Every baker needs a reliable, foolproof vanilla cake recipe up their sleeve - and this French Vanilla Cake is about to become your new favorite!
Vanilla Cake Recipe Snapshot
What it is: A fluffy vanilla cake with a super soft crumb and rich, buttery flavor.
Why you'll love it: It has the perfect balance of texture and flavor, and makes a fantastic base for other flavours and desserts.
How to make it: The reverse creaming method - gradually mix the butter into the dry ingredients, then beat in the oil, followed by the milk and eggs.
For years, I made hundreds of thousands of cakes and cupcakes in my bakery using the regular creaming method. And then I discovered the reverse creaming method…and honestly? I'm still a little mad my old customers never got THIS version of my cakes!
This French vanilla cake is my absolute go-to now. It's soft, rich, and cuts on your fork like butter. Vanilla gets called "basic" all the time, but let me tell you - when it's done right, it's anything but. Once you try this recipe, you'll wonder how you ever settled for anything else.
Reader Review:
Made this for my daughter's birthday cake…Everyone at the party was raving about how delicious the cake was. Super fluffy and moist, but still sturdy. The reverse creaming method was explained really well and I think it made a difference! I'll be using this recipe exclusively for all my vanilla cakes now.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Emily
Jump to:
What is French Vanilla Cake?
Many people think "French" vanilla refers to the origin of the vanilla, like Tahitian or Madagascan - but it doesn't. The term actually comes from French-style ice cream, which uses a custard base of egg yolks and milk or cream. For cake, it means a recipe that uses whole eggs, creating that rich, custardy flavor, unlike a typical white cake that uses only egg whites.
When most people think of French vanilla cake today, they picture box mixes - but you know we don't do those around here! This homemade recipe uses simple ingredients and easy steps to make the best French vanilla cake you'll ever have.
Ingredients
This vanilla cake recipe uses pretty basic ingredients, but the magic is all in the technique of how they are combined.
- Milk - Whole milk makes this vanilla cake soft and velvety - when you put your fork through it, it cuts like butter!
- Oil - Using oil makes a very moist cake. I use vegetable oil, but any neutral oil will do - e.g., canola oil or sunflower oil.
- Flour - I find the best results for this cake come from using cake flour, which makes a super tender crumb. But if you can't get ahold of cake flour, then all-purpose flour (plain flour) will still be great.
- Sugar - Use white granulated sugar (caster sugar in the UK).
- Eggs - We'll be using whole eggs in this cake recipe. Use large US eggs or medium UK eggs.
- Butter - Use unsalted butter and make sure it is at room temperature before beginning.
- Vanilla - Use a high-quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
I highly recommend weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale, as it gives much more accurate results.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
- Stand mixer with the paddle attachment or an electric mixer.
- 2 x 8-inch cake pans
How to Make Vanilla Cake
This French vanilla cake recipe uses the reverse creaming method, which means combining all the dry ingredients with the butter first, rather than creaming the butter with the sugar. It sounds crazy at first, but they are super simple steps that will give you a perfect, decadent French vanilla cake.
Heat oven to 335°F / 170°C (150°C fan-assisted) and grease two 8-inch round pans. I also like to put some parchment paper cake circles in the bottom of the pans to ensure they do not stick at all.
Dry Ingredients
Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of your stand mixer and turn it on low speed with your paddle attachment.
Add Butter
Slowly add the butter, one small chunk at a time, letting it mix into the flour mixture for a few seconds in between additions.
Once it's all in it should look like chunky breadcrumbs
Add Oil + Milk
Stir the oil together with roughly half of the milk, then add it to the flour/butter mixture turn your mixer up to medium speed.
Beat for exactly two minutes.
Eggs + Milk
Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and beat them lightly with the remaining milk.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually drizzle the milk/egg mixture in until it is all combined - be very careful not to overmix.
Bake
Divide the cake batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the cake pans for at least 30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Stack and Fill
Stack and fill the vanilla cake layers with your favorite frosting. I used Russian buttercream for this one, but see the section below for frosting and filling ideas.
Frosting and Filling Ideas
The fun thing about vanilla cake is that basically, any flavor goes with it! For a classic vanilla flavor, you can stick with vanilla buttercream, but even then there are so many options to choose from! I used Russian buttercream for the cake in the photographs.
You can also add different flavors to your frosting to make things like pistachio buttercream. See my frosting recipes page for more inspiration.
Fillings
Try adding a tasty filling in between your cake layers to take it to the next level. Try:
- Vanilla pastry cream - just like in my Custard Cake
- Chocolate ganache
- Strawberries and cream - fresh fruit and chantilly cream.
- Homemade caramel
- Strawberry coulis
See all filling recipes.
Variations
This vanilla cake recipe is so versatile. Here are some ways you can customize it.
- Cupcakes - You can use this same batter to make vanilla cupcakes.
- Add Flavor - This cake recipe takes on flavor really well. Try mixing in some strawberry puree along with the oil to make a strawberry cake, or add some almond extract to it as I do in my Berry Chantilly Cake recipe.
- Simple Syrup - This is a pretty moist vanilla cake already, but you can brush it with simple syrup to make it stay moist for longer, or to infuse the sponge with flavors after baking.
- Mix-ins - Fold some mix-ins like nuts or chocolate chips.
Storage
It's best to store your vanilla cake in an airtight container at room temperature as cakes tend to dry out in the fridge. The only exception to this is if you filled or decorated your cake with something perishable, like cream cheese frosting.
The cake should last at room temperature for 3-5 days.
FAQ
The reverse creaming method is an alternative method of combining the cake ingredients. The typical way to start a cake is to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy and then add the eggs, vanilla and eventually flour and milk. In the reverse creaming method, we start by cutting the butter into all the dry ingredients - including the flour. By coating the flour with butter, you are limiting the gluten development which helps keep the cake tender and fluffy. An added benefit I have noticed is that cakes made with the reverse creaming method tend to come out flatter than other cakes (i.e. less of a dome on top).
There are a number of things that can cause a cake to sink, but it is typically due to the centre being underbaked. See my post about why cakes sink to troubleshoot and find out how to prevent cakes from sinking.
More Classic Cake Recipes
Satisfy your cake cravings with some of these classic cake recipes:
Recipe
Vanilla Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 312 g (2¾ cups) Cake Flour
- 350 g (1¾ cups) Granulated Sugar (caster sugar in the UK)
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 227 g (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 300 ml (1¼ cups) Whole Milk (room temperature)
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) Vegetable Oil
- 3 Large Eggs (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with paddle attachment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 335°F / 170°C (150°C fan-assisted) and grease two 8-inch cake pans.
- Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of your mixer and turn on low speed with a paddle attachment fitted.312 g (2¾ cups) Cake Flour, 350 g (1¾ cups) Granulated Sugar, 1 tablespoon Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon Salt
- Slowly add the butter, one small chunk at a time, letting it mix for a few seconds in between additions. Once it's all in, it should look like chunky breadcrumbs227 g (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter
- In a separate bowl, mix the oil with roughly half of the milk, then add to the flour/butter mixture and beat on medium speed for exactly two minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.300 ml (1¼ cups) Whole Milk, 80 ml (⅓ cup) Vegetable Oil
- Crack the eggs into a bowl, and lightly beat them with the remaining milk and the vanilla. Then turn the mixer back on low speed and slowly drizzle the egg/milk mixture into the cake batter, mixing just until combined. Be very careful not to overmix it.3 Large Eggs, 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Divide into two cake pans and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Take them out of the oven and let them cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before removing and putting on a wire rack to cool.
- Fill and frost with your favourite frosting. I used my Russian buttercream recipe for a silky smooth and sweet vanilla filling. See the post above for more frosting and filling ideas.
Kathy
Can I use a 9x13 pan ?
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Kathy,
Yes you can use a 9x13 pan - just make sure to watch closely for the signs that it is baked as it won't take as long to bake as in a round pan.
Jules
Christina Marie
I've never successfully made a cake from scratch before so please excuse my silly questions... If I'm doing a 3 layer 10" cake, do I increase the recipe to "large" when I print it? Also, have you ever substituted applesauce for the vegetable oil in this recipe? I do it in every cupcake recipe and it always works but maybe things are different when making a big layered cake. Lastly, could I use a marscapone chantilly cream frosting or something lighter than the russian or butter based frostings? This cake is for my daughter's 21st birthday and she doesn't love heavy butter frostings. That being said I don't know whether or not a lighter frosting will be stable enough for 3 layers. I don't want the frosting to squish out between the layers. Thoughts?
Natalie Keune
I want to make this for my friends birthday but I only have one 8inch pan (it’s rather high though), can I bake it as one cake and then cut the layers or do I have to bake twice in that one pan?
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Natalie,
That's a great question. Generally I wouldn't recommend trying to do this in one pan. Even though the batter may fit, if the cake pan is too full it could mean the outside of the cake bakes faster than the middle and cause the cake to sink. If you don't have two pans then yes I would recommend baking it in two batches. Sorry I can't be more helpful!
Jules
Natalie Keune
Hi Jules,
Thanks for the reply, I ended up baking in one pan. Baking time was significantly increased but the cake came out fine in the end. I used a thermometer to make sure it is fully cooked 😊 I used German buttercream and candied pecans to fill and decorate and it was an absolute hit!
Jules Grasekamp
Oh that's great to hear! I'm so glad it worked out well for you, it sounds like you did all the things necessary to make sure it worked! I tend to err on the side of caution with these recommendations as not everyone has that level of baking knowledge and I don't want anyone to be disappointed!
Ooh German buttercream and candied pecans sounds absolutely divine! I might need to try that combo for myself!
Thank you for trying my recipe and for letting me know how it turned out 🙂
Jules
Maria
Hi! The picture has three cake layers but the recipe calls for two pans. Is this recipe enough for a three layer cake using 8 inch pans? Thanks!
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Maria,
I mentioned in the notes of the recipe that I used a double batch of the recipe for this shoot day and split it into 4 - using 3 for the cake layers and 1 for a batch of vanilla cupcakes. Typically I make two layers with most of my cakes, so that is why the recipe is written this way, however you can absolutely split the regular recipe into 3 cake pans and bake them for a few minutes less - just look out for the signs that they are baked as described in the post.
Sorry for the confusion and I hope this helps!
Jules
Sher
Hi
Thanks for posting this recipe, they are delicious. I have a question for you. This is my fourth time making this recipe & I dont understand exactly what happens to them when I take them out. One they shrink alot secondly the recommended time for baking the cupcakes is between 30-40 min but mine are done within 20 min at 170 degrees centigrade which I find very odd. Does this have to do with my portable electric oven or something else. The tops become brown but then they sink while cooling. Is that because of too much liquid. Can you please advice
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Sher,
Are you looking for the vanilla cupcakes recipe? This is the french vanilla cake recipe. It is the same base recipe but the bake time is definitely very different. The cupcakes should only take about 18 minutes to bake.
As for the sinking, there are a few things that could cause this. It could be that your oven is heating unevenly - portable ovens will often put the heat on and off throughout a bake so the temperature can be fluctuating quite a bit in there. The oven temperature may also not be accurate, if it is too hot or too cold this could be causing the sinking. Try getting an oven thermometer to test what the temperature is actually doing inside the oven.
It could also be that the cupcake cases are being filled too full - you only want to fill them about 3/4 of the way. Or the other reason could be overmixing.
I hope this helps and that your next batch turn out perfectly!
Jules
Gabi Gilbert
Would it be okay to use 9inch pans?
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Gabi,
Yes you can definitely use 9-inch cake pans for the vanilla cake. The layers will be slightly thinner so you might want to check the cake in the oven a few minutes earlier than if you were using 8-inch. But it will still work great 🙂
Jules
Andie Baker
Hello! So excited to try this recipe, but I wanted to ask your advice before diving in. For making this French vanilla cake, I want to use your Russian Buttercream recipe with the added raspberry coulis that you use in the cupcake version. Would you recommend adding the same amount (1/2 cup of raspberry coulis) for the cake recipe?
Also I want to use smaller 6" heart shaped pans (Valentine cake!) instead of the 8" pans. Aside from having some extra batter would that completely throw off the recipe?
Thank you!
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Andie,
Ooh this sounds like a beautiful Valentine's Cake!
Yes I would recommend using the same amount of coulis, but you can do more or less according to your taste, it won't mess with the consistency of the frosting too much.
The recipe should work fine in the smaller heart-shaped pans, just make sure you don't overfill them or the cake may not bake properly. Of course, the bake time will be less as well, so just keep an eye out for the signs that the cake is baked and ready to come out of the oven.
I hope your cake turns out beautifully - I'd love to know how it goes!
Jules
Andie Baker
It turned out wonderfully! The softest cake I’ve ever baked and very moist. I’m normally a chocolate gal but this might have converted me. 🙂 Thank you for all the help!
Andie
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Andie,
Ah I'm so happy to hear this! Thank you for trying my recipe and for taking the time to let me know you loved it!
Jules
Emmalee
Should this cake with the sweetened condensed milk/butter frosting be refrigerated?
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Emmalee,
No there is no need to refrigerate it, in fact it's best stored at room temperature, even with the Russian buttercream on there. Store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
The exception to this is if you mix any kind of fresh fruit or other dairy into your frosting - if that is the case it is best in the fridge.
Hope this helps!
Jules
Celisse
I have made a lot of cakes and this was by far the worst cake recipe I’ve ever tried. The cakes were not baked after 40 minutes. I finally took them out of the oven because they were turning so brown on top and the toothpick finally came out clean, but they completely sunk in the centers. I followed the recipe exactly and did the measurements in grams to be most accurate. What a disappointment.
Semaj
Hi I’m making a cake for my sister-in-law bridal shower and I was looking at the recipe for the baking temperature and it says 335F, my oven does have that temp so what do I put it on?
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Semaj, What temperature settings does you oven have on it?
If I know that then I can help!
Thanks
Jules
Emmi
I would recommend using half and half or heavy cream in place of the milk. French vanilla flavors involve whole eggs sugar and deep rich creamy flavor.
Milk will not have that added cream flavor. That half & half will add to the cake batter.
Cake is so yummy!
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Emmi,
That's a great suggestion. You can definitely use cream or half and half instead.
Thanks for trying my recipe, I'm so glad you liked it!
Jules
Emmi
Just a suggestion to all those who have made or WILL make this recipe.
Instead of “milk”
Use Heavy Whipping Cream instead.
More milk fat and more creaminess to add that Layer of French to a French Vanilla Flavor profile.
French Vanilla is CREAMIER & Sweeter & Thicker
on the tongue because of the Eggs and the Heavy Cream with more fat content.
The results are a truly tender well moistened cake crumb texture with that Creamier Vanilla version that French Vanilla is truly recognizable as.
Trust Me!
I make a yellow cake using heavy whipping cream and it’s delicious like from a “Pro-bakery shop”.
Lynn
Is it really 1-1/2 Tablespoons baking powder for this cake. That seems like a lot. Just want to be sure.
Lynn
Looking forward to trying this. What is the weight of eggs used. In US 1 large egg is 50 grams out of shell. Wondering if the same in UK.
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Lynn,
UK egg sizes are actually marginally bigger than US eggs. My recipes are formulated for US bakers as that's where most of my readers are (even though I live in Scotland!). However, this recipe will work with either UK or US large egg sizes, there is no need to make any adjustment as the difference is so small it will not affect the end result.
Hope this helps,
Happy baking!
Jules
Lynn
Thanks so much for your response and for all the information and recipes you share. This indeed helps!
Ana
Hola! Puedo reducir la mantequilla en ésta receta?