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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Hi! I made this cake a few weeks ago and I was so pleased with the way it turned out; perfect flavor and beautiful crumb!! I do have one question: what’s the difference between mixing the eggs with the milk versus mixing the eggs in at the end after the milk has been mixed in? I’ve seen recipes that used both techniques and I’m curious to know the difference in the outcome of there is any. :
Hi Rebecca, It’s better to add them with the milk because it reduces overall mixing time, which keeps the cake tender — the more you mix, the more you activate the gluten, which can make the cake tough.
Hi, I just baked this cake, it’s actually the first cake I have ever baked, and it was absolutely amazing! I’m pretty pleased it turned out almost perfect first time. I have a question though about the frosting; I found it quite sweet, is it possible to use less sugar or will it make the frosting too “runny”? I used 6 cups as per recipe, thanks
Hi Maria, I wouldn’t reduce it too much but you can probably reduce it a little without the frosting getting too thin. You could also try replacing some of the butter with more cream cheese, which will make it a little more stable and also add some tang to balance the sweetness.
Thanks I shall try that next time. I have another question sorry, how do I store the cake? I didn’t think of this earlier but as it has cream cheese will it go bad if left out? I left it covered on the kitchen counter for 2 days and it seemed to taste fine but now I’m worried it might not be and that I should have put it in the fridge! Thanks for this recipe by the way, the cake is absolutely delicious!
Hi Maria, It’s fine for a few days at room temperature, but you can also store it in the fridge — just be sure to bring to room temperature before serving 🙂
Hi Jen,
I made this cake for my son’s first birthday and he loved it! I wish I can send you a picture of him devouring the cake. Thank you for the recipe!
So glad to hear it, Lu. Please do send a photo (jennifer@onceuponachef.com) — I would love to see it!
Hello,
I’m making a mini stacker cake for my daughter’s first birthday and the recipe I’m looking at uses a 8×4 loaf pan and a betty Crocker cake mix. Do you think its wise to follow the same baking instructions with your cake recipe? The directions are to bake the 8×4 cake mix at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. I’m thinking it should be okay but I’d love to know what you think!
Thanks
Hi Alana, I’d start checking at 30 minutes, although it may take a bit longer. Good luck, and please let me know how it turns out 🙂
Will do, thanks 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I followed your advice to check the cake at 30 minutes and sure enough the cake was ready. It turned out beautifully. Nice flavor and the texture is just right. Your recipe had plenty of batter for the 8×4 pan and 12 cupcakes. We haven’t served the cake yet, I frosted and froze the batch, but we had a few samplers and it was delicious. I’ll try to snap a picture of the stacker cake and post it after the celebration. This recipe is a keeper for birthdays to come.
Thanks!
Please do, Alana. I would love to see it.
Hi I was just wondering if the almond extract can be left out if so wld I need to alter the recipe and also can the icing be coloured
Hi Sandy, Yes, it’s fine to omit the almond extract — just replace with more vanilla. And, yes, the icing may be colored 🙂
In case there might be any vegans or folks with allergies out there, this recipe works wonderful when you follow the directions exactly and use margarine, egg-replacer, and dairy-free milk in replacement for butter, eggs and milk. It was wonderful! I personally used cashew milk and it turned out so nice and fluffy. Thank you!
Good to know, Memie. Thank you!
Wow that’s great!
Now has anyone tried it with glutin-free flour?
I use cup for cup glutin free flour.
Hi, I was wondering if it is necessary to use whole milk? Also is there any way I could incorporate strawberries for the filling?
Hi Olivia, You can use low fat milk no problem (that’s what I use). Strawberries would be delicious.
Hi Jenn
Can you email me a similar recipe to the vanilla birthday cake that uses whole eggs?
TIA.
Jasmine
Hi Jasmine, Here’s a link. I just posted it 🙂
https://summit-node.live/recipes/buttermilk-cupcakes-cream-cheese-frosting.html%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
wasn’t terrible, but wasn’t that great either. texture was nice and it was moist, but it smelled like, and then TASTED like cornbread – like sweet cornbread. my husband and son thought so too.
won’t be making this again.
the search continues…
Hi Miriam, Sorry you were disappointed with the cake. That’s very odd that it tasted like cornbread! Did you by chance use any cornmeal in the recipe?
no! that’s why i was so confused! i mean, the cornbread-ness was faint, but it was there. like vanilla cornbread… so strange. i followed the recipe to a tee.
*shrugs*
This cake is so moist and flavorful and is wonderful with any type of ice cream. The cream cheese in the icing makes the icing have a great flavor. I especially like that the icing recipe was a large enough quantity that made icing and decorating the cake easy. I just iced it with my knife but next time I will try using a pastry bag. I think the icing will hold some shape and give a pretty look to the cake. If you like a good white cake this is a winner! My son’s birthday meal was your pesto shrimp, your black bean, corn and avocado salad and this cake. We had a complete Jenn meal. Thank you so much!