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Vanilla Birthday Cake with Old-Fashioned Vanilla Buttercream

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By Jenn Segal
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This moist and delicious birthday cake recipe is adapted from one of my favorite baking books, Perfect Cakes by Nick Malgieri.

vanilla birthday cake

My daughter is turning eight years old this week, and she’s been begging me for two things: a puppy and her favorite vanilla birthday cake. The puppy is definitely not going to happen – we already have one crazy dog – but the cake’s easy. I’ve been making this simple vanilla cake every year on her birthday since she was two. The cake portion of recipe is adapted from one of my favorite baking books, Perfect Cakes by Nick Malgieri, and the frosting recipe was handed down from my great-grandmother.

What you’ll need to make vanilla birthday cake

Cake ingredients including eggs, vanilla, and cream cheese.

Step-by-Step Instructions

To begin, combine the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Dry cake ingredients in a glass bowl.

Whisk well to combine.

Whisk in a bowl of dry ingredients.

Next, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Butter and sugar creamed in a stand mixer.

Meanwhile, whisk together the egg whites and milk. Be sure the eggs are at room temperature, otherwise your batter may curdle. To warm them up quickly, place them in a bowl of hot water before cracking them. When the butter and sugar are creamed, beat in the vanilla and almond extract, then add one-quarter of the flour mixture and beat on low speed.

Flour in a stand mixer with creamed butter and sugar.

Next, add one-third of the milk/egg mixture.

Milk mixture added to a stand mixer.

Continue alternating adding the flour and milk mixtures, scraping down the bowl as necessary. The batter will look like this.

Smooth, light cake batter in a stand mixer.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and smooth the tops.

Round cake pans filled with batter.

Bake the layers for 25 to 30 minutes, until they are set and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the layers in the pans for five minutes, then unmold onto racks to finish cooling.

Two round cakes on a wire rack.

While the cake cools, make the frosting. Begin by combining the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer.

Unmixed butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Beat until well combined.

Cream cheese and butter mixture in a stand mixer.

Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth.

Sugar in a stand mixer with a cream cheese and butter mixture.

Then beat in the vanilla and salt.

Gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat in the vanilla and salt. If the frosting is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk or cream.

If the frosting is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk or cream.

Vanilla buttercream in the bowl of a stand mixer.

When the layers are cool, frost the cake.

how to make vanilla cake

You can spread the frosting smooth, or swirl it casually with a butter knife. Since it’s an all white cake, I like to scatter some festive nonpareils or confetti sprinkles on the edges for color.

how to make vanilla cake

Or for a change, try topping the cake with heaps of shredded sweetened coconut — it’s amazing.

vanilla birthday cake

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Vanilla Birthday Cake with Old-Fashioned Vanilla Buttercream

Metric Cup Measures
By Jenn Segal
Cake portion adapted from Perfect Cakes by Nick Malgieri

This moist and delicious birthday cake recipe is adapted from one of my favorite baking books, Perfect Cakes by Nick Malgieri.

Servings: Makes one 8-inch 2-layer cake, or 24 cupcakes
Total Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

For the Cake Layers

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with back edge of knife
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup whole milk, at room temperature
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract

For the Buttercream

  • 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 6 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Pinch salt

Instructions

For the Cake

  1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Spray two 8-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Cut two 8-inch rounds of parchment paper and line the bottom of each pan; spray the paper with nonstick spray. (To measure the parchment paper, just trace the bottom of the pan.)
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until very soft and light. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.
  4. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg whites and milk by hand in a medium bowl until just combined.
  5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in one-quarter of the flour mixture, then one-third of the milk mixture, stopping and scraping down the bowl and beater after each addition. Beat in another quarter of the flour, then another third of the milk mixture. Scrape again. Repeat with another quarter of the flour and the remaining milk mixture; scrape. Finally, beat in the remaining flour mixture.
  6. Scrape the bowl with a large rubber spatula. Don't worry if the the batter looks a little grainy. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and smooth the tops.
  7. Bake the cakes for 25 to 30 minutes, until they are set and a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean. Cool the cakes in the pans on rack for 5 minutes, then unmold onto rack to finish cooling right side up (keep parchment paper underneath cake layers so they don't stick to rack). When cake layers are completely cool, transfer to cake plate and frost with vanilla buttercream. (I always flip the bottom layer of the cake so that the domed side is facing down and touching the plate. That way, the surface that you're icing is flat and will minimize any separating between the two layers when you put the other layer on top of it.)

For the Vanilla Buttercream

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese until creamy and well combined.
  2. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat in the vanilla and salt. If the frosting is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk or cream.
  3. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake layers can be frozen, without frosting, for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, double-wrap them securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop and then frost before serving.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (12 - 14 servings)
  • Calories: 571
  • Fat: 23 g
  • Saturated fat: 14 g
  • Carbohydrates: 88g
  • Sugar: 73 g
  • Fiber: 0 g
  • Protein: 4 g
  • Sodium: 167 mg
  • Cholesterol: 63 mg
Nutritional Data Disclaimer

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

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  • Thank you for the great website.
    Help! I made the buttercream icing, and it is still runny. I can’t imagine adding more than the 6 cups sugar. I think it is the cream cheese I used, its from a creamery, and not the national brand. It started out looking more like icing before I added the butter and sugar. Any quick fix ideas? It is in the fridge now.
    Also, can you think of a resourceful way to use the remaining 6 egg yolks from the cake?

    Callie, ON

    • Hi Callie, It may firm up just fine in the fridge. Have you checked on it?

  • My go to recipe now also. Thank you very much for sharing and illustrating so well.

    For info – I had a big party to cater for so doubled your recipe and divided amongst 2 pans, 9 x 13″. Cake rose to approx 1″ which is perfect for layering. So in other words, you really need to double the recipe to get a good result in a 9 x 13″ pan in my opinion.

  • I am making my daughters birthday cake for 25 people. I have a 7 inch, 8inch, and 10 inch spring form pan only. Can I use this receipe in a 10 inch sping form pan, then cut the cake in the middle instead of using 2 x 8 or 9 inch? I want the cake to be large enough without having to go buy another pan.

    • Hi Stacey, Unfortunately, I can’t advise baking the cake in a different pan. I’m afraid it won’t bake properly. It’s fine to use the inexpensive metal cake pans sold at the grocery store.

      • Hi Jenn, I’ll be testing it out first. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

  • This cake is unbelievable! I love the vanilla and almond combo! So delicious! The frosting is also yummy! This was my first time making my husband a birthday cake and I’ll definitely be doing it again! Easy to make, especially with your great instructions ! I also made it gluten free using King Arthur flour. Thanks Jen! 🙂

  • When you have the measurements as “1-1/2 cups butter” what do you mean by those measurements? Do you mean 1 and 1/2 cups butter or 1 – 1/2 cups better?

    • Hi Sasha, 1-1/2 cups means one cup plus another 1/2 cup.

  • Hi- I’m making this cake a day ahead. Would you recommend frosting it a day ahead as well? How would you recommend storing it?

    • Hi Lisa, It’s fine to make it a day ahead but I would actually wait to frost it. When the cake layers have cooled completely, wrap them in saran wrap and refrigerate. A few hours before serving (you don’t want the cake to be cold), unwrap the layers and frost the cake, then keep it at room temperature. Hope you enjoy it and please come back and let me know how it turns out 🙂

  • My vanilla cupcakes turned out more spongy than a crumb like texture. What did I do wrong?

    • Hi Linda, Happy to help troubleshoot. Did you make any substitutions?

      • No, and I made sure the milk, eggs and butter were room temperature. Thought I followed mixing directions correctly but wonder if that might have been the problem.

        • Hi Linda, So sorry for the late reply; I missed your response and am just now seeing it. Anyway, I’m a little stumped. Usually these things are the result of substitutions or mistakes, like using baking soda instead of baking powder or not measuring properly. Because the cake is made with egg whites, it is very light with a tight crumb and fine texture. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful. Perhaps try again, or if you’d like to try a yellow cake instead that uses whole eggs, I’m happy to email it to you.

  • I love to bake and have tried all different recipes from different websites. This is the ABSOLUTE BEST cake recipe I have ever found. After I baked the cake the smell, alone, of it and the frosting was to die for! I can’t explain how good it tasted! I will definitely be saving this recipe to use in the future.

  • So glad I found your site. We are currently making your beef stew for a comfort meal to get us through the snowstorm tomorrow.

    I am interested in this cake, and also the one using whole eggs. Would this work for cupcakes or no?

    • Hi Stephanie, I hope you enjoyed the stew! I will email you the yellow cake recipe. Either one will work for cupcakes; just be sure to spray the paper liners with nonstick cooking spray and reduce cook time to 20-22 minutes.

  • And another quick question sorry. Is bit possible to have the amount of ingredients in grams for the butter/flour/sugar etc and ml for milk? I found a cup to gram converter online just wondering if you had the specific gram amounts already? Many thanks again, Katy

    • Hi Katy, Unfortunately, I don’t have the ingredients in grams. Sorry!

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