How To Make The Best Homemade Vanilla Cake

  • PREP TIME: 1 HR
  • COOK TIME: 30 MIN
  • TOTAL TIME: 1 HR 30 MIN

Step by step instructions on how to make the best vanilla cake ever. EVER. This homemade vanilla cake recipe is anything but ordinary!

Why You’ll Love Homemade Vanilla Cake

Being a true vanilla lover, I’ve tried my fair share of homemade vanilla cake, cupcakes, sheet cakes…you name it. It’s my go-to flavor and dare I say I like it more than chocolate cake? It took me several weeks to develop this particular recipe, yielding an end result that is tender with a moist crumb and just the right amount of sweetness. I’m confident that if you don’t like vanilla cake, you haven’t truly had a GOOD one. So friends, meet my vanilla cake recipe.

Simple Cake Recipe ingredients

  • all-purpose flour
  • baking powder
  • baking soda
  • salt
  • milk
  • vanilla extract
  • butter
  • vegetable oil
  • granulated sugar
  • whole eggs + egg whites

How to make Vanilla Cake from Scratch

Making a scratch vanilla cake is easier than you think! Just make sure you don’t over-bake! Dry vanilla cake is NOT delicious. For full recipe details with an ingredients list, exact measurements and baking times see the printable recipe card below. Here is step by step what you can expect when making this cake:

Prepare Your Cake Pans

1. Preheat your oven.

2. Line baking pans with parchment paper and/or spray well with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. (I spray my round cake pans, add the parchment paper circles in the bottom and spray lightly again.)

 

Whisk Dry Ingredients

3. In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients together to combine (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Set aside. Whisking helps aerate the ingredients and works well in place of sifting.

4. Measure milk and vanilla separately and set aside.

Make the Vanilla Cake Batter

5. In a separate large bowl, mix butter, oil, and sugar together until combined.

6. Mix in eggs and egg whites, one at a time, until the mixture becomes very light and fluffy. You want to incorporate a lot of air at this point. Because we aren’t separating the eggs and whipping the whites separately, you want to whip the eggs well.

7. Alternate adding in flour mixture with milk mixture, being sure to start and end with flour.

Time to Bake Your Cake!

8. Divide cake batter between two (8 or 9″) round baking pans, as evenly as possible, smooth the tops and bake on the middle rack in the oven. Cakes will be done when the edges look golden and the middle of the cake comes out clean when tested with a toothpick.

9. Cool 15-20 minutes in pans or until you can handle the warm pans with your hands. Turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely.

Vanilla Cake Recipe Tips for success

After lots of trial and error, here are my best tips and tricks for making a delicious vanilla cake recipe the first time around.

  • Follow the recipe. Use the listed ingredients in the recipe card below.
  • Use room temperature ingredients. Believe it or not, using butter, eggs, egg whites and milk all at room temperature yields you a smoother, better incorporated cake batter and thus, a better cake.
  • Do not over-bake. Moist vanilla cake comes with just the right amount of time in the oven. Start checking your cake for doneness after 30 minutes and then go from there. Every oven is different (some run hotter than others) so be sure you are checking your cake for doneness every few minutes once you’re getting close to it being completely baked.
  • Line baking pans with parchment paper. Parchment paper is my favorite kitchen tool. Your cakes will come out with ease!
  • Cool completely before frosting. Frosting is primarily made up of butter and the butter will melt if your cakes are not cooled completely.

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