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Sometimes, there’s no point in reinventing the wheel, and that’s how I feel about this Moist Vanilla Layer Cake created by Lindsay from Life Love and Sugar! This recipe has become a cherished tradition in our family because every year on my boy’s birthday I make this layered birthday cake.
The batter is usually light in colour which makes this vanilla cake perfect for customizing with your favourite colours (depending on the type of cake you are going for!). Simply divide the cake batter into 3 separate bowls, add your food colouring to each, and mix until you achieve the rich shade.
Table of Contents
🍰 Why You’ll Love Moist Vanilla Layer Cake
Classic vanilla flavour: when it comes to birthday cake, nothing beats a classic vanilla layered cake and thats exactly what this moist vanilla layer cake delivers.
Customizable: this cake is a blank canvas for creativity. Use food colouring and various cake toppers to personalize this recipe.
Freezes well: if you are looking to make this recipe in advance, rest assured this cake can be made up to one month in advance.
🗒 Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Moist Vanilla Layer Cake
Cake ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Vegetable oil
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Milk
Vanilla frosting ingredients:
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy cream
- Salt
✔️ How To Make Moist Vanilla Layer Cake
- First, mix together the dry ingredients, then cream together the butter, sugar, oil and vanilla.Then, add the eggs one at a time until well combined.
- Secondly, add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix to combine. Then, slowly add the milk and mix until combined.
- Next, divide the batter into 3 prepared round baking pans and bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Then, prepare the frosting until you reach your desired consistency.
- Finally, spread the frosting evenly between the cake layers and on the sides.
🗒️ Moist Vanilla Layer Cake Variations & Substitutions
Food colouring: add a few drops of your favourite colours to customize this cake recipe.
Sprinkles: press sprinkles into the side of the cake for a classic touch.
Fruit: top with your favourite fruits. For example, raspberries, strawberries or blackberries would work well.
🤔 FAQ’s
Indeed! In fact, many bakers find that making the cake layers a day or two in advance can improve the cakes texture.
Yes! Lindsay recommends to cut this recipe in half which will make 12-14 cupcakes.
🍴 Leftovers? Lucky you.
Storage: moist vanilla layer cake will keep fresh in the fridge up to 5 days.
👩🏻🍳 Hungry For More?
- Sheet Pan Cookies
- Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Blueberry Lemon Muffins
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Chex Mix Puppy Chow
- Apple Cake
💌 Let’s Stay Connected
Keep in touch with me on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest! If you do make this recipe (or any recipe of mine) don’t forget to leave a review.
Moist Vanilla Layer Cake
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1¼ cups milk, room temperature
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 2½ cups unsalted butter
- 10 cups powdered sugar, aka: confectioners' sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 6-8 tbsp heavy cream
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter, sugar, oil and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
- Slowly add the milk and mix until well combined. The batter will look curdled, but that’s ok.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
- To make the frosting, beat the butter until smooth.
- Slowly add half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract, 4-5 tablespoons of heavy cream, and salt and mix until smooth.
- Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional heavy cream, as needed to get the right consistency.
Assemble:
- To put the cake together, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they’re flat. These cakes don’t have a large dome, but I like to make sure they’re completely flat.
- Place the first cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round.
- Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly on top of the cake.
- Add the second layer of cake and another cup of frosting.
- Top the cake with the remaining layer and frost the outside of the cake.
- Decorate as desired.
- Store in an air-tight container. The cake is best for 3-4 days.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
