The Most Amazing Vanilla Cake is moist and flavorful and made completely from scratch. It’s the best homemade vanilla cake you’ll ever have!
Ever since my Most Amazing Chocolate Cake became a viral sensation, people have been begging me to create the most amazing versions of a variety of different cakes. I’ve already made the Most Amazing White Cake which has gotten rave reviews, as well as its cousin the Funfetti Birthday Cake. Today I’m bringing you a vanilla version. I think you’ll be equally as happy with it. You’ll never used a boxed yellow cake mix again!
When making a a vanilla cake, I highly recommend lining the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper. This prevents a thicker crust forming on the bottom as well as ensures that your cake will come out of the pan in one piece. I have used both butter and nonstick cooking spray to grease my pans for this recipe and I do not flour the pan. Both work great.
This recipe is written for three 9-inch layers. A three tiered cake produces the ideal cake to frosting ratio. A 9-inch pan is a standard size. 8-inch and 10-inch pans will require adjustments to the recipe.
Several of the ingredients in the recipe are listed as being room temperature. By following this method you’ll have a better texture in the end so it is worth the patience. For the milk, I simply warmed it in the microwave for 30 seconds because the idea of leaving it out on the counter to reach room temperature didn’t sit well with me.
This recipe is developed using salted butter because that is what most people tend to buy and have on hand. I like to keep my recipes convenient for home cooks so salted butter is used whenever possible in my recipes. Unsalted butter certainly works, but you may need to add a pinch more of salt. There is a combination of butter and vegetable oil in this recipe. I find that vegetable oil gives the cake a lot more moisture.
Feel free to use whatever frosting you’d like with this cake. In the photos I used a chocolate cream cheese buttercream just like I used for my Most Amazing Chocolate Cake.
Watch the video below where I walk you through every step of this recipe and share even more tips and tricks for the perfect white cake. As always, you can find my complete collection of full-length recipe demos on my YouTube Channel.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Can this recipe be made into cupcakes?
A: Why yes it can! They are baked at 325 degrees for 20-22 minutes and this recipe makes about 36 cupcakes.
Q: Can I make this recipe into only two layers?
A: Yes you can, you’ll need to divide the recipe by 2/3rds. But no, I won’t do the math for you. I truly believe that the most amazing chocolate cake must be 3 layers.
Q: Do you have a substitute for eggs?
A: There are numerous options for substituting eggs in baking recipes. You can always try using one of those.
Q: Can I use a different pan size?
A: You are certainly welcome to try, but you’ll need to adjust cooking times and be careful as to how much you fill the pan. This recipe is written for 9-inch round pans, which is a standard size and is meant to be eaten as a 3 layer cake.
Q: Can I make this recipe gluten free?
A: Use gluten free flours at your own risk. Not all gluten free flours are equal and most don’t work as a straight forward substitute for all-purpose flour. I have not tested any gluten free flours in this recipe as I do not have Celiac’s disease.
Q: Do you have a chocolate version?
A: Why yes I do. I call it The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake.
Vanilla Cake Recipe
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1½ cups buttermilk, room temperature
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Grease three 9-inch pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the butter, vegetable oil, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Add in flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until just combined. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything gets mixed in.
- Divide the batter among the three prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let sit in pans for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before layering and frosting with your favorite frosting.

Hiba says
Do you have a recipe for the frosting you used? ❤️
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes! I used the chocolate frosting from my recipe for the most amazing chocolate cake: https://thestayathomechef.com/the-most-amazing-chocolate-cake/
Tina says
hello, for the frosting can i use buttermilk instead of regular milk?
Rachel Farnsworth says
You can. It’s not ideal, but you can.
andy says
The baker won’t tell you.Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.That is enough.
greta says
Can this wonderful cake be made in a Bundt pan?
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes it can, but the baking time will change drastically. Bundt cakes take approximately 45-60 minutes to bake. It will have a much thicker crust that way as well.
Carol R says
I love your recipes !! Do you have ANY for low cal orie cakes or desserts for people on Weight Watchers!?!
Rachel Farnsworth says
I certainly do, but as I understand weight watchers it’s about moderation and learning to eat balanced and the right serving sizes, making every recipe a part of the plan in moderation.
Maxine says
Do you have metric measurements
Gail teichmann says
Oh my word! I absolutely love your most amazing chocolate cake. It is amazing every time I make it. So chuffed to have found this vanilla cake recipe…..it’s just as amazing, and so darn easy! Absolutely love your recipes
Ariana says
Thanks for sharing your recipies! Do you have the link you mention for substituting buttermilk? Thanks!
Rachel Farnsworth says
https://thestayathomechef.com/buttermilk-substitute/
Jessica says
Can you use cake flour?
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes, you can.
Melissa says
Can you use cake flour in your chocolate cake recipe as well?
Rachel Farnsworth says
I actually don’t recommend it as chocolate cake is better a little bit dense.
ruwaida says
I think you’re amazing and so are your recipes.
Gia says
Can I substitute coconut oil for vegetable oil?
Rachel Farnsworth says
I wouldn’t recommend it.
Nidhi Rawal says
4 tsp of baking powder??
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes.
Ann Coty says
I want to make this for Christmas as a coconut pineapple cake can I use this recipe ? and is the cake light?
Rachel Farnsworth says
As in adding coconut and pineapple to the cake? It’s definitely a base recipe but you’d have to make more alterations than just adding pineapple and coconut due to the liquid content of the pineapple.
Miriam says
Can I use sand to bake
Rachel Farnsworth says
I don’t understand your question.
Zaarah says
I can’t even praise this recipe enough. Even when I make tiny mistakes and alterations. The result is still so good.
Payal Patel says
Could I use a vanilla bean paste instead of liquid vanilla? Or could I make the white cake with vanilla bean instead of almond extract?
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes you can to both.
Katie says
Rachel thanks for all the replies. Is there much difference in the white cake vs vanilla cake? Using just plain buttercream icing and will be a bottom tier. Thanks!
Rachel Farnsworth says
They taste very different to me. White cake is flavored with almond extract while the vanilla cake is all vanilla so the flavor is definitely different.
Joan says
Can I use milk instead of buttermilk
Rachel Farnsworth says
It’s best to use buttermilk. I’ve written about substitution options here: https://thestayathomechef.com/buttermilk-substitute/
Fatma says
Can i use just milk not a buttermilk??
Rachel Farnsworth says
No, you won’t have the same results without buttermilk. I’ve written all about substitutes here: https://thestayathomechef.com/buttermilk-substitute/
Maggie M says
Do you have a vanilla cupcake version of the cake recipe?
Rachel Farnsworth says
Coming soon….
Wendy says
Did you use
9 x 1 1/2 inches 6 cups 23 x 4 cm 1.4 liters
9 x 2 inches 8 cups
Pans?
Rachel Farnsworth says
9 x 2 inch
Haley says
Made this cake in order to decorate it for my friend’s birthday, and it came out absolutely amazing. It crusted well, so there are no crumbs in the icing, but the inside is fluffy and delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe! This is a must if you want a cake to be sturdy enough to decorate without falling apart.
Marcia B. says
That is so true! I felt the same way..Perfect for trimming, stacking and frosting..
Marcia B. says
The BEST Vanilla Cake! My husband and I love It! I am a baker and I have been looking for a great vanilla cake..Found It! I used half recipe with 2 eggs for 2×6″ pans and worked out great! Thank you for this amazing recipe! The chocolate one has been a hit among our friends and family as well 🙂
Samantha says
Maria B, I’m doing the same with 6 in pans. How long did you bake the 6in cakes for?
janice rose says
I liked this recipe. I particularly liked the buttermilk in the recipe and using part oil and part butter. Using regular flour made it a bit more dense than if you used cake flour. I definitely made a two layer and was glad I did as it didn’t rise that much for me. Fine everyday cake.
Nana says
Hi, how many days can this cake last without being in the refrigerator. Thanks
Rachel Farnsworth says
It stays good for a few days.
Angie says
Will definitely try this 👏👏👏
Kim says
Where can I get a tall cake carrier? With my cake
plate cover thingy, my cakes hit the top. It will not hold a 3 layer cake. Thanks
Rachel Farnsworth says
I bought my cake carrier at Walmart and it holds 3 layer cakes.
Meli says
Hi, can i subsitute vegetable oil with corn oil? Thankyou s
Rachel Farnsworth says
It should work in theory.
Dee says
I’m not sure what happened but I made this and it came out super dense. I followed the directions…ugh…what did I do wrong?
Rachel Farnsworth says
Was your baking powder expired by chance? The baking powder interacts with the buttermilk to help the cake rise.
Lori says
Just made cupcakes with this and they are AMAZING!
The recipe blows Martha Stewart’s out of the water. The only differences is I got 30 cupcakes.
Hewet Iskandar says
Does this cake dry out when put in the fridge?
Rachel Farnsworth says
If you leave it open to the air in the fridge, then yes, it would dry out.
B says
Can this cake be frozen/refrigerated? I’m planning to make it a few days ahead of the party. Can you provide tips for storing – frosted vs. undrosted?
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes it can. I recommend freezing it unfrosted. Wrap to prevent freezer burn.
Patrick says
I’m not good at adjusting measurements so I am going to make the cake batter as stated but I only want 2 layers. About how full should each cake pan be?
Rachel Farnsworth says
You’ll only need 2/3 of the recipe.
Christina says
This recipe was really disappointing. I made cupcakes out of it, and they were completely tasteless–except for tasting of oil. I’ve used oil in plenty of other recipes before, but I’ve never actually TASTED or SMELLED the oil in the finished product. It smelled like I was deep-frying doughnuts instead of baking cupcakes as these were cooking. The bottoms of these cupcakes were drenched with oil when they came out of the oven, and although the bottoms dried as they cooled, the smell of oil lingered on the baked goods. On the plus side, the cakes were very moist and fluffy, which was their saving grace. The batter is not sweet, nor is it particularly vanilla-y, so if you’re looking for an extremely bland cake, this recipe might interest you. I slathered them with sugary frosting, but still the resounding flavor experience was “drenched in oil.” So upsetting; I was really looking forward to a great vanilla cake recipe. The search continues…
Rachel Farnsworth says
oooo, that’s definitely not what is supposed to happen at all. Sounds like something went wrong.
Isabella says
I made your chocolate buttermilk cake and it came out absolutely amazing, this one came out really dense.. I’m not really sure what happened.
Rachel Farnsworth says
Sounds like it didn’t rise. The buttermilk should interact with the baking powder to make it fluffy. Perhaps your baking powder is expired?
Zainab says
please, i can’t seem to find the proportion for butter and veg oil. Can you please tell me what it is?
Rachel Farnsworth says
It’s written in the recipe.
Yvette says
I’ve tried several yellow cake recipes in the past and they’ve all come out with a corn bread texture. I’m hopeful this one will turn out well since it has great reviews. Would you recommend using this yellow cake as the base for crumb cake? I’m considering halving the recipe.
Rachel Farnsworth says
Worth a try!
Jeannine says
I was wondering if this cake can be made with all butter? I only have corn oil.
Rachel Farnsworth says
It’s a bit on the dry side with all butter. Corn oil would work though.
kim says
this cake came out so amazing definitly one to try
Liz says
Is this batter supposed to be very thick? it was so thick it wouldn’t spread in the pans at all. I have made the chocolate version of this recipe and that batter was very thin. The cake had a good taste, but was a little on the dry side. I’m not sure what I can tweak to change that.
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes, it’s supposed to be thick.
Joana says
Thank you for sharing this nice recipe, I tried it, it came out nice and tasty, but have 2 notes, the cake surface came completely white though it was baked well but the color of the top was extremly white as if itsn’t baked.
The other note is that the cake clolor is white, that sounds good for me but just want to ask why yours is yellow and mine is white😅
Again thank you so much😘😘😘
Rachel Farnsworth says
Did you use egg yolks or just egg whites? Did you use clear vanilla extract or regular? Those are the two things that tint the color yellow.
Joana says
Nop, I used whole eggs, yolks and whites
And had used powdered vanilla it’s a white powder
Lucky says
😯 my cake turned out really dry.. what could have gone wrong?
Sia says
Would olive oil work?
Rachel Farnsworth says
It works, but some people don’t like what it does to the flavor.
Summer says
Hi! Is there any possibility that I could make this into a one layer cake. I am a beginner so I want to start with easy things. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes excited to try it!😍
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes, divide all of the ingredients by 1/3
Claudia Aguero says
Can I use orange juice instead of buttermilk?
Rachel Farnsworth says
I don’t recommend that.
Diane says
Can you use gluten-free all-purpose flour to convert it to a gluten-free cake?
Rachel Farnsworth says
I have not tested that.
Cindy Smith says
Do you have a vanilla cream cheese icing receipe? Also do you have an Amazing white cake receipe?
Rachel Farnsworth says
https://thestayathomechef.com/perfect-cream-cheese-frosting/
https://thestayathomechef.com/most-amazing-white-cake/
Stacy says
Can this be swirled with your chocolate cake batter to make a marble cake?
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes it can!
Linda says
Would this work in a bundt pan?
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes, but the cooking time will be somewhere near an hour and the crust will be much thicker.
OMG Chocolate Desserts says
Hi, thank you for sharing your recipe, it looks Delicious!
linda says
I used soy milk, grapeseed oil rather than vegetable oil, poured it into a 10×13 pan without parchment as I planned to serve it in the dish over a period of days rather than as a layer cake. i topped it with a chocolate buttercream frosting. It was a little bit denser than I would have liked but I’d definitely make it again!
Louanne M Schrenk says
I baked this cake yesterday. It is delicious and really easy to make (no separating eggs!). I don’t bother with layer cakes so I dumped all the batter in my commercial 10 by 2 round cake pan and baked it 60 minutes and it raised nicely. While cooling, it did fall but just very slightly. The cake is a bit dense and has a good chew to it. Cake mixes are light and fluffy because of all the added ingredients. I like baking from scratch because you only use a few simple ingredients. It tasted lovely!
Ellise says
This cake is phenomenal! I did a three layer cake, with each layer being a different hue of pink. I made strawberry cream cheese icing, and a strawberry filling, To finish, I added fresh berries on top. It was beautifully moist, full of flavour, and nice and dense (not heavy though). I made three 9″ rounds with the recipe. I will be adding this one to the recipe box as my go to vanilla cake for sure!
Doria says
Made this cake this past weekend for Easter, with chocolate filling & icing. I thought is was very good in taste and was very well received by everyone. My only issue was the height of the cake layers, they certainly were not as fluffy looking as in your picture. I made the recipe in (3) 10″ pans, I only have even numbered sizes. But I did adjust the recipe by 1.25% to account for that, a 10″ cake pan is 1.23 times the area of a 9″. Was the cake in your picture baked in (3) 9″ pans and did you just make a single batch of cake for that? I’m going to up the recipe a bit more and try again next time, I just would have like slightly thicker cake layers. But otherwise, yum yum yummy!
Rachel Farnsworth says
The cake in the photos was made in 3 (9-inch) pans.
Alyssa Clark says
This recipe is fabulous. I always see bakers looking for the perfect vanilla cake recipe, and well… THIS IS IT. It is moist, sponge-y and not super dense. I actually tried doing a marble cake from this recipe. I made this recipe, then divided the batter and just added a 1/2 cup of cocoa powder. It turned out AWESOME. It was a little thick at first, so I may have added a little too much cocoa, but I just added a bit more buttermilk to give it some more liquid and thin it out. I would definitely recommend this vanilla cake recipe! Thank you Rachel.
Karen says
Made this cake and filled with strawberries and whipped cream and frosted it with whipped cream. It was a big hit. I’ve been searching for a great vanilla cake recipe that is easy and this is it. Thank you!
Holly Minchew says
This recipe looks amazing! Would it hold up to to a double barrel cake or fondant?
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes it should!
Liezel Fick says
Hi, I would like to know if I could use margarine/butter instead of salted butter.
Rachel Farnsworth says
I don’t generally recommend the use of margarine in cooking.
Agnes says
Hello Rachel, I’ve tried your chocolate cake recipe and it’s delicious. With your tips here and there, it’s also simple enough to make. My child really likes it. Thank you!
Now I am going to try your vanilla cake recipe. Do you have a vanilla (custard) fillings recipe to go with it? Thank you ahead!
Agnes says
Helllo Rachel, I’ve tried your amazing Chocolate Cake recipe and it’s delicious. I am going to try your vanilla Cale recipe this weekend. Do you have a vanilla (custard) filling recipe? (I don’t know what it actually calls but my son tried once at a bakery and really like the vanilla taste filling. I hope I can make the same.) Thanks ahead!
Rachel Farnsworth says
It’s pastry cream! https://thestayathomechef.com/perfect-pastry-cream/