I’ve tried several vanilla cake recipes over the years, and this will always be my favorite. It’s delicious, moist, and best of all, it keeps its shape!

This recipe is a butter cake recipe which means it has a denser texture than a sponge cake, but is also more tender.

It also means that you don’t have to worry about whipping up egg whites, or carefully folding in dry ingredients.

In fact, this recipe is so easy to make, I call it a fool-proof recipe! My vanilla cake recipe comes together in one bowl!

The butter and buttermilk in the recipe give it an amazing taste. I now use this as my go-to white cake base recipe, and color or flavor it as needed.

The Secret Ingredient in This Vanilla Layer Cake Recipe: Buttermilk

What is the secret ingredient to this vanilla layer cake recipe?? BUTTERMILK! I don’t know what it is, but I’m absolutely crazy about buttermilk.

I love baking with it and use it in a lot of my cake recipes! It makes such tender cake layers and adds so much moisture! It also gives this recipe a delicious tang.

Buttermilk can be found in most large grocery stores in the US, but I know that it can be difficult to find in some countries. If you’re having a hard time getting your hands on buttermilk, don’t worry.

You can make your own buttermilk! For each cup of buttermilk that the recipe calls for, use 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to fill 1 cup. 

You also can use plain, low-fat yogurt or sour cream as an equal substitute, cup for cup.

Making Cake Layers Ahead of Time

One of the best things about this vanilla cake recipe is how easy it is to make. This entire recipe can be made in one bowl.

I’m a big fan of one-bowl recipes or anything that helps reduce the amount of dishes I have to do! Another great part about this recipe is that the layers keep insanely well!

These layers can be made in advance, and can be stored in the freezer for several weeks if properly wrapped!

If you do plan to freeze them, be sure to either place them in an airtight container or wrap them tightly in saran wrap.

Coloring These Vanilla Cake Layers

If you want your vanilla cake layers to be a super vibrant color, I highly recommend using gel food coloring. Liquid food coloring can work too, but you won’t be able to get as strong of a color.

You also can throw off the consistency of the vanilla cake batter if you add too much liquid food coloring.

Gel food coloring is incredibly concentrated, so it allows you to use less. A small amount will create beautiful, bright colors like the ones in my Peeps cake or my octopus cake layers shown below!

Gel coloring is also thicker and won’t change the consistency of the cake batter. My favorite brand of gel food coloring is Americolor, but any brand will work.

How To Bake Flat Cake Layers

Another fantastic aspect of this vanilla layer cake recipe? It bakes super flat!

This is mainly due to the way the recipe is formulated. I also like to rotate my cake layers halfway through baking.

This helps ensure that the hot spots in my oven don’t cause any sides of my cake layers to bake higher than the others.

Another trick to bake flat cake layers is to wrap wet baking strips around your cake pans.

Believe it or not, I have a mini oven and can barely fit 4 cake pans in my oven! I’ve found that baking strips don’t really work for me since my pans are so close to the edges of my oven.

However, you all have let me know that in a standard oven, baking strips work great with this recipe!

Baking strips reduce the amount of caramelization around the sides of the cake layers and also help them bake flat.

Trimming and Torting Your Cake Layers

If you want to completely remove any caramelization from your cake layers, you can use a serrated knife to clean them up!

I like to level and trim my cake layers for my cake videos and to help the vibrant colors of my cake layers shine through.

I’ve shared a video showing exactly how I trim and level my cake layers here.

This makes it easier to build a straight, level cake! While this is by no means necessary, it can be an important step if you’re building a tiered cake.

If you do decide to trim your cake layers once they’re baked, be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled before trimming. The layers will fall apart if you try to cut them while they’re still warm.

Another option with this recipe is to torte your cake layers! Torting cake layers means you cut them horizontally, to create more layers.

I like doing this because it creates an amazing cake-to-frosting ratio. A great example of torted cake is my marbled hearts cake.

Tips for Making the Best Vanilla Cake

• Properly measure your flour!! Spoon into the cup measure then level or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
• Use a serrated knife to level your cake layers once they’re fully cooled, to make it easier to assemble and frost your cake.
• Chill your cake layers in the freezer for about 20 minutes before assembling the cake. It makes it so much easier to stack and frost.
• Use my small batch vanilla cake recipe to make a 6-inch layer cake.
• If your cake layers turn out less than perfect, please check out my cake troubleshooting guide.

Making These Cake Layers in Advance and Storage Tips

Make your cake layers in advance and freeze them. It breaks the process up and makes it more approachable. They can be frozen for up to 3 months, and as long as they’re wrapped right I promise they’ll taste just like they did the day you baked them.

Make your frosting ahead of time too or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.

A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious!

If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store it in the fridge for up to a week.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try my vanilla layer cake recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Tag me @chelsweets and use the #chelsweets on social media so that I can see your amazing creations!

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