Holidays
Vanilla Cake
Prep
30 minutes
Cook
50 minutes
Yield
8 -10
🍰 Forget complicated—this easy vanilla cake needs just 8 ingredients! Fluffy, tender & ready in less than 90 minutes. The simple vanilla cake recipe everyone's obsessed with!
Everyone loves classic vanilla cake. But what if you could make it with just 8 ingredients? This simple vanilla cake recipe is perfect for any celebration. Because it’s minimal and straightforward, baking becomes stress-free. You get a fluffy, tender crumb that melts beautifully. Decorate however you wish to make it uniquely yours.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Easy Vanilla Cake
- Minimal Ingredients: This simple vanilla cake requires only 8 basic ingredients total.
- Quick: Prep in just 30 minutes and bake in under 90 minutes total.
- Versatile: Decorate however you please or make it vegan easily.
🍲 Ingredients
Pastry Flour – Pastry flour is low in protein, milled from soft white wheat. This creates incredibly tender, fluffy baked goods and cakes. The delicate crumb structure prevents dense, dry layers beautifully. So you get soft, light cake with minimal effort required.
Eggs – Eggs provide natural binding and structure throughout this cake. They create lift and help the cake rise during baking. Additionally, eggs add moisture and richness to every single bite. Because they’re whole food protein, they support muscle maintenance.
👩🍳 How to Make Easy Vanilla Cake
Prepare Your Pan:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F first. Line a 10-12 inch round cake pan with parchment. Brush or spray the entire pan with oil. Include all edges and corners to prevent sticking. Set the prepared pan aside while mixing batter.
Mix Wet Ingredients:
Step 2: Into a small mixing bowl, combine eggs and almond milk. Add the vanilla extract to the mixture. Whisk until everything combines thoroughly and looks well-mixed. Set aside so ingredients are ready for the next step.
Mix Dry Ingredients:
Step 3: In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar together. Add baking powder and salt to the dry mixture. Whisk until dry ingredients combine and distribute evenly. This ensures leavening distributes throughout for even cake rise.
Cream Butter and Milk:
Step 4: Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, add softened butter. Add the remaining one-half cup of almond milk. Mix on low-medium speed until everything combines thoroughly. The mixture should look pale and creamy throughout.
Add Egg Mixture:
Step 5: Reduce the mixer speed to low first. Slowly add the egg mixture in small batches. Add a little every 15-20 seconds for best incorporation. Beat for one minute total, scraping sides as needed.
Bake the Cake:
Step 6: Transfer the batter to your prepared cake pan. Smooth the top with a spatula for even baking. Bake at 350°F for approximately 50 minutes. Test doneness with a toothpick—it should come out clean.
Cool and Frost:
Step 7: Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes. Then use a sharp knife to loosen the edges. Flip onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Finally, frost with your favorite vanilla buttercream or frosting.
🗒 Tips and Tricks
- Room Temp: Bring all ingredients to room temperature before mixing. This ensures even incorporation and better cake texture. Room temperature ingredients mix more evenly throughout.
- Reverse Creaming: This method creates more tender crumb than traditional creaming. Mix butter with milk first before adding other ingredients. The technique incorporates more air and creates delicate structure.
- Don’t Overmix: Mix just until dry ingredients incorporate into batter. Overmixing develops gluten and creates a tough cake. Stop mixing as soon as everything combines visibly.
- Internal Temp: Use an instant-read thermometer for accurate doneness. Cake should reach 200-205°F at the center. This ensures moist cake that’s fully baked through.
- Troubleshooting Dense Layers: Overmixing flour creates dense, heavy cake structure. Ensure ingredients are room temperature before mixing. Don’t overbake—remove at 200-205°F internal temperature.
- Troubleshooting Gummy Streaks: This happens when batter mixes unevenly or overbakes. Don’t overmix after adding flour to prevent this. Check internal temperature for proper doneness.
- Troubleshooting Sinking Centers: Low oven temperature causes centers to sink down. Use an oven thermometer to verify temperature accuracy. Don’t open oven door during baking first 40 minutes.
- High-Altitude Adjustments: At elevations above 3,000 feet, reduce baking powder slightly. Decrease by 1/4 teaspoon per 1,000 feet elevation gain. Increase oven temperature by 15-25°F for proper baking.
🗒 Substitutions
- Vegan: Replace eggs with 3 flax eggs for binding. Use vegan butter instead of regular butter. Try plant-based milk for almond milk.
- Flour: Substitute all-purpose flour with two tablespoons cornstarch. This mimics pastry flour’s lower protein content. Use the same measurement as pastry flour.
- Milk: Buttermilk creates tangier cake with tender crumb. Coconut milk adds richness and subtle coconut flavor. Plant-based options work well for dairy-free diets.
- Pan Size: Bake in a 9-inch pan for thicker cake. Sheet cake requires 30-35 minutes baking time. Cupcakes bake for 18-22 minutes instead.
🍽️ Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store this simple vanilla cake in a tightly sealed container. Keep it at room temperature for 3-4 days. The cake stays fresh and moist throughout this period. Alternatively, you can freeze unfrosted cake layers for up to 2 months.
Wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap first. Then wrap again with aluminum foil for protection. Place in an airtight freezer container for extra safety. Thaw layers at room temperature before frosting. Any leftover frosting will last up to 1 week. Store frosting in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Make-Ahead Layering Guide: Bake layers 1-2 days ahead and freeze. Thaw layers completely before frosting and assembly. Apply a crumb coat (thin frosting layer) first. Chill for 30 minutes, then apply final frosting. This creates professional-looking, smooth cake layers beautifully.
Simple Syrup & Make-Ahead Guide: For layer cakes, brush simple syrup between layers for moisture. Make simple syrup: combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Heat until sugar dissolves, then cool completely before using. Brush lightly on each cake layer for extra hydration. This prevents dry cake and extends freshness significantly.
🤔 Common Questions
Store cake in an airtight container at room temperature. Brush simple syrup on layers before frosting. This keeps the easy vanilla cake tender and moist.
A 10-12 inch round pan takes 50 minutes. A 9-inch pan requires about 55-60 minutes total. Sheet cakes bake for 30-35 minutes instead. Cupcakes bake for 18-22 minutes at 350°F.
Replace eggs with 3 flax eggs and use vegan butter. Try almond or coconut milk instead. The cake will be different, but it will remain tender and delicious with these swaps.
Don’t overmix after adding flour to prevent overmixing. Use room temperature ingredients for even incorporation. Fill pan only two-thirds full for even baking.
Yes, freeze unfrosted layers up to 2 months. Wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap. Thaw at room temperature before frosting and serving.
Classic vanilla buttercream pairs perfectly with this cake. Whipped cream and berries create a lighter option. Cream cheese frosting adds tang and richness beautifully.
This recipe uses butter for flavor and tenderness. Oil can be substituted for half the butter. Using half butter and half oil creates extra moisture.
Pastry flour has slightly higher protein than cake flour. Both create tender crumbs in vanilla cakes beautifully. All-purpose plus cornstarch mimics pastry flour’s protein.
Reverse creaming mixes butter with liquid before adding flour. This creates more tender crumb and extra moisture. It’s superior to traditional creaming for delicate cakes.
Make simple syrup with equal parts sugar and water. Cool completely before using on cake layers. Brush lightly with a pastry brush between layers. This adds moisture and prevents dry cake beautifully.
Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
- 3 eggs room temperature
- ¾ almond milk divided
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 ½ cups Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached White Pastry Flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup butter unsalted, room temperature
- 1-2 cup Vanilla Icing as desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 10in-12in a cake pan with parchment and brush with oil or spray with oil entirely, including the edges. Set aside.
- Into a small mixing bowl, combine the eggs, 1/4 of the almond milk, and vanilla. Whisk till combined and set aside. NOTE: you can also do this with a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk till combined.
- Now, using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the butter and remaining 1/2 cup of milk and mix or low-medium speed till combined.
- Reduce hand mixer speed to low and slowly add in the egg mixture. Beating for 1 minute total, adding some in every 15-20 seconds. Note, you can stop and scrape down the sides to ensure everything is incorporated.
- Transfer the batter to the lined cake pan and cook for around 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out perfectly clean.
- Let the cake cool for 20 minutes in the pan. Use a sharp knife to loosen around the edges of the pan before flipping and icing with your favorite vanilla icing.
Video
I was wondering if I could sub out sugar cane for something else, maybe Agave? I don’t like my desserts to be too sweet. Maybe if I mixed it with honey and agave? What do you think?
I would recommend using a 1:1 sugar, like lakanto!
I’m new to baking and I was wondering if you had any advice on the baking process? like when it’s in the over how do you know when it’s ready? What are some signs? I usually do recipes by eye, I like to intuitively cook like that, but the oven and I don’t have that good of a relationship. This recipe looks amazing btw, can’t wait to make it!
just cook for the time instructed and then check with a tooth pick by pocking into the center of the cake, if it comes out clean then it’s good!
Hello Maria! I’m looking forward to making this recipe for the Christmas holidays! I can’t wait to try this and maybe those chocolate mint cookies 🙂 It looks beautiful, fluffy, and delicious. Hello from Sweden!
you’re going to love it!
I made this cake last night, I followed the instructions word for word and the end result made my heart skip a beat, the best simple vanilla cake recipe, I will use this recipe until I die!! I know it’s dramatic but it’s the truth!
thank you so much!!!!
Love this cake! So simple, easy to make, delicious, and a big portion. I feel like this cake can be made with chocolate too!!
thank you so much lisa!