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!
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Why You'll Love This 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 at 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 the prepared 8" square or round pan.
- Bake cake in a preheated oven until golden on top, 25 to 28 minutes.
- Cool completely before frosting.
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One-Bowl Cake variations:
- lemon cake: add lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice (plus enough water to make ½ 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.
The vanilla 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!
Recipe FAQs:
Yes! Pour batter into a cupcake pan and bake for 18 minutes, until golden on top. Cool completely before frosting.
You can add fruit to the batter, but I recommend dropping it into the batter while it's already in the pan. You can also add funfetti or other sprinkles.
More Easy Cake Recipes:
If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
One-Bowl Vanilla Cake recipe
Ingredients
for cake:
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup buttermilk see note
- ½ cup hot water
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
for frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease and flour or line with parchment paper, an 8" square or round pan. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add egg, buttermilk, vanilla and oil. Whisk together. Add hot water and whisk well until the batter is smooth. It will be runny but that's okay.1 large egg, ½ cup vegetable oil, ½ cup buttermilk, ½ cup hot water, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap the pan gently against the counter to release any air bubbles.
- Bake cake for 25 to 28 minutes or until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in a few places comes out clean.
- Cool cake completely before frosting.
- To make frosting: place butter in a medium mixing bowl and beat for 7 minutes. Add powdered sugar, ½ 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.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Notes
- To make homemade buttermilk: mix 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with enough half-and-half to make ½ cup of liquid. Let stand for 3 to 4 minutes. When the mixture looks thick and curdled, use it 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.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use a calorie counter you are familiar with.
Krzysztof says
The cake is very nice even without the cream, and at the same time it can be a good base for a cake. The recipe is wonderful
Janet says
Loved this cake! I didn't ice it, I used it for strawberry shortcake. I love one bowl recipes, this is fast and easy to make. Also, I LOVE that you put the measurements in the instructions, I really hate scrolling up and down on the page! Thank you!
Ali Wigle says
Cake was super moist and texture was great -- but lacked a lot of flavor. I followed the recipe to the tee so not sure!
baby kato says
Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe. The vanilla cake turned out beautifully; the flavor and crumb were perfect. My grandchildren love vanilla cake. I see this in our future.
Sarah says
Made this with a substitute of buttermilk of 3/4 cup green yogurt and 1/4 cup almond milk (didn’t have regular milk). Also doubled recipe. Turned out great and fluffy!
Jackiet T says
Absolutely delicious! And fluffy! I can see myself using this cake recipe many ways.
Martha says
I made it yesterday and I put the icing on today, it’s so good the icing is Delicious definitely a keeper.
Claudia C. says
This is just what I was looking for, a small, moist vanilla cake. The one bowl recipe is a bonus. I did the vinegar milk mix for the buttermilk since I normally don't have that on hand. It worked out great. Thank you for posting!
Isabel says
I made this with Saco powdered buttermilk in the dry ingredients and add the water in the liquid. It was so good! Will make again. Can I make cupcakes with this batter?
Anna says
Hi Isabel! Thank you for sharing the tip about powdered buttermilk! That's awesome! Yep, you can use this recipe for cupcakes no problem. Thank you for making my recipe!
Stacy says
This recipe was super easy to follow and execute. I added blueberries and lemon zest for a twist as suggested. The end product was moist and very delicious. ❤️
Tipp says
When do you add the hot water? After you've mixed in the egg, buttermilk and oil?
Anna says
Hi! In step 3 it says to add egg, buttermilk, vanill and oil and whisk together. Then add water. Hope this helps!
Kelly says
I have made this cake several times and it is perfect each time. So easy to make. Very moist. Lovely flavour. I always substitute 1/4 cup of the AP flour with whole wheat. And I reduce sugar to 1/2 cup and it still is more than sweet enough. I have paired the finished cake with strawberries & cream, and frosted it with vanilla, chocolate, and mocha frostings.
Anna says
Hi Kelly! Thank you for making my recipe! I need to try your idea and use whole wheat flour. Love that!
Martha says
I made it today and it’s Delicious and so easy to make.
Anna says
Thank you so much, Martha!
ShelbyG says
This bake time in an aluminum 8 inch round with 3 inch sides was way off for me. I had to add 15-18 minutes to the suggested 28 minutes, because at 26 minutes it was still runny in the middle.
-if you are using a similar tin make sure to add extra time.
Nana of 4 boys says
Moist and delicious even without vanilla extract. To far into the mixing before I realized I didnt have any so I increased my white sugar to 1 cup. Used 2% milk instead of buttermilk. Didn't need to increase the white sugar and the cake was fantastic with 2% milk. Will definitely be making this again. It went perfect with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
Dorothy says
This is a keeper. If you need a delicious and moist cake this is the one to use.