This is a birthday cake classic for a good reason! Moist, delicious cake and whipped, dark chocolate frosting are the perfect combo for any special occasion.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- Best vanilla cake—ever!
- Great recipe for stacking, even if it's your first time making a layer cake.
- The homemade chocolate buttercream is so good you'll want to eat it by the spoonful.
There's just something about homemade cakes that store-bought cake mixes will never be able to match.
This rich, sweet recipe is ideal for everything from birthday cakes to anniversaries and special family dinners—you're going to be looking for any occasion to make this tasty creation!
🥫 Storage
Cakes taste best and stay moister when stored at room temperature. Though the frosting is made with butter and a bit of cream, the sugar helps prevent the dairy from going bad.
Store the cake—or the separate, unstacked components—for up to two days at room temperature. Make sure everything is sealed with plastic or in an airtight container, like a serving plate with a dome lid or Tupperware.
We never get this far, but if you have layer cake leftovers after two days, go ahead and put them in the fridge for up to two additional days.
You can also freeze the frosted cake, too. The buttercream takes on a slightly grainy texture after thawing, but it's still really good—and, a great way to save leftovers.
📖 Variations
- Grab salted butter? That's fine, just reduce the salt in the recipe by half.
- You can use fresh egg whites or those from a carton—just make sure they're pure egg whites (not whole egg replacement) if you do.
- Confectioners sugar and powdered sugar are generally the same thing—you can use either.
- A strawberry jam or custard filling in between the layers would be delicious. (Those would require the cake to be refrigerated, FYI!)
- Use two, 9-inch round cake pans instead of three, 8-inch pans. Your layer cake will be wider and shorter.
- Bake in a 9x13 sheet cake pan if you don't want to deal with layers.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: The "spoon and level" method for measuring the dry ingredients is best and ensures a perfect cake texture every time.
- Spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then use the flat side of a butter knife to level off the excess.
- Don't swap wax paper in place of parchment paper. Parchment paper is oven safe, while wax paper will melt.
- Trace around the bottom of the pan to ensure your parchment papers fit perfectly. Or, buy pre-sized parchment paper rounds.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl well in between additions so that everything is incorporated evenly.
- Cake flour is key for proper texture! Don't complain to me if you swap it for all-purpose flour and your vanilla birthday cake comes out tough.
- Always let cake layers cool fully on a wire rack before frosting! Otherwise, the frosting will melt and your layers will slide right off of each other.
- Sift the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder to remove lumps.
- If your buttercream has a lot of air bubbles after whipping, switch from the whisk to the paddle attachment and run the mixer on as low a speed as you can for a few minutes to smooth it out.
- After stacking, but before icing the outside, run a few cake dowels or bubble tea straws through the center of the cakes to add extra stability.
- For this size cake, I like to use one center dowel, but if it feels wobbly you can use two or even three.
- Chill before slicing for extra clean, applause-worthy slices!
- Once you slice the cake, press a few layers of plastic wrap against the exposed inner section to keep it moist and prevent drying!
👩🍳 FAQs
This vanilla cake recipe is considered a white cake because there are no egg yolks. Classic yellow cakes generally use whole eggs, which color the sponge according to its name. If you're looking, this is the best yellow cake recipe.
Improper measuring means you might add too little or too much of an ingredient and completely throw off the balance! Baking is science and even a little bit of something extra can affect the outcome. Whatever you do, avoid simply scooping your measuring cup into the flour and shaking off the excess.
Once your cake batter is mixed, it needs to go in the oven pretty quickly, otherwise, it might not rise as well. Always preheat the oven and get your pans prepared before starting on the batter.
Use an offset spatula or an icing spatula to spread the frosting on top and around the sides of the cake. I like to make big, swooping, swirly motions. This is our favorite frosting, so we like a good, thick layer.
Sure! Insider tip: most bakeries do this to keep everything extra fresh until they build the cakes!
Wrap the cake layers individually in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours, or build the cake while they're partially frozen—they'll still thaw nicely.
To freeze this chocolate frosting recipe, spoon it into a Ziplock freezer bag and store it for three months. Let it thaw at room temperature until completely soft again, whipping before use. This makes it airy and creamy again.
📚 Related recipes
- This classic, moist Yellow Cake recipe is topped with a bittersweet whipped chocolate ganache. It's so fudgy and tender, you'll definitely want an extra large slice... or two!
- Shadow cake is an old fashioned recipe for triple layer chocolate cake with a ganache drizzle.
- With ultra-velvety texture and layers so soft you'll want to use them as pillows, Vintage Buttermilk Layer Cake will have everyone asking for seconds!
- This Chocolate Spice Cake isn't like any chocolate cake you've had before—it's better! Hints of autumn spices and tender Devil's food cake layers are just as decadent as they are delicious.
🍽️ Serve with...
📞 The last word
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Print Pin Recipe SaveEquipment Needed
- 8-inch round cake pans high sided
Ingredients
Cake
- 4 cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond flavoring
- 2 cup buttermilk
- 6 unbeaten egg whites, room temperature
Vanilla Sugar Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 ⅓ cups dark cocoa powder, (King Arthur has a black cocoa, or your favorite)
- 6 cups Confectioner’s sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ⅔ cup heavy cream, , as needed
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla
Instructions
Cake
- Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- Cream butter and sugar together just until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the vanilla and the almond flavorings.
- Add dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk.
- Beat well after each addition.
- Add the unbeaten egg whites and beat at medium speed for two minutes.
- Divide equally between 3 greased and wax paper lined 8" round pans.
- Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 325 and bake for 25 minutes more, or until the cake tests done.
- Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out and finish cooling on racks.
Sugar Syrup
- Mix water and sugar in a heavy saucepan.
- Heat until the sugar crystals are completely dissolved
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Stir in vanilla.
Frosting
- Beat the butter and vanilla until it is fluffy.
- Mix the Confectioners, cocoa, and salt with a whisk until well blended.
- Slowly beat the confectioner's mixture into the butter.
- Continue to beat until well blended.
- Turn the mixer to highest speed and add ½ cup of the cream.
- Beat until light and fluffy, with a whipped consistency, adding more cream as needed to achieve the right texture.
Assembly
- Brush the cake layers lightly with the sugar syrup. You won't use all of it so put the rest in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator. It will keep for months.
- Fill and frost the layers with a thick layer of frosting.
- Chill before serving to allow it to firm up.
Notes
- Spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then use the flat side of a butter knife to level off the excess.
- Don't swap wax paper in place of parchment paper. Parchment paper is oven safe, while wax paper will melt.
- Trace around the bottom of the pan to ensure your parchment papers fit perfectly. Or, buy pre-sized parchment paper rounds.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl well in between additions so that everything is incorporated evenly.
- Cake flour is key for proper texture! Don't complain to me if you swap it for all-purpose flour and your vanilla birthday cake comes out tough.
- Always let cake layers cool fully on a wire rack before frosting! Otherwise, the frosting will melt and your layers will slide right off of each other.
- Sift the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder to remove lumps.
- If your buttercream has a lot of air bubbles after whipping, switch from the whisk to the paddle attachment and run the mixer on as low a speed as you can for a few minutes to smooth it out.
- After stacking, but before icing the outside, run a few cake dowels or bubble tea straws through the center of the cakes to add extra stability.
- For this size cake, I like to use one center dowel, but if it feels wobbly you can use two or even three.
- Chill before slicing for extra clean, applause-worthy slices!
- Once you slice the cake, press a few layers of plastic wrap against the exposed inner section to keep it moist and prevent drying!
shelby
Looks absolutely amazing, I promise, I will stick with the cake flour and am definitely going to make this cake!
Jaren Dubois
I am such a sucker for a good layer cake! This looks so good!
patsy
Not only is it beautiful, but has me wanting to skip lunch and go straight to dessert!