Moist Vanilla Layer Cake Recipe
11 min read
This vanilla layer cake is the one cake that everybody must know easy methods to make. Three layers of moist, fluffy vanilla cake are crammed and frosted with wealthy vanilla buttercream. It’s splendidly easy and completely heavenly.

The Finest Vanilla Layer Cake Recipe
I’ve been experimenting with vanilla truffles for years now making an attempt to get the flavour and texture good. It’s a little bit of a operating joke. However in an try and fulfill everybody and all of the completely different preferences on the market, I’ve arrived at a number of variations of vanilla cake and cupcakes over time with the intention to please everybody.
This recipe is my most up-to-date and “last” recipe. I’ve taken all the suggestions over time integrated into this cake. It has all the issues you could possibly need in a vanilla cake. The cake itself is gentle and fluffy however with sufficient substance to chew into. It’s completely moist and topped with a wealthy buttercream frosting that’s simply to die for. The seek for the proper vanilla cake is over. I can’t wait so that you can see (or style, fairly) what I imply.

Why You’ll Love This Straightforward Vanilla Cake
A easy, straightforward, moist vanilla layer cake? Everybody wants one of their recipe assortment. Listed below are a couple of explanation why this one, particularly, is 100% mandatory for each baker to strive.
- Texture. Creaming collectively the butter, oil, sugar, and vanilla extract till they’re fluffy offers this cake a splendidly ethereal texture. Not like truffles that solely make the most of egg whites, nonetheless, this one makes use of complete eggs. The inclusion of the yolks offers the cake the proper quantity of substance and richness. So it’s not too ethereal and never too heavy. It’s good. Plus, the addition of oil makes the vanilla cake completely moist.
- Flavorful. I like the delicate vanilla taste of this cake. It makes it universally loveable. Using butter along with oil offers the cake additional richness and taste as properly. It’s severely so good.
- Easy recipe. Whereas you’ll nonetheless need to comply with a number of steps to make the batter, this recipe requires an easier mixing technique than many different truffles with out compromising texture or taste.
- Versatile. Everybody wants a easy vanilla cake of their life. It’s the good canvas for a wide range of completely different fillings and frostings. I used a vanilla buttercream right here however be at liberty to experiment! Try the part beneath titled “Adorning Suggestions & Concepts” for inspiration.

What You’ll Want
Right here’s an inventory of components you have to to make this straightforward vanilla cake. Make certain to scroll to the recipe card beneath for detailed measurements.
Vanilla cake
- All-purpose flour – You wish to make certain to not over measure your flour, or you could possibly find yourself with dry, dense cake. Be happy to make use of your favourite 1:1 gluten-free flour as an alternative.
- Baking powder – With regards to vanilla cake, I desire baking powder over baking soda. It offers the cake a pleasant bakery-style texture and retains the colour lighter.
- Salt – All the time wanted for taste.
- Unsalted butter – The butter have to be at room temperature. In any other case, it won’t cream correctly with the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract.
- Vegetable oil – The vegetable oil provides a pleasant moistness to this cake.
- Sugar – Sugar provides each sweetness and moisture and impacts the ultimate texture of the cake.
- Vanilla extract – A very good high quality extract is really useful for nice vanilla taste.
- Eggs – They need to be massive eggs (not medium or additional massive) and it’s best that they’re at room temperature in order that they incorporate extra simply with the opposite components.
- Milk – I take advantage of 2% milk however be at liberty to make use of complete milk. The fats within the milk provides moisture and texture to the cake.
Vanilla frosting
- Unsalted butter – The butter needs to be at room temperature so that you just don’t get a lumpy frosting.
- Powdered sugar – This provides quantity to the frosting and impacts the consistency. Much less powdered sugar gives you a thinner frosting that doesn’t maintain up as properly to issues like piping, and extra powdered sugar gives you a stiffer frosting that stays precisely the place you place it.
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy cream – This provides an exquisite creaminess to the frosting and can be utilized to skinny it out if it will get too thick.
- Salt – For taste. It additionally may also help reduce down on the sweetness.
- Sprinkles – I used a combination that’s much like these sprinkles. Be happy to make use of your favourite.

Tips on how to Make Vanilla Layer Cake
Right here’s a fast overview of easy methods to make this straightforward vanilla layer cake. Make sure you scroll to the recipe card beneath for extra detailed directions.
For the cake
- Prep. Line the underside of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles and grease the perimeters. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Whisk collectively the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Beat collectively the butter, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract till gentle in coloration and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one by one, mixing to mix after every addition.



- Add. Combine. Add half of the dry components to the batter and blend to mix. Slowly add the milk and blend to mix. Add the remaining dry components and blend till easy.
- Bake. Divide the batter between the cake pans. Bake for 22-25 minutes.
- Cool. Take away the truffles from the oven and permit them to chill for 2-3 minutes earlier than transferring them to wire racks to chill fully.



For the frosting
- Beat the butter till easy.
- Add. Combine. Add half of the powdered sugar. Combine till easy. Add the vanilla extract, 4-5 tablespoons of heavy cream, and salt. Combine till easy. Add the remaining powdered sugar. Combine till easy.
- Refine the consistency. If the frosting is simply too thick, add further heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, and blend till easy. Try my tutorial on easy methods to get the proper consistency of frosting.
To assemble the cake
- Take away the domes from the highest of the truffles with a big serrated knife.
- Stack. Place the primary cake on a serving plate and unfold 1 cup of frosting excessive. Repeat with the second layer and the third.
- Frost the skin of the cake. Check with my tutorial for frosting a easy cake, if wanted.
- Beautify. Press sprinkles into the perimeters of the cake and pipe swirls of frosting across the prime edge. Add a couple of extra sprinkles to the highest of the cake.

Suggestions for Success
Are you feeling intimidated by the thought of constructing a layer cake? Don’t be. You are able to do this! Simply comply with these easy suggestions and tips to get the perfect outcomes potential.
- Measure flour accurately. One of many greatest errors folks make is over or beneath measuring flour. Most frequently the flour is over measured and it offers you a dry cake. I extremely suggest utilizing a food scale and weighing your flour to keep away from this. Should you desire to not use a meals scale, I like to recommend the spoon and stage technique.
- Room temperature components. The butter within the batter needs to be at room temperature. In any other case, it won’t cream correctly with the sugar, oil, and vanilla and you will discover your self with a very dense cake. The eggs must also be at room temperature. They may incorporate extra simply with the opposite components which can assist to forestall over-mixing. The butter within the buttercream needs to be at room temperature as properly. Whether it is too chilly, you’ll find yourself with a lumpy frosting.
- Don’t skimp on creaming time. When beating collectively the butter, sugar, oil, and vanilla, accomplish that till the combination is gentle in coloration and good and fluffy. This could take 2-3 minutes. This may assist make the cake itself gentle and fluffy.
- Don’t over combine. Over mixing the cake batter after you add the flour will trigger the glutens within the flour to overdevelop. This gives you a troublesome, dense cake.
- Scrape the bowl. As you might be including components to the batter and mixing to include them, you’ll want to scrape the perimeters of the bowl periodically. This may convey any components caught to the bowl again into the batter.
- Cool earlier than frosting. It’s important that you just permit the truffles to chill fully earlier than stacking, filling, and frosting. If they’re too heat, the frosting will soften proper off the cake.

Adorning Suggestions & Concepts
I coated this moist, fluffy vanilla cake with white buttercream frosting and rainbow sprinkles however one of many nice issues about this recipe is that it’s so versatile. Listed below are a couple of enjoyable methods to make it your individual.
- Coloration your frosting. Add a few drops of gel food coloring to the buttercream so as to add coloration to this dessert. You may coloration the entire cake or simply pipe some coloured swirls on prime.
- Add a drip. Elevate your cake and use my tutorial for including a chocolate (or white chocolate) drip.
- Beautify with buttercream rosettes. Just like this ice cream cake tutorial, you should use buttercream to prime your cake with lovely and simple rosettes.
- Sprinkles. I like including sprinkles to my truffles. Hold it a bit of extra reserved, just like the cake within the images, or press sprinkles all the best way up the perimeters. There are lots of fun options.
- Use different meals. I like utilizing different meals for adorning! Organize contemporary fruit on prime, add some toasted coconut or cookie crumbs, or prime together with your favourite sweet. All would look nice!
Can I Use This Recipe To Make Cupcakes?
Sure! You may truly discover that recipe in my Straightforward Selfmade Vanilla Cupcakes. The recipe is reduce in half and makes about 12-14 cupcakes. You’ll make the cake batter and buttercream as regular (simply much less of it), add the batter to cupcake liners after which bake for 15-18 minutes.

Tips on how to Retailer a Frosted Layer Cake
After cooling and frosting, switch the cake to an hermetic cake service or wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap. Should you go the plastic wrap route, I counsel utilizing toothpicks to prop the plastic wrap away from the buttercream swirls.
Alternatively, you possibly can slice the cake and organize the slices in a single layer in an hermetic container. In any case, retailer the cake at room temperature for as much as 24 hours or within the fridge for as much as 4 days. This cake is finest loved at room temperature, so in case you select to refrigerate it, let it sit on the counter for an hour or so earlier than diving it.

Can I Freeze Layer Cake?
You may! I usually suggest freezing the layers previous to frosting. Wrap them properly in clear wrap and aluminum foil previous to freezing. Thaw the cake layers in fridge previous to frosting. Should you’d like, you could possibly strive freezing the complete cake. In that case, pop the absolutely frosted cake within the freezer for a few hours to agency up earlier than wrapping it in a double layer of plastic wrap. You can even slice the cake and wrap the person slices in clear wrap and foil. Retailer the cake within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Thaw the cake within the fridge in a single day earlier than permitting it to return to room temperature earlier than serving.
Extra Vanilla Cake Recipes:
Vanilla truffles are the king of all truffles and as I discussed earlier than, I’ve received many to strive. This moist vanilla layer cake is my absolute favourite however listed here are another fabulous recipes so that you can strive.

Recipe
Moist Vanilla Layer Cake Recipe
Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook dinner Time: 25 minutes
Complete Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Yield: 12-14 slices
Class: Cake
Methodology: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
Everybody must know easy methods to make this moist vanilla layer cake. Three layers of moist, fluffy vanilla cake are crammed and frosted with wealthy vanilla buttercream. It’s completely heavenly.
Elements
Vanilla cake
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all function flour (measured correctly)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 massive eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) milk, room temperature
Vanilla Buttercream
- 2 1/2 cups (560g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 10 cups (1150g) powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 6–8 tbsp (90ml-120ml) heavy cream
- Pinch of salt
- Sprinkles, for adorning
Directions
For the Cake:
- Put together three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles within the backside and grease the perimeters. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and put aside.
- Add the butter, sugar, oil and vanilla extract to a big mixer bowl and beat collectively till gentle in coloration and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Don’t skimp on the creaming time.
- Add the eggs one by one, mixing till largely mixed after every. Scrape down the perimeters of the bowl as wanted to make sure all components are properly integrated.
- Add half of the dry components to the batter and blend till largely mixed.
- Slowly add the milk and blend till properly mixed. The batter will look curdled, however that’s okay.
- Add the remaining dry components and blend till properly mixed and easy. Scrape down the perimeters of the bowl as wanted to make sure all components are properly integrated. Don’t over combine the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the truffles pans and bake for 22-25 minutes, or till a toothpick comes out with a couple of crumbs.
- Take away the truffles from the oven and permit to chill for about 2-3 minutes, then take away to cooling racks to chill fully.
For the Frosting:
- To make the frosting, beat the butter till easy.
- Slowly add half of the powdered sugar and blend till easy.
- Add the vanilla extract, 4-5 tablespoons of heavy cream, and salt and blend till easy.
- Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and blend till easy. Add further heavy cream, as wanted to get the best consistency of frosting.
To Assemble the Cake:
- To place the cake collectively, use a big serrated knife to take away the domes from the highest of the truffles in order that they’re flat. These truffles don’t have a big dome, however I like to ensure they’re fully flat.
- Place the primary cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake spherical.
- Unfold about 1 cup of frosting evenly on prime of the cake.
- Add the second layer of cake and one other cup of frosting.
- High the cake with the remaining layer and frost the skin of the cake. Check with my tutorial for frosting a easy cake, if wanted.
- Press sprinkles into the perimeters of the cake.
- Pipe swirls of frosting across the prime fringe of the cake. I used Ateco tip 844.
- Add a couple of extra sprinkles to the highest of the cake. Retailer in an air-tight container. The cake is finest for 3-4 days.
Diet
- Serving Measurement: 1 Slice
- Energy: 977
- Sugar: 107.2 g
- Sodium: 223.3 mg
- Fats: 51.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 127.9 g
- Protein: 5.8 g
- Ldl cholesterol: 175.4 mg
Key phrases: vanilla layer cake, moist vanilla cake recipe, straightforward vanilla layer cake
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