A soft, fluffy Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting. The light sweetness of the cake pairs perfectly with the indulgent, silky texture of the sour cream chocolate frosting, creating a simple and irresistible combo! It's the perfect snacking cake for any occasions, especially a birthday celebration.
Vanilla Cakes are so simple, yet so underrated. A simple vanilla cake doesn't have to be boring, and they truly aren't! This Vanilla Cake recipe is soft, fluffy, moist, and has the perfect sweetness. It's also the perfect vessel for just about any toppings. This Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting can be a base for many different variations, and I think every baker needs a great vanilla cake in their back pocket! This is just the one you need to add to your recipe collection.
The base cake recipe has become my favorite vanilla cake to make for simple or fancy occasions. I've made it in various sizes over the last year, as well as turned it into a layered cake, so I am 100% certain this cake recipe will hold as a beautiful layered cake. It's made with simple ingredients, but comes out fluffy, moist, and flavorful every time. I paired it with a sour cream chocolate frosting for a bit of a different take, and it just works so well together. The fluffy simple cake + tangy sweet chocolate frosting are a magical combo, and I'm sure you're going to love it!
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♥ Why You'll Love This Recipe
Vanilla Cake - This vanilla cake is incredibly versatile, simple, and so delicious. I've made it into cupcakes, a sheet cake, and a vanilla almond cake. It's the perfect base for any simple cake.
Single layer - I love a simple one layer cake because there's no fuss with layering, crumb coating, or frosting a whole cake. This one can be made in one bowl, one pan, and then served on a platter and slathered with frosting.
Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting - The frosting is so smooth, rich, with a slight tang from the sour cream! It's not too sweet or too much of a mouth full. It's a perfect substitute to your regular chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Perfect Birthday Cake - I love a simple birthday cake, and this one is so nostalgic. I bet most people have had a Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting at least once during their childhood! If you'd like it as a sheet cake, just double the recipe or use recipe from my Vanilla Sheet Cake.
📝 Ingredient Notes
A full list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Vanilla Cake
- Flour: I have made this cake with bread flour, cake flour, and all purpose flour. The bread flour was a mistake of me not paying attention to what I was grabbing from the pantry, but I'm glad I tried it because it made me see that it wasn't the type of flour I wanted in this cake. Cake flour didn't turn out as well as I would have thought! I loved the texture with all purpose flour the best!
- Butter: Creaming butter and sugar together gives the cake an airy and light texture. Make sure it's softened to room temperature.
- Oil: Use any kind of neutral oil. I alternate between vegetable or light olive oil. Whatever I have on hand.
- Eggs: I use whole eggs + eggs whites. Make sure to only use 2 eggs + 2 egg whites. By leaving out 2 yolks, the cake comes out more fluffy.
- Leavenings: Both baking soda and baking powder are used. The acid from the buttermilk activates the baking soda, but baking powder is also essential for a fluffy and risen cake.
- Buttermilk: I love what buttermilk does to cakes. It creates a beautifully moist cake!
Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting
- Butter: Make sure it's at room temperature so that it beats well.
- Sour cream: This ingredient gives the frosting a smooth finish, but also a slight tanginess!
- Chocolate: I use dark chocolate because powdered sugar is added to sweeten the frosting. You can even use semi-sweet chocolate. Either chips or chocolate bars work.
See recipe card for quantities.
🍴Special Equipment
Kitchen Scale: It's so important to use a kitchen scale for accurate results.
Baking Pan: My favorite 8 inch Square pan is from USA pan. It has straight edges, bakes evenly, and never fails. I highly recommend purchasing a good quality baking pan for your cakes.
Mixing bowls: I love using glass Mixing Bowls when making batters and doughs.
Mixer: You can use a stand mixer, or a handheld mixer to make the cake and frosting.
⇄ Substitutions
Oil - Use any type of neutral oil you have, like vegetable, canola, light olive oil, or avocado oil. Anything that won't come through in the cake.
Buttermilk - I personally don't suggest substituting since I think buttermilk substitutions aren't as great as the original. But if you have to, add a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to regular whole milk.
✨ Variations
Frosting - If you're not a fan of sour cream, you can opt for a chocolate cream cheese frosting. Or switch up and use a regular cream cheese frosting, or even plain vanilla frosting.
Sizing - This cake can be made into cupcakes, which will yield 12 cupcakes. Use my Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting recipe. You can also double the recipe and bake it in three 8 inch pans for a layered cake or in a 9x13 pan for a sheet cake.
𓎩 Step-by-Step Instructions
A few instruction photos to help you nail this recipe every time.
Prep
Preheat the oven to 350℉ / 178℃
Grease & line an 8x8 metal baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and whisk until combined.
Cream butter & sugar
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (you could also use a hand mixer), cream together the butter and sugar until smooth, light in color, about 3 minutes. Then add the oil and mix for 30 seconds.
Add eggs & vanilla
Add in the eggs + egg white, and vanilla extract, and beat well until completely combined.
💡 Hint: Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature to help the batter mix properly.
Alternate dry & wet
Sift in half the dry ingredients and slowly mix, then add all the buttermilk and mix for 20 seconds, then add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. You don't want to over mix this batter.
Bake
Pour into the prepared pan and bake in the middle rack of your oven for 20-25 minutes (start checking at 20 minutes). A toothpick inserted should come out clean. Let cool before removing from the pan or frosting.
Make the frosting
Add softened butter to a medium bowl, and using a hand mixer with beater attachment, beat until completely smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add the salt and powdered sugar ½ cup at a time and beat until completely smooth and combined. At first it will look sandy, but as you beat, the butter will incorporate with the powdered sugar.4 tablespoon Unsalted butter,1 cups powdered sugar,¼ teaspoon salt
Add sour cream and beat for another minute, then lastly add the melted chocolate and beat again for another minute until completely smooth. If the mixture is a little too thick, you can add a teaspoon of milk or cream to loosen it up a little.
💬 FAQ
Yes! Absolutely. Double the recipe then divide the batter into 3 8-inch pans and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
If you don't have buttermilk, you can make a quick substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to your milk. Let it sit for about 5 minutes before using it in the recipe.
Once frosted, this cake should be refrigerated. Make sure to store in an airtight container.
You don't. I like it because it gives a creamy texture and tangy flavor. But you could leave it out and make a regular chocolate frosting, or make a chocolate cream cheese frosting.
💡Pro Tips
Measure Flour Correctly - As always, with any recipe, use a kitchen scale, as it is the best form of measuring your ingredients. If you don't have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour, scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup and level off.
Room temperature ingredients: When called for, it's always best to use room temperature ingredients. This helps the ingredients mix together properly.
Line pans: Prep your pans with parchment paper at the bottom, and grease your pans to make sure the cakes come out in one piece.
Correct pan: Make sure to use the correct type of pan. Baking with metal pans yields better results.
Don't over mix: Once dry ingredients are incorporated, stop mixing.
Don't over bake: Start checking the cake at 20 minutes to ensure you don't over bake.
Make Ahead: You can make the vanilla cake layer in advance. Just make sure to wrap it tightly and refrigerate it. If you plan to make it ahead by more than 1 day, I suggest wrapping it tightly with saran wrap, then aluminum foil, then placing it in the freezer. Let it thaw in the freezer overnight when ready to use.
❄ Storage
Room temperature: This cake can be stored unfrosted in an airtight container at room temperature.
Refrigerator: Once frosted, the cake must be stored covered, in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Let come to room temperature before eating.
Freezer: Unfrosted, you can wrap the cake in saran wrap, then aluminum foil and place in the freezer for 2-3 months. Defrost in the fridge over night.
📖 Recipe Card
Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Equipment
- 1 8x8 baking pan
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 whole egg room temperature
- 1 egg white room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup buttermilk room temperature
Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting
- 4 tablespoon Unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate, melted chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
Instructions
Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ / 178℃grease and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and set asideIn a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and whisk until combined.1¼ cups all purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (you could also use a hand mixer), cream together the butter and sugar until smooth, light in color, about 3 minutes. Then add the oil and mix for 30 seconds. Add in the egg + egg white, and vanilla extract, and beat well until completely combined.6 tablespoon unsalted butter, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoon neutral oil, 1 whole egg, 1 egg white, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Sift in half the dry ingredients and slowly mix, then add all the buttermilk and mix for 20 seconds, then add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. You don't want to over mix this batter.1¼ cups all purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ cup buttermilk
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting
- Add softened butter to a medium bowl, and using a hand mixer with beater attachment, beat until completely smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add the salt and powdered sugar ½ cup at a time and beat until completely smooth and combined. At first it will look sandy, but as you beat, the butter will incorporate with the powdered sugar.4 tablespoon Unsalted butter, 1 cups powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add sour cream and beat for another minute, then lastly add the melted chocolate and beat again for another minute until completely smooth. If the mixture is a little too thick, you can add a teaspoon of milk or cream to loosen it up a little.½ cup dark chocolate, melted, 2 tablespoon sour cream
- Frost the cooled cake and enjoy. Make sure to keep this cake refrigerated.
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