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,
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
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/
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!
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!
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!
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!
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/
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!
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!
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
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.
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.
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!
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
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/