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    Home » Recipes » Cake

    The Best French Vanilla Cake

    August 11, 2022 by Jules 25 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Perfect, fluffy, soft, and flavorful French Vanilla Cake. Every baker needs a reliable, foolproof vanilla cake recipe up their sleeve - and this French Vanilla Cake is about to become your new favorite!

    Single slice of french vanilla cake facing forward.

    Vanilla has a reputation for being 'basic' or 'boring'. But the truth is Vanilla is anything but! Not only is it a deep and complex flavor in its own right, but vanilla cake is a solid foundation for so many amazing, delicious cakes and desserts.

    French vanilla cake is a classic choice for birthday cakes and for wedding cake as it's such an amazing flavor that most people enjoy. It's also so versatile and can be mixed with so many different frostings and fillings.

    This French vanilla cake is my go-to vanilla cake recipe and the base of many of my most popular posts, including my Vanilla Custard Cake and my Mango Cupcakes. It uses the reverse creaming method which makes for an incredibly soft and luxurious texture. Not only is the flavor incredible, but the texture is out of this world - when you put your fork into it, the slice cuts just like butter! Welcome to your new favorite perfect vanilla cake recipe!

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • What is French Vanilla?
    • What kind of Frosting goes with French Vanilla Cake?
    • How to Decorate a French Vanilla Cake
    • Ways to Use this French Vanilla Cake Recipe
    • Equipment
    • Storage
    • Recipe
    • FAQ
    inside of a french vanilla cake from the side.

    Ingredients

    • Milk - Milk is what makes this vanilla sponge cake so fluffy and velvety, when you put your fork through it it cuts like butter! Make sure you use whole milk.
    • Oil - Using oil makes a very moist cake. I use vegetable oil but any flavorless oil will do - e.g. canola oil or sunflower oil.
    • Flour - I find the best results for this cake come from using cake flour, it 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 - Using white sugar is best to show off the delicious vanilla flavor. Make sure you use superfine sugar (caster sugar in the UK).
    • Eggs - We'll be using whole eggs in this cake recipe. Always use large eggs when baking and try to use free-range if you can.
    • Butter - Use unsalted butter and make sure it is at room temperature before beginning.
    • Vanilla - Of course, we need vanilla for a french vanilla cake. Contrary to popular belief, what makes it a 'French Vanilla' cake isn't the type of vanilla you use (see section below about 'What is French Vanilla?'. So you can use any kind of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste that you like. Since vanilla is the star of the show, try to find a high-quality pure vanilla extract. And try to avoid vanilla essence.

    See recipe card for quantities.

    top down view of several slices of french vanilla cake on plates.

    Instructions

    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 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.
    • Split the milk into two containers, one with ½ cup of milk (118g) and one with ¾ cup of milk (177g).
    • Mix the ½ cup of milk with the vegetable oil and set aside.
    • Mix the ¾ cup of milk with the eggs and vanilla and set aside.
    • 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. You can also do this with an electric mixer and a large bowl, but I wouldn't recommend trying to do it by hand.
    • 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 kind of like chunky breadcrumbs
    • Add the first lot of wet ingredients - the milk and oil mixture and slowly turn your mixer up to a medium speed. Beat for exactly two minutes.
    • Scrape the sides of your bowl to make sure there are no lumps, then turn the mixer back on low speed.
    • Add the milk and egg mixture slowly and mix on low speed until just combined.
    • 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.
    • Once cooled, sandwich the cake layers together with your favorite frosting and decorate. I used my Russian Buttercream recipe for this cake, but see the section below for ideas on perfect pairings for this French vanilla cake.
    close up of french vanilla cake with perfect texture.

    What is French Vanilla?

    Many people assume that the thing that makes it 'French' vanilla is the origin of the vanilla that is used in the recipe, such as with 'Tahitian vanilla' or 'Madagascan vanilla. - that's actually incorrect. Rather than it being about a specific French vanilla extract, the flavor of 'French Vanilla' actually originated with ice cream and referenced the French method of making ice cream which was made with a custard base (i.e. egg yolks and milk/cream) That delicious, custardy flavor is what is known as French Vanilla. When referring to cake, it means a vanilla cake that uses both egg whites and egg yolks in the recipe, as opposed to your typical white cake recipe which will only use egg whites.

    When most people today think of the flavor of French vanilla cake, they picture the easy french vanilla cake mix from Betty Crocker kitchen. But as you know, we don't do box cake mixes around here! A homemade vanilla cake recipe from scratch will beat out a box cake mix any day. This recipe uses simple ingredients and easy steps to make the best french vanilla cake you've ever had.

    slice being taken out of french vanilla cake.

    What kind of Frosting goes with French Vanilla Cake?

    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.

    American Buttercream: A very sweet and rich and a little thicker than other buttercreams. It is the classic frosting you are probably used to from store-bought cakes.

    Italian Meringue Buttercream: A much more sophisticated frosting that is silky smooth and luxurious and a lot less sweet than American buttercream. It is a little longer and more complicated to make though.

    Russian Buttercream: My current favorite and what I used to frost this cake is Russian Buttercream. In my opinion, it has the best of both worlds as it has the glossy, smooth texture of Italian Meringue Buttercream but has only two ingredients and is super easy to make.

    Any of these buttercreams can be mixed with other ingredients to flavor them and create a world of different flavor combinations. For example, I recently mixed Russian Buttercream with raspberry coulis to create the frosting on these delicious Raspberry Cupcakes.

    Here are some other posts with more of my favorite frostings you can try with this cake:

    • Chocolate Custard Buttercream
    • Pistachio Buttercream
    • Espresso Buttercream
    slice of french vanilla cake on its side.

    How to Decorate a French Vanilla Cake

    How you choose to decorate your cake is entirely up to you. But here's an idea of how I decorated mine.

    • Decide how many layers you want to have in your cake. If you want two cake layers you can just use the layers you baked in the two tins. For a slightly taller layer cake, you can cut each of those layers in half to make four total layers.
    • Note: For the cake I photographed here I actually doubled the recipe and made three cake layers and used one-quarter of the recipe to make cupcakes (yes you can use this recipe for cupcakes too!).
    • Cut the domed top off of the cakes and slice them according to how many layers you want. I like to use a cake leveler to ensure perfectly even layers, but you can also use a serrated knife.
    • Stack the layers with your chosen frosting, spreading an even amount of frosting in between each layer.
    • Make a crumb coat by spreading a very thin layer all over the sides of the cakes and on top of the cake. Let chill for 15 mins.
    • Spread a much thicker layer of frosting all over the cake and smooth out using a spatula or bench scraper.
    • Once you are happy with the frosting, you can put some of the frosting in a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe some rosettes on top.
    • Cover with sprinkles to your heart's desire.

    Top Tip: For extra smooth frosting, run the spatula or bench scraper under hot water for a few seconds to make it warm, then dry quickly with a paper towel - do this in between swipes of the frosting.

    whole french vanilla cake with pastel sprinkles.


    Ways to Use this French Vanilla Cake Recipe

    As I mentioned before, this french vanilla cake recipe is super versatile.

    Layer Cakes - You can use it to make any number of layer cakes such as my Vanilla Custard Cake or Chocolate German Layer Cake.

    Cupcakes - You can also use this exact same recipe to make cupcakes, such as my Mango Cupcakes. The recipe as is will make about 24 cupcakes.

    Bundt Cake - The recipe will work for a bundt cake, but it is a very fragile cake so make sure you are very gentle when removing it from the bundt pan as you don't want it to break! Also. make sure to thoroughly grease your bundt pan.

    side view of mango cupcakes with super fluffy sponge.
    Mango cupcakes made using this French Vanilla Cake Recipe

    Equipment

    • Stand mixer with the paddle attachment or an electric mixer.
    • 2 x 8-inch cake pans

    Storage

    The baked, unfrosted vanilla cakes can be stored wrapped in plastic wrap and in an airtight container for 3 - 5 days.

    Once they are decorated, you may or may not need to store them in the fridge depending on what kind of filling you used. If you used a frosting like a Custard Buttercream then you will need to store it in the fridge in an airtight container.

    If your frosting does not need to be refrigerated, it's best to store it in an airtight container at room temperature.

    Recipe

    Single slice of french vanilla cake pointing towards the camera.

    French Vanilla Cake

    The only vanilla cake recipe you'll ever need! Soft, fluffy and flavorful - it's the perfect cake!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 35 mins
    Total Time 50 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, French
    Servings 12 slices
    Calories 361 kcal

    Equipment

    • Stand Mixer with paddle attachment
    • 2 8-inch cake pans

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 ¼ cups Milk 295g (room temperature)
    • ⅓ cup Vegetable Oil 72g
    • 3 Eggs (room temperature)
    • 2.5 cups Cake Flour 312g
    • 2 sticks Butter 227g (room temperature)
    • 1 ¾ cups White Sugar 350g
    • 1 ½ tablespoon Baking Powder
    • ½ teaspoon Salt
    • 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 335°F / 170°C and grease two 8-inch cake pans.
    • Split the milk into two containers, one with ½ cup of milk (118g) and one with ¾ cup of milk (177g).
      1 ¼ cups Milk
    • Mix the ½ cup of milk with the vegetable oil and set aside.
      ⅓ cup Vegetable Oil
    • Mix the remaining milk with the eggs and vanilla. Whisk together lightly and set aside.
      3 Eggs, 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
    • Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of your mixer and turn on low with your paddle attachment.
      2.5 cups Cake Flour, 1 ¾ cups White Sugar, 1 ½ 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 kind of like chunky breadcrumbs
      2 sticks Butter
    • Add the milk/oil mixture and slowly turn your mixer up to a medium speed. Beat for exactly two minutes.
    • Scrape the sides of your bowl to make sure there are no lumps, then turn the. mixer back on low.
    • Add the milk/egg mixture slowly and mix on low until just combined.
    • Divide into cake pans and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
    • Let 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.

    Notes

    It's crucial that the milk, eggs, and butter are at room temperature before beginning otherwise the ingredients will not incorporate properly.  I tend to remove my ingredients from the fridge about 1 hour before beginning to bake - but it will vary depending on the climate where you live. 
    Note: For the photographed cake, I used a DOUBLE BATCH of this recipe to make an extra tall cake. I split the recipe into quarters and used three of those quarters to make cake layers, then used the remaining quarter for cupcakes.  A single batch of this recipe can still have multiple layers depending on how you cut them, it just won't be quite as tall. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 361kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 4gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 388mgPotassium: 72mgFiber: 1gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 514IUCalcium: 128mgIron: 0.4mg
    Keyword cake, french vanilla, reverse creaming, vanilla
    Tried this recipe?Show us! @bonni_bakery

    FAQ

    What is the Reverse Creaming Method?


    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).

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Christopher Radwanski

      August 12, 2022 at 4:36 pm

      5 stars
      I have personally eaten this French vanilla cake in many shapes and forms, and my goodness it is so much better than the box cake I grew up on.

      Reply
    2. Jules

      August 12, 2022 at 4:37 pm

      Haha I'm very glad to hear that 😀

      Reply
      • Lori

        September 21, 2022 at 5:04 pm

        Can you make this cake in a 9x13 pan? And do I need to adjust the oven temp and baking time? And can I add sprinkles to make it a confetti cake??

        Reply
        • Jules

          September 21, 2022 at 5:07 pm

          Hi Lori,
          Thanks for your questions. Yes you can make it in a 9x13 pan, the cake layer will be slightly thinner so I'd check it after 25 minutes to see if it's ready.
          You can definitely add sprinkles to make a confetti cake! Just make sure you are using a brand of sprinkles that will hold their color as they bake 🙂

          Reply
    3. Edikan

      August 24, 2022 at 4:16 am

      Can I use margarine in Nigeria?

      Reply
      • Jules

        August 24, 2022 at 1:57 pm

        Hi Edikan, margarine would be a fine substitute for the butter. The flavor won't be quite as buttery and rich, but the cake should still turn out great 🙂

        Reply
    4. Danielle

      August 24, 2022 at 2:38 pm

      Did you use 3 eggs for this cake? it says "3 3 Eggs" on the recipe and I want to get it right! Also, this looks delicious and very moist, and I'm looking to stack this fairly tall, do you think it will hold for a stacked wedding cake with fondant?

      Reply
      • Jules

        August 24, 2022 at 2:42 pm

        Oops! Thank you for noticing that, I have changd it now! Yes it's 3 eggs. Definitely do not use 33 eggs! haha

        It is a super moist cake! But its still very structurally sound so it should be good for a wedding cake. Maybe to play it safe though it might be a good idea to use regular all-purpose flour instead of cake flour - this will give it a bit more structure just to make sure it holds the weight of the fondant.

        I hope it turns out great for you 🙂

        Reply
        • Danielle

          August 24, 2022 at 2:47 pm

          Awesome, thanks for your help and for your quick response! I'll be trying it out over the next few days 🙂

          Reply
          • Jules

            August 24, 2022 at 2:48 pm

            My pleasure 🙂 Happy baking!

            Reply
      • Catherine

        September 28, 2022 at 11:28 pm

        I just made this cake for my niece's mother in law birthday and everyone loved it. I put raspberry filling in the center and used a white chocolate buttercream frosting. The cake held up just beautifully.

        Reply
        • Jules

          September 29, 2022 at 7:49 am

          Hi Catherine, I'm so glad you loved the cake, thank you so much for letting me know! Raspberry and white chocolate buttercream sounds like a wonderful combination for this cake. I hope you all had a great day! 🙂

          Reply
    5. Crystal Funk

      August 30, 2022 at 6:53 am

      Can I use 9 inch pans

      Reply
      • Jules

        August 30, 2022 at 7:34 am

        HI Crystal, yes you can definitely use 9-inch pans without altering the recipe, the cakes will just be a little thinner is all 🙂

        Reply
    6. Lilia

      September 17, 2022 at 9:08 pm

      Is it 350 F or 335 F? It’s marked different in two spots.
      Thank you!

      Reply
      • Jules

        September 17, 2022 at 9:09 pm

        Sorry! It's 335°F, updating that now! Thank you 🙂

        Reply
    7. Holly

      October 25, 2022 at 8:27 pm

      4 stars
      The taste of the sponge of this cake is wonderful, however I tried to make it into cupcakes and whilst it is beautifully moist, it doesn’t quite seem robust enough.and comes apart when you take the cupcakes out of the paper.

      Reply
      • Jules

        November 05, 2022 at 11:04 pm

        Hi Holly, I'm sorry to hear this happened, it is an incredibly soft sponge! I recommend spraying your cupcake liners very lightly with some cooking spray before baking, this should help the papers to come away form the cake more easily after baking.

        Reply
    8. Emily

      January 15, 2023 at 7:02 pm

      5 stars
      Made this for my daughter’s birthday cake with Bavarian cream between the layers and an American buttercream. 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.

      Reply
      • Jules

        January 16, 2023 at 7:49 am

        Emily you've absolutely made my day with your lovely comment! Thank you so. much for trying my recipe and your kind words - I'm really happy to hear you and your guests enjoyed the cake!

        Reply
    9. Cheryl

      January 26, 2023 at 1:15 am

      I’ve been looking for a recipe for a white/vanilla cake that I can easily modify by substituting emulsions for the vanilla. For example, making a coconut cake by using coconut emulsion instead of vanilla. Is this that kind of recipe?

      Reply
      • Jules

        January 26, 2023 at 1:22 am

        Absolutely! I use this as my base cake recipe and add all kinds of different flavours to it, such as the mango cupcakes mentioned above. It is super versatile!

        Reply
        • Cheryl

          February 17, 2023 at 12:32 pm

          Do you still include any vanilla extract if changing the flavor of the cake?

          Reply
          • Jules

            February 17, 2023 at 12:34 pm

            Yes I still include the vanilla just because it provides a nice base and gives more depth to the flavor. But you can leave it out if you want to.

            Reply
    10. Nina

      March 03, 2023 at 1:34 pm

      Hi, Can I double this recipe and put batter into a 10-inch tube pan, if so at what oven temp and what baking time? Thanks.

      Reply

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    Juliane Grasekamp from Bonni Bakery

    Hi, I'm Jules!

    I'm a recipe developer and food photographer, specializing in baked goods - because, yum.

    After running my own bakery in Scotland for 10 years, I packed up my piping bags and moved across the pond. Now I'm sharing all my tried and true recipes from our kitchen!

    Check out my baking blog and try a few recipes.
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    Happy Baking!

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