Moist Vanilla Cake Recipe

This moist vanilla cake recipe by a pastry chef is made with sour cream for delicate, tender layer cake with silky vanilla frosting! This easy recipe stays moist for days and has a rich, vanilla flavor.

If you know me IRL in my professional capacity, then you know that I never stop trying to perfect recipes. This moist vanilla cake recipe has been “under development” for 10 years. I actually first posted it as a sheet cake for this American flag cake and also as the base for my funfetti cake recipe! It has a light, fluffy texture and a moist crumb.

This post gives her the spotlight she deserves! I’ve made a classic vanilla layer cake with my vanilla American buttercream frosting recipe. Delicate swirls and sprinkles just to let you know she’s special! Just as special as some of my other cake recipes like this moist yellow cake, one bowl chocolate cake, and lemon olive oil cake.  

Professional Tips for Making Perfect Vanilla Cake

• Room temperature ingredients make the best cake. Let’s repeat it again for the kids in the back who were scrolling Insta…use room temperature ingredients! They make an emulsified batter that will bake up to a moist, tender cake.
• Use cool yet pliable butter for the best texture. A typical room will be around 68 degrees Fahrenheit, which is perfect for butter, but if your butter gets too soft or your kitchen is warm, then you’ll want to decrease the creaming time for the butter and sugar. It is easy to over cream soft butter. This will make a drier cake!
• Use a simple syrup soak for extra moisture. Bring ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water to a boil then cool to room temperature. Brush this on the top of each cake layer before assembling to add extra moisture. You can also add lemon juice, orange juice or your favorite alcohol to change up the flavor!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Unsalted Butter: Cool but pliable butter will incorporate well in the batter and allow you the time to add volume to the cake by trapping air between the molecules of sugar.
• Granulated Sugar
• Large Eggs: I use whole eggs for this recipe because they add moisture and fat as well as aid in the leavening. Since it is a butter based cake, I don’t need to lighten it with whipped egg whites like I do in my classic white cake.
• Vanilla Extract: This is the main flavor so choose a vanilla extract that you enjoy. I love Nielson Massey’s vanilla extract.
• Almond Extract: A hint of almond extract takes this great from “great” to “WOW!” You can omit if you do not like it.
• Sour Cream: I use full fat sour cream for the softest, moistest cake! You can also use Greek yogurt. If you don’t have sour cream, I recommend you follow the recipe for my vanilla cupcakes, which are incredibly moist but only use whole milk!
• Whole Milk: The fat in whole milk adds flavor and contributes to the moist, tender texture.
• Cake Flour: Cake flour is essential in this vanilla cake recipe. You can use all-purpose flour but the texture will be less tender and fluffy.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda: I use a combination of baking powder and baking soda to get the initial intense volume from the soda in combination with the even, slow rise of the double acting baking powder.
• Kosher Salt: Do be sure you use kosher salt or reduce the salt in the recipe by half. Kosher salt has larger granules and is less salty than sea salt or table salt by the teaspoon.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Flavor Variation Ideas

There are infinite possibilities for changing up this vanilla cake recipe! Mix and match between flavor additions to the cake, fillings and frostings!

• Change the flavor of the cake: You can use a different extract like lemon or orange extract, add lemon zest to the sugar for a subtle lemon flavor, or add sprinkles like I did with this Funfetti cake!  
• Use a flavored simple syrup: Add lemon juice, orange juice or hard liquor like Bourbon, Chambord, Frangelico, or Grand Marnier to simple syrup for an easy flavor change!  
• Add a filling between the layers: Use a thin layer of jam like easy strawberry jam, mixed berry jam or raspberry jam before adding the buttercream between the layers. To use more filling or a looser filling like lemon curd, pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge of the cake before adding the filling. This “dam” keeps the weight of the cake from pressing the filling out. Try using ganache, salted caramel sauce, or even marshmallow fluff!
• Change the frosting flavor: Radically change the flavor of the cake by choosing a different frosting like cream cheese buttercream, lemon buttercream, ermine frosting or rich chocolate buttercream frosting. When I make this cake, which is often because it is my husband’s favorite, I make Italian meringue buttercream or Swiss meringue buttercream flavored with vanilla extract and vanilla beans. You can also flavor them with lemon curd, caramel sauce, melted chocolate or easy strawberry sauce.

How to Make Moist Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Use these instructions to make the perfect vanilla cake every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Make the cake:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F (either convection or regular). Spray with non-stick cooking spray and line a round 9-inch cake pan with a parchment paper circle. I trace an outline of my cake pan on the parchment paper and then cut out a circle inside my sharpie marks.

Step 2: Sift the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the sour cream and milk. Set aside.

Step 3: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer) cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Step 4: Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the extracts with the last egg.

Step 5: Alternately add milk and dry ingredients, beginning and ending with dry. I often finish folding by hand.

Step 6: Pour batter into prepared pans. You can use a kitchen scale to put exactly the same amount in both pans. For 2 cakes, it will be 670g each. Spread out with an offset spatula.

Step 7: Bake immediately in preheated oven until a cake tester or toothpick comes out with a few clinging crumbs, approximately 20-25 minutes. Be careful not to over bake or it will dry out.

Step 8: Allow the cake to cool 10 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a wire rack. Remove the parchment from the bottom of the cake and allow to cool completely.

How to Decorate this Vanilla Cake

Step 1: Place the first layer on a cake plate or cake stand or cake board set on a turntable. Place about 1 cup frosting on the top of the layer and spread smooth.

Step 2: Set the second layer on top. I like to stack it upside down so that the bottom of the cake layer becomes the top of the cake. This gives you a perfectly flat top without having to level the cake. In everyday life that is wasteful unless you are going to make vanilla cake pops.

Step 3: Place another 1 cup on top and spread smooth. Spread a thin layer of buttercream around the edges, pressing it into any gaps between layers. Smooth out. This is a crumb coat, so don’t stress too much. Chill the cake 30 minutes.

Step 4: Spread the remaining buttercream on top and smooth it out towards to edges, allowing it to fall over the sides Smooth it over the sides. Either make decorative swirls or use a bench scraper to make smooth sides and a large offset spatula to smooth out the top.

Step 5: I used a closed star tip (Ateco 845) to pipe the rosettes. Then I sprinkled and placed sprinkles and neutral jimmies on top!

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef developed recipe. Check out our other delicious, classic cake recipes, cupcake recipes, or dive deeper into the best vanilla recipes with this copycat Sprinkles vanilla cupcake recipe, vanilla bean ice cream, or crème anglaise!