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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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  • Hello, I’m wondering if your recipe would be good for making cake pops?

    • Hi Fiona, Yes, it should work. Please let me know how they turn out 🙂

  • How long would you say for cupcakes? Just cooked them for 30mins and definitely way too long.

    • — Jade Rowbotham
    • Reply

    • Hi Jade, Cook time for 24 cupcakes is 20-22 min.

  • I am not a very experienced baker, and this turned out perfectly for me! I followed the recipe exactly for the cake and frosting, except that I used an electric hand mixer. Served at my son’s 2nd birthday party to rave reviews!

  • I made this tonight and used berry juice to naturally change the frosting color and it is too runny. What ingredient would I add more of in the future to avoid this? The confectioners sugar? Thanks!

    • Yes, more confectioners’ sugar will thicken it up.

  • Hi! Your cake looks delicious. I was going to do a two layer 13×9 rectangular cake as we have about 25 people for a birthday party. Could you please suggest the best way to do this.

    Thank you!

    • Hi Jennifer, I think you’d need to double the recipe.

      • Thank you Jenn. The cake was delicious and I used the extra batter for cupcakes. Everyone loved them! I would definitely recommend this recipe. I ended up making a three layer round with buttercream and cream cheese frosting (that you suggested) and a friend’s homemade strawberry jam. I can’t wait to try more of your wonderful recipes!

  • Could I use store bought egg whites rather than 6 large egg whites? if so how many cups please? Thanks.

    • Hi Kumu, I don’t recommend it. Sorry!

  • Hi! I really want to make this for my daughter’s birthday party, but need a 10 inch round, topped with an 8. How do you suggest making that work? I have to feed 36people, so a single 8 won’t cut it. 🙁

    • Hi Candice, You’ll have enough batter or an 8-inch and 10-inch but your cake will be a little on the low side. You might want to multiply the recipe by 1.5. If you have any extra batter you can always bake a few cupcakes. If you increase the recipe, you might consider this cake instead to avoid having so many egg yolks left over: https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/buttermilk-cupcakes-cream-cheese-frosting.html

      Good luck and please let me know how it turns out 🙂

  • Help!? Just made this cake and I didn’t skip the egg yolks which is probably the problem. It turned out so thick and dense! The flavor is perfect though! What the heck did I do wrong?!?

    • — Crystal Pallesen
    • Reply

    • Hi Crystal, Yes the egg yolks will do it — it must be made with whites only. Hope you’ll try it again 🙂

  • Made this cake for my son’s birthday, and it was a hit! Moist, delicious, tender crumb. It is now our family’s most requested Birthday cake!

  • Hello! I’d like to decorate like one of these:

    http://www.cakecentral.com/gallery/i/1507537/lions-head-cake

    http://www.cakecentral.com/gallery/i/1521217/lionheart-cake

    Is this frosting suitable? (And, is there enough?) Thanks!

    • Hi Dorothy, You should have enough frosting but it won’t hold it’s shape well for decorating — you’ll need to replace all or most of the butter with Crisco. Good luck and please let me know how it turns out. I would love to see a photo 🙂

      • Thanks! I’m frosting it today. Is the frosting enough if I’m to crumb-coat it, too? I’ve never done this “right” – I’m excited!

        • Hi Dorothy, Should be enough. Enjoy and pls let me know how it turns out 🙂

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