Name: Soft Vanilla Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2¼ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour; ¼ cup (25 g) cornstarch; ½ tsp baking soda; 1 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp salt (omit if using salted butter); ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature; ½ cup (105 g) unflavored vegetable oil (canola preferred); 1⅔ cups (332 g) granulated sugar; 3 large eggs, room temperature; 1¼ tbsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp white vinegar; 1½ cups (337 g) buttermilk, room temperature; 1½ cups (340 g) unsalted butter, room temperature; 3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar (icing sugar); 1½ tsp vanilla extract; 1½ tbsp milk or heavy cream

Soft Vanilla Cake

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This soft vanilla cake has the most tender crumb and rich flavor — perfect for birthdays, celebrations, or anytime you want a classic homemade dessert.

Author: Sarah
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 2 hours 10 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Vanilla Cake:

2¼ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour

¼ cup (25 g) cornstarch

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)

½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup (105 g) unflavored vegetable oil (canola preferred)

1⅔ cups (332 g) granulated sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1¼ tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp white vinegar

1½ cups (337 g) buttermilk, room temperature

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

1½ cups (340 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar (icing sugar)

1½ tsp vanilla extract

1½ tbsp milk or heavy cream

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Instructions

Vanilla Cake:

Preheat oven to 330°F (165°C) with fan on. Grease and line two 8-inch cake tins.

Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter, oil, and sugar with a hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).

Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each. Then mix in vanilla, vinegar, and ½ cup buttermilk.

Set mixer aside. Gently fold in half the dry ingredients with a spatula.

Add the remaining 1 cup of buttermilk and fold in, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients. Fold gently just until combined—do not overmix.

Divide the batter evenly between pans. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool cakes in pans for 15–20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

In a stand mixer bowl, add butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.

Mix on low for 1 minute, then beat on medium-high for 10 minutes, scraping the bowl halfway.

Use to frost cooled cake layers.

Notes

Flour Option: You can replace all-purpose flour + cornstarch with 325g of cake flour.

Mixing Tip: Always fold the batter by hand at the end to avoid tough cake texture.

Sweetness: This is a classic American buttercream, but for a less sweet version, consider Swiss meringue buttercream.

Oven Tip: If not using a fan-forced oven, increase baking temp to 175°C (347°F).

Find it online: https://allrecipesmade.com/soft-vanilla-cake/