Vanilla Snack Cake Recipe

Name: Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1½ cups cake flour; 1 cup granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ cup vegetable oil; ½ cup whole milk; ½ cup sour cream; 1 egg; 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon almond extract; ¾ cup unsalted butter, (room temperature); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups powdered sugar; 5 tablespoons whole milk

This easy vanilla cake recipe comes out moist and delicious and is then smothered with a tasty buttercream frosting.

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Table of Contents

Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make This Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe
How To Serve This Vanilla Snack Cake
Storing This Easy Moist Cake Recipe
Why We Love This Recipe
More Recipes You’ll Love
JUMP TO RECIPE
Even More Recipes You’ll Love

Anytime the whim strikes, bake up this delightful and easy vanilla cake recipe for a treat. Soft and simple, it is a perfect little dessert packed with rich vanilla flavor to satisfy a craving.

Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe Ingredients

vanilla snack cake recipe raw ingredients that are labeled

Who doesn’t love the rich, sweet taste of a freshly baked vanilla cake? And the best part? With this easy vanilla cake recipe, you can whip up a delectable dessert in no time.

The moist, fluffy texture and delicate vanilla flavor are sure to leave your taste buds happy.

You’ll need:

For The Cake:

1½ cups of cake flour
1 cup of granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
½ cup of vegetable oil
½ cup of whole milk
½ cup of sour cream
1 egg
1½ teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon of almond extract

For The Frosting (optional):

¾ cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 cups of powdered sugar
5 tablespoons of whole milk

Substitutions And Additions

CAKE FLOUR: We highly recommend using the cake flour in this recipe.

If you cannot find cake flour, you can substitute one cup of cake flour with one cup, less two tablespoons of all-purpose flour, plus two tablespoons of cornstarch.

SOUR CREAM: Instead of sour cream, you can use a half cup of buttermilk in this homemade vanilla cake recipe.

TOPPING: Vanilla frosting, chocolate frosting, powdered sugar, or cinnamon sugar all work on top of this simple vanilla snack cake recipe.

And, of course, everything’s better with rainbow sprinkles.

How To Make This Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe

These easy, step-by-step directions will walk you through whipping up the simple cake batter along with the sweet frosting to make this cake in a flash.

For The Cake

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, white sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Set dry ingredients aside.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

It is very important that you do not over mix or aggressively mix the flour in; otherwise, the cake will be very dense.

STEP TWO: Using a separate bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, milk, sour cream, egg, vanilla, and almond extract.

sour cream, egg, vanilla and almond extract whisked together in a bowl

STEP THREE: Gently fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, folding just until the flour is incorporated.

sour cream and flour mixed together in a bowl

STEP FOUR: Pour the vanilla cake batter into the prepared 8×8 square baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake in the preheated oven for 28 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

PRO TIP:

Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cake at the lower end of the recommended baking time.

STEP FIVE: Cool the cake completely before frosting the top of the cake.

For The Frosting (optional)

PRO TIP:

This moist cake can also be eaten without any frosting. It is also perfect with fruit or just by itself, warm and right out of the oven. You can also use canned frosting.

STEP ONE: Using a medium bowl and an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the butter and vanilla for 1 to 1½ minutes.

STEP TWO: Lower the hand mixer to low speed and add the powdered sugar and milk. Increase the speed to medium speed.

Mix for another 1½ to 2 minutes or until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.

sugar and milk added to the butter mixture

STEP THREE: Use a rubber spatula or an offset spatula to spread the creamy vanilla buttercream frosting evenly.

How To Serve This Vanilla Snack Cake

You don’t need a special occasion to make the best vanilla cake recipe around. Serve after lunch or dinner or for an afternoon snack.

If you want to turn it into a larger dessert, add a scoop of our no-churn vanilla ice cream and whipped cream on top.

If you want to be extra indulgent, drizzle hot fudge on top.

Serve this simple cake with our iced tea, raspberry iced tea, sweet peach iced tea, or our southern strawberry sweet tea on the side to wash it all down.

Try a few of our other cake recipes when you are inspired to bake something. Our jello poke cake and ding dong cake are just two of many options.

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Storing This Easy Moist Cake Recipe

Here are some tips on how to properly store your cake:

MAKE AHEAD: After baking and allowing the cake to cool completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap to prevent any air from reaching the cake’s surface.

You can store it at room temperature for up to two days. For longer storage, consider freezing the cake.

ON THE COUNTER: If you do not wish to frost this classic vanilla cake, you can store any leftovers covered at room temperature for two days.

IN THE FRIDGE: Store any frosted leftovers of this moist vanilla cake in the refrigerator for up to four days.

IN THE FREEZER: The unfrosted cake can also be frozen. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then with aluminum foil for three months.

Allow the cake to come to room temperature before frosting and cutting.

close up overhead shot of vanilla snack cake recipe in a baking dish

Why We Love This Recipe

CLASSIC FLAVOR: Vanilla cake is a timeless classic that suits any occasion. It serves as a blank canvas for various fillings, frostings, and decorations.

SIMPLE TO MAKE: The step-by-step instructions and readily available ingredients ensure a stress-free baking experience.

DELIGHTFULLY MOIST: The combination of butter and buttermilk in the recipe results in a moist crumb that’s both flavorful and satisfying.

Moist and rich, this one-layer easy vanilla cake recipe is the perfect dessert to whip up anytime you want something sweet. Cut into mini squares for just the right serving size.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I turn this yummy vanilla cake into a layer cake?

You can double this easy cake recipe and stack two of the cakes together with a layer of frosting between and on top. Voilà, you have a simple layered cake.

What is a snack cake?

A snack cake is a small, single-layer cake, usually finished with a simple glaze or frosting. They are generally less involved than a layer cake yet are perfect for a small gathering, an easy dessert, or just for a snack anytime.

How do you decorate this vanilla cake?

This cake can be decorated any way you like. Top with frosting or a dusting of powdered sugar. Add sprinkles, or if you want to dress it up, you can pipe on more elaborate decorations.

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Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe

5 from 2 votes

This easy vanilla cake recipe comes out moist and delicious and is then smothered with a tasty buttercream frosting.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings

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Ingredients

Cake

1½ cups cake flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup whole milk
½ cup sour cream
1 egg
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract

Frosting (optional)

¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons whole milk

Instructions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8 baking pan with nonstick spray, set it aside.
Using a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set it aside.
Using a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, milk, sour cream, egg, vanilla, and almond extract.
Gently fold in the flour mixture, folding just until the flour is incorporated.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Allow the cake to completely cool before frosting.

Frosting (optional)

Using a medium-sized mixing bowl, and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the butter and vanilla for 1 to 1½ minutes.
Lower the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar and milk. Increase the mixer speed to medium. Mix for another 1½ to 2 minutes, or until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
Use a silicone spatula or an offset spatula to spread the frosting evenly.

Notes

It is very important that you do not over-mix or aggressively mix the flour in; otherwise, the cake will be very dense.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cake at the lower end of the recommended baking time.

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Sian Cox Photographer
Lexus Monroe Editorial Assistant
Teresia Shrum Recipe Developer

Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe

Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe Ingredients

Substitutions And Additions

How To Make This Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe

How To Serve This Vanilla Snack Cake

Crazy Cake

The Best Hummingbird Cake Recipe

Storing This Easy Moist Cake Recipe

Why We Love This Recipe

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