This classic moist vanilla cake recipe is simple to make and stays moist for 5 days. The vanilla flavor and silky buttercream frosting make it the perfect celebration cake!
When your son and your husband always want vanilla for their birthday cakes, you create the best vanilla cake recipe! This moist vanilla cake has a soft, tender crumb that will stay moist for days. This classic vanilla is topped with silky smooth vanilla buttercream frosting, making it the perfect cake for any occasion!
Classics never go out of style, and I believe that simplicity can shine! If you love a classic cake, make this yellow cake with buttercream frosting or devils food cake next! If you want something full of fun flavors, check out my hummingbird cake, best strawberry shortcake, or these strawberry rhubarb bars.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Moist Vanilla Cake Recipe
- Perfect vanilla flavor with a little something extra. Using just milk in this recipe helps the vanilla extract really shine through. A little hint of almond extract gives it that “cake batter” taste!
- Silky smooth and not too sweet buttercream. American buttercream frosting is easy, and I have perfected the balance of powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and heavy cream for a perfectly flavored buttercream that isn’t cloyingly sweet.
- Stays moist for 5 days! Once frosted, this cake stays moist for 5 days at room temperature and lasts up to one week in the fridge!
- Uses ingredients already in your kitchen. This recipe came about because I didn’t have sour cream for my original moist vanilla cake recipe, but I needed to make exactly 12 vanilla cupcakes. I adapted the recipe to use milk and only 1 egg, and it blew my mind!
Professional Tips for Making This Moist Vanilla Cake Recipe
- Use room-temperature ingredients. When the eggs, milk, and butter are at room temperature, they prevent the batter from breaking when mixed and create a stronger emulsion, which results in a more tender cake.
- Grab your kitchen scale. This cake is perfectly balanced to create the most moist and fluffy cake, and using a kitchen scale will help you achieve that and reduce error.
- Be careful not to overmix the cake. Overmixing can cause tunneling and make the cake gummy. Finishing the cake by hand and using the room-temperature ingredients mentioned above will help prevent overmixing.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Unsalted butter: Unsalted butter controls the salt in the cake and buttercream. Creaming the butter and sugar together traps air molecules in the butter, which contributes to the rise of the cake and keeps it from being too dense.
- Granulated sugar: Sugar is used for sweetness and structure, and it helps create a soft, tender, light texture. I use extra-fine sugar in cakes whenever possible to allow it to dissolve more easily and keep the cake light and fluffy.
- Large eggs: Whole eggs add fat, moisture, and leavening when beaten into the creamed butter and sugar. They also emulsify the batter, which helps create a tender texture.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract is the flavor here, so be sure to use a high-quality extract like Nielson Massey Vanilla Extract. You could substitute vanilla bean paste, powder, or scraped vanilla beans for the cake or buttercream.
- Almond extract
- Whole milk: I bake with whole milk for the added flavor and fat. It has a lower water content, and the extra fat helps keep baked goods tender and moist. You could substitute lower fat milks or milk substitutes, just know the cake won’t be as tender.
- Cake flour: I use cake flour only when necessary. Its lower gluten content and finer texture are essential for a light and airy cake! You can substitute all-purpose flour if that’s all you have. Just be careful not to overmix.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Using baking powder and baking soda allows the cake to have a stronger and more even rise.
- Kosher salt
- Powdered sugar: Confectioner’s sugar is used in American buttercreams because it is ground finely into a powder. This allows it to create a smooth, silky buttercream without being heated.
- Heavy cream: Be sure to use full-fat heavy cream, sometimes called heavy whipping cream. It will add more flavor and help the buttercream whip up to a perfect consistency. You could substitute whole milk or other milk alternatives, but the buttercream won’t whip up as much.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Change the Buttercream! Pair this vanilla cake with my chocolate fudge frosting, lemon buttercream frosting, or use this ermine frosting recipe! You could also use the buttercream and frostings from my raspberry cupcakes, strawberry cake, or this cream cheese frosting from these red velvet cupcakes!
- Add a filling. Use the buttercream as a dam and fill the layers with lemon curd, salted caramel sauce, mixed berry jam, or easy cherry preserves. You can also use the chocolate ganache from my chocolate thumbprint cookies.
- Add some mix-ins. Make this cake funfetti by adding up to ¾ cup rainbow sprinkles, or use red, white, and blue for a festive 4th of July cake! You could also add crushed Oreos for a cookies-and-cream cake or mini chocolate chips.
- Spice the cake. Try my pumpkin spice recipe, speculoos spice mix, or this apple pie spice! Then, layer in apple pie filling for a scrumptious spiced apple dessert!
How to Make Moist Vanilla Cake
Use these instructions to make this moist and tender vanilla cake! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Prepare the Cake:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F (convection or regular). Grease 2 round 9-inch cake pan with non-stick cooking spray and line with a parchment paper circle.
I trace an outline of my cake pan on the parchment paper and then cut out a circle inside my Sharpie marks.
Step 2: Sift the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.
Step 3: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Step 4: Add the eggs and extracts, beating well until fully combined.
Scrape the bowl down, butter and sugar like to hang out at the bottom of the bowl. If they aren’t mixed in now you will have chunks of butter in the final batter.
Step 5: Alternately add the milk and dry ingredients, beginning and ending with dry. I often finish folding by hand to prevent overmixing and tunneling in the cake.
Step 6: Divide batter between prepared cake pans. You can eyeball it or use a kitchen scale.
Step 7: Bake immediately in the preheated oven until a cake tester or toothpick comes out with a few clinging crumbs, approximately 15-18 minutes. Be careful not to overbake, or they will dry out. Mine baked for 18 minutes in a convection oven.
Step 8: Let cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then loosen the sides by running a paring knife or small offset spatula around the edges. Flip it out onto a cooling rack, remove the parchment paper, and then cool it completely before frosting.
Prepare Buttercream Frosting:
Step 9: While the cakes cool, prepare the vanilla buttercream frosting.
Step 10: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and lightened slightly on medium-high speed.
Step 11: Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, allowing it to mix in completely before adding the next batch.
Step 12: Once all the sugar has been incorporated, add the vanilla and mix at medium speed until light and smooth.
Step 13: Switch to the whisk attachment and add cream while mixing at medium to low speed. Then, increase the speed to high and whisk until light, fluffy, and white.
You can use clear vanilla extract for a whiter frosting.
Frost the cake:
Step 14: Place one layer of the cake on a decorative cake plate or stand of your choice. Scoop about 1 cup of buttercream onto the top and smooth it out evenly with a large offset spatula.
Step 15: Place the second cake layer on top and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. This will ensure a nice thick layer of frosting between the cake layers.
Step 16: Mound the frosting on top and around the edges to fill in any gaps between the layers! Smooth it out with a bench scraper to achieve smooth edges. You can also swirl it decoratively or pipe it into rosettes or another pattern.
The cake will keep moist for 4 days. I prefer to wrap and refrigerate after 1 day, but it is best served at room temperature. The cake has the softest texture and most delicate crumb. My husband likes it frozen, so to each their own!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the frosted cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze it for up to two months. Wrap the unfrosted cake tightly in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature, refrigerated, or frozen. To help keep the cake moist, it is best frosted the day it is made. If you must make the cake beforehand, I recommend freezing it.
You can color the frosting and pipe buttercream flower, add sprinkles to the top of the cake, and use different piping tips to create different piping textures along your cake. You can use fresh flowers like I did with my brown butter carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
The main reason a cake is moist is the ratio of ingredients from the sugar and butter to the eggs, milk, and flour. The other primary keys are not over-baking the cake and storing the cake properly.
Serve this moist vanilla cake as its own special dessert with or without a birthday candle. You can also serve this cake with vanilla bean ice cream, this creamy chocolate ice cream recipe, or easy blueberry sauce.
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If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below! I love hearing from you and your comments make my day!
moist vanilla cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, soft and pliable
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
For the buttercream frosting:
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
- 6 ¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup heavy cream, cold
Instructions
Prepare the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (convection or regular). Grease 2 round 9-inch cake pan with non-stick cooking spray and line with a parchment paper circle.
- Sift the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and extracts, beating well until fully combined.
- Alternately add the milk and dry ingredients, beginning and ending with dry. I often finish folding by hand to prevent overmixing and tunneling in the cake.
- Divide batter between prepared cake pans. You can eyeball it or use a kitchen scale.
- Bake immediately in the preheated oven until a cake tester or toothpick comes out with a few clinging crumbs, approximately 15-18 minutes. Be careful not to overbake, or they will dry out. Mine baked for 18 minutes in a convection oven.
- Let cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then loosen the sides by running a paring knife or small offset spatula around the edges. Flip it out onto a cooling rack, remove the parchment paper, and then cool it completely before frosting.
Prepare Buttercream Frosting:
- While the cakes cool, prepare the vanilla buttercream frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and lightened slightly on medium-high speed.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, allowing it to mix in completely before adding the next batch.
- Once all the sugar has been incorporated, add the vanilla and mix at medium speed until light and smooth.
- Switch to the whisk attachment and add cream while mixing at medium to low speed. Then, increase the speed to high and whisk until light, fluffy, and white.
Frost the cake:
- Place one layer of the cake on a decorative cake plate or stand of your choice. Scoop about 1 cup of buttercream onto the top and smooth it out evenly with a large offset spatula.
- Place the second cake layer on top and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. This will ensure a nice thick layer of frosting between the cake layers.
- Mound the frosting on top and around the edges to fill in any gaps between the layers! Smooth it out with a bench scraper to achieve smooth edges. You can also swirl it decoratively or pipe it into rosettes or another pattern.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this moist vanilla cake recipe. Be sure to check out our other delicious cake and cupcakes recipes! You must try this lemon bundt cake or these strawberry shortcake cupcakes!
Saludos, Muchas gracias por compartir la receta felicidades.
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and rate, Jose! I really appreciate it! And you are most welcome; it is my pleasure 🙂 ~Lindsey