Easy Buttermilk Vanilla Cake

This vanilla cake is the only one I will ever make. The fluffiness of your favorite box mix, but the flavor and depth of a scratch made cake.

Vanilla cake doesn't have to be hard or tedious. I tried 6 different recipes, before I ultimately settled on this being my favorite. It's quick, inexpensive, fluffy, and sturdy enough to stack. This amazing recipe is from the popular Natasha's Kitchen.

“Put that box mix away and make this instead. ”

With all cakes, you want to start with room temperature ingredients. I recommend you pull them out 2-3v hours before you begin baking. This ensures you get a smooth, homogenous cake batter every time.

Key Tip for the Fluffiest Cake

Scale, Scale, Scale! You need to use a scale. I have made this recipe hundreds of times and I learned that if you want that fluffy box mix texture, you need to measure your flour accurately. Adding too much flour can easily transform this into a dense, drier cake. And that is NOT what we want. If you do not have a scale, remember to fluff up your flour and spoon it into your measuring cups, instead of scooping it straight out of the bag or container.

This recipe is super versatile. I use it as a base recipe for most flavors. You can substitute the vanilla extract with any extract. My favorite is Lemon extract with a little lemon zest. You can even fold in crushed Oreos or your favorite fruit to spice it up. I believe in working smarter and not harder, so this was my go to recipe for all of those flavors that would pair nicely with a vanilla cake base.