Vanilla Cake

This vanilla cake is anything but boring. With a soft, tender cake crumb, this vanilla cake has amazing vanilla flavor from pure vanilla extract. Pair this cake with a vanilla buttercream frosting or Swiss meringue buttercream frosting for the perfect vanilla cake.

Ingredients for Vanilla Cake

• Unsalted butter: Be sure your butter is softened to room temperature for easy creaming.
• Granulated sugar: For sweetness.
• Eggs: Eggs should be at room temperature to easily emulsify with the butter.
• Sour cream: Sour cream adds moisture to the cake and a very slight tang.
• Vegetable oil: A bit of vegetable oil adds a little more moisture to the cake layers.
• Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste is the star of the show in this recipe!
• Cake flour: Cake flour contains less protein and gluten than all-purpose flour, making the cake layers soft and tender. For this recipe, you do not want to replace cake flour.
• Baking powder: A leavening agent that helps the cake layers rise.
• Salt: A bit of salt enhances the flavor of the cake.
• Milk: Room temperature milk. I love using 2% or whole milk for baking. You can also use buttermilk.

How to Make Vanilla Cake Layers

To make this recipe, you will need a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer. I used three 7-inch round cake pans to make this cake!

1. Preheat oven to 335° F and prepare cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and parchment circles.
2. Use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or electric hand mixer to cream unsalted butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add room temperature eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between each addition.
4. Add sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract/vanilla bean paste. Continue to mix until well combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
5. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk, starting and ending with the dry, while mixing on low speed. (1/3 dry, 1/2 milk, 1/3 dry, 1/2 milk, 1/3 dry).
7. Turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for 30 seconds.
8. Divide the cake batter into the prepared cake pans.
9. Bake the cake layers at 335° F for approximately 40-45 minutes.
10. Cool the cake layers in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Level cake layers before frosting.
11. Assemble the cake with your favorite frosting! I recommend trying out my Vanilla American Buttercream, Swiss Meringue Buttercream, Shortcut Swiss Meringue Buttercream, or Ermine Buttercream Frosting!

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Vanilla Cake

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

16 servings

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An easy, homemade, classic vanilla cake recipe! A light, tender crumb and amazing vanilla flavor!

Equipment

• Stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer
• 3 7-inch round cake pans

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 3 eggs room temperature
• ▢ ½ cup sour cream room temperature
• ▢ ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste or mixture of both
• ▢ 3 cups cake flour
• ▢ 1 tbsp baking powder
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 cup milk room temperature

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 335° F. Prepare cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and parchment circles (see pan sizes above).
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream unsalted butter and granulated sugar for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
• Add room temperature eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between each addition.
• Add sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract/vanilla bean paste. Continue to mix until well combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
• In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly drizzle in half of the room temperature milk.
• Add another ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Drizzle in the remaining half of the milk. Continue to mix until smooth.
• Add in the final ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are well incorporated. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds.
• Divide the cake batter into the prepared cake pans. Use a kitchen scale to create even layers.
• Bake the cake layers at 335° F for approximately 40-45 minutes. The cake layers will bounce back when gently touched. *Bake times may vary slightly depending on pan size.
• Remove the cake pans from the oven and allow the cakes layers to cool in the pans before removing the layers and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Level the cake layers using a serrated knife.
• Fill, stack, and frost the cake with your favorite frosting! I recommend trying out my Vanilla American Buttercream, Swiss Meringue Buttercream, Shortcut Swiss Meringue Buttercream, or Ermine Buttercream Frosting!

Notes

Vanilla cake layers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for 2 days or in the freezer for 1 month. If frosted, store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Be sure to cover any exposed cake with plastic wrap to prevent the cake from drying out.

Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

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