 layers in a 7 inch cake pan I would double the recipe. You’ll have just enough for that amount! And as far as a fan assisted oven, I’ve never used one but I read online that the oven temp should be adjusted downward by 20ºC. Hope that helps!
hi! Do you know how tall 3 layers of the 6″ round cake ends up being? Need to bake for a friend and would love to know so I can get an appropriate cake box would be a travesty to make such a pretty cake and not be able to transport!
Hi Tess! Depending on how much filling and how you torte the layers, a 3 layer 6″ cake ends up being 5-6 inches tall.
I’ve just found this recipe- and have used it twice already for birthdays! It is delicious!
Thank you so much for all the tips and tricks- you make understanding the recipe very easy!
Hi Jennifer! That is so wonderful to hear! I’m glad the recipe is a hit and you’ve found a good go-to 🙂
Hi I followed your recipe but my cake batter curdled and when baked the cake was very greasy. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Lisa! That’s interesting, I’ve never had or heard of issues with this cake batter curdling. Did you substitute any ingredients?
Hi! Will this recipe work with the Cup 4 cup flour for a gluten free cake? Thank you!
Hi Irene! I’m not entirely sure since I’ve never tried gluten free baking. I would research the kind of flour you’re wanting to use to see if it’s a cup for cup substitution. It should say on the package of GF flour, so I would just go with what the brand recommends.
Hello! I have followed your blog and have made quite a few cakes following your recipes. They have all turned out to be delicious! But every time I make the vanilla cake the tops are a little sticky. Is that normal? If not what can I do to fix it. I have followed the recipe as is and no substitutions.
Hi Divya! So happy you’ve been loving my recipes. A sticky cake top is typically caused by wrapping the cake for storage before it’s completely cooled. The fix is simple – let the cakes cool completely without wrapping them and use them right away once they’re room temperature. Or you can do what I do: cut off the cake tops with a cake level before filling and stacking them.
I’ve been set the task by my daughter to make one of your cakes for her birthday this weekend! 🙂 I wanted to check it’s definitely granulated sugar (does it not make it grainy?), as I’d usually use caster sugar in my cakes. Thanks. 🙂 x
Hi Rachael! So excited for you to make this cake! I always use granulated white sugar in my cakes and they’ve never tasted grainy after baking (the heat from the oven melts it evenly as the cake bakes). I’ve never tried using caster sugar, but from what I’ve read it’s the same white sugar, only ground a little more fine, and you can substitute it in recipes that call for granulated. I hope this recipe is a hit for your daughter’s birthday!
Do you think this cake with stand up ok to a marscapone strawberry filling? I’m worried that if it is too delicate it may not hold up to the potential moisture of the strawberry filling….
Hi Susan! I have never tried marscapone filling before but I have a friend who uses it with my vanilla cake recipe all the time! If you’re worried about the filling being too liquid you can always pipe a stiffer buttercream dam around the edge of the cake to ensure that the layer above won’t squish the filling out.
Lovely cake—it was a hit with 30 party goers. I do have a question. My cake turned out a bit dense, very delicious but not light and fluffy. I followed the recipe to a “t”…do you think the wrapping/refrigeration of it made it “dense up”? What would attribute to the density?
So happy the recipe was a hit, Susan! The cake being dense could definitely be from wrapping the cake layers and storing them in the refrigerator (if that’s how you stored them before decorating). I always store mine at room temperature and wrap them only after they’re totally cooled. A dense cake could be the result of overmixing as well, but if you followed the recipe exactly it sounds like you shouldn’t have a problem there.
Hmmmm….I did store them wrapped and in the fridge before decorating. And maybe, just maybe I over mixed it…will try again (b/c really, it was still a huge winner…just trying to perfect my cake game!) THANKS for your help!
Of course, Susan! Definitely give it another go and I have a video with tips on how to make this vanilla cake recipe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLMUYwvOnys
Hi. The recipe sounds interesting. Is this cake suitable to go under fondant.?
This cake will totally work under fondant, Shanti! I hope you give it a try!
I have been asked to make a rainbow Spider-Man cake for a kids birthday, would I need to double this recipe to make 6 or 7 layers of rainbow colours or would that recipe amount be enough to seperate add each different colour and make several smaller cakes for the layers?? Also is self raising flour ok to use rather than all purpose and baking powder?
Thanks kindly
Hi Cassie! Doubling this recipe will give you exactly six 6-inch layers. You’d need to mix the food coloring in to each separate pan to make each one a different color. I do not recommend self rising flour because it has too much leavening agent added (hence the term self rising!) and will cause the cake to sink in the middle since it already has just the right amount of leavening between the baking powder and baking soda. If you substitute it for anything, I would use this homemade cake flour recipe since cake flour is what makes this cake so light and fluffy: http://sugarandsparrow.com/homemade-cake-flour-recipe
Hi Whitney. Can I use evaporated milk in place of whole milk? Due to lactose intolerance, we never buy whole milk or any other (except for soy or almond milk).
I just recently discovered your blog and I’m really enjoying it. All your cakes look so “glamorous” – – – bet you have not had that adjective used for your cakes. :-). I’ll be trying some of your recipes real soon. I’m buying a cake turntable and leveler to get ready for layering and frosting cakes. I’m more of a cupcake/cookie/bars baker but you’ve inspired me to start baking cakes. Thank you very much for all your tips and recipes.
Hi Amparo! Thanks so much for your kind words about my cakes 🙂 I’ve never tried substituting the whole milk with evaporated milk before, but from what I’ve read online it looks like you can do a straight substitution for baking! Let me know how it goes!
Hi, I made this recipe and it turned out amazing! So delicious! Just wondering if the batter divide evenly between 3 8 inch tins!
Hi Angel! So happy you love this recipe! For three 8-inch pans I would 1.5 the recipe to have enough.
Hi! I’ve tried this recipe before and loved it! Now, I want to make it into a 9×13 sheet cake, would I need to adjust measurements?
Awesome, Isabel! So happy you love the recipe! You can bake this in a 9×13 sheet pan as-is. Just be sure to fill the pan no more than 1/2 full and check it at 40-45 minutes for doneness.
I used this recipe for my husbands birthday cake and it was a hit!! Now attempting the unicorn cake as requested by my 3 year old for her birthday!
Yay, Erin!! So happy you love the vanilla cake recipe and can’t wait for you to make the unicorn cake next!
Hi Whitney, Greetings from Australia, Could you tell me how long to bake this recipe if I use 2-9″pans.
Hi Lee! For two 9 inch pans, the baking time would be 25-30 minutes. Excited for you to try this recipe!
Hi Whitney, I’m in the uk so normally weigh ingredients so I followed instructions to make the cake flour (thanks so much) but the weight of 3 3/4 Cups was hitting 498g not 398g. My dilemma was do I put in 398g or use the cup measurements. The cup I was using was marked as holding 236.64g
Hi Tracy! That’s an excellent question, because I didn’t account for All Purpose flour weighing more than pure Cake Flour (and the homemade cake flour is made from All Purpose!). Even so, use the 398g measurement that the recipe calls for. Hope you love this recipe!
Hi Whitney!
I’ve followed this recipe to a T a few times and the layers were dense, not fluffy. Do you know any idea why? I don’t think I overmixed it.
I love your other recipes, though! Thanks so much!!
Hi Diana! It’s hard to say why the cake turned out dense without observing how long you mixed, what temp your ingredients were at, etc. The number one reason for dense cakes is over-mixing the batter, but it could also be caused by baking powder that is expired (it loses its freshness 6 months after opening), oven temp that is too low, and ingredients that are not room temp/improperly brought to room temp. Here’s a video I made to explain how I make this recipe with tips for success: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLMUYwvOnys&t=44s
Thank you so much for responding! The only thing I can think of is the oven temperature. I have a convection oven feature and I baked them at 325 degrees as opposed to 350 degrees using a regular oven feature. I will try 350 degrees the next time!
This is an amazing recipe. I told a chance and doubled it for two 10 inch cakes. Amazing amazing amazing. Thank you for sharing this with us and in such detail!!
So happy you love the recipe, Farhana!!
Someone Has probably already asked but what could you use instead of the half cup sour cream preferably if it’s a dairy free alternative thank you so much
Hi Michael! The purpose of the sour cream is to add extra moisture, and I usually recommend full fat greek yogurt as a substitute. I’ve never tried a dairy-free option before, but after a quick Google search it looks like there might be vegan soy-based sour creams that would make a good substitute. I can’t highly recommend it since I’ve never tried it before, but it sounds like an option worth trying. Hope that helps!
I cannot wait to make this cake for my grandson’s birthday! He’s 5. My cake pans are 8″ and I would like to use 3 ….. I too like a tall cake. Should I 1.5 the recipe? I do not have any 6″ pans at the moment! I LOVE your cakes, they are so elegant and gorgeous. I too grew up LOVING cakes! I hope to learn more about all the cool things you can do with icing. I am not really into fondant cakes, so when I stumbled on your sight, I was amazed! Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi Dana! So excited for you to make this cake for your grandson! My funfetti cake recipe is the same as this vanilla cake recipe (just omit the sprinkles), and it makes enough for 3 8-inch layers: https://sugarandsparrow.com/funfetti-cake-recipe/ if you want four 8-inch layers to make the cake extra tall, I’d say double this vanilla cake recipe. Hope you love this cake!
Dear Whitney, I only have one cake pan. Do you think it’s OK if I cook 1/3 of the batter and keep the remaining at room temp until the pan is free again? Thank you for your blog 🙂 I am from Belgium and flat you put everything in grams too 🙂
Hi Christiane! You can keep the batter at room temp, covered, while the layers are baking. Hope you love this recipe!
My 6 year old daughter had a hard day at school and came home saying “Can we bake a cake? Baking always makes me feel better.” She picked this recipe based on the photos, and OMG am I glad we tried this! I love baking and have tried several different recipes for vanilla cake, and this is beyond the best one I have ever tried. It is amaaaaazing! Thanks to this cake, her day turned around!!!
I am so happy to hear that, Sarah! And that’s so cool that your daughter recognizes a love for baking at such a young age! Glad it was a hit and brought some joy to her day (and yours too!).
DElicious! The crumb was tender. I made 3 six inch cakes, and wrapped each cake pans with cake strips. After baking, I weighed each cake pan with batter to 18 oz. for even layers. I was able to get 2 cupcakes with the left over batter. I’m really glad the recipe comes out with more batter because this gives me a chance to taste the cake. SO HAPPY this is another winner from Sugar & Sparrow!
So happy you love this recipe as much as I do! Glad it’s a winner!
Hello! I would love to make this as a peanut butter flavored cake, any ideas on how to incorporate the peanut butter? Thank you! Making the vanilla as well for top tier.
Hi Jennifer! You’re in luck. I have a great peanut butter cake recipe here (basically this vanilla cake recipe with peanut butter added): https://sugarandsparrow.com/chocolate-peanut-butter-cake-recipe/
I’m planning on making this cake for a friend this Valentines Day! Do you have a tutorial on how to decorate the cake like yours? I’m going to use your vanilla cake and buttercream recipe and I would love to decorate how you did as well!
Thank you!
Hi Evette! I don’t have a tutorial on this particular cake design, but it’s basically just an ombre finish with swirls on top piped with Wilton Tip 4B, then sprinkled with the Sprinkle Pop “Hey Sugar” sprinkle mix. I used Americolor Fuschia for the pink color. Here’s a blog post that shows how to create an ombre buttercream finish, only use a color palette of Fuschia, White, and those two colors mixed together for the middle tone: https://sugarandsparrow.com/under-the-sea-cake-tutorial/
Hi
I want to give this a try for my twin nieces birthday – specifically your fault line cake! Have just bought two 6″ deep tins. Would the original quantity work? if I left it for around 45 mins and should I keep the oven temp the same?
Thank you
Hi Lindsey! I’ve never baked this cake recipe (or any cake recipe!) in a pan deeper than 2 inches, so I’m no expert on deep dish cakes or how to alter this recipe to work for a deeper pan. From what I’ve researched about deep dish pans, it sounds like it’s not a good idea unless you’re baking a cake with a dense crumb (like a fruit cake). Since this recipe is meant to be light and fluffy, it may not end up that way if baked in a deep pan. If you want to give it a go though, all the Googling I’ve done says to lower the oven temp and bake for longer, so maybe try 300 degrees for an hour or more. Let me know if you end up trying it, I’m curious as to how it will turn out!
Thank you for replying and so promptly!
Going to give it a try tomorrow, so I’ll let you know how it goes. x
The cake looks so divine:) feel like trying the recipe. Can I know if I can substitute all purpose flour for cake flour?? Or does the recipe stick to cake flour only?? Request you to help me with that??
Thanks, Priyanka! Can’t wait for you to try it! Since the cake flour is what makes this recipe light and fluffy, my best recommendation is to make a homemade version of cake flour using all purpose flour (recipe here: https://sugarandsparrow.com/homemade-cake-flour-recipe/). If you don’t have corn starch handy, you can use straight all purpose flour but be sure to sift it a few times. It may end up being a little more dense than if you used cake flour but will be tasty nonetheless!
This is going to be my cake for this birthday weekend! I only have light brown sugar on hand, would that work instead of white granulated sugar?
Hi Priya! I’ve never tried a cake recipe with all brown sugar before. I know that the added molasses will give the cake more of a caramel taste and add moisture, but I’m not sure how the texture of the crumb will be affected. Let me know if you try it and happy birthday weekend!
Hello!
I am a big fan of your beautiful creations! To start with, Shall I cut each ingredient to half so that I dont end up in eating a Big cake? I am the beginner inspired by ur work. What OTG or Oven mode you use to bake basic cake? Thanks in advance
Thanks so much, Benazir! If you want to make a small version of this cake, I would recommend my vanilla smash cake recipe (same recipe, just smaller portion): https://sugarandsparrow.com/smash-cake/
I use a conventional oven and bake all of my cakes at 350ºF (bake mode). Hope that helps!
What can i do if I don’t have sour cream? It’s almost impossible to find it in my country
Hi Gianmarco! The purpose of the sour cream is to add extra moisture, and from my own experience the best substitutes for it are either 1) full-fat plain greek yogurt or 2) omit the sour cream and use buttermilk in place of the whole milk.
Hi Whitney – I’ve made this cake twice now and everyone loves it. The only thing is that both times when adding the milk in the recipe the batter has curdled slightly. It doesn’t seem to have affected the taste but I was wondering if you have any idea why this happens?
Hi Elissa! Is the milk room temperature when you add it? If it’s even slightly colder than the rest of the ingredients, it will curdle the fat solids in the recipe. Ingredient temp and milk freshness are the only things I can think of that would curdle this recipe – it’s crucial that all dairy ingredients are room temp. I’m glad it’s been turning out well despite the curdling though!
Thanks for your reply Whitney. I did leave the milk out for an hour or so but perhaps it still was too cold (it’s Winter here).
I’m making the cake again for a birthday this weekend so will make sure I leave it out a little longer.
Hi Whitney,
I love this recipe! I make it all the time!! My question for you is that I noticed in the video the prepared round pans are placed on a baking sheet. Is that what do you suggest? I have not tried that yet.
Thanks,
Heather
Hi Heather! In the video I was just using the baking sheet to carry all three tins to the oven. I don’t bake the cakes on top of the baking sheet (sorry for the confusion!) so I just recommend placing the tins on the top rack in your oven. Sometimes I will place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any overflow if I’m trying a new recipe and am unsure of how it will rise though!
Unfortunately, we did not like this cake. It was dry and there was too much salt.
Hi Ayesha, that’s interesting that the cake tasted salty. I’ve never heard of that happening before. Did you by chance use salted butter instead of unsalted butter?
Would you use this Recipe for a wedding cake?
Hi Lynsey! I definitely would use (and have used) this recipe for a wedding cake 🙂
Hi Whitney, I love your cakes and recipes and just made the vanilla cupcakes today. I love the recipe and was going to try the cakes next. Could I put vanilla bean into the recipe? Would it change how much extract I use? Thanks so much for being such an inspiration to a fairly new baker!
Hi Cheryl! Thanks for the kind words and I’m so happy you’ve been loving my vanilla cupcake recipe! Although I’ve never tried it before, you can use a vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract. From a quick Google search it looks like 1 vanilla bean is equal to 3 tsp of vanilla extract.
Hi
Can i substitute buttermilk for sourcream
Hi Aleena! A better substitute for the sour cream would be full fat greek yogurt, but if you want to use buttermilk in this recipe, you can omit the sour cream and use buttermilk in place of the whole milk.
Hi Whitney! I was just reading your reply above and I am making sure. I always make cakes as you do: 3 6″ layers and I also love tall cakes. So, if I want to use buttermilk in this recipe, you say to omit the sour cream and use buttermilk in place of the whole milk. Just making sure. Also, to achieve 3 tall layers, I would make just a single recipe, not 1 1/2 recipes? Somewhere in this thread you also referenced your funfetti recipe; were you saying that this recipe and your funfetti are the same, just one has sprinkles and one doesn’t? Sorry for so many questions. Just looking for those 3 tall layers. Made your salted caramel buttercream today. Looking to make your vanilla cake soon and pair them. Hope all is well with you. 🙂
Hi Paula! To answer your questions: 1) yes, although I don’t recommend omitting the sour cream (because that’s the best way to make it extra moist), in a pinch you could omit the sour cream and sub buttermilk for the whole milk. It won’t be as moist as adding sour cream or even subbing that with full fat greek yogurt, but it’s the next best thing. 2) yes, to achieve three 6-inch layer that are roughly 2 inches tall, just keep this recipe as-is. If you look at the update disclaimer before the recipe, it explains that I changed the ingredient amounts to make just enough for three 6-inch layers or 2 9-inch layers. My funfetti recipe is the same, only with sprinkles added, and yields more batter (which is why the ingredient amounts are different).
So happy you love the salted buttercream recipe and can’t wait for you to pair it with this vanilla cake!
Thank you so much for your response. I guess my issue is that I seem to always have sour cream and buttermilk on hand, I just don’t have whole milk. I’d like to keep the sour cream but if I don’t have the whole milk, would you recommend keeping the sour cream and using 2%, which is what I always have? Thank you!!!
Yes, I would totally recommend keeping the sour cream and using 2% milk. That should be just fine!
You are so awesome in responding!!!! Thank you Whitney!!! <3
Hi Whitney …. I’ve just found you on you tube and I think your cakes are fab. I live in wales in the UK. I would like to make this in 4 .. 7 inch pans , please could Tell me the recipe for this please … Diolch ( that’s thank you in welsh ) Karen x
Hi Karen! Thanks so much for your kind words. To make enough for four 7-inch pans, I would double this recipe if you want your layers to be about 2 inches tall. You might have some extra batter. If you want layers that are closer to 1.25 inches tall, you can use my funfetti cake recipe and omit the sprinkles (same recipe as my vanilla cake, only with sprinkles added and yields a little more batter): https://sugarandsparrow.com/funfetti-cake-recipe/
Hello Whitney,
Can I please use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour? How will this affect the end result of the cake?
Many thanks 🙂
Hi Yi! I highly recommend using cake flour, as that is what makes this cake fluffy and soft. You can use all purpose flour, but the crumb will be more dense. If you don’t have access to cake flour, I recommend making your own using all purpose flour and cornstarch. Here’s how: http://sugarandsparrow.com/homemade-cake-flour
How many cups of batter does this recipe make? I am planning to make an ombré explosion cake and I need 6 layers about 1 cup per layer.
Hi Erica! This recipe makes 6 Cups of batter, so it should work just fine!
Good Afternoon,
I have just made this cake but the cake will very wet inside. I baked it for 30 mins – do you think it was maybe just under baked and should have been left in a little longer?
Hi Ashley! Yes, it sounds underbaked. Next time I would recommend inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, it’s ready. If it’s got batter on it, you’ll need to bake it for an additional few minutes until the toothpick comes out clean.
Hello,
why is my cake always raw in the center? even after 50 minutes. do i have to raise the temperature?
Thank you!
Hi Francesca! It sounds like your oven temp may be too low. This cake should only take 30-35 minutes to bake. Are you using a fan-assisted oven or conventional? And are you using pans that are deeper than 2 inches? If the cake pans are too deep it will take longer for the cake to bake and the oven temp might need to be altered to follow suit.
Hi!
Just wondering if the oven should be on fan forced or just normal top and bottom heating? And would the same temperature and time work for cupcakes if i tried this recipe?
Also what can i use instead of cake flour?
Can’t wait to try this!! 😀
Hi Shashi! I have a conventional oven, and if you’re using a fan forced oven I believe the cooking temp needs to be altered. Here’s some info I found on how to tweak the temperature and baking time for a fan assisted oven: https://www.nigella.com/ask/baking-a-cake-in-normal-ovens-and-fan-ovens
And since cake flour is so crucial for the soft crumb in this recipe, the best substitute is going to be a DIY version that you can make with all purpose flour: https://sugarandsparrow.com/homemade-cake-flour
Hi I love your recipe and how u explained everything… But can please tell me if you used medium size eggs or large eggs in your recipe.. this would be great to know as I’m testing recipes out at moment
Hi Navneeta. They are large eggs. Hope you love the recipe!
Baked this cake for my birthday and it was an absolute hit! So moist and tasty. Thank you for doing what you do
Yay, Ronak! So happy to hear you love this recipe as much as I do!
I made two 8 inch cake pans,came out good but the only problem was the centre top was sticky and also i DIY cakeflour and used the exact measurements but my cake was way too soft and crumbly,while stacking when it was cooled, it cracked from the middle.
Also,if i want to half the recipe should i use 2 eggs or 1 egg?
Hi Niharika! Sorry to hear that the cake crumbled. I’m not quite sure what went wrong there! Was the cake top sticky after cooling or when you took it out of the oven? If it was sticky when warm, the cake may have needed a few more minutes to bake. If it was sticky after cooling it, that can sometimes happen if you wrap the cakes before they’re completely cool (the condensation gets trapped underneath the wrap). To combat that, I would recommend cooling the layers unwrapped. If you want to half the recipe, use 1 egg + 1 egg yolk. To save you the math, here’s the same recipe halfed: https://sugarandsparrow.com/smash-cake/
Hi Whitney!
Id like to make this cake for my son’s bday. I would like to use three 8 inch pans. I was thinking of making this recipe for 2 pans and then for the next pan just cut the recipe in half. Do you think that would work?
Thanks!
Hi Jessica! Yes, making 1.5x the recipe amount is correct! If you want to make it all in one go instead of dividing the recipe up into two sessions, you can just multiply each ingredient amount by 1.5 and you’ll have the perfect amount!
Hi, I was wondering what type of 6 inch cake tin could I use? I’m thinking of buying this Wilton easy layers 6 inch cake tin? But I’m thinking they might not be deep enough? So how about Samuel 6 inch cake Victoria cake tin? I’m not sure let me know xx
Hi Sanah! The tins I use are 6 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep. That said, I think the Wilton Easy Layers ones will be too shallow. I’ve never heard of the other brand you mentioned, but the exact tins I use are listed on this page: http://sugarandsparrow.com/tools hope that helps!
Hi, I have found the right ones off the cake craft company they are 15.2 cm and 2 inch deep I hope they will do? Thank you
Hi Sanah! Yes – that size will work perfectly!
Hi, I guess it’s bad luck or something but I they website are out of stock and I can’t find them anywhere on Amazon and even if I do they like £8 each and I need three so is their no other size I could use like I want to use 6 inch but it’s the depth that I can’t find? I can find 3 inch but 2 inch is like impossible so can you suggest a place where I can at least get 2 ,6 inch tins which are 2 inch deep as I understand why you can’t use 3 inch? Thank you!
Hi Sanah, I got my cake pans from Amazon years ago. You can check your local cake decorating supply shop or you can use 6 inch pans that are 3 inches deep – just divide the batter between them equally and they should bake just fine!
LOVE your recipes! 2 questions. Is there a reason why you use the paddle instead of the whisk on the kitchen aid?
And I love an almond flavor wedding cake, seems like this would be a great recipe for that, how would you adjust the vanilla extract, and how much almond extract would you use?
Hi Callie! Yes, there is a reason for the paddle attachment: it doesn’t whip in as much air as the whisk. With all the openings of the whisk attachment, it’s easier to overmix the batter and also trap the ingredients within the whisk. I answered your almond flavoring question above, but just in case you didn’t see it: For an almond flavored cake, I would sub 2/3 of the vanilla in this recipe with almond extract. So, 1 tsp of vanilla extract + 2 tsp of almond extract. Enjoy!
LOVE your site! It seems like this recipe would work well for a wedding cake if you want more of an almond flavor. How would you adjust the vanilla extract and how much almond extract would you add if you were trying to accomplish that?
Hi Callie! Thanks so much for your kind words! For an almond flavored cake, I would sub 2/3 of the vanilla in this recipe with almond extract. So, 1 tsp of vanilla extract + 2 tsp of almond extract. Enjoy!
I made your cake yesterday using x3 6 inch cake tins… they came out beautifully thank you so much, been looking for perfect cake recipe for ages. I also used your vanilla butter cream recipe to top the cake and it looked and tasted amazing. Only issue was I was left with too much buttercream and also found 3 tier cake was a bit too much for my small family. I would be grateful if you would please give me the recipe for a 2 tier cake instead and recipe for half the buttercream instead. I’m a beginner lockdown baker so a bit clueless at the moment.
Yay! So happy to hear that you loved this recipe! If you want to make this recipe as two layers instead, you can always half the cake recipe and bake two shorter 6-inch layers (this recipe makes them quite tall) + half the buttercream recipe by dividing all the ingredients by 2. This version of my vanilla cake recipe has all the ingredients halfed, so you can use this one next time for measuring ingredients but bake the layers for 30-35 min if you’re using 6-inch pans: https://sugarandsparrow.com/smash-cake/
Hi Whitney,
Back again Could I also bake this in a rectangular pan? I have to make a heart shaped cake and was thinking to bake two layers in a rectangular pan and then carve the heart out… My pan is 9 × 13 inch.
Thanks!
Kind regards,
Maja
Hi, I see I was a bit too fast. Found the answer above. Thanks!
Kind regardd,
Maja
hi! what will happen if u use sated butter?
Hi Amna! If you use salted butter, this cake will have a saltier taste. To cut back on the salt, you’ll need to omit the 1 1/4 tsp salt in this recipe.
Hi also I don’t have a paddle attachment whisk I only have the had electrical one? Could I still bake this?
By “electrical one” do you mean a handheld mixer? This recipe will work with a stand mixer or hand mixer. I prefer the paddle attachment on the stand mixer for this recipe though.
Hi Whitney, about the cake pans weren’t they bee deep I want the cake to look like yours like the sponges just as the picture and the mixer I gave is not a stand mixer it’s the one you plug in and then hold it by your hand and you can adjust speeds on it but you have to hold it by hand and theirs something missing from it too so there is like air coming from it when I use it will that make a difference? Out of interest I want to make this cake for my 17th birthday it’s on December 19 so I really need to get the pans etc now so I’m all prepared ☺️
A hand mixer will work just fine, but it sounds like yours might be broken in some way? I’m really not sure. I would recommend trying the recipe beforehand to see if your equipment will work. As for the cake pans, although I am using 2 inch deep pans, 3 inch deep ones will work just fine and bake to the same height since it will be an equivalent amount of batter going into the pans (you’ll be dividing the batter evenly between each pan). After baking the cakes, simply torte them to the desired height using this method: https://sugarandsparrow.com/level-and-torte-cake-layers/
Hi I think it will be fine it’s not broken it’s just something has come off my other cakes be fine and thbx soo much I’m finally relived about the pans thnx a lot and just to let you know I baked a cake today and my cakes sink in the middle but today they didn’t thnx to your advice because I watched your this cake recipe video in that you said about mixing the sugar etc for exactly 2 mins and that’s what I did and they didn’t sink so thnx for that too
Yay, Sanah!! I’m so happy to hear that the cake was a success!
Hi Whitney so as I live in the uk, I went hobbycraft and I think I bought 6 inch tin but I think it’s 4 inch deep will that do if I weigh it out evenly? Thnx
Hi Sanah, simply divide the batter equally between the pans and bake! The pan height should not make a difference since you’ll be baking the same amount of batter as you would with a shorter pan. Hope that helps!
Thank youuuu
Hi Whitney! You are absolutely a m a z i n g! It came out beautifully thank you so much, everyone loved it. I have been looking for perfect cake recipe for ages and I finally found it !! Thank you so so so much<3
Yay, Nina!! So happy to hear that you love this recipe!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Can I use 2 x 8 inch tins for this recipe. Thanks
Yes, Patricia! Just make sure you fill the pans no more than 2/3 of the way full. You may have a little extra batter.
Made this cake and I loved it!!
I’m going to 1.5 this recipe to make 3 8-inch cakes. How many eggs would I need to add if I’m going to 1 1/2 the recipe?
That’s amazing, Angel! So happy you love this recipe! To make 1.5x this amount, use my funfetti cake recipe and omit the sprinkles. It’s the same recipe but 1.5x the amount: https://sugarandsparrow.com/funfetti-cake-recipe/
Hi Whitney! I’ve been asked to make my sister’s wedding cake and I want to test this recipe out! Does it hold up well to stacking? Also I see the recipe is for 3 layers of 6 inch cake. I also need to make 3 layers of 8 inch cake and 3 layers of 10 inch cake. How many times would you do the recipe for each of those? Thanks!!
Hi Catie! This recipe works great for stacking cakes. If you’re making a triple layer 8 inch cake, I would recommend using this recipe but omit the sprinkles: https://sugarandsparrow.com/funfetti-cake-recipe it’s the same vanilla cake recipe, only it will yield three 8 inch cakes. For 3 layers of 10 inch cake, I’d recommend doubling this vanilla cake recipe. Hope that helps and happy testing!
Thank you for taking the time to reply Whitney!! I appreciate it!
Hi Whitney , why do u use cake flour instead of self raising flour ?
Hi Shaylei! There is a big explanation about why I use cake flour above in this post, but in a nutshell, it makes this cake softer than any other type of flour. Self rising flour has leavening agent in it, so using it in this recipe would give too much rise and cause the cake to collapse. I do have a recipe for DIY cake flour (it uses all purpose four aka plain flour) if you aren’t able to find it locally: https://sugarandsparrow.com/homemade-cake-flour-recipe/ hope that helps!
What calculations would I do to make a 4 layer 6 inch cake instead of the 3 layers. I would like to make a tall cake
Hi Alexis! This funfetti cake recipe is the same as my vanilla cake, only it makes four 6-inch layers! Just omit the sprinkles and you’re good to go with these measurements: https://sugarandsparrow.com/funfetti-cake-recipe/
Hi Whitney!
This is the most wonderful vanilla cake. Made my very first cake with this recipe and it received rave reviews. My friends and family have ongoing requests for more vanilla, chocolate, lemon, and strawberry. I’m the best free bakery in town! Thank you for my new popularity! Lol
I’m so happy to hear that, Stephanie! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know and I’m cheering you on as you spread joy with those cakes!!
I made this cake and it’s really perfect!! I just have a question on what adjustments I should make to make 3 9inch layers of this cake. I like my cakes tall and fat thank you so much!!
Yay, Tasha! I’m so happy you love this recipe as much as I do! To make 3 9-inch layers, double the recipe!
Can I use something else or take away the cream cheese? X
Hi Stacey! I am assuming you mean the sour cream in the recipe. The sour cream is important for adding moisture to this cake, so I recommend keeping it in, but if you want to substitute it you can use plain greek yogurt. Hope that helps!
Hi, if I was to add some cocoa powder to this how much would I add?
Hi Sanah! I’ve never tried adding cocoa powder to this recipe, so I can’t say for sure how much, but if you’re looking to make a chocolate cake, I would use this recipe instead: https://sugarandsparrow.com/chocolate-cake-recipe/
Can you use egg whites instead?
Hi Maria! You could, although I’ve never tested it with just egg whites before so I’m not sure how removing the yolks will affect the recipe. The yolks help add more moisture to the cake, so it may end up a little less moist if you remove them.
Hi Whitney, I was wondering how long I would bake this for cupcakes?
Hi Leila! To bake this recipe as cupcakes, be sure to fill the tins no more than 2/3 full and bake at 350ºF for 15-18 min, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Enjoy!
Thank you for the baking time and temp. One thing I would also like to know is how many cupcakes will this recipe make?
It makes about 24 cupcakes!
Hi there! I’ve made this recipe as above and it was spectacular. I’m wanting to make another but in a 10inch x 4inch high tin. Is this recipe enough or any advice on doing this and cooking time? Thankyou in advance
Hi Terri! So happy you love this recipe. Are you using just one 10 x 4 inch pan? If so then yes, this recipe will be enough. I’m not sure the exact timing for baking a cake of that size since I’ve never baked this recipe in a deep pan like that. How long do you usually bake a cake in a tin that size? My hunch would be to bake it low and slow – reduce the oven temp to 325 and bake for about 45-50 min, but I’m not exactly sure.
Hello! I made this cake the other day and it was a hit! My favorite vanilla cake recipe for sure! I made it tonight and last time I opened the oven door too early and my cake fell in the middle. This time, I made sure not to do that, took my cakes out when my toothpick was clean, and let them cool. While I was leveling them, I noticed the middle seemed very moist and am questioning if it was done enough…even though the toothpick came out clean. I let my room temperature ingredients sit a little longer (but not for too long) than last time, but was wondering if I should be concerned or not. I would hate to waste the cake and was wondering what your thoughts were? Thank you! 🙂
Hi Ashley! Sometimes when the cake is gummy in the middle it’s due to overmixing the batter. It should be totally ok to eat, but next time I would make sure to mix for the exact times/speeds in the instructions and also check out this post on why cakes sink in the middle. It could be another of those reasons as well: https://sugarandsparrow.com/why-cakes-sink/ Hope that helps! And I’m so happy you love this recipe!
Hi Whitney! This is THE BEST vanilla cake EVER! I love all of your amazing cakes. Just wondering why you don’t alternate the drys and milk, most other recipes do this. The batter is always curdled for me despite using a thermometer to get equal room temps for all ingredients. Thanks!!
Hi Sheridan! So happy you love this recipe as much as I do! The reason I don’t alternate dry/liquid ingredients at the end is mostly to prevent overmixing. At which point in the recipe are you finding that the batter is curdled? It tends to look this way after adding the eggs/sour cream/vanilla but should come together at the end.
I have been trying to find a good baking website for quite some time and when I found this website I fell in love with it , it is the best website I have ever come across, it was the best tips for baking and the most delicious recipes. I watch all the videos every day and really this website is really amazing!!!!
Yay, Aoife! That makes me so happy to hear 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Hi, this came looks amazing. I have one question…. Can I use margarine as butter or do I have to use real butter?
Hi Lisa! I’ve never tried this recipe with margarine before, so it would be an experiment. I can only recommend unsalted butter at this point, but let me know if you try it with margarine!
I made this recipe in January, and the person absolutely loved their cake! Now I have an order for a gluten free vanilla cake, and I’m wondering if I can use this recipe with gluten free flour instead?
I’m so happy to hear that, Jordanne! I have heard of people successfully subbing in GF flour (a cup for cup sub for the cake flour) but I have never tried it myself, so I can’t say for sure how it will turn out/taste. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out if you do!
Hi! I have made 4 of your cakes. This is the third one that has taken WAY longer to bake than 35 min. It is still very liquidy in the center at 35 min. I use an oven thermometer and I do not open the oven to look or anything. The tops are pretty browned(not burnt) but need to keep baking. Do you suggest in future I lower the temp and cook longer? Any other trick?
I have done 3 6 inch cakes for each recipe.
Oh no, Melissa! I’m sorry to hear that! Are your cake pans deeper than the standard 2 inches? It’s a puzzler because most of my cake recipes use this vanilla cake recipe as a base, so they should all have about the same baking time (unless they’re a chocolate based cake).
hi! How would I adjust everything to make a 2 layer 8”inch cake and a 3 layer 8” cake? Thanks!
Hi Nikki, use this recipe as-is to make a two layer 8 inch cake. You can use this recipe to make enough for a third 8-inch layer (just omit the sprinkles): http://sugarandsparrow.com/funfetti-cake-recipe hope that helps!
This recipe was great! First vanilla cake recipe I’ve made that actually stays moist for several days later!
Yay, Alyssa! I’m so happy to hear that!
To create that hombre pink look what do you do?
Hi Emma! You just made me realize I don’t have a tutorial on how to make an ombre cake (added to my list!). Here’s a tutorial for a different cake that has that same ombre technique though: https://sugarandsparrow.com/under-the-sea-cake-tutorial/ just swap out the blue colors with dark pink, light pink, and white. Hope that helps!
I’ve just made this cake. It was a total disaster!! All 3 cakes rose and spilled all over the oven. Took forever to cook. I used 3 6″pans so no idea what went wrong.
Hi Claire! It sounds like you may have overfilled your pans if they spilled over the edge. Were they filled more than 2/3 of the way full? Assuming you didn’t make any substitutions in the recipe that is my best guess as to what went wrong.
Hi. No substitutions were made but can you confirm the amount of baking powder is correct, please. It seems quite a lot. Thankyou.
The amount of baking powder is correct. If you make this cake next time, make sure to fill the pans no more than 2/3 full so that the batter doesn’t spill over the sides. If the cake pans are overfilled, the cake will spill over the edges and cause the remaining cake batter to not bake properly.
Hello! I just tried out your cake recipe! It tasted great! However I ran into some snags I was hoping you could help me troubleshoot. I think I undercooked it a bit, due to the outside getting so dark I thought I was overcooking it. It also seemed a little denser than I’d like. After the cake came out and cooled rather than a domed top, it fell. Did I do something wrong? I also used pastry flour rather than cake flour because I couldn’t find it. Maybe that was the issue? I want to try agian but also want to understand my possible mistakes. Thanks!
Hi Eilene! Since cake flour is super important for giving this cake the light, fluffy texture, your use of pastry flour is most likely responsible for the dense texture. I’m not sure that it would make the cake fall in the center though, but since I’ve never worked with pastry flour before I can’t entirely rule that out as the culprit. Next time, if you can’t find cake flour, I would recommend using this diy recipe instead: https://sugarandsparrow.com/homemade-cake-flour. And here are the most common reasons why a cake would sink in the middle: https://sugarandsparrow.com/why-cakes-sink/ hope that helps!
How would this recipe work for a multiple tiered wedding cake? Each tier would have 3 layers. Is is dense enough to remain stable and be easy to cut into a large number of servings? Hopefully those questions make sense
Hi Deb! This recipe totally works for a multiple tiered wedding cake. I’ve used it many times for that purpose!
I don’t have sour cream can I make with out that pls? Pls send me ur reply….
Hi Nishi! The sour cream is essential for making this cake extra moist, but if you don’t have it on hand the best substitute for it is plain greek yogurt. Hope that helps!
Hi Whitney. Want to try your Perfect Vanilla Cake Recipe. Would like it to be coconut. Could I use 1 Tbsp of coconut extract instead of 1 Tbsp vanilla. Do you think it would work?
Hi Darlene! For coconut cake, use this recipe: https://sugarandsparrow.com/almond-joy-cake-recipe/ it’s the same vanilla cake base but altered to be coconut flavored!
Hi Whitney,
You do such a great job answering everyone’s questions with specific details. It’s been really helpful to me as I prepare to make a wedding cake for my niece. She wants a lemon cake and I was wondering if I could just add lemon zest to this recipe or should I add lemon juice in place of some of the milk too?
Hi Lisa! So happy to hear that my posts have been helping as you prepare to make your niece’s wedding cake. How special! For the lemon cake, use this recipe: https://sugarandsparrow.com/lemon-layer-cake-recipe/ it’s the same vanilla cake base, only made into a lemon cake. Enjoy!
This is the ONLY vanilla cake and vanilla buttercream recipe I’ll use! The recipe is so simple and straightforward, and it always turns out amazing! I’m so glad I found this blog!
Yay! So happy to hear that, Mallory! Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Hi Whitney,
Love your recipes and guides! Do you think subbing in 1/2 cup of freeze dried fruit for sugar would work to add fruit flavor to the cake?
Thanks,
Jake
Hi Jake! In my experience, adding freeze dried fruit to cake batter hasn’t worked out (works great in buttercream though!). That said, I do have fruit flavored cakes on this blog so try using the search bar to see if I’ve got what you’re looking for. If not, let me know what flavor you’re interested in!
Hello, I have a question regarding the vanilla cake recipe. It calls for 2 3/4 cups (290g) cake flour. I live in Australia and I’m a little confused with regard to the amount. Is the recipe in metric or US cups? On Google it says 2 3/4 US cups converts to 330 g – but I’m really not sure. I have the same problem with the sugar measurement (how much cups in metric and amount in grams) Could you please kindly confirm the measurement for cake flour and sugar in grams and metric cups. Thank you!
Hi Hiba! Different ingredients weight different amounts, so for example cake flour will weigh less than plain flour, plain flour will weigh less than granulated sugar, and so on. That being said, the 290g is correct for 2 3/4 US cups of cake flour and 358g is correct for 1 3/4 US cups of white granulated sugar. I hope this makes more sense!
Hi Whitney,
I’m so excited to make this cake !!! I was wondering how I could make this recipe for three 8 inch cakes ?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Alexandra! To make enough batter for three 8 inch layers, use my Funfetti recipe and omit the sprinkles. It’s the same vanilla cake recipe, written for three 8 inch pans: https://sugarandsparrow.com/funfetti-cake-recipe/
Hi! I have made your cupcake version of this recipe several times and they were AMAZING!! I am wanting to make a treasure cake for a pirate themed party, so I need to use a tube pan. Would this recipe bake correctly in the tube pan versus multiple round pans? I sure hope so! XO Samantha
Yay, Samantha! I’m so happy the cupcake version of this recipe has been a hit. I’ve never tried baking this cake in a tube pan before, so I’m not sure how long to bake it for but I’m sure it will work with the right baking time. Let me know if you try it!
Hi… I have a question… I need to make a
10 x 3” cake. Can you adjust the Vanilla cake recipe so I know how much I would need for this size. And also how long do I bake it.
I just baked the cake recipe but I don’t think it was enough batter because it did not come out to the top of the pan. Plus the middle of the cake browned before the other parts of the top of the cake. Help… I need to make this cake for a wedding shower. It just came out of the oven so I don’t know how it taste… Hopefully as good as yours!Please respond as soon as possible thank you.
Hi Doris! For a cake of that size I would double the recipe. Be sure to fill the pans no more than 2/3 full because otherwise they will overflow when baked. As far as baking time goes, I’ve never baked this recipe in a 10 inch pan before so I’m unsure of the exact time, but I would check the cakes at around 40 minutes and see if they need more time from there. You’ll know they’re ready when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Hope that helps and let me know how it goes!
Hi Whitney, I followed this recipe exactly but divided the batter into two 20cm(8″)wide x 9cm(3.6″) high pans and baked in fan assisted oven. It took longer to bake, about 45 min and actually crumbled and almost fell apart when I took it out of the pans after cooling slightly. What did I do wrong?
Hi Denise! I’ve never baked this recipe in tall pans or a fan assisted oven before, but I do know that for fan assisted ovens you need to adjust the temperature lower than the recipe recommends for baking. Fan assisted ovens run hotter and bake things much faster, so that could totally be the reason the cakes crumbled (they sound overbaked). Next time, try lowering the temp by 25 degrees and baking at 325 instead of 350. I’m not sure what the bake time will be for a taller cake pan such as the ones you’re using (mine are only 2 inches tall), so I would check the cakes around the 40 minute mark and see how much more time they need from there. Hope that helps!
Hi Whitney!
I’d just like to say I followed this cake recipe for my sisters baby shower and it was a huge success! So thank you!I’m planning on making another cake this weekend for my cousins birthday! I just wanted to ask if this recipe would work using 3, 8 inch tins?
Yay Maaria! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit! For three 8-inch tins I would use this Funfetti Cake recipe but omit the sprinkles. It’s the same Vanilla Cake recipe, only it makes enough batter for three 8-inch tins: https://sugarandsparrow.com/funfetti-cake-recipe/
Good vanilla cake!
I’ve baked this cake twice in the past few weeks, once using a 6-in pan and a 9-in pan, and most recently using two 9 inch round pans. Somehow during the first try, the 6-in layer remained a bit soggy/doughy in the middle; however the nine inch layer turned out pretty good. During my second try the two 9 in layers came out perfectly.
These cakes don’t rise up to be very huge. They have a nice crumb and are tasty. I used regular buttercream frosting with them.
Everyone seemed to love the cake so I’m definitely going to save this as one of my go-to recipes for birthdays. My go-to recipe for family birthdays has usually been an Italian style butter and ricotta pound cake, but this was a nice change, and the recipe I plan on using alternately with Broma bakery vanilla cake for special occasions.
Thank you!
Yay, Preeti! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe has become a new go-to recipe for birthdays! Thanks so much for letting me know, it’s really encouraging. Also, if you want to bake it in a 6 inch pan again maybe give it a few more minutes in the oven to prevent the center from being doughy.
The taste is amazing!! But my cake crumbled when I tried to flip it half way thru cooling. I was able to do this with the chocolate cakes.
The taste is on target but the cake is so moist and fluffy. What did I do wrong? I’m baking another layer as I type this. Same batter so I’m afraid the same thing will happen.
Oh no! Did the cake get stuck to the pan at all? Did you have enough support when you went to release it from the pan? Since the cake crumbled during release I’m wondering if it was due to something related to that. This is my method for preparing cake pans and releasing cakes from them just in case that had anything to do with the crumbling: https://sugarandsparrow.com/preparing-cake-pans/ Let me know how your second layer went.
Thanks Whitney!
The second and third layers turned out much better. I’m thinking I mixed too long in certain steps. Plus I allowed the cake to cook for awhile and then attempted to flip it over to cool upside down, this is when it crumbled. The next layers I allowed to cook in the pan for a little while then removed and left them alone!
I love your channel and am learning so much! I’m making my daughters wedding cake this week with your recipes!
Thank you so much Whitney! You are amazing! and yes very ambitious ..
Thanks for the words and sharing this.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I just tried it and couldn’t stop nibbling on the crumbs while the cake was cooling. I paired this with your strawberry buttercream which is also delicious!
Yay, Rosabelle! I’m so happy to hear you love this recipe as much as I do! I bet it was amazing with strawberry buttercream. Thanks for letting me know!
Hey can I use 10% half and half cream or regular 2% milk instead of the whole milk?
Hi Yasmin! I would go with 2% milk as a substitute. It should work, although the cake may not be as moist as intended without the added fat from the whole milk.
This recipe looks amazing! I’d love to try it for my daughter’s cake smash, but would need it to be dairy free. For butter I can use smart balance and for milk, I would do almond milk, but what can I use instead of sour cream? or can I just skip it altogether?
Thanks this blog is so perfect!
Hi Hana! I’d recommend making my vegan vanilla cake instead: https://sugarandsparrow.com/vegan-vanilla-cake-recipe it’s super soft and fluffy and completely dairy free already!
Thank you so much for your Vanilla Cake recipes. I try your recipes and soft and yummy, I wait for your next recipes.
Yay! I’m so happy to hear you love this recipe as much as I do!
Why did you change the recipe?! I have been using this recipe for years now but always check it for reference. All the measurements are different now
Hi Dolly! I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying this vanilla cake for years! I put a note before the recipe about why I changed it. Essentially, I found out a few ways to make it lighter and fluffier while still keeping it moist and packed with vanilla flavor. I hope you give this new version a try! But if you prefer the old version I kept the youtube video with the old measurements embedded in this blog post.
I’m excited to try your updated version! How would I adjust the recipe for 3 8-inch layers?
Yay, Sarah! I can’t wait to see what you think! For 3 8-inch layers, make 1.5X the recipe (multiply each ingredient by 1.5). Enjoy!
Thank you!
Can’t wait to try it, I too have tried so many recipes trying to find that perfect white cake; I sure hope this is finally the one. They usually are dry, not fluffy or too yellow (no egg whites), etc…..
thanks! We loved your salted caramel apple cake, that was our first cake to try from your site.
Yay, Pam! I’m so happy you loved my salted caramel apple cake recipe and I hope you love this one as much as I do!
How do you prevent cake moving in a box? Your cake board looks like same size as cakes (I like it!). I’m afraid cake is moving in the box and smudge to the side. I like cake board same size as cake better then oversized cake board.
Hi Chi! My cake board is always the same size as my cakes. When I move it into a box I usually place it onto a larger cake board with either a piece of scotch tape in between the boards or a nonslip mat. This way the bottom edge doesn’t get messed up and the cake doesn’t slide in the box. I hope that makes sense!
It worked! Thank you! Another question, what do you do with trimmed off cakes and left over buttercream? Cake pops?
I just snack on them 🙂 but you can definitely make cake pops out of the scraps!
Hello Whitney! I’m going to use you recipe for cake pops and I wonder if the measures for flour and sugar in grams are correctly? 2 3/4 cups is more that 1 1/2, right? I’m from Europe so I prefer metric system and I’m little bit confused 🙂 Thank you for clarify.
2 3/4 Cups (290g) sifted cake flour
1 1/2 Cups (300g) granulated white sugar
Hi Leny! These measurements are correct. Since sugar is heavier than cake flour, it will weigh more in grams even though it’s the lesser volume. Hope that helps!
Hi! I would like to use this recipe to make a 12 inch 3-layer cake. Would you be able to help me figure out your recipe for this size cake?
Thank you!
Hi Gizela! I’ve never baked this recipe in a tin that large but since the total volume of a 12 x 2 inch pan is about 15 Cups and this recipe yields about 6 Cups of batter, you’ll need 4.5x the recipe to fill three tins 2/3 full. I would either make three separate batches of 1.5x the recipe unless you have a really large mixer that can accommodate scaling by 4.5x. Hope that helps!
Hi! I would like to know how tall the cake is if made in 2 8 inches tin. The description says 2- 9 inches or 3-6 inches tin. Is that right?
Hi Bolu! The cakes will be about 2 inches tall if you bake two 8-inch layers. Just be sure to fill the tins no more than 2/3 full so they don’t overflow. You might have a little more than you need. Enjoy!
Hi! I would like to make coconut flavoured layers. Is it possible to substitute the milk for coconut milk and the vanilla extract for coconut extract?
Thank you.
Hi! I want to make coconut cake layers, can I replace the whole milk with coconut milk and the vanilla extract with coconut extract? Thank you
Hi Niqua! I recommend using the coconut cake recipe from this post – it’s one of my faves: https://sugarandsparrow.com/almond-joy-cake-recipe/
Do you think this cake recipe would work in a silicone md shaped like a bunny?
Hi Megynn! I’ve never tried baking this recipe in a silicone mold before but my hunch is that it would work. I know people have baked it in bundt pans before with success. I’d say give it a go!
Hi!
If I want to make the cake the day before an event, can I store the iced/frosted cake in the fridge over night? Or will that make the cake dry?
Thanks for your help
Hi Anna! You can absolutely store the frosted cake in the refrigerator overnight and it won’t dry out. I do it all the time!
Hi! I really want to try this recipe for my son’s birthday party, but I always find plain vanilla cake a bit boring. Can I add some raspberries to the batter before putting it in the oven?
Thanks for the videos! They are so easy to understand and follow!
Hi Luisa! I love the taste of this plain vanilla cake as-is but you can certainly try adding fresh raspberries to the batter to change things up! I would coat them in a few teaspoons of flour first so they don’t sink as they bake. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
So far so good ! now time to decorate super excited 😀
Hi! Would this recipe work in a 10×10 square cake pan? I need to make a 2-layer 10 inch square vanilla cake, it’s hard to find a recipe!
Hi Rose! This recipe works great in a 9 x 13 so I’m sure it would work in a 10 x 10. The only thing I’m not entirely sure of is the exact baking time. I would fill the pan no more than 1/2 full and check it at 40 minutes to see if it needs more time from there. Enjoy!
Hej Whitney, thanks for recipe, unfortunately like many others white cake recipe, the cake turns YELLOW, very different from that you show in your picture and video. It’s so frustrating! Eventually do you have a guess why it happens?
Hi Priscila. This is a vanilla cake recipe, not a white cake recipe. It turns out yellow due to the egg yolks and the vanilla in the recipe. Egg yolks tend to be even more saturated if you use cage free, which in turn tints the batter. To get a true white cake, you’ll need to use all egg whites and clear vanilla extract. I recommend looking specifically for a “white cake” recipe if the color is what you’re after.
Hi Whitney,
Can’t wait to try the new version, I love your original recipe.
Can I please ask your advice?
I’m making quite a large number 4 tin, it is 25cm wide x 34cm high, 7cm deep.
(I’m hiring the tin), the tin would generally take 2.5-3 standard packet cake recipes.
If I just double your recipe here do you think this would be enough? (Or way too much?)
And how high should I fill the pan? (How much will this cake rise)
Thanks!
Alicia
Hi Alicia! Yes – double the recipe should be enough. I would fill it between 1/2 and 2/3 full. Hope that helps!
Hello! I’m so excited to try this cake. I’ve been making WASC cakes by doctoring up a box mix but i hate how many chemicals are in box mixed! I only have one question—do you think i could replace the vanilla extract with almond extract to keep that almondy flavor that i love? Or should i add both extracts instead? Thanks so much, your blog is so inspirational!!
Hi Jenny! I’m so excited for you to try this recipe and you can absolutely use almond extract in place of the vanilla, but I always like to add about 2 tsp almond extract + 1 tsp vanilla extract to keep the flavor balanced. Almond extract can be pretty powerful! Hope that helps and thank you for the kind words about my blog!
Hi! Do you think I could add a cinnamon sugar swirl to this cake or would it be too heavy/ ruin the texture?
Hi Caroline! I think it will work to add a cinnamon-sugar swirl (that sounds amazing btw). I just tested a recipe that involved swirling blackberry purèe into this cake batter and it turned out lovely! Baked with a perfect swirl and the texture was still fluffy and moist. Let me know if you end up trying it!
Hi Whitney, I was just wondering what is the ratio for making this into a 12inch recipe please. And can I substitute the sour cream for whole milk and lemon? Thanks so much. From another Whitney 🙂
Hi fellow Whitney! I’ve never made this recipe in a 12 inch tin before, but I would recommend making one batch per layer (so if it’s a 2 layer cake, double the recipe, if it’s a 3 layer cake triple, etc). Fill the tin no more than 2/3 full. I would bake at 350F/177C and check the layers for doneness at 40-45 minutes, after which you can see if they need more time. And the best sub for sour cream is plain yogurt. Hope that helps!
I made this cake for my friends baby shower and it was incredible.
Yay, Alexandria! I’m so happy it was a hit!
Hi Whitney
This vanilla cake is beautiful! I’m making this cake for a birthday, your recipe calls for a cup of whole milk; can I use a cup of buttermilk? And can you tell me what kind of sprinkles you used on this cake and where you found them?
Much appreciated,
Gina
Thanks, Gina! I’ve never tried this recipe with buttermilk instead of whole milk but I think it should be fine. If anything, it’ll just make the cake more moist! The sprinkles are the “Hey Sugar” mix by Sprinkle Pop. Here’s a link: https://amzn.to/3CUso0v
I’m looking for a slightly taller, single layer cake so am planning to use a 9×3 inch pan. What proportions/amounts of ingredients would you recommend for this size pan Thanks!
Hi Ali! Here’s a blog post on how to convert my layer cake recipes into 9 x 13 casserole dish cakes: https://sugarandsparrow.com/sheet-cake-recipes/
Hola whitney Gracias por compartir con tanta dedicación tu cocimiento adoro esta receta es perfecta y deliciosa, quisiera saber si tienes la cantidad en gramos aproximada de los huevos, donde vivo varían mucho de tamaño y eso hace que mi pastel cambie ligeramente.
muchas gracias un abrazo
Yay, Angélica! I’m so glad you love this recipe. I’ve never weighed my eggs before but after some Google searching it looks like large US eggs average 50g each and large egg whites average 30g each. So based on those estimates, the egg portion of this recipe would be 100g large eggs (whole) + 60g egg whites. Hope that helps!
Muchas gracias un abrazo
Hi, looking forward to trying your recipe!
can you replace the vanilla with pumpkin spice, perhaps mixed with a little milk so that it becomes liquid?
the best greetings
Hi Ditte! You can certainly try that, but if you want a pumpkin cake I recommend making this recipe instead: https://sugarandsparrow.com/pumpkin-layer-cake-recipe/
Recipe says (3) 6 inch pans or (2) 9 inch pans. Can it be made in 8 inch pans as well?
Hi Rebecca! Yes – you can make this in two 8 inch pans. Just be sure to fill the pans no more than 2/3 full and bake for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!
Hi!! I want to make this but reduce it by 1/3. I want to make a 2 layer 6 inch cake. I’m really bad at math, is there any way you have this recipe but smaller by chance?
Hi Jenny! I’m bad at math too 🙂 this recipe scale converter is what I use whenever I want to scale a recipe! https://www.inchcalculator.com/recipe-scale-conversion-calculator/ hope that helps!
Hi! I want to make this for Christmas but I wanted to do this as a three layer 8inch cake. How would I alter the recipe?
Thank you!
Hi Manisha! I’m excited for you to make this cake. To make it a 3 layer 8-inch cake you’ll want to make 1.5x the recipe. I use this recipe scale calculator to get the exact amounts: https://www.inchcalculator.com/recipe-scale-conversion-calculator/
Hi Whitney, I’ve been baking this cake for a few months now and I just realized that you say to put 2 3/4 cups of flour or 290 grams of flour. I noticed that 290 grams of flour would only be 2 cups. Whereas 2 3/4 cups is 344 grams. I found myself having to add more and more flour while making this batter because it appears somewhat broken, but when I add flour it comes out smooth. Not sure if its something I’m doing wrong, but is the 344 grams more accurate or do you use 290 grams?
(Side note, I absolutely love your cakes and I am so glad that I found your IG page! Thank you for all the wonderful recipes<3 )
Thank you!
-Lexi
Hi Lexi! So happy you love this recipe! I always use 290g of sifted cake flour. Are you using all purpose flour? Or the DIY version of cake flour that calls for all purpose flour? Because that weighs more than cake flour which would explain the discrepancy.
Really wants to try this one.
Thanks for sharing
Of course! I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!
Hi! How many people does the 3 layer 6 inch cake serve? What about a 3 layer 8 inch cake? Making this for my sons first birthday party and trying to decide what I’ll need in addition to your cupcakes.
Also, just wanted to say- Amateur baker here but you’ve made it so easy to make these beautiful cakes! This will be my 4th cake and I blow people away with your cakes every time. Your recipes and tutorials are so thorough and detailed. Thank you for sharing your gift!
Hi Kristen! I am so happy to hear that my recipes and tutorials have been such a hit!! A 3-layer 6-inch cake serves 12-15 depending on the slice size. A 3-layer 8-inch cake serves 20-24. Hope that helps!
Hi could I use the reverse creaming method with this recipe please?
Hi Diane! I haven’t tried that before with this recipe but you are welcome to give it a go. If you do, let me know how it turns out!
This cake is absolutely divine! I’d like to make a sugar free or at least reduced sugar version for my son’s first birthday cake next month.
How would you recommend doing so with it still tasting so good? ☺️
Hi Kadejha! I’m so happy you loved this recipe! I’ve never tried any of my cake recipes with reduced sugar or sugar free substitutes, so I’m not sure how I would do that. Sugar-free cake recipes are something I’m hoping to experiment with at some point this year, but I haven’t yet had the time. Let me know if you end up experimenting with this recipe! I’d love to know what you tried!
Hi Whitney,
Love your video’s.
Hoping to do this cake for my friends baby shower. I only have a electric hand mixer. Will the timings be the same for this (with you using a stand mixer)
Also can I use some syrup between the cakes and buttercream?
Thank you
Hi Stacey! Thanks so much for your kind words 🙂 you can absolutely use a hand mixer for this (or any of my recipes!). The timings/speeds will be the same. And yes – if you want to use a syrup or soak you totally can!
Hi Whitney. Would this recipe work if I split the batter between two 6″x3″ round pans? I’d then cut them to make 4 layers. Excited to try this for my daughters birthday!
Hi Michelle! I’ve never tried this recipe in a deeper pan but my hunch is that it would work just fine. Be sure to fill the pans no more than 2/3 full and check the cakes at about 35 minutes to see if they need more time. They’ll probably need 5-10 extra minutes of baking time. Enjoy!