Confession: This princess started making cake with box mix. I know, I know. We all turn our noses down on box mix, and usually our forks too. The reason was I hadn’t found a recipe that could compete with it, meaning it was easy, with few ingredients I always had on hand, came our correctly with little effort, and of course, tasted amazing.
Then I found this recipe.
After testing multiple recipes I found on in the internet, my Pinterest feed, even ones from friends, this classic vanilla cake recipe became the winner and I’m so excited to share it with you.
It’s hard to go wrong with a classic vanilla cake recipe because it’s good for every celebration. Whether a birthday party, wedding, graduation, baby shower, vanilla cake works in every situation. To me the best vanilla cake has a buttery taste, a perfectly even crumb that holds on its own and melts in your mouth with each bite.
This vanilla cake recipe is full of flavor and has a tender, moist crumb. This recipe gives you a cake that’s light, fluffy and is so easy to make you will finally forget that box mix.
The Right Ingredients
Like all recipes, you are going to want to use the right ingredients for this mouth watering cake. I’ve tested this cake with both cake flour and all-purpose flour. While both work great, I prefer to use a 50/50 combination of both. If you are worried that you will overmix your cake, use more cake flour as it’s more forgiving because it contains less protein.
I use both butter and oil in this recipe, however instead of creaming the butter and sugar, I cream the butter with the dry ingredients. The oil keeps it from drying out.
Why Kosher Salt?
When in doubt, use kosher salt! Kosher salt is generally considered purer in flavor than table salt because it doesn’t contain iodine or other metallic additives. Because kosher salt has an uneven texture, it makes it easier to visually see and measure how much salt has been added to a dish.
Store and Freeze This Cake
If you want to bake the cake in advance, bake and cool it as directed. Then, turn the cooled cake out and wrap it well in a double layer of plastic wrap, and freeze for up to two weeks. Defrost the frosting on the counter at room temperature and beat vigorously with a mixer to fluff it up again.
Also Makes Cupcakes!
Do I use this recipe for cupcakes? Absolutely! When you have a recipe this good you use it for cupcakes too. You should be able to make 24-36 with this recipe depending upon the size of your muffin tins. Start checking to see if they are ready after 15 minutes of baking. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean they’re done baking.
What Size Bake Pans
Sure, you can make this in a 9×13-inch pan or two 9-inch rounds. But the recipe works great for a cupcakes or even a Bundt cake. For cupcakes, bake for 15 to 18 minutes. For a Bundt cake, bake for 45 to 55 minutes. You should be able to get 24 cupcakes from this recipe.
Helpful Princess Tips
1. Make sure your baking soda and powder are fresh. Over time they lose their leaving it power. Baking soda helps give the cake a little rise, neutralize the acids, and make the cake tender.
2. Spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with the back of a knife—don’t pack it in. Alternatively, measure the flour using a kitchen scale for the most accurate measurement.
3. To make your cake even more moist, sub the milk with buttermilk.
4. Be sure to use a light touch and not overmix the batter. It could cause your cake to come out dense of gluey.
5. You can substitute Kosher salt for regular salt.
Homemade Vanilla Cake
PREP TIME 15 mins
COOK TIME 30 mins
TOTAL TIME 45 mins
SERVINGS 12 servings
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups (288g) cake flour, or all-purpose
1 1/2 cups (300g) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup oil, such as canola vegetable
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons (4 1/2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven and prepare the pan:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a your pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. If you plan to turn the cake out instead of serving it from the pan, lining it with parchment will ensure the cake releases from the pan easily.
Combine the dry ingredients:
In a large mixing bowl. whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.
Cream the butter with the dry ingredients:
Mix the softened butter into the dry mixture with a hand mixer on low speed until the butter is completely combined and the mixture has a sandy texture.
Combine the wet ingredients:
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and homogeneous.
Add the wet into the dry ingredients:
Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and butter mixture and beat with the hand mixer until just a few streaks of flour remain. Finish mixing the batter with a silicone spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake and cool:
Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes until the top of the cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool completely on a rack before turning out and/or frosting and decorating.
What Size Cake Pan to Use?
This cake is baked in a 9×13-inch rectangular cake pan, which is a great size for potlucks and parties. It can also be baked as two 9-inch rounds for a layered cake. The round layers can potentially bake more quickly. So be sure to check them after about 22 minutes in the oven.
