Description
Baking a vanilla cake brings pure joy right to your kitchen with simple ingredients and foolproof technique. Smooth, tender layers emerge from careful mixing and gentle baking, ready to delight anyone who takes a delicious bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 1 ⅓ cups sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
Supporting Ingredients:
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Finishing Component:
- 1 classic buttercream frosting
Instructions
- Warm your oven to 350°F and thoroughly coat two 8-inch cake pans with butter and flour, ensuring complete coverage to prevent sticking.
- Sift 2 ¼ cups flour, 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt together in a separate bowl, creating a light, airy dry mixture.
- Cream ¾ cup unsalted butter and 1 ⅓ cups sugar in a stand mixer at medium speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy.
- Incorporate 3 large eggs into the butter mixture individually, allowing 15 seconds between each addition and mixing in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and gently alternate adding your prepared flour mixture and 1 cup room temperature milk, mixing until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops with a spatula to create uniform layers.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, checking doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center – it should emerge clean.
- Remove cakes from oven and let them cool completely in the pans for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Once fully cooled, generously spread classic buttercream frosting between layers and over the entire cake.
Notes
- Always use room temperature ingredients like butter, eggs, and milk to ensure a smooth, even batter and consistent cake texture.
- Sifting dry ingredients prevents lumps and helps create a lighter, more delicate cake crumb that melts in your mouth.
- For maximum flavor, use high-quality pure vanilla extract instead of imitation vanilla, which can taste artificial.
- When checking cake doneness, insert a toothpick in the center and look for just a few moist crumbs, not completely dry or wet batter.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 392 kcal
- Sugar: 34 g
- Sodium: 157 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg