Throughout my baking career I’ve tried countless vanilla cake recipes. I still have about 3-4 different vanilla cake version that I use depending on what my cake project is. With this recipe I wanted something super easy that also stayed soft and moist even when the cake was cold. Since this is an oil based cake (with additional fat from heavy cream,) there is no need to bring any of the ingredients to room temperature. Simply combine all of the dry ingredients into your mixer bowl and add cold heavy cream, eggs and buttermilk along with the oil and vanilla. It’s as easy as mixing a box of cake mix but with all of the flavor and wholesomeness of a scratch cake!
As with any cake I like to measure my ingredients by weight. Even the liquids are measured by weight for ease and accuracy. Let’s get baking!
Moist and Fluffy Vanilla Cake YIELD: 3 8″ cake layers
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar (350 grams)
1 ⅔ cups cake flour (200 grams)
⅔ cup all purpose flour (80 grams)
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream (215 grams)
⅔ cup vegetable oil (140 grams)
¼ cup buttermilk (60 grams)
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease 3 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray.
Add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl of your stand mixer bowl and whisk to combine. Add all of the liquid ingredients to the bowl. Using the whip attachment, blend on low to combine and then give the whisk and bowl a scrape.
Turn the mixer to medium high speed (speed 6 on Kitchenaid) and whip for 3 minutes.
Divide the batter evenly between the 3 pans and then tap each pan on the counter a few times. Bake for 24-26 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool the pans on wire racks for 15 minutes. Turn the cakes out of the pans, wrap in plastic wrap while warm and cool completely.
TIPS: When you’ve removed the cake pans from the oven use a fresh paper towel or sheet of parchment paper to press the center dome of the cakes down to create a level cake layer. All ingredients can be mixed cold. Chilled cake layers will stack easier.
Hi Dan. I LURVE your cake recipes….amazing! Have become my highlights!
Can i ask …with this ‘easy fluffy vanilla’ recipe, csn I add coconut, and if so, what proportion, to maintain the moisture?
Thanks sooo much!
Lisa xoxo
I Lisa! Thank you- Im so glad you love my cake recipes! You could try adding coconut to see how much you prefer in the cake. I think starting with a 1/2 cup of toasted coconut would be great. Enjoy!
This is the best vanilla cake!!!
would this same recipe work for cupcakes?
Im so glad you think so! Yes- I use this for cupcakes- they will take around 20 minutes to bake. Enjoy!
Hey Dan!
I love the flavor of this cake! However mine came out very crumbly (first time baking ever).
Any thoughts!
HI Casey! I’m so glad you liked the flavor. Cakes that are crumbly usually have a structure issue- under mixing or too much flour. Sometimes when we over measure flour it can make the cake lack moisture and seem crumbly. Using a scale helps. I say give it another go- this is one of my favorite cake recipes. Happy Baking!
Thank you! I did use a scale but am curious as to if I under mixed it! I was able do some creative patch work with your butter cream frosting and with a rosette piping you had no clue lol!
I’m giving it ago again for my daughters first birthday party this weekend!
Cheers!
Hi Casey! I was thinking- if you had to do some patchwork with buttercream then maybe the cake was fragile because it cracked when being removed from the pan. In addition to greasing the pan, it may help to line the bottom with parchment. Also- if you find that cakes are crumbling when removed from the pan, give them an additional 5 minutes to cool before removing on your next try. Happy Baking!!
Hi Dan, can I use sour cream instead of buttermilk? Also can I add more heavy cream and less oil ? Thanks