Moist & Fluffy Vanilla Cake
With a moist and tender crumb and real vanilla flavor you can actually taste, this moist and fluffy vanilla cake is the BEST. Bake it as a layer cake, sheet cake, or cupcakes - this one recipe can do it all!
Servings: 16
Calories: 258kcal
Equipment
- Cake pan (9 inch round or 9x13) or cupcake pan
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups cake flour, sifted
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (or other frosting of your choosing)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray two round 9 inch cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. *See recipe note for baking a 9x13 cake or cupcakes.
Make the cake batter.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.2 ½ cups cake flour,, 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar for 3 minutes until blended and smooth.½ cup unsalted butter,, 1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar
- Add eggs and mix on low speed until blended. Then turn mixer up to high speed and beat for one minute.3 large eggs,
- Add oil and both vanillas and beat until well blended.¼ cup vegetable oil, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- With the mixer running on low speed, add one third of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until blended. Add half of the milk, continuing to stir until combined. Add another third of the flour mixture, followed by the remaining milk, and then the final third of flour mixture, blending slowly between each addition. Gently fold in any final bits of flour, being careful not to over mix the batter.1 cup whole milk,
Bake the cake.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
- Bake the cakes for 23-25 minutes, or until the top sprigs back when gently poked and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Run a cake tester or knife around the edge of the cake to keep it from sticking to the sides of the pan once cooled. Let the cake cool completely in the pan before frosting or storing.
Notes
Storage: This cake can be stored in a covered container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you'll be frosting the cake, be sure to consider how the frosting needs to be stored. Depending on the type of frosting used, you may need to refrigerate the cake once frosted, which will cause the cake to dry out more quickly.
Freezing: This cake can be baked ahead of time and frozen. For round or square/rectangular cake, wrap the completely cooled cake in plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil before freezing for up to 3 months. For cupcakes, wrap completely cooled cupcakes with plastic wrap before sealing in a plastic bag or airtight container and freezing. Cupcakes can be wrapped together in groups and do not need to be individually wrapped. Defrost all cake or cupcakes at room temperature before frosting and serving.
For baking a 9x13 cake, line a 9x13 metal baking pan with parchment paper. Add cake batter to pan and bake at 350º F for 33-35 minutes.
For baking cupcakes, line cupcake pan with paper liners and fill each ⅔ full with batter. Bake at 350º F for 16-18 minutes.
The recipe can be halved to make a single-layer 9 inch round cake, a two-layer 6 inch round cake, one 8x8 cake, or 12 cupcakes.
Nutrition
Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 224mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 247IU | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 0.4mg
