Made from scratch basic Vanilla Cake that yields tall and sturdy cake layers that are great for stacking tiered cakes. It’s buttery, tender, and full of vanilla flavor – a great base cake for all occasions!
Do you need the chocolate version? Head on to Sturdy Yet Moist and Fluffy Chocolate recipe.
Great for Wedding Cakes and Tiered Cakes (for Stacking)
I’ve been looking for a great basic vanilla cake that can be my go-to vanilla cake recipe whenever I make tiered cakes. I tried many and never found one that is for keeps, until now.
I’ve used this recipe to make a 3-tiered wedding cake so I can say that while it is soft and fluffy, it is firm enough to use in multi-tiered cakes. As we know, for tiered cakes, it is suggested to stay clear of softer, less stable cakes and filling like chiffon cake, pastry cream, and whipped cream.
Are you thinking of doing a DIY wedding cake? I’ve shared all the recipes, timeline, resources, and tips in this DIY Wedding Cake post.
Thick layers for Tall Cakes
This recipe yields a tall vanilla cake, that’s why you would need a cake pan that is at least 3 inches in height.
If you don’t have a tall cake pan, you can line some parchment paper around the pan for extra height.
The photos you see here were taken while I was doing my final cake for my cousin’s wedding. Unfortunately, I have forgotten to take a photo of the cake right out of the cake pan.
I then further cut each round into half to give me a total of 4 layers, which is what you see in the photos.
Ingredients for vanilla cake
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- fine salt
- unsalted butter at room temperature – What is room temperature butter?
- granulated white sugar
- vanilla extract
- eggs (large size) at room temperature
- fresh milk (whole / full-fat)
Tools and equipment you’ll need
Ditch your cups and weigh your ingredients – it will give you consistent results every time. Try it and you will never look back on using cups again!
There are a lot of reasons why you should measure by weight and entirely a topic of its own. This recipe uses a lot of flour – measuring it incorrectly would greatly affect the outcome of your cake.
I use and recommend Fat Daddios brand. They heat faster and cools quicker, preventing overbaking. It has straight sides for perfect layers!
If your existing pan’s height is below 3 inches, see recipe note no. 1.
- mixing bowls and spatula
- toothpick or cake tester
How to Make
Preparation:
- Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 C).
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature.
- Grease the bottom of two 8x 3 round pans, then line with parchment paper (Note 1 in recipe card).
Make the vanilla cake batter:
Making this cake involved 3 parts: Creaming the butter and sugar, adding the eggs, and adding the remaining dry and wet mixtures alternately.
In a bowl, sift all the dry ingredients together: flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer bowl, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5-8 minutes.
RELATED: Stand Mixer Speed Guide
Add eggs to the mixture, two at a time. Blend until incorporated and scrape the sides as needed.
Add the flour mixture in four parts alternating with the milk in three parts, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Remember to add the next flour or milk until just incorporated; be careful not to overmix!
Bake the vanilla cake
Pour the cake batter into prepared pans and spread it so that is it smooth and flat in the pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 60 minutes.
Cool the cakes on a wire rack before removing them from the pan.
Torte each cake into 2 to get 4 layers like in the photo below.
FAQs
Do I really need to sift the dry ingredients?
The process of sifting breaks any lumps in flour that would weigh down the batter so your Vanilla Cake will yield a tender (not delicate) crumb. When flour is sifted with other dry ingredients, such as baking powder, sifting helps to combine them evenly before they are mixed with other ingredients. It is important not to skip this step!
Why do I need to cream the butter and sugar?
When creaming the butter and sugar together, the sugar is like punching little holes in the butter and those holes, in turn, will capture air. These little bubbles capture the gases released by your leaveners when baked, giving your cake a lighter texture. A properly creamed butter and sugar should have the color of pale yellow, not white.
Using a stand mixer, I typically whip the butter and sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes.
My cake came out dry – What did I do wrong?
There are several possible reasons why your cake came out dry. One common mistake is NOT measuring your flour correctly. If you’re still using cups to measure your flour and other baking ingredients, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of using a food scale !
Baking is an exact science, so one ingredient that’s not measured correctly can totally break the outcome.
Another common reason is overcooking them. As not all ovens are the same, remember to treat the cooking time stated in any recipe as a guide.
Your cake is perfectly done and needs to be removed from the oven when the toothpick/ cake tester comes out either clean or with a few dry crumbs.
Always begin checking your cake at the earlier doneness time specified in the recipe. I like to set my timer a few minutes earlier than the shortest baking time called for.
You can always bake something longer, but over baked or burnt products are ruined! Always check for doneness about 5 minutes before the suggested bake time.
Can I Make This Into Cupcakes?
One of the most frequently asked questions – How do I turn this cake into a cupcake? Simply half the recipe of the 6-inch vanilla cake to get about 12 cupcakes.
I did the math for you!
To make 12 cupcakes (50g of batter for each cupcake), you’ll need:
- 175 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 tsp regular table salt
- 130 grams unsalted butter
- 150 grams granulated white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs (about 100g without shell)
- 140 grams whole milk
For cupcakes, bake at 350F for about 15-17 minutes.
Adapting This Vanilla Cake to Different Pan Sizes
The photos you see at the beginning of this post are the 6-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch vanilla cake, with all the layers sliced and leveled.
Here is a chart of the amount of ingredients you’ll need depending on pan size.
NOTE: This is on the assumption that the height of the cake remains the same – only the circumference of the pan changes.
Batter Weight (before baking): 6-inch is around 1,310 grams, so 655 grams of batter per pan.
Follow the same procedure as written in the recipe but you may need to adjust the baking time. Remember that the time indicated below is only a guide as not all ovens are the same.
It is a good habit to check for doneness 5 minutes earlier than the shortest baking time called for. If the cake isn’t done yet, check again after 3-4 minutes.
Recipe for round cakes from 4-inch up to 12-inch pans
This Fluffy and Buttery Vanilla Cake is one of the most popular recipes at Bakeologie . Over the years, a lot of people made and loved this cake and have been asking how to make it in different sizes.
I’ve put together a resource with all the ingredient quantities for round cakes from 4-inch up to 12-inch. Now, no more guesswork!
If you have tried this recipe and wanted to make it in other different sizes , this is the answer for you!
Check out my shop page or grab the Master Recipe for Fluffy and Buttery Vanilla Cake directly through this link.
What Frosting Goes Well With This Cake?
I recommend pairing this vanilla cake with swiss meringue buttercream. I love swiss meringue because it’s smooth, silky, and not tooth-achingly sweet! It can be used on a variety of cakes and cupcakes as it can easily be flavored.
You might want to try:
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Quick and Easy Cheater’s Swiss Meringue
Sturdy Yet Moist and Fluffy Chocolate Cake
❤️ Tried this recipe and loved it? If you made this recipe or any other recipe on this site, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating + review below – or tag @thebakeologie on Instagram and hashtag it #bakeologie !
Fluffy and Buttery Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
- 625 grams all-purpose flour (22 oz )
- 18 grams baking powder (1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons )
- 6 grams salt (1 teaspoon)
- 454 grams butter, unsalted, at room temperature (16 oz )
- 533 grams white granulated sugar (19 oz )
- 9 grams vanilla extract (2 teaspoons )
- 400 grams eggs (weight is without shell) (approx 8 large eggs) at room temperature
- 488 grams whole milk (17.2 oz )
Instructions
- PREPARATION. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease the bottom of two 8x 3 round pans, then line the bottoms with parchment paper (Note 1).
- PREPARE THE DRY INGREDIENTS. In a bowl, sift all the dry ingredients together: flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.625 grams all-purpose flour18 grams baking powder6 grams salt
- CREAM THE BUTTER, SUGAR AND VANILLA. In a stand mixer bowl, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5-8 minutes.454 grams butter, unsalted, at room temperature533 grams white granulated sugar9 grams vanilla extract
- ADD EGGS TO THE MIXTURE. Add eggs to the mixture, two at a time. Blend until incorporated and scrape the sides as needed.400 grams eggs (weight is without shell)
- ADD THE DRY AND WET INGREDIENTS. Add the flour mixture in four parts alternating with the milk in three parts, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Remember to add the next flour or milk until just incorporated; be careful not to overmix!488 grams whole milk
- BAKE THE VANILLA CAKE. Pour the cake batter into prepared pans and spread it so that is it smooth and flat in the pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Cool the cakes on a wire rack before removing them from the pan. Divide each cake into 2 to get 4 layers.
I can see the potential of this recipe but I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. Followed the instructions, the batter was thick as seen in the video. However, after baking my cakes shrunk, and had weird shapes and I thought maybe that’s not too bad, then I placed them in the freezer after cooling and now after thawing, they are dense.
Also, I baked two batches separately, the first batch with cake strips and those were the densest. Second batch is without and they are the least dense.
I’m sorry that happened to you! I understand it is frustrating when the results didn’t come out right. It is hard to pinpoint the exact reason why as I have not seen the final cake and how you did it, but these are the common reasons I thought might help: Overcreaming the butter and overmixing the batter may lead to dense and/or gummy layers. Another reason is they make be under-baked. Undercooked cakes don’t have enough structure developed so they fall once you take them out of the oven or after cooling resulting to dense layers – did you do a skewer/ toothpick test before taking them out of the oven?
First, thank you for replying so quickly! Yes, I did the toothpick test, I baked the cakes in a 6×3” tall pan, and filled pans with about approximately 600g of batter. I baked for 40 minutes according to the time estimate for 6 inches, the cakes were undone, baked for about 20 minutes more. I’ll try baking again another time. Thanks again!
Wow, that’s a lot of butter…I’m afraid mine would be swimming in a lake of butter. It must work though from everyone raving about how good it is. Also, if you freeze the cake after baking does it change the texture when thawed, does it make it more dense or is it still fluffy?
Hi Lori! It uses a lot of butter but it uses a lot of flour too so the dry and wet ingredients are kinda balanced. I find that if the layers were covered and stored properly in the freezer, the texture remains the same once they’re brought back to room temperature. You can brush each layer with a simple sugar syrup too, if you like, to give additional moisture after freezing.
How long do you bake the 6 and 10 inch cakes for, I can’t seem to find that info.
Thanks,
Sierra
In the last row of the ingredient chart for 6 and 10inch cakes, you should see “Baking time estimate” highlighted in yellow.
Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe! In the chart in this post where you list the amount of ingredients for 6, 8 and 10 inch pans, are the amounts given for one pan of each size or for the two pans of each size required by the recipe? Thanks.
You’re welcome, Rachel! The quantities are already for the 2 pans of each size.
Thank you so much!
I have a quick question! I’m baking a graduation cake, but it’s not needed for a few days. Would it be safe to freeze this cake until it needs to be iced?
Hi Zoe! Yes, you can freeze them. Once the cake has cooled, tightly wrap each layer in plastic film, keep in a freezer safe bag, the put it in the freezer. To thaw, place in the fridge the night before you are going to assemble the cake. If you want to know more details you may refer to my DIY wedding cake post. 🙂
Fantastic recipe! Came out moist and delicious. Will definitely be using this as my go to recipe. Thank you so much!!!
Hi can I use a 8×3 and a 8×4 to stack a cake ? Or will that be a disaster. Should I do 2 8×3 pans to stack instead or will the 8×3 and 8×4 will be just as fine?
Ma’am, is it okay if I half the 6 inch pans recipe. Flour I take 175 grams, sugar 149 grams, butter 127 grams, eggs 2, milk 137 grams, and so on . Will it still work ??
Yes you can do that. 🙂
Thankyou. I tried it. It’s a hit
Awesome! I appreciate you letting me know. 🙂
Conversely can I add 175 grams flour, etc to the 350 grams flour, etc and have the correct amount of batter for one six inch / 3-layer cake? Thank you!
Hi, Kjt. Not sure if I understood your question. The recipe yields two tall 6-inch cakes (in the photos above I further divided each layer into 2 giving me 4 layers). Did you want to increase the batter so you can make a 3rd one? If so, I suggest making the batter for the 3rd layer in a separate batch. If you want the 3rd layer to be the same thickness as the first two then you would need to use 350g of flour, etc.
Hi Trish,
Will the batter keep (e. in the fridge)? I only have one set of 6/8/10 inch pans so would need to bake in batches. Would the cakes still rise as expected if baking is delayed?
Thanks!
I have not tried this, Angelique, but I would love to know in case you give it a try! My worry is that the cake might become dense.
A…mazing… I followed the recipe to the T and the cakes came out just like the pics in the recipe. I am over the moon. Thank you so much Trish. I am going to follow many more of your recipes. Love this one. It feels so so good when the cake comes out of the oven and looks this good.
I am happy you liked it!! Thank you so much for letting me know. 🙂
I’m very pleased with the outcome of this Vanilla cake. So fluffy and delicious. Your recipes are very good. Thanks for sharing!!.
Do you also happen to have a sturdy but yet fluffy Redvelvet cake recipe…smiles.
Thank you so much, Juliet!!! I don’t have a red velvet cake recipe, sorry!
Hi! Can I use a 10 inch square pan instead of round? Will it need more batter or would it be the same?
Yes, you can use a 10-inch square pan instead of a 10-inch round. One thing to note is that a square pan is bigger in terms of how much batter would fit in it, so your cake layer would be less taller (height-wise) as compared to a cake baked in a round pan. The baking time will change as well so watch for visual cues.
I need a 10” square cake for a ‘wrestling ring’ cake so I’m increasing the ingredients by the same ratio used for the 6-10” cakes in the recipe. I need the height but It means 14 eggs as one part of ingredients! but I’m about to try it. Fingers crossed!!
You can do it, Elizabeth! Remember to fill the pans no more than 3/4 full. If there’s extra batter then just bake them in a a smaller pan. I would love to see your wrestling cake! 🙂
Hi Trish! 😊
Is there a way to turn this cake into an orange vanilla cake? 🙈
Hello, Jash. I haven’t tried this but you can try adding about 1-2 teaspoons of orange zest and orange extract.