Vanilla Birthday Cake with Old-Fashioned Vanilla Buttercream
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This classic white cake is soft, moist, and tender, with fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting—perfect for birthdays and every celebration in between.
I’ve made this simple vanilla cake every year for my daughter’s birthday since she was two years old. The cake portion of recipe is adapted from one of my favorite baking books, Perfect Cakes by Nick Malgieri, and the vanilla buttercream frosting comes from my great-grandmother’s recipe box.
“Everyone who ate this cake raved about it! This recipe reminds me of the cakes I ate as a kid.”
What you’ll need to make vanilla birthday cake
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 2: Cream butter and sugar. Beat the softened butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Mix liquid ingredients. In a bowl or large measuring cup, combine the egg whites and milk. Whisk well to combine.
Pro tip: 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.)
Step 4: Alternate wet and dry ingredients. Beat in the vanilla and almond extract, then add one-quarter of the flour mixture and beat on low speed. Next, add one-third of the milk/egg mixture. Continue alternating adding the flour and milk mixtures, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
The finished batter should be completely smooth.
Step 5: Fill the pans. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and smooth the tops.
Step 6: Bake and cool. 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.
Step 7: Make the frosting. While the cake cools, in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until well combined. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth, then beat in the vanilla and salt. If the frosting is too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk or cream.
Step 8: Frost the cake. Once the layers are completely cool, ice the cake. You can spread the frosting smooth, or swirl it casually with a butter knife. I like to scatter some festive nonpareils or confetti sprinkles on the edges for color. Or for a change, try topping the cake with heaps of shredded sweetened coconut—it’s amazing.
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Vanilla Birthday Cake with Old-Fashioned Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients
For the Cake Layers
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (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
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 6 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray two 8-in (20-cm) cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Cut two 8-in (20-cm) 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.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- 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.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the egg whites and milk by hand in a medium bowl until just combined.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese until creamy and well combined.
- Gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat in the vanilla and salt. If the frosting is too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk or cream.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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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can I use coconut sugar instead of the granulayed sugar
Hi Lacey, I don’t have any experience with coconut sugar, so I don’t know how it would impact the cake. Sorrry!
Hi Jenn,
I only have buttermilk, almond and coconut milk on hand. Would you suggest using the buttermilk in place of the whole milk and can I bake this in a Bundt pan?
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
So glad you like the recipes! I’d suggest using almond milk if you don’t have any regular milk on hand. I would not recommend making this in a Bundt pan; I’m concerned it would stick. If you feel strongly about making a Bundt cake, I’d suggest this one instead – it’s delish!
Hi Jenn,
This birthday cake is a hit and making it again but this time round, I need to make a 10″ should I just double the recipe? or add half to the original? If so, is this correct – just want to make sure I don’t mess up the amount
3 cups all-purpose flour,
3 teaspoons baking powder
¼ + 1/8 teaspoon salt
18 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
9 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/8 cup whole milk, at room temperature
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
18 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
9 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Yes, Sara, I’d go with 1.5 times the recipe for 10″ pans. Math is not my strong suit, but I just eyeballed your measurements and they look right to me. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jen,
I love your recipes–they are user friendly and uniformly delicious. I made this cake for my husband’s birthday yesterday. His request was a white cake with chocolate icing. I used your chocolate lovers’ chocolate cake buttercream with this white cake and i think i prefer a “harder’ icing for that cake, if that makes sense. Do you have a suggestion for me for next year? I have been searching for a white cake (not yellow) for years with no success until now but dark chocolate frosting is a must as well.
Thanks.
karen
Hi Karen, so glad you like the recipes! Based on the texture you’d like to achieve, I’d look for a recipe for a traditional American buttercream. Hope you find something that works!
Hello – just curious this cake is only made with egg whites. Thanks
Hi June, it’s intended to be a white cake and whole eggs would give it more of a yellow tint. It’s also a bit lighter as a result of only using egg whites.
Thank you Jen. I love your recipes
Hi! My daughter wants a galaxy cake with a vanilla chocolate layer cake… would you recommend a chocolate cake I can layer this delicious sounding vanilla cake?
Hi Adrienne, this would be a great option. Hope your daughter enjoys! 🙂
Thank you!!
My friend wants a funfetti cake. Can I add sprinkles to the batter? If so. How much?
Hi Jennifer, you can add sprinkles to this but I have a funfetti cake that I would recommend instead. Hope your friend enjoys if you make it!
Can I use Swiss Meringue Buttercream instead?
Yes, definitely!
“Combine the dry ingredients” no, don’t! You need the sugar for the butter! I wasted some ingredients but overall it turned out delicious.
Excellent cake, have made it twice with great results. Very easy & light cake that is now my go to cake recipe.