Vanilla Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream.
Who’s ready for cake!?
And Friday?!?! And celebrations!?!?
Me, me, me, ME!! ?
Over here in my little world, it’s been a big week and a half. First things first, Asher’s eighth birthday. I think the little girl had a pretty fun week. She seemed to love all of her presents and the finale to her celebrations was her Harry Potter birthday party with four of her closest friends. The fun isn’t completely over, come October 1, we will finally be heading off on our trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando (thank you to those of you who recommended Orlando). I must say, I’m pretty psyched to go myself.
Second, BABY goats!!. Oh those baby goats…aka kids, as they’re officially called. These two little goats are the cutest little animals I have ever seen. Like puppies have nothing on them. What’s even cuter though? Watching Layla, their mom, play her motherly role. Since Layla is a first time mom, she didn’t quite know what to do for the first day, but her motherly instincts have kicked in, and now the only time she ever leaves their side is to eat, and even then, it’s never for very long. Watching their bond grow stronger each and every day has been incredibly awesome. Layla will not even let my cat Snape (or Snap or Snappers as Asher calls him) near them. She stairs him down until he runs off. <–for real.
Third, my sixteen year old brother, Red, got his driver’s license. Ahhh, what? How is that even possible? It feels like yesterday that he was the baby of the family. I cannot believe he is driving now…YIKES.
Fourth, this little site of mine is growing and I could not be more exited about it! Woot Woot! 🙂
So you see… it’s clearly a cake kind of Friday… obviously the best kind of Fridays.
OK, so here’s the deal with this cake. Typically I would never bother with a vanilla cake, but my cousin Abby convinced me that a vanilla cake with sprinkles (nonpareils…the round ones) was something I had to make. I’ve had it ingrained into me from a very young age that the only cake worth eating was chocolate. No seriously, I never, ever, ate vanilla cake growing up. I’ve probably only ever had just a few bites before making this cake.
I know, I know, that is kind of crazy, but you just do not know my mom. It’s all chocolate, all the time. The other thing my mom tried to instill into me? Sprinkles = BAD. I think she did this, one, because they messed too much with her pure chocolate on chocolate flavors, and two, because she knew they just added more unnecessary sugar, and three (and probably most importantly), she HATED to have to clean them up. Sprinkles and Nerds (do you guys remember those?) were pretty much outlawed in our house.
Well, I am breaking all the rules today and making a vanilla cake… and even adding (just a few) sprinkles…ooops.
Thankfully, I no longer live at home, and thankfully my mom never saw the ENTIRE BAG of sprinkles I spilled on my pantry room floor. Totally serious, I am forever a klutz.
Anyway, I made a vanilla cake, but since I love my chocolate too, I had to go with chocolate frosting. Like I just couldn’t do vanilla on vanilla. Maybe someday in the future, but just not today. Today needed mounds of whipped chocolate buttercream (again, cause we are celebrating baby goats over here, with more to come any day now!) atop my moist and fluffy vanilla cake!
Alright, so this cake?! Even though it is vanilla. I still LOVE it. It’s fluffy and moist, and has an intense vanilla flavor, which is possibly my favorite thing ever. That moist and fluffy and vanillay cake is the perfect pairing with my favorite whipped chocolate buttercream, like it is SOOOO GOOD!
So good, that even my sprinkle hating, chocolate only, freak of a mother had a piece… and truly enjoyed it!
Um, that’s what I call a successful vanilla cake! 🙂
You may have noticed that I didn’t cover my cake fully in sprinkles…ahh, sorry, but like I said, I spilled them all over the floor. If you have a serious love for sprinkles, feel free to go as crazy as you’d like!
I do actually prefer a cake probably minus the sprinkles. Well, I think just a few can be awesome, cause they’re so fun, but too many and, I dunno, they start to take away from the flavor of the cake. I guess it’s true what they say, like mother like daughter. ?
Ahhh, sooo here’s what I’m thinking, birthday or no birthday, this Vanilla Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream should probably be made… ASAP… just sayin.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Vanilla Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream.
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: birthday cake
This birthday cake is fluffy, moist, and has an intense vanilla flavor,
Ingredients
- 3 3/4 cup cake flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 whole eggs + 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoons vanilla extract
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
- 4 sticks (2 cups) salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4-5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.
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In a medium size bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand held mixer) beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, beat in the eggs and egg yolks. Add the greek yogurt and vanilla and beat until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low, alternating with the buttermilk and ending with flour until just combined.
-
Pour the batter among the 3 cake pans and bake 25-30 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan. Grab 3 large flat plates, line them with wax or parchment paper and invert the cakes onto the paper lined plates. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before frosting.
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To make the frosting, Add the butter and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand held mixer). Beat the butter and powdered sugar together until the butter is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat, scraping down the sides as needed, another 2 minutes or until there are no streaks of white. Add 4 tablespoons of the heavy cream and whip the frosting for 2-4 minutes more or until light and fluffy. If desired add the remaining tablespoon of the heavy cream (I normally do) and whip until combined. Taste the frosting and add more powdered sugar if you like a sweeter or thicker frosting. Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a plate or cake stand. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with sprinkles, chocolate curls or whatever your heart desires.
Recipe Notes
*if you do not have cake flour, use 1 cup all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons. Then add 2 tablespoons cornstarch. This will equal 1 cup of cake flour. Repeat this four times so you have 4 cups of cake flour. Then measure out the required 3 3/4 cups cake flour (reserve the 1/4 cup). **Vanilla cake adapted from Martha Stewart.
Cause really, all Fridays should include some kind of cake!
love that gif of asher blowing out the candles! and this buttercream looks so dreamy ?
Haha she is such a cutie! Thanks so much Heather! ?
Vanilla cake is the best! I make my cakes with some sprinkles in the cake mix before baking – makes it rainbow cake when cut – very pretty and a big hit .
What an awesome idea! I will have to try this out!! Thanks Linda!
Today is my wedding anniversary and boy, would I looooove this cake for dessert!!! MInus the sprinkles, I’m team Tieghan’s Mother!!
https://bloglairdutemps.blogspot.pt/
Happy anniversary Miranda!! This would be so perfect for dessert! Anyway I hope you enjoy your day! ?
And here I thought Asher’s birthday is over…silly me! Lol We’ve always wanted to go to that Harry Potter in Orlando too because it wasn’t there yet when we were there. I’m sure you’ll all have fun! Anyways, I truly understand why it’s a Friday birthday cake day with all that celebrations! A lot to be thankful for, Tieghan! And that cake looks luscious and I love that pic of the paddle attachment filled with frosting!!! Pls tell me you swiped your finger in that a few times maybe? Lol and oh I’ve seen the baby goat in the Instagram and it’s so precious ?
I may have gotten one or two swipes, but that is one of Asher’s favorite parts! Lol! Thanks so much Sheila, there is a lot to be thankful for this week and I am super excited about all the new things!
That icing looks sensational!! I love making this kind of cake – omnomnom!
Rxx
http://www.peppermintdolly.com
Thank you so much!! ?
yum! can’t wait to try it
YAY! I hope you love it! Thanks Meredith!
Tieghan this cake looks amazing and a happy happy birthday to little Asher!! Hope you are all excited for your Harry Potter park trip! I have it on my list to go places super soon!! 🙂
Yes we are all so so excited for it!! Thank you Ami!
OMG Tieghan that’s awesome I loooooved Harry Potter World when I was there it was such a dream come true! You’re going to have the best time! 😀
I am SOO excited and I really think we will all have a great time! Thanks so much Chloe!
Oh Dear !
It took me months to figure your “secret”: completely perfect measure of elegance and “easy going”.
You are great !
God bless,
Haha awh thank you! This is so sweet! ?
This recipe, as always from you, looks YUMMY!!!
But can I make it even if we’re not celebrating a birthday??
YES duh! If it were up to me I would be making this all the time haha! Thanks so much Ed, I hope you make it and enjoy it!! And your reason can be, because its Friday!! ?
Some rules were just made to be broken Tieghan! What a perfect cake for Asher’s big birthday! Sounds like fun and delicious cake was had by all!
Yes most definitely was! Thank so much Mary Ann!
Happy Birthday to Asher! Harry Potter is great you guys are going to have a blast!
This cake tho – can I dive right in? Need to make this very soon.
Thank you I am sure we will have a ton of fun! Haha yes!! Wish I could give a piece to everyone its just so delicious! lol! Thank you Kathy!
Hooray for birthday cake (happy b-day Asher) and baby goats!! Also, love that sprinkle bokeh 🙂
Yes! Hooray for all the many things that have happened this week! I am just so excited! Thanks so much Todd!
Definitely a perfect cake! Love this!
Thank you Katrina!
What a totally perfect, beautiful cake! I love a perfect classic, and you def nailed it! Lovely!!
Thanks so much Sarah!
4 sticks of butter to 4 cups of confectioners sugar?
THANK YOU SO MUCH for making me a birthday cake–today is my birthday too! The perfect recipe for today! Now if somebody would make one for me–it’s not the same if I make my own cake for my own birthday, something wrong about that!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Asher! I live in FL and maybe we should all go to Harry Potter and celebrate our birthdays together 🙂
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PENNY! This is such perfect timing for you haha!! Yes of course someone needs to make you this cake, I wish I could send you one lol! Thank you!
Wow! What a special cake! It looks so wonderful and nostalgic! I love it! Happy Birthday to the lucky girl!!!
https://www.searedandshameless.com
Thanks Jessica! Have a great weekend!
Thanks so much Jessica! I will pass the happy birthday along!! ?
Happy Birthday Month, Asher! Can’t wait to read reports from HPville. Meanwhile, are photos of the goat kids forthcoming??? Cheers, Ardith
Yes, photos coming sometime this month or next! Thank you so much! 🙂
Well will the next cake be white or chocolate?
I do have to admit I always chose a chocolate cake over white cake.
Asher is lucky to have a big sister like you.
haha, probably chocolate! Thank you!
Oh my gosh!! Sometimes the most classic things are the most delicious!! My husband always requests vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream on his birthday. I will have to give this a try!! Also, I love love love how you did the frosting! I mean this as a complement, but all of the swoopy thick frosting looks so much more appetizing than super smooth, too-perfect-to-eat frosting! Yum, all the way around!!
Haha I agree! and I hope you and your husband love this Maria! Super excited for you, make sure you tell me how it goes!!
where can i see a picture of these goat babies?I am not on Facebook.
Enjoying your blog a lot!!
Thanks Gail!! I have a photo on Instagram, but will be uploading some to the blog soon! If you want one sooner, just send me an email. Happy to send photos. Thank you! 🙂
“CAKE FLOUR” ? DO YOU MEAN BOX CAKE FLOUR?
Hi! Not sure, but box cake flour is? Can you give me some more info? Thank you and sorry for any confussion
Hi!! I want to make this recipe but I have 9-inch round cake pans. How will that work out with the ratios?
Thanks!
Hi Rebeka!! A 9-inch pan will be great! Let me know if you have questions! 🙂
Oh my word… yes. Sprinkles on the floor was always my mom’s worst nightmare! They get everywhere!
This cake looks incredible! I’ve always been the same way… cake=chocolate… but I think I’ll have to give this a go….
Yummy!
Emma
Yes! You should so give this a try Emma! Thanks so much!
What a special cake! It looks so wonderful and nostalgic!
Thank you!
This looks so yummy, I’ll definitely be trying it soon!
Awesome!! I hope you love it Samantha!
Wow! This looks amazing! My friends birthday is coming up and I think I will give this a go! Does it matter that I only have 9-inch cake pans?
I can’t wait!!!
You had me at whipped chocolate buttercream! What a perfect cake!
Lol! Thanks so much Laura, so happy you are loving this cake!!
Hi there! Making this cake for my hubby’s 40th! Will this frosting do ok at room temp in a cake stand for the better part of a day?! Always like to display my cakes when possible 🙂 wasn’t sure with the frosting ingredients… Thank you!
hi! Yeah, I think the cake will be fine for most of the day. I leave mine out too! Let me know if you have questions. Thanks!
I’m not a huge vanilla fan but man do I LOVE chocolate!!! I’m will definitely try this recipe this weekend and tag you! Thanks for sharing!!
Yay!! Cannot wait to see it! Thanks so much Mayra, I hope you love it!
This cakes is amazing. Just made it for my sons 5th birthday and adults and kids confirmed its superiority! Question though. Any chance you have ever halved this recipe? Can you provide weights for the flour so it’s easier to cut in half? I’d like to make a mini cake for a baby’s 1st birthday and desperate to use this recipe! Thoughts?
Hey Lesley! I am so happy you enjoyed the cake, that is awesome! I have halved this cake and it works great! Unfortunately, I do not know the weights, but I do believe you can calculate it online. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you again! 🙂
First, I want to say how precious you are! I so admire that you saw the need and took over the role of cooking for your quite-large family at such a young age! What a blessing you are to your family! And then you turned it into a career success! God is good! And, I get to call it “quite large” because I’m number 13 of 16 children!
This Vanilla Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream! It is so delicious! And boy did I have my doubts – 3-3/4 cups of flour – I thought, that can’t be right, can it? It was! And I am so glad I decided to trust the ingredients and just go with it! This was a compromise cake. I shared my birthday celebration with my husband this year and if I had it my way, like you and your Mom, it would have been a chocolate on chocolate cake. But since I was sharing the celebration with hubby, then I went with white cake and chocolate icing – much to my dismay, or so I thought. WRONG! I didn’t have all of my ingredients ready like I should have and I think I may have whipped the cake a bit more than I should have. It was quite thick when I put it in the pan. Again I doubted myself (and the recipe!)! WRONG again. I figured it would be really dry because of all the mixing. WRONG. It was a huge hit. And so moist. My 33-YO son said that it is my best cake yet! And that icing! Boy was it good! The only variation I made in the recipes was I added a touch more heavy cream to the icing. I even added the sprinkles!
And, for our meal, I made your Sage Butter Lemon Roasted Chicken in Goat Milk with Brussels Sprout Pasta. It was so delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed it! And it came together so quickly and made the house smell so wonderful with the fresh sage and thyme leaves! And, the goat milk really did add a nice flavor. I was so glad that my local grocer carries goat milk in the refrigerated milk section. I wanted to make zucchini and squash zoodles in place of the pasta, but I was limited on time and decided against varying the recipe. We too had a really nice evening together in spite of our busy lives. And this dinner together was just what we needed as a family. You see, my older brother, Carey, (#8/16) lost his brave battle with cancer, on my husband’s birthday. Your recipes brought much comfort to us – me, my husband and two sons – a few nights ago. Thank you for giving back by sharing your recipes and your life!
With gratitude,
Jocelyn Green
Wow, this makes me so happy that you and your family enjoyed your cake, dinner, and your night in general. And thank you for sharing this with me Jocelyn! And 16 kids? Holy cow… I thought the seven kids in my family was a lot!! Haha, anyway, I am super happy you had a great night and everyone enjoyed it! Thank you! ?
If I wanted to add raspberry jam as a filling, do you think that would work well with the vanilla cake and chocolate frosting? Also, how would you recommend assembling the cake with the filling? Would you do a layer of frosting with a “frosting dam” around the edge and spread the jam on top before adding the next cake layer? I’m going to assemble it a day ahead and don’t want the jam to make the cake soggy. I’ve never done a fruit filling with chocolate frosting before, but that’s what the person I’m baking it for wants, so I would welcome any tips!
Hey Becs! Sure, that would be great if you like raspberry and chocolate together! I would layer the cake as follows: cake, frosting, jam, repeat. Let me know if you have ANY questions. Happy to help! Thanks! 🙂
WHAAAAAAAAAA THE HELL. why am I only finding your blog now?????? you are pure genius and your cake looks absolutely devine! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!
Haha welcome welcome!! So happy you are loving it and this cake! Thanks so much Sanaya!
Made this yesterday for a Christmas party! It was divine! Best vanilla cake I’ve ever had. It stuck to the pan, and I was worried, but once it cooled it popped out! The frosting was fantastic. And there are green and red nonpareil sprinkles all over my kitchen floor because I accidentally dumped the tub on the cake. That’s what I get for decorating at 6 a.m., hah! It looked festive, at least! And unless my cats eat the sprinkles, bet my floor will look festive when I get home too. 😀
Yay! So so happy you liked it!! I always end up getting the sprinkles everywhere too! Wish my cat liked them! haha. Thanks so much!
Aw, this is so cute! So happy for you and your blog, of course! <3 Anyways, I am SUCH a klutz myself. I spill protein powder, sweet potatoes, fruit, granola, and SO much more! And I totally can relate–I love any cake, but I NEED my chocolate fix! This cake looks magnificent! The buttercream frosting just tops everything off perfectly!
Have you ever made the layers a few days ahead? Do you freeze or store in the fridge?
I would frost the day I’m serving it. Or, do you not recommend that?
Hi! I have made them ahead and store in the fridge for a day or in the freezer for longer. If freezing, I would just frost the layers frozen and then let the cake taw 2-3 hours before serving. frosting the cake frozen makes things so easy. Let me know if you have questions. Thanks!
Will condensation occur on the icing when it’s defrosting?
Hi Mercy, I don’t recommend freezing the cake with the icing. I recommend freezing the cake layers and frosting just before you are ready to eat. Let me know if you have any questions. Hope you love the cake1
I just wanted you to know that the cake was fantastic! Yes I froze the layers, and then put them in the fridge the night before I was going to serve it. I iced it the day I served it. I took it to a restaurant for a birthday dinner and not only was the owner of the restaurant impressed, my guest loved it. I think freezing the layers enhances the flavor and texture of the cake. The only thing that I would suggest, is to sift the cocoa powder before incorporating it into the butter and 10x sugar. I saw small pieces of the cocoa in my icing. I remade it, making sure that the cocoa was sifted. Just a suggestion. Also, my other issue was the cake was so gorgeous and tall, it didn’t fit into any of my very large cake carriers. Don’t worry, I did get it there very carefully. Thanks again for the recipe, it’s a keeper!
Ah soo happy you liked it and everything worked out well! Sounds like everyone liked it which is amazing! So happy it was a success, thanks Marcy!
I already know this cake is fantastic, I just wanted to ask you if you ever made it in a 9 by 13 inch pan or a jellyroll pan, like you would, a Texas sheet cake. I’m having a meeting at my house and it would be a lot easier to serve it if I could make it one of those ways. I then can cut it and put it in cupcake holders.
Yes, I have made it that way, it works great! I use a 9×13 inch pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. Let me know if you have questions. Thank you!
Hi, I am going to bake this cake today for my husband’s birthday but I’m a little confuse about the “3 cups sticks butter” does it mean 6 sticks of butter?
Thank you so much❤️
Hi Sheryl! I am so sorry, it is 3 sticks for the the cake and 4 sticks for the frosting. Recipe has been fixed and reads correctly. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you and happy birthday to your husband!
Hi , i got the same question, is 6 sticks of butter?? If you can help me, todays is my daughter birthday!!! Thanks…
Hi Claudia! I am so sorry, it is 3 sticks for the the cake and 4 sticks for the frosting. Recipe has been fixed and reads correctly. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you and happy birthday to your daughter!
Well, i made it with 6 sticks of butter and it was excellent, my daughter love it and the other kids too!!! Thanks…
I am glad they loved this Claudia! Thank you!
This cake was just amazing! We were fighting over the last crumbs. I think the buttermilk is what makes this cake so remarkably good but I will never need another vanilla cake recipe….ever!
AH! YAY, so so happy you liked it Cheryl. Thank you for making it!!
Curious how far ahead I can make this cake for a birthday and how I should store it before the birthday? Thanks, I’m really excited to make it!
Hey Mike! You can make it a day in advance, keep in the fridge, and then bring to room temp before serving. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love the cake!! 🙂
Hi! I’m making a bridal shower cake and I wanna make this cake in 3, 10 inch pans. What do you recommend me to do? To triple to the recipe or double it ?
Thank you!!
Awesome Post!
Thanks for sharing useful information
Your welcome, thanks for reading!
It pains me to not give this an excellent rating (because so far I’ve loved all your recipes), but i made it today and the consistency of the cake is just so heavy. I wanted to try something new (after years of relying on the Buttercup Bake Shop standard vanilla cake) so gave this a shot. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work out for me.
On another note, i was wondering if anyone had ever suggested repeating the ingredient amounts in the recipe text? So instead of saying “add butter” you repeat the measurement and say “add three sticks of butter.” Makes it much easier to not have to keep scrolling back up to the ingredient list. Just a thought!
Thanks for all you do! Have been spreading the word to all my friends about the amazing dinners i’ve found on your site!
Hi Renee, I am sorry this cake was not to your liking. Is there a chance you did something differently. SO far almost all readers have loved this, so I wonder if maybe something went wrong? Hope I can help!!
That is a great idea, I can look into it, but it’s not very standard to write a recipe that way.
Thank you for all the kind words!! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Tiegan,
I made this cake for my brother’s birthday and it turned out amazing, so delicious it was a big hit!! What a great recipe! 🙂 Would it work out fine to make into cupcakes instead and just cook for less time?
thanks!
Chelsea
HI! Cupcakes will be great. This recipe will make about 32 cupcakes. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Hey Tieghan, I’m making this for my brother’s birthday on Sunday. Can I sub sour cream for the greek yogurt? I have non-fat greek yogurt and FULL FAT sour cream. I know I’ve used this substitute in the past, going lighter when I’m trying to save on calories and fat… or, in the case of birthday cake, going FULL ON DELICIOUS MODE when I can! You think sour cream is fine?
Thanks! Renee
HI! Sour cream will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe and happy birthday to your brother!! Thanks so much! x Tieghan
Hi!
I plan to make this into cupcakes for kiddos who won’t eat pie on Thanksgiving. How long should I bake them?
Thanks so much!!
I would recommend 15-18 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Made this birthday cake for my kids, and it was perfect! Best cake recipe I have tried.
Thank you so much Caitlin! xTieghan
If I halved the recipe would I cook it in two or three 6 inch pans? Also how long should I cook in the 6 inch pans?
Thanks for any help.
Hey Kayla, I don’t recommend halving the recipe AND also baking in 6-inch pans. That is changing the recipe too much and I don’t feel comfortable advising you on how to bake the cake. I am not sure the outcome would be very good. I would recommend making the full recipe. You can use 6-inch baking pans, but just make multiple cakes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Oh, also how would I halve the eggs?
Thank you.
Hi Kayla! You can’t really halve and egg, so again I would recommend following the recipe as listed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Best best best vanilla cake. Yum! Question- how long does it last/how do you store?
Hi! I would store it in the fridge and it should last 3-5 days! xTieghan
Can either the frosting or the cake be made ahead of time (the day before? I’m making this for my daughter’s 29th birthday. You are our favorite food blogger. Your recipes are awe inspiring!
HI! You can bake and assemble the cake up to 2 days ahead of time. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
PS. hope your daughter has a great birthday!
Hi – everything I’ve made off your site has been delicious. We loved this cake, but I’ve never been a fan of chocolate buttercream made with cocoa powder. It always tastes powdery to me. Do you have a recipe for chocolate buttercream with melted chocolate? Thank you!
HI! Oddly, I do not have a buttercream with melted chocolate. I always have trouble mixing melted chocolate into butter creams (it hardens ups on me.). I would recommend the below recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/chocolate-heaven-with-chocolate-buttercream
Are all your baking recipes for altitude? We are at 6,700 feet and wondering if this would work. Thank you!
Hi Sharon! Yes, this should work great! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! Is it possible to substitute the cocoa powder in the frosting for cacao powder? Thanks for your help!
Hi Kristi! Yes you can use cacao for this recipe! It may not be as sweet though. I hope you love this! xTieghan
This recipe looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it! Is it possible to use 9-inch cake pans instead of 8 inches?
Hi Rebecca! Yes that will work great! I hope you love this cake! xTieghan
I love your recipes! I’ve been looking for a good vanilla cake recipe but it seems like you added a whole lot of egg yolks! It doesnt make the cake too dense??
Hi Alyssa,
Nope, the cake isn’t dense. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
If anyone is reading the comments to decide if you should make this cake, YOU SHOULD. YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD! It is amazing! Words will not do it justice. So much flavor for a vanilla cake and the buttercream oh my goodness!! Bonus, it’s beautiful but not difficult at all!! Good job girl, you did it again!!
I am really glad you enjoyed this one, Lisa!! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Can you make this into cupcakes?
Hey Meera,
Yes you could make these into cupcakes, just reduce your baking time to 25-30 minutes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
My son wants a cookies and cream cake for his birthday and i love your cake recipes. Do you think I could just add some crushed up Oreos to the batter?
Hey Cara,
Sure I don’t see why that wouldn’t work! Here is another option too:https://dev.halfbakedharvest.com/malted-milk-cookies-n-cream-ice-cream-sandwiches/
I hope you love the recipes! xTieghan
Hello! How would you modify this recipe for high altitude (~10,000ft)? Thank you!!!
Hi Julia! This should work fine for you at your altitude! I hope you love it! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi there! First off, I made the salted treacle Apple pie tonight and it was to die for. I’m dead right now. Lol. Anyway, I’m planning on making a cake for a friend’s 25th anniversary next Friday. But I want to do a 2 tiered cake. Could you tell me how long to bake this recipe for in two 6″ pans? or do you think I should just make 4 layers and cut 2 down? Thanks!!!!
Hey Kristen,
If you want to do the 6 inch pans I would bake for 30 minutes and then continue checking them from there. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Any suggestions for converting this to cupcakes?
Hey Lisa,
You would need to reduce your baking time to about 25-30 minutes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Great recipe! What size cake tins do you use?
Hey Claire,
You are going to use (3) 8 inch round cake pans. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Does anything need to be changed to make this into cupcakes?
Hey Leslie,
Just watch them while baking, you will probably need to reduce the baking time. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions!
This cake came out wonderfully for my husband’s birthday. I was nervous with all the eggs/egg yolks, that it would be really dense; but, it was moist and tasted great. Thank you for the recipe! I will be making it again for my son’s upcoming birthday 🙂
I did my frosting a little different- I did 2 sticks of butter with 1 cup of whipping cream, and only 2 cups of powdered sugar. I also sifted the cocoa powder and sugar. It was perfect with this cake!
Thank you so much Carolyn! I am really happy this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hello! I plan on making this cake for my son’s birthday in a couple days and had a couple of questions. The store was out of my regular cake flour so I had to get Presto self-rising cake flour (with added salt and baking powder). Do you think I can use this for your recipe? If so, should I decrease or leave out the baking powder and salt?
The store was also out of full fat buttermilk so I had to get the reduced fat buttermilk. Should I change anything to compensate? With a nor’easter looming here on the east coast, I won’t be able to go to another store. Thank you so much for any input (and your great recipes)!
Hey Kristen,
I have never used the presto cake flour, but I would omit the baking powder and salt and then yes the reduced fat buttermilk is totally fine to use. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Not sure if anyone asked previously but would there be an issue with cutting this in 1/3? Seems like the measurements work out nicely. Want to try out for a very small birthday party so 12 cupcakes sound perfect.
Hey Alison,
Just to be safe, I would simply cut the recipe in half. I hope you love the cake, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I love the idea of this cake, but want to make a 9×13 so I can write something special on top. Any general baking tips? Bake a little longer?
Hey Tara,
I would follow the recipe as is, just keep an eye on it in the oven:) I hope you love the cake! xTieghan
Normally when I think of a Vanilla cake…..I am bored. Not this cake!
I baked it for a friend’s birthday and it was amazing. Not sure if it was the addition of the Greek yogurt or the buttermilk, but it has an almost nutty or brown butter hint to it, giving it way more flavor than any other vanilla cake I’ve tried.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. All of the recipes you generously post have been amazing! During the pandemic, we have had to learn to eat at home more often. Your recipes are a welcome addition when we have needed ideas on what to cook for dinner!!
We set a goal to try them all!
❤️
Hey Jill,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan