Homemade Vanilla Cake | Moist Layered Cake With Buttercream Frosting! (2024)

This homemade vanilla cake with fluffy vanilla buttercream and colorful sprinkles is the perfect layered cake for every occasion. So soft and decadent, this moist vanilla cake recipe will take your guests to a vanilla-flavored cloud 9!

Table of Contents

• Why This Is The Best Vanilla Cake Recipe
• What You’ll Need
• How to Make Vanilla Cake From Scratch
• Chef’s Tips
• Variations:
• How To Store Homemade Vanilla Cake
• More Must Make Cake Recipes
• Get the Recipe

Why This Is The Best Vanilla Cake Recipe

This simple vanilla cake is a family-friendly dessert that makes a perfect birthday cake! However, you can easily make it match any occasion with different filings, icing colors and festive decorations. Here’s why you are going to love it:

• Double Vanilla: With vanilla extract and a vanilla bean, this cake is full of real vanilla flavor!
• So Moist: This is a dense cake, made with 2 cups of water (or milk) to give it that perfect soft and moist crumb texture.
• Beginner-Friendly: You can make the batter easily by hand with just a whisk and a bowl!
• Party Ready: Everyone loves a homemade vanilla cake with fluffy vanilla buttercream and colorful sprinkles. It’s a well-loved classic for good reason!
• Make It Your Own: This cake is a great base to dress up with different fruit fillings, icing flavors, fun extracts and citrus zests!

Love making stunning layered cakes? Me too! Try my favorite best banana cake, decadent chocolate peanut butter cake, impressive pumpkin cake or this double chocolate cake!

What You’ll Need

A potent vanilla bean is what sets this cake apart! Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.

For the Cake

• All-Purpose Flour: Feel free to use cake flour.
• Leavening Agents: You will need both baking powder and baking soda.
• Salt: Skip it if you’re using salted butter in the recipe.
• Water: You can swap it for milk if you want a creamier cake.
• Granulated Sugar: Light brown sugar can be used instead, but will darken the color of your cake.
• Butter: Unsalted or salted, both will work fine!
• Vegetable Oil: Corn or canola oil work too.
• Vanilla Extract: Use your favorite kind.
• Vanilla bean: This adds lovely aroma and sweetness. A tablespoon of vanilla bean paste also works!
• Eggs

For the Buttercream

• Unsalted Butter: If you use salted butter, skip the added salt.
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla Extract: If color is important to you, using a clear vanilla extract will keep the frosting white.
• Heavy Cream: You can use half-and-half or whole milk instead.
• Salt: Just a pinch.

How to Make Vanilla Cake From Scratch

Don’t over-mix the batter and make sure to let the liquid mixture cool slightly before adding the eggs. Scroll to the recipe card at bottom of the post for full detailed instructions.

• Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans.
• Dry Ingredients: Whisk all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
• Wet Ingredients: Simmer the water and sugar in a pot over medium-high heat. Remove it from the heat and add the butter. Chill the mixture in the fridge.
• Combine: Mix the oil, extract, and vanilla bean into the chilled sugar-butter mixture. Beat in the eggs and then whisk in the dry ingredients until smooth.
• Bake: Divide the cake batter evenly between the cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove them from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack before frosting.
• Buttercream: Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Add the vanilla extract, salt and 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Beat until smooth and fluffy.
• Assemble: Layer the cooled cakes with a thick layer of frosting in between. Apply a thin crumb-coat. Chill the cake. Add a final, thick layer of frosting, decorate and serve!

Chef’s Tips

Some helpful tips to ensure success:

• Measure Flour:Do not scoop from a packed bag of flour, it will create an overly dense cake! Instead, fluff the flour with a fork. Then spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off with a knife. This is the correct method for measuring flour!
• Cool Before Frosting: Let the cake layers cool completely before decorating, otherwise, the icing will melt. The cake layers can be made a day or two before adding the frosting to save you time on the day of!
• Make Ahead: Wait for the cake to cool completely before wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap. Store them in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to make the cake, all you have to do is stack, frost and serve!
• Cover Cake: If the tops and edges of the cakes brown too much before the baking time is up, lightly cover them with foil. This will stop them from browning much more.
• Prep Your Pan: If you’re worried about your cake sticking, flour the edges of each pan after you’ve buttered them. You can also add a circle of parchment paper to the bottom to guarantee your cake will not stick!
• Even Baking: These cake pan strips wrapped around your cake pans make the biggest difference for a perfectly evenly baked cake! If you use these, you should not have to level your cake!
• Crumb Coat: A crumb coat isa very thin layer of frosting used to “glue” crumbs down. This prevents any crumbs from coming loose and making your icing lumpy. Apply a thin crumb layer on the top and sides of your cake and then chill cake in the fridge until frosting is firm. Then frost with the final thick layer of frosting.

Variations:

Add a fruity filling or make your cake almond flavored!

• Fillings: Pipe a thick buttercream edge along the bottom cake layer but leave the center empty. Spoon in your filling of choice and stack the cakes and decorate as usual. Here are some fun options: homemade Nutella, dulce de leche or lemon curd.
• Icings: Decorate the cake with my chocolate buttercream or your favorite cream cheese frosting for an easy variation.
• Almond: Keep the vanilla bean if you want, but swap the vanilla extract for almond extract for a moist almond layer cake! For a raspberry almond cake, fill the center of the cake with fresh raspberries and a thick layer of raspberry jam.
• Chocolate Chip: Add 1 cup chocolate chips to the batter and frost with either chocolate or vanilla buttercream frosting. Instead of rainbow sprinkles, decorate the cake with mini chocolate chips.
• Citrus: For a citrus flavored cake, swap the vanilla bean for 2 tablespoons fresh citrus zest. For even more citrus flavor, you can swap 1/2 cup of the water for orange, lemon or lime juice.

How To Store Homemade Vanilla Cake

Storing your vanilla cake as whole as possible, versus slices of cake, will retain the most moisture. If storing slices, I recommend wrapping them tightly with plastic wrap.

• Counter: Place it in an airtight container away from direct heat and sunlight for up to 3 days. This method isn’t great if your area is quite hot or humid because the frosting can melt.
• Fridge: Store it in an airtight container for up to 7 days. Set it on the counter for 20 minutes before enjoying to let it warm up, if desired.
• Freezer: Wrap it in plastic wrap then place it into a freezer-friendly bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for 1 to 2 hours, until fully thawed.

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