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5.0 from 3 votes

Vanilla Cake Recipe

Looking for the BEST Vanilla Cake recipe? This vanilla layer cake is moist with a tender crumb and lots of vanilla flavor. Just add your favorite frosting and serve!

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 261 kcal
Course: Cake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups cake flour
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup buttermilk

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a bowl, combine cake flour with salt and baking powder. Use a whisk to blend everything together. Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in eggs and egg whites, and vanilla extract. Beat for 2 minutes.
  4. Alternating additions of the dry ingredients with the buttermilk, slowly add each (about 3 additions of each. After final addition of buttermilk, beat 1-2 minutes until fluffy.
  5. Pour evenly into prepared cake pans. Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  6. Cool in pans 5 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on wire rack completely.

Notes

  • Can also use baking spray or my homemade cake release to grease pans.
  • Using a whisk to blend dry ingredients helps keep the flour airy and light.
  • Buttermilk- you can swap this for whole milk or use my easy buttermilk substitute!
  • Bake the cake layers the night before. Wrap cooled cake in plastic wrap. Assemble and frost the day of serving.
  • Level the cakes. Use a serrated knife and carefully slice off the domed tops of the cake layers. This provides a sturdy layer cake and the layers won't slide with frosting between them!
  • Spread about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of frosting between the layers, which leaves plenty for the outside!

Nutrition Information

Serving 1slice Calories 261kcal (13%) Carbohydrates 40g (13%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 10g (15%) Saturated Fat 6g (30%) Polyunsaturated Fat 3g Cholesterol 58mg (19%) Sodium 175mg (7%) Sugar 23g (46%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 16servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 261

% Daily Value*

Serving 1slice
Calories 261kcal 13%
Carbohydrates 40g 13%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g 18%
Cholesterol 58mg 19%
Sodium 175mg 7%
Sugar 23g 46%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.