Sharing is caring!

Need the Perfect Vanilla Cake recipe? Here it is! The World’s BEST Vanilla Cake Recipe is made with simple ingredients that combine to create a superbly moist, melt-in-your mouth vanilla cake! Finish it off with my special Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting. 

For years, yes years… I’ve been trying to bake the BEST vanilla cake recipe! Each attempt was either too dry, which isn’t unusual for a white cake, or too heavy, too complicated, or too bland!

I wanted the Perfect Easy Vanilla Cake! (I don’t want much do I! Hey, if I’m packing the calories on my fanny… I want them to count!)

It took a lot of trial and error…a lot of epic failures…but finally I nailed it! (Not like that Netflix show… I truly nailed it!) 

The cake is tender, moist, and truly melts-in-your-mouth from the very first bite! The flavor of vanilla shines through, but isn’t overpowering! The cake rises with a slight mound and springs back beautifully when fully baked.

To top off this amazing Vanilla Cake I added my Special Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting! 

I’m not a huge buttercream frosting fan! It has to be light and creamy and not overly greasy! Most buttercream frosting taste like someone whipped up a stick of Crisco shortening and added a sprinkle of powder sugar! GAG!

Not so with this frosting! People beg me for this buttercream frosting recipe! Let’s get baking!

How To Make The Perfect Vanilla Cake

In the bowl of your mixer combine 2 cups of granulated sugar, 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, 3 large eggs (without the shells…let’s not ruin this cake right from the start!), and 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract! This is a vanilla cake so let’s use the BEST vanilla we can!

Mix on medium speed until eggs and sugar are well incorporated and batter is lighter in color.  Add 1/2 cup of sour cream. Beat until well blended.

TIP: Sour Cream adds moisture and density to a cake. It also creates a unique flavor and tempers the sweetness of the sugars.

Add half the flour, 1 and 1/4 cup, 3 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Beat on low-speed until mixture begins to combine with sugar. Add half the milk and continue mixing until flour begins to incorporate. 

Add remaining flour, continue mixing on low-speed while pouring the remaining milk. Beat until all the ingredients are well combined creating a nice light batter.

TIP: DO NOT OVER BEAT cake batter. You should immediately stop mixing once you no longer see any white powder. Over mixing a cake can cause the gluten in the flour to form elastic gluten strands resulting in cake that is denser and with a chewy texture.

Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir the batter from the bottom to the top making sure you get all the ingredients off the bottom of the bowl. This batter is thinner than some. So don’t let that concern you. 

This Vanilla Cake Recipe is great for a 9 x 13, a double round cake, or cupcakes. I made cupcakes because I like to share my calories with my skinny friends! It’s a secret plan…don’t tell anyone! Shhhhh!

Pour batter into the baking pan of your choice. If using a 9 x 13, or two 8 inch round baking pans, be sure to prepare the pan with bakers joy or another non-stick baking spray.

TIP: I like to use parchment paper on the bottom of my round cake pans. It makes it easier to remove the cakes from the pans for a double tiered cake!

For cupcakes fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full. This batter rises beautifully so be careful not to overfill the liners. (That is one really well seasoned loved cupcake pan! I promise I wash it every time!)

Bake in preheated 350° oven. Bake cake for 28–32 minutes on the center rack in your oven. Bake Cupcakes for 18–20 minutes. 

TIP: Cake is done if gently pressed in the center, they spring back. You can also use a toothpick to test to see if the cakes are done. Poke toothpick in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cakes are done.

Remove cake from oven and allow to cool on cake rake.

How To Make Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting

This is a ridiculously easy recipe for Buttercream Frosting! I’m almost embarrassed to share it…but it’s just too good not to! 

Like I mentioned earlier, I’m not a huge frosting fan, but this recipe is truly special! It has just the right balance of ingredients to create the ideal buttercream for frosting cakes and making borders.

I am constantly asked for the recipe when I make a cake for someone. It’s just that good! 

So let’s do this…

In a large bowl, or the bowl of your mixer, add 1 cup shortening and 1 cup soften butter. Cream the two until fluffy!

Add 8 cups confectioner’s sugar….also known as…powder sugar! If you live “across the pond” it’s called “icing sugar”! I once confused a poor man trying to make one of my recipes because he had no idea what “confectioner’s sugar” was. So I want to be clear as mud this time!

Y’all…if you’d like to decorate your entire kitchen in powder sugar, making it look like an elf sneezed, just turn the mixer on, stand back, and watch the snow fly! 

TIP: To prevent random powder sugar dusting of your kitchen…cover the mixer, by draping a kitchen towel over the top of the mixer and down the outside of the bowl. This will keep the powder sugar from flying out of the bowl when the mixer is turned on. Kitchenaid also makes a special shield for their mixers.

Continue creaming until well blended. Add salt, vanilla, vanilla bean paste, and the secret ingredient to making this frosting AMAZING…whipping cream!

Add additional whipping cream if necessary, to get the desired consistency. Beat on high-speed until frosting is fluffy.

TIP: Add whipping cream a few tablespoons at a time to make sure you don’t add too much.

The whipping cream adds additional “fluff” and creaminess to this scrumptious frosting! This recipe makes a big batch of frosting. It will be more than enough to frost a double layer cake or 30 plus cupcakes.

Once cake is cool you can frost the cake. However, make sure the cakes are cool, or the frosting will melt. Remember the base of this frosting is butter and shortening…then there’s that whipped cream!

This Vanilla Bean Buttercream is smooth, silky, and so creamy! It’s the perfect companion to the World’s Best Vanilla Cake! Together they combine to create a spectacular taste treat!

You’ll be swooning after the first bite! I just had to take a bite, so I could show y’all! (I sacrifice and do what I have to do for y’all! It’s okay..don’t worry about me!) 

Look at the composition of that cake! That my friends is a thing of beauty! So tender, and so moist! The vanilla flavor is subtle, yet makes itself known! Topped with that Special Buttercream Frosting… Heaven!!!

I took a plate over to my daughters house…she had one…then another…and somewhere in there she mumbled something about “These rrrrrrrr um-mazing!” (Sometimes ya can’t stop eating to talk. Priorities my friends. Priorities!)

So there ya have it!  The World’s BEST Vanilla Cake Recipe with Special Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting! 

This vanilla cake recipe is perfect for Mother’s Day, Bridal Shower, or Baby Shower. A fantastic birthday cake. They’d also be great for “This woman needs sugar and carbs now to keep everyone alive” day! (Just sayin’…) 

Check out my other Amazing Cake Recipes!

• World’s Best Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Moist Banana Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
• Ultimate Dark Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
• Coconut Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream
• Chocolate Chip Walnut Snack Cake 
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes 
• Favorite Dessert & Sweet Recipes 
• Southern Coconut Cake from Julia’s Simply Southern

Thanks so much for stopping by today for this Easy Delicious Vanilla Cake Recipe! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.  Don’t forget to sign-up for my bi-weekly newsletter where I share all my latest recipes. Have a Great Day!

Happy Nesting!

Sharing is caring!