Easy Moist Vanilla Cake. Fluffy, Light, and Homemade!
Table of Contents
A Winner of a Recipe for Moist Vanilla Cake!
I’ve been meaning to upload a white cake recipe for a long time, but before I did so, I wanted to make sure that it was the perfect white cake. I wanted to share a recipe that would give you a fluffy, moist vanilla cake that was practically foolproof. After a few months in the lab I finally came up with this recipe, and it’s definitely a winner!
For my vanilla cake, I use cake flour instead of regular all purpose flour. Cake flour is more fine than all purpose flour, and, in my opinion, it makes a fluffier cake. To keep the cake nice and pure white, I only use egg whites. Using egg yolks will turn the cake yellow, so be sure to separate those eggs!
Although you can certainly decorate your cake however you choose, I decided to dress my vanilla cake up with beautiful rose swirls. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love roses (Rosie loves roses, who would’ve known 😀 ). With it being spring and all I thought that a rose cake would be perfect. Why? Let’s think about it. Spring equals flowers. Besides, I know a lot of people (including myself) that will be celebrating their wedding anniversaries this time of the year, and this cake is perfect for that occasion! Besides anniversaries, this cake would be perfect for:
- bridal showers
- small weddings
- Easter
- Mother’s Day
- and Spring/ Summer birthday parties!
The frosting that I used for this cake was a simple buttercream.
Buttercream Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 sticks softened butter, unsalted
- 8 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Directions
- Mixed the ingredients until nice a creamy! (SUPER easy!!)
Keep in mind that you don’t have to use as much buttercream as I used. Especially if you’re not going to do the rose swirls.
Decorating Tips
- For decorating, I used about 2 cups of buttercream for a crumb coat. After making this cake, I actually think that I should have colored the crumb coat pink, instead of using white buttercream. I think a pink crumb coat would have looked better. Although this cake was still gorgeous.
- My cake is ombre. I started off with the dark colors on the bottom, and the colors on top were lighter. For the coloring, I divided the buttercream into two separate bowls. In one bowl I dropped in two drops of Wilton’s Gel Food Coloring in magenta, and in the other bowl I added 4 drops of the same coloring.
- For the Rose Swirls, I used a Wilton 1M Tip, and, of course, I placed each color of buttercream into a separate piping bag.
As of now, I am a beginner when it comes to cake decorating. If I can do this, I know you can do it too. It looks complicated, but I promise you that creating these rose swirls are super easy. Below is the recipe for the vanilla cake, but check out my video for the cake & decorating tutorial!
Watch the tutorial here, and follow me on Pinterest!
Let me know how you enjoyed this recipe. Tag me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, subscribe to I Heart Recipes on YouTube, and check out my brand new cookbook, Super Soul Food with Cousin Rosie, loaded with many recipes you can’t find anywhere else.
Moist Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 sticks/1 cup softened butter unsalted
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 egg whites
- 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- In a large bowl cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and egg whites.
- In a separate bowl add the cake flour, salt, and baking powder. Sift together.
- Start alternating adding the flour and the buttermilk into the bowl of wet ingredients, while mixing on a low speed.
- Once the cake batter is nice and smooth pour the batter into two 9 inch greased and floured cake pans.
- Bake the cakes on 350 F for 25 – 30 minutes or until done.
- Remove the cakes from the oven, remove them from the cake pans, and place them on a cooling rack.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
- Watch my tutorial on how to do the Rose Swirls.
Beautiful rose cake!!! Have a Happy Easter!
Thank you! Happy Easter!
SO Beautiful and very Creative! I can tell you love to cook and bake. This cake should have been placed on the Spring cover of Better Homes and Gardens magazine!
Thanks for sharing. Lovely bouquet!
Thank you! I appreciate the compliment sweetie! XOXO
If the eggs are used without being separated, it will be a yellow cake , but will it turn out ok ? And could a hand mixer be used ?
Yes, to both questions. 😀
I can’t wait to make this cake, your red velvet cake is a new family favorite. You’ve actually shown me that decorating a cake can be simple yet elegant. Looking forward to more recipes and how to videos.
Yes. Cake decorating can be fun, and easy. I have more cake recipes coming, so stay tuned! XOXO
Hi I live in Sri Lanka and cant find buttermilk here.Whats the alternative to it that would still give the delicious cake?
Hi Methma! A alternative is 1 cup of regular milk and 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Mix, the two, and let sit for 5 minutes, then use. 🙂
Is this cake more moist or dry? I have been looking for a moist vanilla cake for years!
It’s a moist cake
Hi, your cake is so beautiful! Do you sift the sugar first and then measure it or do you sift it first and then measure the sugar?
Thanks!
Yes, sift the sugar for the frosting 🙂
Ms. Rosie….!
I tried this cake and LOOOOVED IT! Next time I’ll be sure to take a picture! Thank you so much for this and I look forward to more cake recipes!!!
Just found your site, I love it. Can I use this cake for the coconut cake recipe you posted with a box mix and can I substitute the coconut milk for buttermilk?
Thank you☺️
That would be another recipe 🙂
Ms. Rosie, your recipe is so easy to follow and looks soft & fluffy. Just wanna ask if it’s possible to double mix the recipe? Will it be still be fine for the outcome? Because I have a 10 inches round tin baking pan…thank you.
Hi there! I wouldn’t double it for a 10 inch cake pan.
I made this Sunday and it was so moist and a crowd pleaser in my house. Thank you