A tender, buttery vanilla cake on a baker's-percentage ratio that scales to any pan size or round.
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About this recipe
A good vanilla cake is all about the crumb: tender, moist, fine, and even, with a real vanilla flavor that comes through clean rather than just reading as sweet. This ratio gets there with a few deliberate moves. Sugar sits right around the flour weight, which keeps the cake moist and gives it that fine, soft texture. There is a generous amount of liquid from the milk, eggs for structure so the crumb holds together without turning rubbery, and a healthy dose of leavening so the cake rises tall and light instead of dense. It is a plain milk batter, so it leans on baking powder for lift and on a good vanilla for flavor.
The method is the creaming method: beat softened butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy, which works air into the fat and sets up the rise. Then I alternate the dry ingredients and the milk in additions, ending with the dry, and mix only until the batter just comes together. The reason for alternating is to avoid overmixing — once flour meets liquid, stirring builds gluten, and too much of it turns a cake tough and chewy instead of tender. The other thing to watch is overbaking, which dries the crumb out. Pan size matters here in a way that trips people up: the calculator scales the batter to the area of whatever pan you use, but bake time still changes with the pan. A wide, shallow sheet sets faster than a deeper round, and cupcakes faster still, so go by a clean toothpick rather than the clock.
Gluten-free cake is the least forgiving of these desserts, since cake relies on a delicate, even crumb that wheat handles naturally. Use a 1:1 cup-for-cup blend designed for cakes — cake-specific gluten-free blends exist and are worth seeking out — expect a slightly more delicate crumb, and be especially careful not to overmix, since gluten-free batters can turn gummy.
This ratio takes variations easily. The calculator scales the batter by area, so you can bake it in an 8×8 or 9×9 square, a 9×13 sheet, two 9-inch rounds for a layer cake, or scoop it into a muffin tin for cupcakes. Fold in sprinkles for funfetti. Swap in cake flour for an even finer crumb, or use buttermilk in place of the milk for a little tang and a more tender texture. A splash of almond extract alongside the vanilla, or some citrus zest creamed into the sugar, adds a quiet second note.
At a glance
At its default setting, this Vanilla Cake recipe makes a 9×13-inch pan — about 1404g of batter in total. In baker's percentage that breaks down to 356g AP flour (100%), 363g Granulated sugar (102%), 310g Milk (87%), 182g Large eggs (51%), 157g Unsalted butter (44%), 14g Baking powder (4%), 14g Vanilla extract (4%), and 7.1g Fine sea salt (2%). Change the pan size or enter a target batter weight in the calculator and every amount rescales to match, in grams or ounces.
Make
Pan dimensions (in)
Pan batter weight scales by area. Pick a preset or punch in custom dimensions; the total batter weight updates instantly.
Display unit
Eggs display
By count for cartons of whole eggs; by weight for liquid egg or precision baking.
Total batter
1404g
Saved to this device only — no account needed.
Step-by-step method
The classic creaming method. Beating softened butter with the sugar works air into the fat, and that air is what gives the cake its light, tender rise. Then you alternate the dry ingredients with the milk in additions, ending with the dry, and mix only until the batter just comes together — overmixing builds gluten and toughens the crumb. Spread it in the pan and bake to a clean toothpick, watching the time since bake time changes with the pan you use.
A taller, deeper batter bakes slower than a thin one, and dark pans run faster than light ones. Start checking early and trust the toothpick.
Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Unfrosted layers wrap and freeze well for up to a couple of months.
Frequently asked
Use the calculator on this page. Pick your pan dimensions (or enter a total batter weight) and every ingredient amount updates automatically. The recipe is written in baker's percentage, so the ratio — and the texture — stays the same whether you bake an 8×8, a 9×13, or a half sheet.
Yes. The espresso powder is optional — it deepens the chocolate flavor without tasting like coffee, but the recipe works without it. Nuts and chocolate chips are mix-in toggles in the calculator: switch them on or off and the amounts update. Turning a mix-in off removes it cleanly without changing the rest of the ratio.
The brown-butter method cooks the butter to a nutty brown before mixing, which adds a deeper, almost caramel-edged flavor — at the cost of about 45 minutes of cooling time. The classic melt-and-whisk method is faster and still produces a rich, fudgy result. Both use the same ratio; only the butter handling changes.
More general questions about ratios, hydration, and the calculator on the FAQ page.
Background concepts
Foundational · Ingredients
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