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,
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/
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 Jess, this cake recipe serves 12 comfortably, so you’d need to make about 8 batches to serve 100.
Hi, Just wondering, how many batches will i need to make 100 serves?
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!
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!
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.
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/
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.
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 🙂
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, 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!!
Hi Whitney! Love your recipes and bought your book! Wanted to make this recipe eggless. Would an egg replacement work or aquafaba. I have read your vegan recipe but just need it to be eggless. Thank you!
Hi Anjni! Thanks so much for buying my book 🙂 I would love to tell you how to make this recipe eggless but I have never tested egg substitutes with this recipe before so I’m not sure what would work. The only thing I can recommend with confidence is my vegan vanilla cake but let me know if you end up trying aquafaba or any other egg subs with this recipe. I’d love to know how it went!
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! 🙂
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!
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/