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 tbsp Baking Powder, ½ tsp 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 tsp 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.
Pat
I made this recipe a year ago and it was good-- I've rated it a 5. But this year, it was too crumbly and didn't hold together well--it started crumbling when I took it out of the pan after cooling the cake. I would rate it a 2.
Before I look for another recipe, can you think of anything that might have resulted in a crumbly cake? I used the exact ingredients although last year I didn't bring the eggs to room temperature) and made no substitutions. I followed all steps of the recipe. I baked the cake for 40 minutes this year; can't remember baking time from last year. Any suggestions?
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Pat,
Thank you for your comment. I'm sorry to hear your cake didn't turn out, it's so disappointing when that happens! The recipe has not changed since it was published, so it must be a difference in the way it was prepared.
Can I ask, did you measure out your ingredients with cups or by weight with a scale? I always recommend weighing out ingredients with a scale as it is much more accurate and will give much more consistent results. It's actually very hard to measure dry ingredients accurately with a cup measure, so that is the number one cause I see of people's bakes not turning out right.
The bake time will vary depending on your oven, what kind of cake pans you are using and a multitude of other factors - I always recommend trying to judge whether things are baked by eye, rather than by following a bake time. In this case, the cake should be springy and a skewer inserted will come out clean. It's possible it may have been a little over-baked.
Other than the measuring and the bake time, the only other thing I can suggest it may have been is the mixing. If the batter isn't mixed thoroughly enough then not enough gluten will form, resulting in a crumbly cake. (But you also don't want to overmix or the cake could turn out dense!). If you beat the batter for exactly 2 minutes as in the recipe, maybe it needed to be mixed on a higher speed. It should look quite light and airy once it's done.
I hope this helps! Happy to answer any follow up questions 🙂
Jules
Lynn
Yes this helps and thanks so much for your response and all you do to bring such wonderful recipes to us!
Jules Grasekamp
You are so welcome! Thank you for your kind words 🙂
Jules
Mary
This cake looks super moist and delicious What is the purpose of splitting the milk? Can the milk, eggs and oil be combined and added half at a time to the mixture?
Deepshikha Khosla
Hi! Jules,
Can I reduce the sugar in the recipe? I don't like very sweet cakes, but I'd love to try the reverse creaming method.
Thanks !
Deepshikha
Jules
Hi Deepshikha,
You can certainly make the cake with a little less sugar. I will say it's not a super sweet tasting sponge anyway so I wouldn't cut the sugar too much, but you can absolutely reduce it a bit.
I'd say most of the sweetness in this recipe comes from the frosting, so maybe try it with an alternative frosting, or even just some whipped cream and berries maybe?
Hope you love it!
Jules
Misha
Hi there! I just discovered your website tonight while searching for “French” vanilla. What makes this a French vanilla cake? Thank you! I’m excited to try some of your recipes!
Jules
Hi Misha, Welcome! That's a great question! So a lot of people think that 'French' vanilla comes from the kind of vanilla that is used in the cake, but actually it's about the rest of the ingredients used in the cake. 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. It gives the cake a more rich, 'custardy' flavor.
Misha
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer and explain that to me! Excellent info to know for a baker! I really look forward to trying your recipes! 🙂
Laquita
Hello, I want to make this as a bundt cake how long should it be baking in the oven?
Jules
HI Laquita,
It really depends on what kind of bundt cake pan. you are using as they are all different shapes and sizes! I would advise starting with 35 minutes and then checking the cake with a skewer every 5 minutes or so until the skewer comes out clean. Also make sure your bundt cake pan is very well greased as this is quite a delicate cake and may tear if any of it sticks to the pan. I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out 🙂
Nina
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.
Cheryl
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?
Jules
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!
Cheryl
Do you still include any vanilla extract if changing the flavor of the cake?
Jules
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.
Emily
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.
Jules
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!
Holly
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.
Jules
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.
Lilia
Is it 350 F or 335 F? It’s marked different in two spots.
Thank you!
Jules
Sorry! It's 335°F, updating that now! Thank you 🙂
Crystal Funk
Can I use 9 inch pans
Jules
HI Crystal, yes you can definitely use 9-inch pans without altering the recipe, the cakes will just be a little thinner is all 🙂
Danielle
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?
Jules
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 🙂
Danielle
Awesome, thanks for your help and for your quick response! I'll be trying it out over the next few days 🙂
Jules
My pleasure 🙂 Happy baking!
Catherine
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.
Jules
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! 🙂
Jen D
I tested this recipe and the batter overflowed the pans! I followed the steps precisely! Any idea what I did wrong?
Jules
Oh gosh, sorry to hear that! How deep were your cake pans? Sometimes if they are too shallow this can happen. Otherwise it could have been over-measuring the baking powder maybe?
Tina
Can I use all purpose flour instead of cake flour?
Edikan
Can I use margarine in Nigeria?
Jules
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 🙂
Jules
Haha I'm very glad to hear that 😀
Lori
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??
Jules
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 🙂
Me
Love to try it
Christopher Radwanski
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.
Lisa Hightire
Hello, thank you for this recipe. Planning to try it 9/8/23 for our family reunion. Can melted white chocolates be added to the Russian buttercream? My plan is to make French cupcakes with your raspberry coulis filling and white chocolate Russian butter cream frosting.