Even the smallest things need celebrating… make CAKE! This simple 1 layer vanilla cake recipe will become your go-to cake!
Trust me, this is the best vanilla cake… and you can top it with anything you’d like,
I used a stabilized whipped cream frosting but there are so many frosting that would be perfect on this cake, how about my chocolate malt frosting... so yummy. If you’re an Oreo fan be sure to take a look at my Oreo Frosting.
No matter if the celebrating is big or small there should ALWAYS be cake!
This is the perfect cake for every day celebrating…
it has a delicious flavor and smells AMAZING!
It’s a perfect size and serves about 10 depending on how large you slice it, it’s 8″ round and a single layer which means it’s ready quickly and is easy to make and decorate, even non-cake-decorator-types will love it!
I topped it with some stabilized whipped cream and sprinkles, you can customize it any way you like…
chocolate chips, strawberries, blueberries or add some coconut!
Some of my other favorite cake recipes:
- Apple Cake Oh, it’s so delicious and should go on you must make list.
- Pumpkin Cake which is perfect all year long so grab some pumpkin and get baking!
- Carrot Cake mmm… so yummy!
This recipe is the one to go to, again and again, you can simply use a whisk and bowl to make it, or use an electric mixer.
It’s always a good idea to gather all the necessary ingredients and measure them out before beginning.
The mixing will go quicker, you won’t be inclined to forget anything and you won’t get distracted and forget a step or ingredient.
Once the cake is baked, I find it easiest to cool the cake for 10 minutes. Then have a piece of wax paper and a cooling rack ready. Turn the cake onto the wax paper by turning the cake upside down, onto the paper.
Then hold the rack over the cake, and flip the cake and the rack over to make the cake right side up to continue to cool all the way before frosting.
This method ensures that the cake will release easily and evenly as long as you’ve prepared the pan for a proper release. I use a baking spray it’s a combination of oil and flour, I use Baklene brand. You can use shortening and flour as an alternative. A thin even coating is the best way to prepare the pan.
Wrap the pan with a bake even strip and secure it with a T-pin or use a strip cut from a towel to fit eh pan. Wet the strip, wring it out. This will help the cake bake evenly, there is no trimming or leveling needed.
Did you notice my little helper?
He’s so funny, he would just love a piece of this cake (or the whole thing I’m guessing)
He’s always by my side, he likes keeping me company in the kitchen and well…
he’s so cute,
I can’t resist his charm!
Now back to the cake… and the delicious frosting.
The frosting is a stabilized whipped cream, I add some dry milk to the heavy cream and powdered sugar, this ensures the whipped cream won’t “weep” or get wet on top of the cake.
This whipped cream not only tastes delicious it stays great on the cake for days in the fridge, which you may know is not typical with regular whipped cream which only stays good for a few hours.
HERE is the VIDEO for this cake!
You can find more on stabilized whipped cream in my post HERE
If you’re looking for an 8″ Chocolate Cake recipe Click HERE.
You can use this 8″ single-layer cake recipe to make 12 cupcakes.
Let’s talk salt… I use salted butter. If you use unsalted butter add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt to the recipe.
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1-1/4 cups flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup melted butter (I use salted, if using unsalted add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- Preheat oven to 350°
- You can mix this cake by hand with a whisk, or with an electric mixer.
- Prepare one 8 inch round cake pan with a baking spray (or grease and flour pan)
- wrap a wet baking strip or towel around the outer edge of pan to ensure even baking
- In a medium bowl, whisk sugar with eggs until fluffy and lighter in color.
- Add in flour, baking powder and whisk to combine and start pouring in the milk, butter, oil, and vanilla and finish mixing it all in without over mixing.
- Pour batter into prepared baking pan
- Bake for 30 minutes, then test until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a piece of wax paper, then turn again right side up on a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Spread whipped cream over top of the cake (printable recipe follows) with an offset spatula to create swirls to give it a fluffy look.
- Top with sprinkles.
- Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Remove cake from fridge 15 minutes before serving
1 cup sugar =200g
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour =156.44g
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder=6.65g
1/2 cup milk=122.43g
1/4 cup melted butter=29g
2 tablespoons oil =28.39g
1 tablespoon vanilla extract =13g
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons dry milk
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles
- Whip heavy cream with an immersion blender or electric mixer with powdered milk and powdered sugar, until it's thick and peaks form when the whisk attachment when pulled away.
- The powdered milk with help keep the whipped cream from getting "watery" it stays well for days in the fridge.
- This can be spread over the cake, then add sprinkles. Refrigerate and take out 20-20 mintus before serving for best flavor of cake and frosting.
CLICK HERE for my Single Layer Chocolate Cake
If you’d like to see more of my dog, Charlie you can follow him on Instagram @sweetcharliedog and while you’re there take a look at my Instagram @createdbydiane.
If you like this or any other recipe at 
Karen T says
I love your helper!!! What a perfect recipe for those last minute desserts for any occasion! Thank you so much for sharing. I also love that you can whisk it all together.
Jessica says
This is so awesome and sounds easy! When my husband and I want to celebrate something with cake, we can’t ever find any single-layer recipes (or even store-bought cakes, for that matter). I know you can customize it, but do you have a chocolate recipe as well?
Diane says
Yes, here is a delicious chocolate cake recipe that is a single layer 8″ round https://www.createdby-diane.com/2019/02/8-inch-round-chocolate-cake.html
Lubna says
One cup is 250ml cup?
Diane says
according to google, yes 1 cup (American measure) is equal to 250ml
Michelle says
It could be helpful to review recipe standards for how to list ingredients and steps in something like Recipes into Type; it’s not helpful to have step 7 tell me that I can whisk or use a mixer. They yield different results and either method should have instructions (mix for how long? what speed?). Also, it may be helpful to review how to actually stabilize whipped cream icing.
Diane says
Hi Michelle, thanks for the comments. I adjusted line 7, hopefully, it’s clearer. I often write the steps as I am thinking of them, and sometimes they do get out of order. This cake is so great as far as mixing on what speed and how long, you will start a mixer on low until the items are turned over so they don’t make a mess when you increase the speed to medium. Cake batter is best mixed to combine all ingredients without whipping excessively on a high speed as that will result in a quick rise and then fall, of the cake when it cools. On medium, after all the ingredients are combined, continue to blend for 1 minute. The video in the post is in a real-time setting, showing just how to mix it with a whisk, which is still helpful if using an electric mixer as you can see it’s not over beaten, but well mixed. You can see exactly what the batter will look like as well.
In the instructions, I do state how the dry milk stabilized the whipped cream the long version is here https://www.createdby-diane.com/2019/11/stabilized-whipped-cream.html
Hope that helps 🙂
Kayleigh says
Hi hun im about to attempt to make this lovely cake im a beginner haha but im unsure of the measurements im going to be using measure cups so do u mean 1 cup is a 240ml cup also u state use 1-1/4 cups of flour so wud i use a 240ml cup & a 120ml cup & for the melted butter 1/4 wud i use a 60ml cup & for the milk 1/2 wud i use my 120ml cup please my pack of cups only hve 4 in witch are 1×240ml 1×120ml 1×80ml 1×60ml its my 1st time atempting to bake
Diane says
1 cup is 240ml, the 1/4 cup would be 60ml, so flour is 300ml.
butter 60ml
milk 120ml
Hope that helps.
Kayleigh says
Hi Diane its kayleigh I’ve just commented about the measurements i forgot to say im in the UK also would i receive ur reply by email as i wudnt no that you’ve comment back to my questions thanks very much your recipes I’ve seen so far look fantastic
Kayleigh says
Hiya Diane thank you that was very helpful the only thing im stuck on is u said 60ml of butter do i use my 60ml cup ?? Or not if so do i fill the cup to the top many thanks
Diane says
Yes, if you have a 60ml cup, fill it with butter level it off so it’s flat on top. When you use measuring cups the should be filled to the top and leveled smooth.
Kelly says
I made this cake today, and it turned out pretty wonderful! I did have a question, though!
My oven was at 350, and after 30 minutes, the center was still a bit jiggly, and under cooked, so it took about 40 minutes total for me. — My question is would that be because of my pan. My pan is 8 inches, but’s only 1.5 inches deep, and yours looks a bit higher than that, so I wondered if that was the reason? Or should I try raising the temperature a few degrees next time?
Diane says
My suggestions are to be sure your oven is not just at 350 but well preheated so when you do open the door to put the cake in the oven, it doesn’t drop in temperature too much. I often preheat mine for 20 minutes (even if the oven beeps and says it’s at 350 in 5 minutes. It’s then well heated, evenly) I’d suggest re-measuring your pan I think, when I bake my cake in an 8″ round pan it bakes up at the top rim and my pan is 2″ high, so if your pan is 8″ and 1-1/2 ” high either it’s overfull and can’t bake enough in the pan, or will overflow. So if it didn’t overflow, it’s possible there was too much batter in the pan, and since the cake bakes slow enough it just needed much longer to bake and possibly came out denser as well, just a guess. My suggestions are to use less batter if you use the same pan, the higher temp will just rise the cake faster and make it browner in color and firmer on all the edges, so I don’t recommend it, a cake taking longer isn’t a problem. If your pan is 8″ round and only 1-1/2″ high maybe reduce the batter by 1/2 cup and see if that bakes up better in that pan.
Maxine Lauer says
Oh my, I hit the jackpot this week when I discovered Created by Diane. I needed a small cake for my son’s birthday (no parties during quarantine) and came across her 8” round vanilla cake. Oh my, I have tried many vanilla cake recipes trying to find a go to recipe. This is a WINNER!! It was the perfect texture, flavor and it baked perfectly!! Thank you, Diane, I have signed up for the newsletter and am looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Now, off to try the Dalgona. THANK YOU!!!!
Diane says
Hi Maxine, I’m so glad you like the cake recipe, it’s my favorite too and probably the one I now make the most! Oh just wait until you try the Dalgona coffee, it’s addictive!
Mallory says
Needed a 3rd cake layer and this was a lifesaver! Simple, easy, tasty.
Thanks.
Lana says
Thanks for this. My first successful cake although the sides turned out a bit crumbly. Any idea why that happened? Is it possible to have the ingredients in grams instead? I had to convert it and didn’t know if it was entirely accurate
Diane says
Here is the conversion I got
1 cup sugar =200g
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour =156.44g
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder =6.65g
1/2 cup milk =122.43g
1/4 cup melted butter =29g
2 tablespoons oil =28.39g
1 tablespoon vanilla extract =13g
using these calculators
https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/cooking/teaspoons-grams.php
https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/cooking/cups-grams.php
1 cup does not = the same grams of certain items, like flour and sugar, they weigh different amounts sugar is heavier, so some sites say 1 cup= xxgrams and that may not be for the item you are measuring.
Hope that helps.
As far as “crumbly” sides, I really don’t know. If it’s falling apart, maybe not enough sugar. Also that will depend on what you coated your pan with and the type of pan used and how well the cake released from the pan. So many variables without more information. Feel free to give me more info, and if you do use the conversion let me know how it goes, one day I’ll make it with the gram measurement myself and post it when I do.
Dee says
Let me tell you this cake actually works! I have had so many cake fails and I had given up making cakes thinking it was completely beyond me. My cakes turned out soggy and smelling of scrambled eggs! I tried out this recepie as a last resort and it turned out perfect.
When I saw the recipie lists only 2 eggs, I figured this must be a recipie that works great here in States. USA has larger eggs I think and if you use 3-4 eggs that other recipies call for, your cakes generally fail. I had no eggy problems with this cake at all! It’s perfectly fluffy and delicious and smells the way a cake should. I reduced the cup of sugar from 1 cup to 3/4 cups thinking one cup would be too much sugar so my cake is little bit less sweet. Next time, I will trust the recipie coz now I know for sure I can trust the recipies in this site. I’m so glad to finally have a simple vanilla cake I can bake to enjoy with my tea!
Thanks Diane for posting the amounts needed for a small one layer cake when everybody else seem to be mentinoing the amounts needed for large elaborate layered cakes. Sometimes, regular folks like us just need a simple cake to enjoy with a cup of tea. Everytime you bake a cake, doesn’t have to be a party.
Diane says
Hi Dee,
I’m glad you liked the cake recipe.
I wanted to let you know that reducing sugar in baked goods effects the moisture, as well as sweetness, lots of people, reduce sugar and think it’ll just affect how sweet it will be, that isn’t true, it affects the taste and the texture the crumb of the cake and the moisture/dryness. I have a single layer chocolate cake recipe here https://www.createdby-diane.com/2019/02/8-inch-round-chocolate-cake.html and I more small batch recipes as well, and agree we don’t always need huge desserts!
This cookie recipe makes 8 large cookies https://www.createdby-diane.com/2019/03/brown-butter-bakery-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
And if you like cut out sugar cookies this batch makes 18 cookies https://www.createdby-diane.com/2019/05/buttercream-rose-frosted-cookies.html
And you did mention “here in the States” I’m in the US (California) and bake with large eggs.
Happy Baking!
Leila says
I added 1/2 tsp of salt to this cake recipe, since all cakes should have some salt to bring out the flavor, otherwise it is a tasteless cake. But I must say I loved this cake, so delicious, and using oil and butter instead of just butter yields a fluffy, moist, flavorful cake. Thanks!
Diane says
I mention it often on my blog, I use salted butter. So yes, if you use unsalted add some salt. I made the adjustment in the recipe, thanks for letting me know it wasn’t included.
Sherri says
Hi, I need to bake 2 cakes at once. How long should I cook 2 cakes when I double the recipe?
Diane says
I’m not sure if you mean you’ll be baking 2-8” round cakes or double the batter to put into a larger cake pan. If you’re baking 2-8” round cake sits the same timing as one. The timing will increase if you out more cake batter into a pan, and I’d have to know the size pan to give you a best estimate. Let me know if you have more questions.