A moist butter-based vanilla cake paired with a silky, smooth bakery-style vanilla buttercream. It makes for a perfect homemade vanilla birthday cake. Baked from scratch, this cake is surprisingly simple and easy to make from baking to frosting. And a few sprinkles make this a celebration cake for any occasion, whether you are five or fifty.
Table of Content
I have over fifty cake recipes on this blog, and yet, I'm always surprised when people message me asking if I have a birthday cake recipe. In truth, any of these cakes, especially the layered cakes can be used for birthdays, weddings, or other occasions.
But, I decided to dedicate two cakes just for birthdays. Recently, I shared my chocolate birthday cake, which was filled with chocolate buttercream and frosted with chocolate ganache. Today, I share with you this vanilla recipe with vanilla buttercream.
Why make this cake?
- The batter is a classic vanilla cake batter. It's made with butter, white sugar, and cake flour using the creaming method. A surprisingly simple and easy recipe baked from scratch from start to finish.
- To keep it classic, I've paired this with my bakery style buttercream frosting, which is very popular because it's easy and simple to make. Having said that, there are so many other choices for the frosting you can use for this cake, such as:
- Timeline and process for this cake.
- Prep and bake the cake - (1 hour)
- Prepare frosting and simple syrup (30 minutes)
- Crumb coat cake (15 mins)
- Frost the cake (30 mins)
- Final smoothing (10 mins)
Ingredients and substitutes
- Cake flour - Cake flour gives the softest cakes with a tender crumb. And if you can't find cake flour, you can make your own cake flour substitute
- Butter - I always use unsalted so I can control the amount of salt. And yet, if salted butter is all you have, use it and omit salt in the recipe.
- Sugar - I'm using white sugar so I can have a white cake. It's always best to use fine-grain white sugar so it dissolves easily in the butter.
- Buttermilk - If you don't buttermilk on hand, don't worry. It takes just 5 minutes to make homemade buttermilk for baking.
- Vanilla - A good quality vanilla is very important especially in a vanilla cake. I'm using vanilla bean paste but you can also use vanilla extract.
Step by step instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven at 160 C / 320 F.
- Grease and line 3 × 7-inch round baking pans or 2× 8-inch round baking pans.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla bean paste.
- Lastly, add the flour and buttermilk in three batches. Scrape the sides and bottom to ensure you have a smooth batter.
- Divide the batter equally between the prepared baking pans.
Pro tip - I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat. - Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean.
- Cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes. Invert and cool on a cooling rack completely before you decorate.
Bakery style buttercream frosting
- Watch this video of me making this bakery-style buttercream.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, with paddle attachment, cream butter and shortening for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Then, add cornstarch to the hot water and add it to the creaming mixture.
Pro tip - Add the water to the cornstarch at the time you want to add it to the butter otherwise it will become lumpy. - Continue to cream until it’s a smooth mixture again. Then, add vanilla extract and combine well.
- Finally, start adding the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Once all the sugar is in – whip the buttercream for a good three minutes until light and fluffy.
Pro tip - It is important to whip so you have a whipped-cream like consistency. Otherwise, the buttercream will be too soft to spread.
Assemble
- Prepare simple syrup – cool completely before using.
Pro tip - Simple syrup is just sugar and water boiled for 3 minutes. It keeps the cake layers moist. - Once cooled, cut the domes off the cake layers using a serrated knife. Brush each layer with the cooled, simple syrup.
- Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand.
Pro tip - If you plan to move the cake, it is best to use a cake circle under the cake, so you can pick the cake with its base and without any accidents.
- Top with a big dollop of buttercream – spread evenly using a straight-edge spatula.
- Then, top the second cake layer on top followed by buttercream and the last cake.
Pro tip - It is best to lift individual cake layers on pieces of clean cardboard or cake lifter so you do not break them from table to cake. - Place the cake in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes.
Pro tip - Chilling the cake at this point will ensure the layers don't move when you frost the outside. Though, if you leave the cake uncovered in the fridge for too long it can dry out. So, 10 minutes is all you need.
- Spread the remaining buttercream around and on top of the cake.
Pro tip - A straight-edge spatula for the top, an offset spatula, and a bench scraper for the sides work better. - Place the remaining frosting in a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe swirls on top of the cake.
- Decorate with sprinkles or as desired.
Storage
- Once decorated, the cake does not need to be refrigerated.
- It can stay at room temperature for two days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Once cut, always cover the cut side of the cake with plastic wrap so the cake does not dry out.
More vanilla cakes
- One Bowl Vanilla Cake
- Light and Fluffy Vanilla Cake
- Eggless Vanilla Cake Recipe
- Moist Vanilla Pound Cake
- See all vanilla cakes or see all layer cakes
Frequently asked questions
How long will this cake last?
If properly stored, this cake will last for 2 to 3 days at room temperature. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 or 6 days.
Can I make this an eggless cake? What is the egg replacer?
No, this recipe works best with eggs but you can use my Eggless Vanilla Cake or Eggless Chocolate Cake to make a birthday cake.
Can I use brown sugar instead of white in this recipe?
Yes, make sure to cream it well. Having said that, brown sugar will also add a caramel color and molasses flavor to the cake.
Can I use coconut flour or almond flour instead of all-purpose flour?
I have not tried this recipe with either almond or coconut flour. But, I do have a gluten-free chocolate cake recipe that is very popular.
Can I add cocoa powder to make this a chocolate birthday cake?
I do have a tried and test chocolate birthday cake recipe that you may like to use.
How can I simplify this recipe further?
This is a fairly simple recipe and yet, I do have a one-bowl vanilla cake recipe decorated as a naked cake. Perhaps you can try using that recipe as a base.
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Printable Recipe
BEST Vanilla Birthday Cake with Vanilla Buttercream
Print Pin Rate Share by Email Share on FB Save Grow Coooking Temperature: 325 °F/ 165 °C/ Gas Mark 3
Difficulty: Medium
Diet : GF
Calories: 628kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 9 servings
Description
A moist butter-based vanilla cake paired with a silky, smooth bakery-style vanilla buttercream. It makes for a perfect homemade vanilla birthday cake. Baked from scratch, this cake is surprisingly simple and easy to make from baking to frosting. And a few sprinkles make this a celebration cake for any occasion whether you are five or fifty.
Video
Ingredients
Vanilla cake
- 4 cups (460 g) Cake flour
- 2 ¼ cups (450 g) Sugar (granulated white)
- 14 oz (400 g) Butter
- 4 Eggs
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ⅓ cup (320 ml) Buttermilk
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla bean paste
Bakery style vanilla frosting
- 8 oz (227 g) Unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) Vegetable shortening
- 5 cup (600 g) Powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Hot water
- 2 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon Vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Plus
- ½ cup (120 ml) Simple syrup
- ½ cup Sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven at 325 °F/ 165 °C/ Gas Mark 3.
- Grease and line 3×7 inch round cake pans or 2 x 8-inch round cake pans.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Next, add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.
- Finally, add the flour and buttermilk in three batches. Scrape the sides and bottom to ensure you have a smooth batter.
- Divide the batter equally between the prepared baking pans. Pro tip - I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean.
- Cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes. Invert and cool on a cooling rack completely before you decorate.
Vanilla Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, with paddle attachment, cream butter and shortening for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Next, add cornstarch to the hot water and add it to the creaming mixture. Pro tip - Add the water to the cornstarch at the time you want to add it in the butter. Otherwise, it will become lumpy.
- Continue to cream until it’s a smooth mixture again. Then, add vanilla extract and combine well.
- Finally, start adding the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Once all the sugar is in – whip the buttercream for a good three minutes until light and fluffy.Pro tip - It is important to whip so you have a whipped-cream like consistency. Otherwise, the buttercream will be too soft to spread.
Assemble
- Prepare simple syrup – cool completely before using.Pro tip - Simple syrup is just sugar and water boiled for 3 minutes. It keeps the cake layers moist.
- Once cooled, cut the domes off the cake layers using a serrated knife. Brush each layer with the cooled, simple syrup.
- Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand.Pro tip - If you plan to move the cake again, it is best to use a cake circle under the cake, so you can pick the cake with its base and without any accidents.
- Top with a big dollop of buttercream – spread evenly using a straight-edge spatula.
- Then, top the second cake layer on top followed by buttercream and the last cake.Pro tip - It is best to lift individual cake layers on pieces of clean cardboard or cake lifter so you do not break them from table to cake.
- Place the cake in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes. Pro tip - Chilling the cake at this point will ensure the layers don't move when you frost the outside. Though, if you leave the cake uncovered in the fridge for too long it can dry out. So, 10 minutes is all you need.
- Spread the remaining buttercream around and top of the cake.Pro tip - A straight-edge spatula fo the top, an off-set spatula and bench scraper for the sides work better.
- Place the remaining frosting in a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe swirls on top of the cake.
- Decorate with sprinkles or as desired.
Recipe Notes
- Fondant cake - This cake can be covered with fondant. It is a butter-based cake and works beautifully in tiered wedding cakes.
- Lighter cake - You can whip the eggs separately to make the cake light and fluffy just as I have done in my recipe for light and fluffy vanilla cake.
- Naked cake - This is a fairly simple recipe that can be used to make a naked cake. And yet, I do have a one-bowl vanilla cake recipe decorated as a naked-cake. Perhaps you can try using that recipe as a base.
- Freezing the cake - Freeze it on a baking tray for a few hours then wrap well in cling/plastic wrap, followed by a parchment paper and then aluminum foil. Thaw wrapped in the fridge for 24 hours so the condensation will stay on the papers, not the cake.
Storage
- Once decorated the cake does not need to be refrigerated.
- It can stay at room temperature for two days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Once cut always cover the cut side of the cake with cling/plastic wrap so the cake does not dry out.
Other pan suggestions
- If you don't want to make a layer cake like this,
- You can make this into a sheet cake - a 'Vanilla Sheet Cake'.
- You can also pour the batter into a well-greased and dusted bundt pan for a 'Vanilla Bundt Cake'.
- This recipe can also be baked into 24 beautiful vanilla cupcakes
Nutrition Information
Calories: 628- kcalCarbohydrates: 83- gProtein: 5- gFat: 31- gSaturated Fat: 15- gCholesterol: 86- mgSodium: 361- mgPotassium: 131- mgFiber: 1- gSugar: 60- gVitamin A: 637- IUCalcium: 59- mgIron: 2- mg
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Did you make this recipe? Share it with me.Tag @veenaazmanov on instagram or #hashtag it #veenaazmanov
Janeen Deveaux
Week 2 Day 2- done I have made my cake.
Zolisa
Can I replace butter with oil?
Veena Azmanov
Zolisa. This cake works better with butter.
Karis
Hello ms. Veena, i really like your vanilla cake, it's so moist. Can i make it in 2 rectangular pan 9x13
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, karis. Yes, this recipe would work in a 9 x 13 pan as well. Happy you are enjoying this recipe
Amanda Rose
Week 2 day 2
Matilda Veena
Hi Veena,
Really love your cake recipes. Thank you for sharing it.
Can I use amul whipping cream or any other substitute instead of vegetable shortening in the vanilla Butter Cream. 🙂
Veena Azmanov
Amul whipping cream can be used as a substitute for whipping cream in the recipe, not for the vegetable shortening.
You can use butter, firm ghee, or firm coconut oil instead of vegetable shortening for the buttercream