Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe From Scratch

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This vanilla cake recipe is so easy, just mix ingredients in one bowl and bake! Once you try a homemade vanilla cake from scratch, you’ll never want to have one from the mix!

Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe From Scratch

This homemade vanilla cake is so fluffy, tender and delicious!  Every time you take a bite, the tender crumbs just melt in your mouth!  It tastes so fresh and smells amazing, this is the only vanilla cake recipe that you’ll ever need!

Homemade Vanilla Cake

Homemade from scratch vanilla cake tastes so much better than the one from the boxed mix, there is no comparison! Also, homemade vanilla cake has only natural wholesome ingredients, while the box mix has artificial flavors, colorings and preservatives.  Just say “No” to the chemicals and make this amazing vanilla cake from scratch!  This recipe is so easy, even the absolute beginners can make it!

Best Vanilla Cake Recipe

What is the difference between “white cake”, “yellow cake” and “vanilla cake”?

Most of the boxed mixes for this type of cake are called “yellow cake mix”, but when you order a cake from the bakery you are usually given the choice between “chocolate cake” or “vanilla cake”.  So that prompts the question – what’s the difference between yellow cake, white cake and vanilla cake?  Those terms are used interchangeably for a sponge cake that’s light in color and is not chocolate :)

White Cake or Yellow Cake or Vanilla Cake

So it turns out there are differences between white cake, yellow cake and vanilla cake.  The white cake is made with only egg whites (no yolks), so it’s very light (almost truly white) in color.  The yellow cake is made with whole eggs plus several extra egg yolks, therefore its color is more yellow.  Since both white and yellow cake have the addition of vanilla extract, they can both be classified as vanilla.  However, classic vanilla cake is made with whole eggs (no extra whites and no extra yolks, just the whole eggs), and that’s exactly what this particular recipe is – just plain old-fashioned easy vanilla cake made from scratch!

freshly baked homemade vanilla cake (white cake, yellow cake)

How to make vanilla cake from scratch

This easy vanilla cake recipe uses very simple common ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, milk and vanilla extract.  Chances are you already have all this stuff in your pantry and refrigerator!  If you’ve got all this stuff on hand, make this delicious cake today – you’ll be amazed how easy it is to make and how yummy it tastes!

Making vanilla cake is very easy – just mix all ingredients in one bowl, pour into non-stick baking dish and bake for 40 minutes.  Common ingredients, 5 minutes prep and just one bowl to wash – that’s my kind of a recipe!  For the exact instructions and ingredient quantities, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this article.

vanilla cake from scratch

This recipe makes a 9×13 rectangle sheet cake.  If you want to use make a 2-layer round cake instead, divide the batter between two round 9-inch baking pans and reduce baking time to 30 minutes.

Ready to frost?  Check out my recipe for vanilla buttercream frosting – perfect homemade frosting for this homemade vanilla cake!

frosting for vanilla cake

Also, check out my other recipes for easy homemade cakes:

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Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe From Scratch

This homemade vanilla cake is so easy to make and tastes amazing! Once you try making it, you'll never want to use a boxed cake mix! This is the only vanilla cake recipe you'll ever need!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: vanilla cake, white cake, yellow cake
Cooking Method: Oven
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 257kcal

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter softened (1 stick)
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Recommended Kitchen Tools (click the links below to see the items used to make this recipe)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 non-stick baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Put butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream together with a mixer. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.
  • Pour the batter in a baking dish. Put the vanilla cake in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
  • Let cool completely before frosting. If you are looking for frosting recipes, check out my easy vanilla buttercream frosting.
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Nutrition

Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 185mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 309IU | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 1mg
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33 Comments

  1. I just made this cake today.It smells good and tastes very good. My wife loved it. Thanks for the recipe . God bless you always!

    1. 5 stars
      Absolutely! I use it for cupcakes.Yes, bake time for 25 minutes, but check at 20 (each oven is different, as well as baking pans).

  2. 5 stars
    This cake is so good. My son said it’s the best thing he has ever eaten. I was thinking of making it again this weekend in a Bundt pan. Would anything need to change?

    1. Since the cake would be thicker/taller in a bundt pan, I think it would take longer to bake. Add 5 minutes to baking time and check with a toothpick to see if it’s ready. If you try it in a bundt pan, please post to let us know how long it took to bake :)

  3. 5 stars
    Outstanding! I was skeptical as I’ve made many others before that were much more complex and not at all what I had hoped for. I followed this recipe though using only 1 cup of sugar then I baked this in the crock pot because it was 90 degrees outside. I served it simply with whipped cream and fresh berries. Thank YOU!

    1. 5 stars
      I agree completely, i seen a cake that had like 12 eggs! And i said uhh no. That sounds delicious, the whipped cream and fresh berries!

  4. 5 stars
    This cake was amazing I love making this with my lil sister easy and fun, I have tried most of your recipes there easy and fun as well also the meatloaf in a muffin tin was delicious ?

  5. 5 stars
    Moist and delicious! I didn’t have my 9×13 pan clean (we don’t have a dishwasher machine….so I’m the dishwasher lol), so I split the batter into 2 round cake pans and reduced the baking time to 32 minutes. They came out perfectly! Thank you for this recipe, my mom is so happy to have yummy vanilla cake on her birthday :)

  6. 5 stars
    I made this cake, my first time making a cake from scratch. It is fabulous I love it no more processed boxed mixes for me. The taste of this cake brings back memories of my Grandmother’s homemade cakes, Thank You. This recipe is has been added to my collection.

  7. I’m sorry may be a silly question I am barely learning how to bake and wanted to know if it matters if the butter is salted or unsalted ?

  8. Hi I tried this vanilla cake recipe turn out so soft nice ..
    I hve 3 question to ask
    1. Can I use this cake base for creamcake?
    2. Instead of butter can I use oil?
    3. Can we make this cake without hand mixer using whisk? Thanks ..waiting for ur reply

    Plz eggless cake also

  9. 5 stars
    I have been looking for a good vanilla cake and this was perfect. My husband said this was better then box mix and my kids said I had to make this for their birthdays.
    I also made your vanilla buttercream and it turned out delicious as well. The only complaint that my husband had was needed more icing. Told him next time I will double up.

  10. 5 stars
    This is a very good recipe. I tweaked it to my preference after I did the original. No complaints, just my compliments! It is very good with or without frosting. Thank you, Melanie, for sharing!

  11. 5 stars
    I have used this recipe as written multiple times, sugar free, and now fiddled with it and made it “dirty “ keto. Thank you so much for such a great recipe!

  12. 5 stars
    The cake turned out so moist and fluffy. Your recipe helps me alot since I’m not really good at baking. Thanks , Melanie!

  13. 5 stars
    I came across your recipe and my grandson was asking for a simple vanilla cake for his birthday. So, I made this today and added about 3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips and cooked it in a 9 x 13 greased pan. I had powdered sugar ready to go when we cut it. My grandson took a bite and absolutely LOVED it! The rest of us agreed with him. Great cake! This is going to be my new go-to cake!! Thank you 😊

5 from 18 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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