Homemade Vanilla Cake is the easiest homemade cake recipe you will ever make! Just 4 simple ingredients you likely already have on hand: sugar, eggs, flour, and vanilla.
This simple recipe is a cross between angel food cake and sponge cake & is perfect for so many occasions.
Easiest Homemade Cake recipe EVER!
Homemade Vanilla Cake may sound complicated, but I assure you, making a cake from scratch doesn’t have to be difficult. I’m about to blow your mind with this easy cake recipe! Just 4 common ingredients and about 10 minutes total prep time and your homemade cake will be baking away in the oven.
Meanwhile, you can get your cake toppings prepared, I am partial to fresh seasonal berries on top. They pair perfectly with the cake texture and make for a sweet and savory treat. Feel free to use your imagination for your toppings, you really can’t go wrong with the delicious simplicity of this cake.
Easy Homemade Vanilla Cake Ingredients:
For the Cake, You Will Need:
-Granulated sugar- You will need 1 ½ cups of sugar for this recipe, it will provide just the right amount of sweetness.
-Eggs: Grab 6 large eggs from the refrigerator to whip this cake up! These will help with the richness of taste as well as the binding.
-Flour: You need 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour for the base of the cake batter.
-Vanilla: 2 teaspoons of vanilla are called for in the recipe, but feel free to add a little extra if you like it a bit stronger. Using high-quality vanilla would also give a stronger flavor.
For the Almond Glaze, You Will Need:
-Butter: You will need 1 tablespoon of melted butter to make the glaze nice and rich.
-Almond extract: Use ½ teaspoon of almond extract to give this delicious glaze a nice contrasting flavor.
-Powdered sugar: Using 1 cup of powdered sugar will result in a lovely creamy glaze with a perfectly smooth texture.
-Milk: You need 3 tablespoons of milk to make this glaze into the perfect consistency.
Optional Fruit Toppings
-Fresh berries: Using any fresh seasonal berries like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries can be a great way to get your family to enjoy this cake even more. Mix and match for fun flavor and color combinations.
Step by step directions on how to make Easy Homemade Vanilla Cake
Prep
Preheat your oven to 350F degrees and grease a cake pan (Bundt or any kind you have) and dust the inside with flour. Set aside.
Make batter
In a large mixing bowl, combine your sugar and eggs. Mix with an electric mixer for 1 minute.
Add in the flour and vanilla and mix on medium speed for a full 8 minutes. This is an essential part of the recipe, it will be worth it, I promise!
Bake
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean. The cake will be soft to the touch and should register 200F degrees on a thermometer.
Cool
Let the cake cool for 20-30 minutes, then flip it over onto a plate or cake stand to finish cooling completely.
While the cake is cooling it’s time to make the glaze!
Make glaze
Place all of the almond glaze ingredients in a bowl, the melted butter, almond extract, powdered sugar and milk and whisk until smooth.
Pour over the top of the cooled cake and then top with fresh berries.
Voila, your cake is ready for enjoying!
EASY HOMEMADE VANILLA CAKE
Ingredients
Homemade Cake
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 TSP vanilla
- fresh berries for topping
Easy Almond Glaze
- 1 TBSP melted butter
- ½ TSP almond extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 TBSP milk
Instructions
How to make Homemade Vanilla Cake recipe
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a Bundt or regular cake pan.
- Combine sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl and mix for 1 minute. Add in flour and vanilla, then mix on medium speed for 8 minutes.
- Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (Cake will be very soft to the touch and register 200 degrees F on a thermometer.)
- Cool for 20-30 minutes, then invert onto a plate and cool completely. Serve with berries and cream or top with almond glaze, then berries.
How to make Simple Almond Glaze
- Whisk all ingredients together and drizzle on cooled cake. Top with fresh berries, slice & enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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How do you make this Easy Homemade Vanilla cake recipe?
The magic in this cake lies in mixing for the full suggested 8 minutes, as a result, your cake will be light and fluffy for maximized results. I would also recommend using a high-quality vanilla extract. My go-to is the Vanilla Bean Paste as it is thicker, has tons of real vanilla bean flecks, and has a robust vanilla flavor.
How do you bake a homemade cake recipe?
This easy vanilla cake recipe is incredibly versatile! You can bake it in just about any pan but I love the presentation of a Bundt cake as it is so pretty. You can also bake this cake recipe in a 9 x 13 glass pan, or whatever your favorite cake pan is. Then you can top the entire cake with cream and berries just prior to serving, you will be so pleased with the final results. Quick note, once you add the cream and berries it gets a bit trickier to save any leftovers (wait, what is leftover cake?). So you might choose to slice and plate each piece of cake, then top with cream and berries separately to ensure you get to enjoy every slice of cake!
What to serve with homemade vanilla cake?
You can serve anything you want with this delectable homemade cake recipe. In fact, I like to top this cake with fresh berries as it has a delicate, angel food cake texture that pairs well with fruit of just about any kind. Opting for seasonal fruits is a great way to add color and freshness, but throwing a few scoops of ice cream on the plate doesn’t hurt either!
How do I store this cake?
It is recommended to keep refrigerated until a couple of hours before serving. If you chose to add the glaze and topping to the whole cake, storing in a cake tupperware is the best way to store this cake. It also depends on the cake pan used, some cake shapes/sizes will be stored differently.
Can I halve this recipe?
Absolutely! To halve the recipe you will need 3/4 cups sugar, 3 eggs, 3/4 cups flour, and 1 tsp vanilla. Make as directed but bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F in a bread loaf pan. Then slice and serve as desired.
Why is my cake dry?
Having a dry cake is typically the result of one of the following snags: using the wrong ingredients, mistakes while mixing the batter, or possibly baking the cake too long or at too high a temperature. Once you have an understanding on how to avoid these common cake-baking hiccups, you’ll bake a moist cake every time.
Can this cake be frozen and stored?
Yes of course! You can freeze just almost any type of cake, just be sure it’s cooled completely. Similar type of Bundt cakes and pound cake freeze remarkably well, just make sure they’re completely cooled and wrapped tightly before freezing.
If you loved this Easy Homemade Vanilla Cake recipe, be sure to take a look at some of our other easy cake recipes below!
- Chocolate Coca Cola Cake recipe
- Strawberries & Cream Poke Cake
- Mandarin Orange Cake with Whipped Pineapple Frosting
- Chocolate Raspberry Cake
- Buttermilk Banana Cake
- Blueberry Pound Cake
- Easy Pineapple Cake
- Banana Pound Cake
- Butterfly Cupcakes
- Raspberry Cream Cake
- Easy Spiced Apple Cake
- Zucchini Cake
- Easy Lemon Cake
- Berry Dump Cake
- Cinnamon Apple Cake
With just 4 ingredients and a few minutes of your time, you can have a cake batter ready and in the oven. You’re going to love this easy homemade vanilla cake. It’s the perfect cake for summer and enjoying with fresh berries and whipped cream.
shirley gold says
Can i make this vanilla cake marbleized
Jessica says
I’ve tried a few different variations on this cake and find it’s best to just leave it as is. I’ve not tried to do a vanilla chocolate swirl though- if you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons says
Gorgeous and looks so, so simple!
Marie A Potvin says
This looks so easy and I am going to make it tomorrow. Just have to pick up some fresh berries at the market.
Jessica says
I hope you like it! I’ve made it so many times- it’s become one of my favorite cake recipes! Amazing flavor!
Sue Erskine says
You say all purpose flour…Do you mean SR flour..AS no rising agents in cake.. I will use SR , to be on the safe side.
Jessica says
Nope- it’s all purpose flour! The eggs in the cake act as a rising agent. I promise- it works well!
Mary Cobb says
Hi seems like a real simple receipe , do I need to add butter or oil ?
Jessica says
It’s an incredibly simple recipe! Nope- no butter or oil. It ends up tasting like angel food cake, only a bit denser with more flavor. 🙂 I hope you like it!
Laverne Allison says
Do you think I could do this with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour?
Jessica says
I haven’t tried it personally, but it sounds like it’d work well. Let me know if you try it!
Jen says
I didn’t have enough sugar so I substituted 1/2 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup of coconut sugar that I happened to have in my pantry. Well, it turned out terribly. It didn’t really rise and was as dense as a sourdough bread. I’ll try it again but with all granulated sugar, not the coconut sugar. Bummer. (of course, I still ate it because that’s how I roll…)
Jessica says
Oh no Jen- I’m so sorry! I’ve never worked with coconut sugar, so I have zero experience with it. Try it again and I think you’ll enjoy it! It’s a very light, almost angel food cake type consistency. 🙂
Raseena says
How about adding baking soda and baking powder without changing anything else in the recipe? Wil it turn out good?
I made this and it turned out a bit sticky.
Jessica says
I’m not sure Raseena- I’ve made the recipe so many times in a variety of ways and I love it! It’s very much like angel food cake, only less temperamental. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
CakeLover says
I love this recipe so much! It’s fun, easy and quick to make! You should definitely make it! I would give it two big thumbs up and 5 stars! It’s such an easy, simple cake!
Jessica says
I’m so glad you liked it! It’s one of my favorites too!
CakeLover says
The cake is in the oven! I hope it raises!????????
CakeLover says
HACK: use any type of eggs; they all work; I’ve tried 6 different types
CakeLover says
I LOVE IT!
Melody says
This cake is so good I made this as a base for my special banana, strawberry delight cake this is a keeper and everyone loved it so thank you Jessica.
Jessica says
You’re so welcome Melody! I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s a fun recipe- so simple!
RuthElyn says
That banana strawberry delight cake sounds yummy also
Stephanie says
Just took it out of the oven. I used the Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour. It rose beautifully and smells terrific. The batter was pretty sticky, I think the 8 minutes was too long to mix it. If it tastes as good as it smells it’s all good.
Jessica says
Hi Stephanie- yes, mixing time will vary when you use gluten free flour! I hope you enjoyed it! The flavor gets even better after a couple of days. 🙂
Stephanie says
Thanks, everyone thought the cake was great. I was disappointed. I shouldn’t of changed the recipe. I should of made it with regular flour. It was dense. Good flavor. Plus the person I was making it GF for didn’t show up.
Jessica says
Oh dang it!! Yes, it’s generally a pretty light & airy cake– it resembles angel food cake only MUCH easier to make and more flavor. Drop the leftovers off at the GF friend’s house and make it again using regular flour! 😉
Dillon Smith says
I just made it but it wasn’t really fluffy and it was extremely dry. It still tastes amazing but just wish it was more fluffy and it would’ve Rose a little bit more.
Jessica says
It sounds like something didn’t go quite right… the recipe is very similar to angel food cake, so it should be light and fluffy. I’m sorry it didn’t turn out as it should have. 🙁
Megan says
Can you make this in a regular cake pan (vs. a bundt cake)? Thanks!
Jessica says
You sure can! Just adjust bake time depending on what type of pan you’re using– a 9×13 I’d say bake for around 20 minutes, regular 9″ round cake pans, about 15 minutes.
Gaetana says
I did exactly as you said, but mine glaze was terrible. It was not work… it was not white instead the glaze was clear and lumpy
Jessica says
It’s a very basic glaze… do you happen to live in a really humid area? Perhaps adding more powdered sugar would help?
Cakegirl says
It didn’t work out for me sadly. I really wanted to eat it. I mean the cake worked but no the glaze.
Jessica says
It’s a very basic powdered sugar glaze…very easily fixed if you added too much of one ingredient. If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar… too thick, add a little more milk. I’d love to hear how it didn’t work out!
Cathy says
Very good, I just need to be careful not to overbake or it will be dry.