A moist cake topped with swooshes of sweet fluffy vanilla buttercream icing is an absolute classic. With step-by-step instructions from Food Network Kitchen, it’s easier than you think to make a bakery-quality dessert.
Article by Emily Saladino
Every cook needs a basic vanilla cake recipe in their back pocket, and this is ours. Don’t let the name fool you: this simple cake is anything but boring. The cake batter bakes up moist and fluffy, and the vanilla buttercream icing is easy to prepare and apply, thanks to Food Network Kitchen’s pro tips. Serve this all-American vanilla cake at birthday parties, anniversaries, graduations and other celebratory occasions—just don’t be surprised when everyone asks for the recipe.
Whether you’re a longtime baker or learning how to make a cake for the first time, these step-by-step instructions from Food Network Kitchen make the entire process seamless.
The secret to soft and fluffy cake batter. Use room-temperature eggs and butter. They bind more evenly than ones straight from the fridge and create pockets of air in the batter as it bakes, resulting in plush cake layers.
Add the eggs one at a time. Egg whites contain a lot of moisture, which can cause the creamed butter and sugar to separate. Gradually adding the eggs helps everything emulsify evenly, which leads to a fluffier vanilla cake.
Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Our recipe developers find that whisking the flour, baking powder and salt before you cream the butter and sugar prevents overmixing later.
Alternate adding the milk and dry ingredients to the cake batter. It takes slightly longer than dumping everything all at once, but alternating the wet and dry ingredients keeps the cake batter moist so it bakes up light and fluffy.
Use whole milk in the vanilla buttercream icing. For creamy, sweet frosting that holds its shape, use whole milk. Food Network Kitchen’s recipe developers find that using low-fat, skim or alternative milks doesn’t make for as flavorful or spreadable results.
Prepare the base. After the cake layers cool, put a dab of frosting in the middle of a cake stand, plate or inverted cake pan. Use it to secure the bottom cake layer, so it won’t shift while you ice it.
Frost the bottom layer. Spread one cup of frosting on the top of the bottom cake layer. Our recipe developers find an offset spatula is the best tool for the job because its large surface area spreads evenly and easily, but a butter knife works in a pitch.
Add the second layer. Gently put the second layer on top of the first and use the remaining frosting to cover the top of the cake and its sides. Get detailed instructions and step-by-step images in this article, How to Frost a Cake: A Step-by-Step Guide.
Our recipe developers love the classic combination of soft vanilla cake with fluffy vanilla buttercream icing, but you can customize it, too. Swap a quarter-cup of the powdered sugar for unsweetened cocoa powder to make a vanilla cake with chocolate icing. For an easy birthday cake recipe, scatter rainbow sprinkles on the top of the cake after you frost it. Or sprinkle the frosted cake with cocoa nibs or toasted coconut flakes.
For more cake decorating ideas, check out Food Network Kitchen’s Complete Guide to Layer Cake Decorating.
You can make the vanilla cake layers a day in advance. Cool them and wrap them in plastic wrap then aluminum foil and store them at room temperature overnight.
You can also assemble and frost this basic vanilla cake recipe the day before you plan to serve it. Prepare the cake recipe with frosting and let it stand overnight at room temperature, covered by a large bowl or cake dome. If your kitchen is very warm, store the cake in the fridge and let it stand at room temperature for at least one hour before you serve it.