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Made with buttermilk, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste, this traditional vanilla cake has a light-weight, fluffy texture and one of the best vanilla taste. Add your favourite frosting for the perfect birthday cake!


I’ve been running a blog for therefore lengthy that generally I overlook after I haven’t shared a sure recipe with you.
Like, I not too long ago checked out my cake recipes and realized I hadn’t shared my vanilla cake recipe with you but!
Positive, I’ve shared vanilla cupcakes and even an straightforward vanilla bundt cake and tons and tons of different cake flavors…however no traditional vanilla layer cake.
And as a lot as I Iove my finest chocolate cake recipe (and imagine me, that’s one scrumptious cake), generally you simply want a very wonderful vanilla cake recipe. And I promise you, this one is basically nice.
Save this recipe as a result of it’s one that you simply’re gonna wish to have it readily available for birthdays, events, and holidays from right here out.


The very best traditional vanilla cake
This cake is proof that generally it’s the recipes that appear like they’ll be the only that turn into the trickiest.
This recipe just isn’t so simple as placing the batter for my vanilla cupcakes into cake pans and altering the baking time. It really took a very good little bit of fiddling to guarantee that the feel of this cake was good and that it might bake evenly within the cake pans.
However lemme inform ya, it was price it. This vanilla cake has a light-weight texture and tender crumb – no dense desserts right here!
And don’t let anybody inform you that vanilla is boring, as a result of this cake is totally scrumptious. I take advantage of a mixture of vanilla extract and vanilla paste to get the perfect vanilla taste.
It tastes unbelievable, it appears stunning, and it’ll completely make you rethink every part you knew about vanilla desserts earlier than this.
Is that this a yellow cake or a white cake?
White desserts use solely egg whites and generally a mixture of butter and shortening to get their shiny white coloration. Funfetti cupcakes and angel meals cake are two examples of white desserts.
White cake can also be historically used for wedding ceremony desserts, though that’s much less true lately with {couples} selecting less-traditional cake flavors.
Yellow desserts use the entire egg – white and yolk – and butter. This provides them a richer, extra yellow coloration.
Since this vanilla cake makes use of entire eggs and butter, it’s a kind of yellow cake!


Easy methods to make my vanilla cake
This can be a fairly normal cake recipe and one that virtually anyone can whip up for a birthday, vacation, get together, or just because it’s Thursday and also you need some cake.
Elements you’ll want
To make my vanilla cake, you will want:
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups room-temperature buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 12 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 massive room-temperature eggs


This cake makes use of cake flour as an alternative of all-purpose flour. Cake flour helps give the cake its mild texture.
My favourite chocolate chip cookies, blueberry cupcakes, and lemon layer cake all use cake flour, too, so there are many different methods you should use up the field.
Buttermilk is the important thing to the peerlessly tender crumb. I attempted the cake with common milk and I promise it simply wasn’t the identical! You completely want to make use of buttermilk on this one.
I do know that utilizing vanilla paste and vanilla additional appears additional, however belief me. The wonderful vanilla taste is price utilizing each of them!
Making this cake
You should utilize 8-inch or 9-inch spherical cake pans for this vanilla cake. Grease 2 of whichever dimension you select, then line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds.


Sift collectively the dry elements: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Utilizing a mixer, cream the butter and sugar collectively for about 3 minutes, or till the combination could be very mild and fluffy.
Add the eggs one by one, mixing nicely after every addition. Combine within the vanilla paste and extract. Scrape down the bowl.




Now alternate including the buttermilk and the dry elements: Add 1/3 of the flour combination on low pace, then half of the buttermilk. Repeat, then end with the final of the dry elements.
You should definitely combine nicely after every addition and scrape down the perimeters and backside of the bowl as wanted.


Divide the cake batter between the ready cake pans. Bake at 350°F for 25-35 minutes. The desserts are accomplished when a toothpick or tester inserted within the middle comes out clear.
Enable the desserts to chill within the pans for 10-Quarter-hour earlier than turning them out onto a wire rack to complete cooling.
Ensure the desserts are fully cool earlier than adorning as desired.




Frosting and filling solutions
With a traditional vanilla cake, the choices are limitless in relation to frostings you should use!
You’ll be able to by no means go incorrect with vanilla buttercream or chocolate buttercream.
Flavored buttercream frostings are additionally an important possibility. Strive raspberry buttercream, strawberry frosting, and even lemon-blueberry frosting.
Should you’re not a fan of buttercream frosting, cream cheese frosting, whipped cream frosting, and even marshmallow frosting are all nice decisions.
Cake fillings
There are additionally a lot of methods you’ll be able to fill your vanilla cake. Lemon curd or lime curd, chocolate ganache, or salted caramel sauce are all scrumptious.
You can even go along with sliced contemporary berries, your favourite fruit preserves, and even nutella! Strive pairing totally different fillings and frostings to provide you with your loved ones’s favourite combos.


Vanilla cake storage suggestions
Your baked and cooled vanilla cake layers may be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and saved at room temperature for 1-2 days earlier than frosting and adorning.
As soon as the cake is frosted, retailer it in a lined container. You probably have used a buttercream frosting and your kitchen just isn’t too heat, you’ll be able to go away it at room temperature for as much as 3 days.
You probably have used a cream cheese frosting or your kitchen is fairly heat, retailer the cake within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Let the cake come to room temperature earlier than serving.
And don’t overlook in regards to the freezer! You’ll be able to freeze cooled, unfrosted cake layers for as much as 2 months, or a frosted full cake or cake slices for as much as 1 month.
For extra particulars on tips on how to put together your cake for freezing and tips on how to thaw, take a look at my submit on tips on how to freeze cake.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack within the middle. Grease (2) 8- or 9-inch spherical cake pans and line with parchment.
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In a big bowl, sift collectively the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
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Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium pace for 3 minutes, or till the butter and sugar are very mild and fluffy. Beat within the eggs, one by one, ensuring they’re totally combined in earlier than including the subsequent. Beat in vanilla paste and extract.
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Add 1/3 of the flour combination, beating on low pace. Scrape down the perimeters and backside of the bowl. Beat in half of the buttermilk, then beat in half of the remaining dry elements till nicely integrated. Add the remainder of the buttermilk, beating till the batter is totally integrated and easy, then add the final of the dry elements, beating till the elements are totally mixed, scraping the perimeters and backside of the bowl as wanted.
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Divide the batter equally between the ready cake pans.
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Bake for 25-35 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted into the facilities comes out clear. Let cool briefly within the pans, then prove onto a wire rack and funky fully earlier than topping with desired frosting and adorning.
Serving: 1unfrosted slice, Energy: 320kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 5g, Fats: 14g, Saturated Fats: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g, Monounsaturated Fats: 4g, Trans Fats: 0.5g, Ldl cholesterol: 74mg, Sodium: 257mg, Potassium: 77mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 27g, Vitamin A: 451IU, Calcium: 81mg, Iron: 1mg
Vitamin data is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.