Vanilla Sheet Cake
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This buttery vanilla sheet cake is moist and tender with the perfect vanilla flavor and soft cake crumb. It’s made in a 9×13 inch pan – it requires no decorating skills and transports so easily. Top with creamy vanilla frosting for the perfect cake to feed a crowd.
This vanilla sheet cake recipe is the perfect one to add to your baking repertoire. It’s moist, flavorful, not too sweet, and has a soft and tender cake crumb. It’s the perfect sister recipe to my chocolate sheet cake, red velvet sheet cake, or carrot cake. Today I topped the cake with vanilla buttercream, but you can easily change up the recipe with different frostings.
I love making sheet cakes for a few key reasons:
- There’s no decorating skills needed or toppling cake layers to worry about
- They feed a good amount of people
- They transport so easily
- The ratio of cake to frosting means that they’re perfect for serving with a scoop of ice cream
The Creaming Method
This vanilla sheet cake uses the creaming method for making cake batter. The creaming method is used when the main form of fat is butter (as opposed to oil). The butter and sugar are beaten together until the butter has lightened in color and the texture looks fluffy. This creates air pockets in the batter for a lighter, fluffier cake and helps to emulsify the butter.
Ingredients
- Cake Flour – this gives your cake the lightest texture, I’ve included a substitution with cornstarch and all-purpose flour if needed in the recipe notes
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda – the conversation
- Unsalted Butter – this recipe uses primarily butter for a super flavorful Cake
- Granulated Sugar – just the right amount so that it’s not too sweet
- Vegetable Oil (or Canola Oil) – this keeps the cake moist for longer compared to just using butter
- Vanilla Extract – use real vanilla extract for the best flavor
- Eggs – the fresher the better! They should be at room temperature
- Sour Cream – keep the cake extra moist and tender compared to just using milk
- Whole Milk – for a moist, fluffy cake – be sure to not use skim milk as it doesn’t have enough fat
Step-By-Step with Photos & Tips
- Prep. Start by preheating the oven to 350F (180C) and preparing your metal baking pan. You’ll lightly grease the pan, then dust with flour.
- Combine the Dry Ingredients. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then whisk for for about 20 seconds.
- Cream the Butter and Sugar. In a large bowl, you’ll beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy and lightened in color. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Be sure to turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times.
- Mix in the Oil and Vanilla Extract. These go into the butter mixture.
- Beat in the Eggs, 1 at a Time. It’s important to add the eggs 1 at a time to ensure proper mixing, without over mixing.
- Mix in the Sour Cream. At this point, the mixture should look fluffy and creamy.
- Mix in the Dry Ingredients, Alternating with the Milk. It’s important not to dump all of the dry ingredients and all of the milk in at once – this leads to overmixing and an inconsistent cake crumb. Instead, mix in about 1/2 of the dry ingredients alternating with about 1/2 of the milk. Then repeat the process.
- I always do the last additions by hand with a wire whisk to help avoid over mixing.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 32-38 minutes, or until the top looks set, the cake is starting to pull away from the edges and an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist cake crumbs.
- Always go by the tests, and not just a timer. Oven times vary.
Make Ahead Tips
Fresh cake is always best – however, leftovers will keep well if stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days in the fridge.
Cake can be made the day before you plan to serve it. Cool fully, then wrap tightly and store at room temperature. Make the frosting the day you plan to serve and store at room temperature (not in direct sunlight) until you’re ready to serve. If your kitchen is particularly warm – then I recommend storing in the fridge. Bring the cake out of the oven and let it sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before enjoying.
Unfrosted cake can be wrapped tightly in plastic, then wrapped tightly in foil and frozen for up to 2 months. Always thaw in the fridge. Thawing frozen cake on the counter leads to a gummy texture.
More Vanilla Cakes & Cupcakes
Vanilla Sheet Cake
Equipment
- 9×13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan*
Ingredients
Vanilla Sheet Cake
- 2¾ cup cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3½-4½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼-½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup whipping cream, or heavy cream (33-35% MF), cold
- food coloring, optional
- sprinkles, optional
Instructions
Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). Lightly grease and flour a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) metal baking pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together for about 20 seconds. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, beat together the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Beat the oil and vanilla extract into the butter mixture.
- Mix the eggs into the butter mixture 1 at a time, turning off the mixer and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. The mixture should look fluffy at this point.
- Beat the sour cream into the butter mixture.
- Mix the dry ingredients and milk into the butter mixture, alternating between additions. I always do about ½ of the flour mixture, alternating with ½ of the milk. Then repeat the process. Always scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition. I recommend doing the last addition of milk by hand using a wire whisk to avoid overmixing.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 32-37 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs and the edges of the cake are starting to pull away from the pan. The top of the cake should be slightly springy to the touch. Always cool the cake in the pan.
Vanilla Buttercream
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until fluffy.
- Add in 3 cups powdered sugar, along with the salt, vanilla extract and optional food coloring (start slow with food coloring). Beat together, starting with the mixer on a low speed.
- Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time, alternating with a tablespoon of whipping cream until the desired thickness and sweetness is reached. It should be thick and creamy, but still thin enough to spread.
- Frost with a flat-edge knife or the back of a spoon. Optionally, decorate with sprinkles
Notes
- Cake Flour: If you do not have cake flour, measure out 2⅓ cup all purpose flour. Add in ⅓ cup cornstarch. Sift together 3 times. Do not use self-rising cake flour!
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Butter, eggs, milk and sour cream must be at room temperature for a consistent cake crumb. Cold ingredients will lead to overmixing, which causes a tough cake and air tunnels in the batter.
- Sour Cream: May be substituted with plain, full-fat Greek yogurt – I much prefer sour cream however.
- Whole Milk: Do not use skim milk, as it doesn’t have enough fat.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days. If cake has been in the fridge, let cake sit on the counter for 30-60 minutes before enjoying.
- Nutrition: Details are an estimate only and based on 1 slice with frosting, assuming the cake is sliced into 15 uniform pieces and all the frosting is used.
