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!
The world of cakes can be a bit confusing. White cake, yellow cake, vanilla cake — aren’t they all more or less the same? Honestly, we love them all, but there are some key differences. White cake is the lightest of the three. It uses oil rather than butter to keep the end result as white as possible, not to mention egg whites only. Yellow cake uses whole eggs and butter to give it that classic yellow color. Vanilla cake doesn’t have the same rules to follow. It can use whole eggs and butter, but it isn’t required. The most important aspect of a vanilla cake is that it uses enough vanilla to really make that flavor pop. With a whole tablespoon of vanilla in this recipe, you are sure to find that this is the most amazing vanilla cake ever. You’ll never use a boxed cake mix again!
Room Temperature Ingredients:
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, we 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 us.
Salted vs. Unsalted Butter:
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.
Is vegetable oil necessary?
There is a combination of butter and vegetable oil in this recipe. I find that vegetable oil gives the cake a lot more moisture.
Can The Most Amazing Vanilla Cake be made into cupcakes?
Why, yes it can! You can find full instructions for the most amazing vanilla cupcakes here!
Can I make this recipe into 3 layers?
Yes, you can! Whether you prefer two thick layers or three thinner layers, this will still be the most amazing vanilla cake you’ve ever had!
Egg Substitute:
There are numerous options for substituting eggs in baking recipes. You can always try using one of those.
Pan Sizes:
You are certainly welcome to try alternative pan sizes, 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. Eight-inch and ten-inch pans will require adjustments to the recipe.
Gluten Free:
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. I have not tested any gluten free flours in this recipe as I do not have Celiac’s disease.
Do you have a chocolate version?
Why, yes I do. I call it The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake.
Frosting:
Feel free to use your favorite frosting with this cake. You can never go wrong with buttercream frosting!
Storage Instructions:
Store your cake in an airtight container for up to 4 days. If frosted with a simple buttercream, it can be left at room temperature. If you use a cream cheese frosting, you will need to store this in the fridge.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious cake recipes:
- The Most Amazing Red Velvet Cake
- The Most Amazing Strawberry Cake
- The Most Amazing Carrot Cake
- Luscious Lemon Cake
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Can you use cake flour for this recipe?
Yes, you can.
I loved your Amazing Chocolate Cake! I’ve been baking for over 20 years and this was one of the best recipes. I’m so thrilled I found your Vanilla version just in time for my kid’s party.
Thank you for sharing even dairy-free alternatives to buttermilk!
Can I bake it on 9×13 pan?
Yes you can!
Can I use cake flour instead of regular flour?
Yes, you can.
Do I still use the baking powder with the cake flour?
Yes, they are different things.
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!
It’s pastry cream! https://thestayathomechef.com/perfect-pastry-cream/
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!
Hi, I would like to know if I could use margarine/butter instead of salted butter.
I don’t generally recommend the use of margarine in cooking.
This recipe looks amazing! Would it hold up to to a double barrel cake or fondant?
Yes it should!
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!
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.