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One Bowl Vanilla Cake Recipe

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One Bowl Vanilla Cake – incredibly fluffy and moist cake with the best easy vanilla frosting! All you need is one bowl and a whisk to make it! Even kids can make it!

Easy cakes are the best! My One Bowl Chocolate Cake and the Best Chocolate Bundt Cake are the proof. This vanilla version is bound to be a hit!

one bowl vanilla cake 2 One Bowl Vanilla Cake Recipe

ONE BOWL VANILLA CAKE

Fluffy and moist cake with delicious vanilla flavor, topped with the best and easiest fluffy vanilla frosting makes for an easy dessert you can make in under 30 minutes. It is the best vanilla cake you will ever make! You can add other flavorings to make other variations, use gluten-free flour or even make it dairy-free with almond milk. This cake could not be easier to make. You only need one mixing bowl and a whisk to make the batter. It’s a must-try dessert for every home baker!

How to make One-Bowl Vanilla Cake?

  • Star by gathering ingredients. Make sure the egg is room temperature. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can easily make it by mixing apple cider vinegar with half and half or whole milk.
  • Whisk together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  • Add wet ingredients (except water) and whisk. Add water and whisk it in. Pour batter into prepared 8″ square or round pan.
  • Bake cake in a preheated oven until golden on top, 25 to 28 minutes.
  • Cool completely before frosting.

how to make one bowl vanilla cake One Bowl Vanilla Cake Recipe

One-Bowl Cake variations:

  • lemon cake: add lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice (plus enough water to make 1/2 cup of liquid)
  • berry summer cake: add lemon zest and blueberries or raspberries
  • gluten-free cake: use gluten-free flour that can be used in 1:1 ratio
  • dairy-free: use almond milk in place of half and half to make buttermilk
  • zucchini cake: add shredded zucchini (squeeze out as much liquid out of it as you can before using) and frost with chocolate frosting
  • funfetti cake: add sprinkles into the batter and on top of frosting.

one bowl vanilla cake 1 One Bowl Vanilla Cake Recipe

Can I make cupcakes with this recipe?

Yes! Pour batter into a cupcake pan and bake for 18 minutes, until golden on top. Cool completely before frosting.

The frosting

I made my go-to vanilla frosting recipe by creaming butter and powdered sugar, then adding vanilla and a splash of heavy cream. It’s fluffy and just perfect with this cake!

More Easy Cake Recipes:

Moist Carrot Cake

The Best Chocolate Bundt Cake

Cinnamon Apple Cake

For more dessert recipes, feel free to browse our Dessert Category.

If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀

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ONE-BOWL VANILLA CAKE RECIPE:

 

4.85 from 13 votes
one bowl vanilla cake 2 150x150 One Bowl Vanilla Cake Recipe
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One-Bowl Vanilla Cake recipe
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 

A fluffy and moist cake with the best easy vanilla frosting! All you need is one bowl and a whisk to make it!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: one bowl vanilla cake, vanilla cake
Servings: 9 servings
Calories: 425 kcal
Author: Anna
Ingredients
for cake:
  • 1.25 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk see note
  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
for frosting:
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1.5 cup powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour or line with parchment paper, an 8" square or round pan. Set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  3. Add egg, buttermilk and oil. Whisk together. Add hot water and whisk well until the batter is smooth. It will be runny but that's okay.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap the pan gently against the counter to release any air bubbles.
  5. Bake cake for 25 to 28 minutes or until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in a few places comes out clean.
  6. Cool cake completely before frosting.
  7. To make frosting: place butter in a medium mixing bowl and beat for 7 minutes. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time and beat in well. Add heavy cream and beat in for 1 minute. Add vanilla and mix in. The frosting should be very fluffy. Spread over cooled cake. Decorate with sprinkles.
Recipe Notes

To make homemade buttermilk: mix 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar with enough half and half to make 1/2 cup of liquid. Let stand for 3 to 4 minutes. When the mixture looks thick and curdled, use in the recipe.

Use good quality vanilla as that is the primary flavor in this cake.

For the best frosting: make sure the butter is soft. Otherwise, the frosting won't be fluffy.

Nutrition Facts
One-Bowl Vanilla Cake recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 425 Calories from Fat 216
% Daily Value*
Fat 24g37%
Saturated Fat 17g106%
Cholesterol 49mg16%
Sodium 150mg7%
Potassium 88mg3%
Carbohydrates 50g17%
Sugar 37g41%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 390IU8%
Calcium 43mg4%
Iron 0.9mg5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Meera says

    This cake is so so soft and delicious- thank you for this excellent recipe! I’ve made it three times in just this one month- a whole heap of birthdays came by. And EACH AND EVERY TIME I’ve missed out adding vanilla to the cake because it isn’t mentioned in the recipe.

    Gah.

    Reply

  3. Yvonne Carlisle says

    Anna,
    I have baked this cake several times. My mom and son love it.
    It comes out great every time. I experimented and baked it in a 9x 13 pan, it came out thin, so I made it into a layer cake when I add the icing. A square cake. It’s quick, easy and taste so good. I love buttercream icing
    Thank you

    Reply

  5. Kelly says

    This cake is sooooooo good…however, I have to point out that although in the ingredients list it lists vanilla, you don’t say anywhere in the instructions where to put it in.

    I obviously can figure it out but if someone is strictly following the instructions, they may miss the vanilla and that’s the best part of the cake! It might need a little edit 🙂

    But otherwise, it’s so delicious and easy!

    Reply

    • Valerie Bolton says

      Hi there, just made this cake, was delicious… Only problem it didn’t rise very much. I used a round pan.. what could I have done wrong?

      Reply

  7. Gloria says

    Thank you for sharing your recipes. We know there’s a lot of them on the internet. But not are as good as yours. I made this one bowl vanilla and your one bowl chocolate cakes and made a 2 layer cake per husband’s request! I love love these recipes. I followed the recipes exactly and they came out very good. Very moist and delicious, full of flavor. My husband asked me what did I put in the cake to make it very moist. I think it is the buttermilk!

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Gloria! Thank you so much for the sweet comment! I am so happy to know you both love the cakes! And yes, the buttermilk is the secret to moist baked goods.

      Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Laurenda! I actually mentioned that in the recipe, step 1: Grease and flour or line with parchment paper, an 8″ square or round pan.

      Reply

  12. Shiny Dsouza says

    Hi Anna, if I want to add orange flavour in the cake what modifications I need to do? I am planning to do it tomorrow, can you please reply?

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi! For the orange version, add orange zest from a whole orange and 2 tablespoons of orange juice. I hope this helps! Let me know how it goes.

      Reply

      • Shiny Dsouza says

        Thanks Anna. Tried the cake yesterday and it turned out to be amazing 😍 Have tagged you on Instagram with the pictures. Thank you for the delicious recipe ❤️

        Reply

    • Luz says

      Hi Anna,

      I made a cupcake version of this and it was too moist. I made another reducing the oil but it was still sticky. What am I doing wrong? The first time the liner was completely stuck but the second wasn’t as bad.

      Reply

      • Anna says

        Hi! You may want to find better cupcake liners. Sometimes the ones with foil insert prevent sticking. I’ve used many in the past and the cheaper ones stick very often. I hope this helps!

        Reply

  14. Lisi Bernier says

    My daughter is a vanilla cake monster but I always find the recipes dry or flavorless. This one was so moist and fluffy and by far the best recipe I’ve ever used. I used a very good vanilla and added a bit extra and added vinegar to whipping cream (all I had) and the cake didn’t last long. I didn’t make the icing but just served it with berries and whipped cream and will try the icing next time!

    Reply

  15. Diana says

    Super simple, easy to make with the kids and an absolutely great tasting cake!! Be sure to use good quality vanilla. I used this cake to create a layer for my brothers 30th birthday! An absolute hit, my whole family loved it.

    Reply

  16. Marlene says

    Thank You! I have a new ‘go to’ cake recipe. I made the lemon version. It is so incredibly moist. I also made the vanilla icing recipe. I added lemon zest & substituted lemon juice for the cream. My husband absolutely loved it all.

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Marlene! Yay! That’s fantastic! I am so glad the cake was a hit and I love that you made the lemon version. Perfect for Spring! Thank you so much for trying my recipe!

      Reply

  17. Nancy says

    Thank you for sharing this recipe! I was not sure what to expect, but the flavor was spot on!!! My picky husband loved it. I think some of the reviewers missed the point that it is a simple one bowl cake! Definitely a go to recipe!!!!

    Reply

  20. Lorilyn says

    Hi Anna. Last week I commented on the Chocolate one bowl cake recipe-It was such a success, I purchased a new bottle of real Madagascar vanilla extract to try the vanilla recipe. I have a couple questions about it….In the chocolate, the recipe calls for one teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 baking powder. The vanilla calls for just the opposite; One baking powder, 1/2 baking soda. I was wondering why? Does cocoa contain something that would require them to be different or is it something else?
    I made the vanilla cake-and although it turned out mostly fluffy-the top was golden and the tooth pick came out clean in several spots-but when cut and served, the corner pieces had not risen all the way near the bottom of the pan. Would that have something to do with the baking powder/soda change? Or would i need to cook it longer at a lower temperature? I used the same pan and cook time as last weeks chocolate cake.
    Also- I found the cake to not have much flavor-but did not want to add more liquid extract. I made a quick lemon glaze to pour over the cut piece to remedy this in a pinch-but wanted to ask if I did something wrong=as I love vanilla cake-but this recipe was lacking in vanilla flavor. I used two teaspoons as the recipe stated. I like the size, ingredients and ease of this cake-but would like the flavor to say’ vanilla’ when bit into, but it just said…’warm sweet desert.’ not able to identify. Thanks for any advice you could add to make my cake turn out as good as the chocolate recipe.
    number 3 on directions (printed) states “Add egg, buttermilk and oil. Whisk together. Add hot water”- It does not say when to add the vanilla. Above it states to add wet ingredients then hot water, which was not printed on the recipe page-so i added it at the end. Would that have made it different then adding before the hot water? Vanilla must be added at the end of making pudding or will dissipate. The printed vanilla cake recipe does not say to add it at all, so i just used the vanilla pudding as a guide.

    Reply

  21. Jessica says

    LOVE this. It’s so super moist. I’ve never had much success baking cakes from scratch and this came out perfect. I even had to make my own buttermilk. I think this would be delicious as a lemon poppyseed. Also, I cooked this is a spring on and topped it with homemade bananas pudding instead of frosting. OMG. Great recipe. I will be using this often.

    Reply

  23. Sam says

    Hi Anna,

    I will soon be trying this recipe!
    If i want to make a two layer cake,should i simply double all the ingredients?

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Sam! Yes, I recommend doubling the recipe if you want the layers to be as thick as in the photo. For thinner layers, use the recipe as written and bake in two pans. I hope this helps!

      Reply

  27. Susan Som says

    Hi

    Can i cover with fondant and will it stay moist even after being in the fridge/freezer.

    Also , cani mix in frkzen raspberries?

    Thanks
    Susan

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Susan! Adding frozen berries should be fine. Stir them in with dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients. That will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. I am not sure if fondant will work. The cake can be a little too soft to support it.

      Reply

  28. Michele says

    Thank you for sharing. I was looking for a vanilla cake recipe for my husband’s birthday. This one looks perfect. I especially love that it is made in one bowl.

    Reply

    • B says

      I didn’t have buttermilk. So I substituted for the same amount of plain whole fat yoghurt.
      I used a pyrex dish so I had to reduce the oven temp to 325.
      I didn’t have vanilla so we tried the lemon flavor.
      It baked in less than 30 minutes and it’s super moist! This will go in my *make again* box!
      I may add more lemon juice next time. We like more pucker. 🙂

      Reply

      • Anna says

        Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for sharing your substitutions! If you don’t have buttermilk, you can mix apple cider vinegar and whole milk or half and half to make a homemade version.

        Reply

  29. Trang says

    Thank you for this recipe. Making this in one bowl will definitely be something that I can do with my son.

    Reply

  32. Beth Pierce says

    This looks perfectly moist and delicious! Great for my daughter’s birthday party this weekend!

    Reply

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