This is my favorite from-scratch vanilla cake recipe that was created after TONS of recipe testing in search of the perfect vanilla cake – one that has the light and fluffy texture of box cake mix, is packed with vanilla flavor, and super easy to make. This one checks all of those boxes and has become a go-to for me and for many of you, which makes me so happy! Pair it with vanilla buttercream and pretty sprinkles for the ultimate vanilla birthday cake, or pair it with any of my other frostings to mix it up. It goes well with everything!
One reader, Haley, says: “1000% this is the best vanilla cake recipe I have ever made. I quite literally NEVER leave reviews on things that I try, but there is no way that I could go without telling you how DELICIOUS this cake is.” ★★★★★
From-Scratch Vanilla Cake that Rivals Box Mix
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.
Perfect Vanilla Cake Ingredients & Substitutions
This vanilla cake is soft and moist, so easy to whip up, and tastes like a dream. There are some key ingredients that make it this way, and I’ve listed them below. I’ve also shared some substitutions that can be made just in case you’re in a pinch:
- Cake Flour. To achieve the super soft texture in this cake, I swear by cake flour. It produces a much fluffier cake than all-purpose (or plain) flour 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. Keep in mind that if you do use the homemade version, the gram measurement will weigh more (325g instead of 290g) since all-purpose flour is heavier than cake flour.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda. The leavening agents in this recipe. Using both makes it the perfect amount of fluffy.
- Unsalted Butter. The main fat in this recipe, which adds lots of moisture, great structure, and rich flavor. If you only have salted butter on hand, you can substitute that but be sure to omit the salt in the recipe if you do.
- Granulated Sugar. This not only sweetens the cake, it creates a tender crumb as well. You can substitute this with caster sugar if you wish and it will be even more soft.
- Whole Eggs + Egg Whites. I use two large eggs and two large egg whites in this recipe. The egg whites keep the cake lighter while adding the perfect amount of protein and binding power.
- Sour Cream. Sour cream adds the perfect amount of moisture to this cake. If you don’t have that locally you can substitute it for plain yogurt or Crème fraîche.
- Pure Vanilla Extract. I use an entire tablespoon of vanilla extract in this cake, which takes the flavor beyond! I recommend using a quality vanilla extract here (not imitation). You can substitute the extract for vanilla bean paste if you wish.
- Whole Milk. Since it has the highest fat percentage of any milk (aside from buttermilk), the whole milk creates a rich crumb while binding the ingredients together. You can technically substitute this for another kind of milk, but whole milk is going to yield the best results.
Vanilla Cake Baking Tips for Success
Even if you have all the right ingredients, it’s important to follow a few ground rules when it comes to baking this cake (or really any cake). Here are a few best practices that will really set you up for success:
- Start with room temperature ingredients. Cake baking is a science, and when ingredients like eggs, butter, and dairy are at room temperature, they form an emulsion which traps air in the batter. Once you place that batter in the oven, the trapped air expands and gives your cake a good rise and lovely, tender crumb. It’ll only happen when you use room temperature ingredients, so if you want your cake to live up to it’s true potential, don’t skip this step.
- Use fresh baking powder and baking soda. Each of these leavening agents are responsible for helping your cake to rise. Once their containers are open, they only have a six month shelf life! When they’re past their expiration date, the chemical reaction that causes your cake to rise won’t happen. If you want those cakes to rise beautifully, make sure your baking powder and baking soda are within that 6 month window.
- Use the paddle attachment on your stand mixer. Also known as the “flat beater” attachment, the paddle attachment helps incorporate just the right amount of air. Other attachments might add too much air to your cake batter, causing them to become over-mixed and potentially sink in the baking process. If you don’t have a stand mixer, an electric hand mixer works just fine.
- Be careful not to over or under mix. Under-mixing the batter will prevent important chemical reactions from happening in your cake batter, and over-mixing will lead to too much gluten development (aka a dense cake). In order to help you mix for the right amount of time, I’ve listed all of the mixing times in the recipe below. Follow those exactly for best results!
- Know your oven. I’ve written this recipe (and all of my recipes) for a conventional oven. If you have a convection or fan-assisted oven, you’ll want to reduce the baking temperature to 325ºF (163ºC) and check for doneness a few minutes earlier than specified.
Here’s a quick video to show you the process for making this vanilla cake:
If you love recipe videos like this one, be sure to check out my YouTube channel! I’ve got a growing collection of cake recipes, decorating tutorials, and Cake Basics over there. Hit the subscribe button on my page so you never miss a new video.
What Frosting to Pair with Vanilla Cake
This vanilla cake pairs well with so many buttercream flavors, but if you want to keep things on the vanilla spectrum, try pairing it with a double batch of my Vanilla Buttercream Recipe. It does not disappoint!
If you’d rather switch things up, a double batch of any of my frosting recipes will work great! I’ve got recipes for alternative cake fillings here as well.
Updates
In 2022: I slightly changed the measurements of these same ingredients to make this cake even more soft and light! The original recipe is in this youtube video if you’ve come to love that one.
In 2025: I finally updated the photos to show more of the inside of the cake! The exterior decoration changed to reflect a simpler design as well. Basically a smooth buttercream finish, these pretty rainbow sprinkles, and swirls on top created with Wilton Tip 4B.
Perfect Vanilla Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 2 3/4 Cups (290g) sifted cake flour* DIY recipe in notes
- 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
Vanilla Frosting
- 2 batches vanilla buttercream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare three 6-inch cake pans or two 8-inch or 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 filling and frosting with a double batch of my vanilla buttercream (or any frosting!).
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.
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!! 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!
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, 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/
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
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/
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 made this cake for my friends baby shower and it was incredible.
Yay, Alexandria! I’m so happy it was a hit!
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!
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!
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 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!
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! 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!