Small Vanilla Cake Recipe

This mini vanilla cake is truly my favorite cake recipe on the blog! I have never been a fan of birthday cakes, because they're always dry, overly sweet, and covered in fake frosting. So when I started this blog, I made it my mission to create the most amazing vanilla cake recipe that's so good, you'd have no choice but to go back for a second piece.

And well friends, this is it. This is THE cake recipe that tops all others. It is so moist and perfectly sweet, and when paired with my super silky vanilla swiss meringue buttercream, it is absolutely irresistible. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

For more birthday related recipes, try Birthday Cake Sugar Cookies, Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake, Birthday Cake Macarons, and Funfetti Pancakes. 

Ingredient Notes

• Cake Flour: Though it's not essential to make this cake, cake flour achieves the softest crumb! Alternatively, you can use all-purpose flour.
• Sugar: Both the cake and the buttercream require granulated sugar.
• Leavener: You'll need just baking powder to give this cake the perfect rise & texture.
• Fat: To make this cake super moist while maintaining that classic buttery flavor, this recipe uses an oil-butter combo. I prefer to use light tasting olive oil, but you can also use canola or vegetable oil. You'll also need 3 whole sticks of butter for the buttercream. 
• Dairy: For optimum flavor and texture, use full fat greek yogurt and milk. Alternatively, you can swap the yogurt for sour cream.
• Egg: The cake needs just one large egg, while the buttercream needs 4 egg whites.
• Vanilla: It isn't a classic birthday cake without a strong vanilla flavor! Use a high quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for the best flavor. 
• Sprinkles: Decorate your cake with rainbow jimmy sprinkles or leave plain for a classic look. OR top it with these birthday cake macarons!

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this small cake recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Cut butter into dry ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut up the butter into small cubes and add to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until it resembles wet sand.

STEP 2: Mix in the wet ingredients. Add the oil, yogurt, milk, egg, and vanilla, and mix until fully combined.

STEP 3: Bake. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pans. (I recommend weighing the batter to be as precise as possible!) Bake for 28-32 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

STEP 4: Cool. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

STEP 5: Make the Swiss meringue. In a double boiler, heat the egg whites, sugar, and salt, whisking frequently until it reaches 160 degrees F (70 degrees C) or until the sugar is completely dissolved and the egg whites do not feel grainy. Transfer the egg white mixture into a bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form. Turn the mixer down to low speed, and wait until the meringue cools down to at least 85 degrees F (30 degrees C).

STEP 6: Add the butter. Cut the butter into cubes and add to the meringue a few pieces at a time, allowing them to fully incorporate before adding more. Once all of the butter is added, it will likely look curdled, but keep beating for a few more minutes and it will come together. Once the buttercream has mostly come together, change the whisk attachment to the paddle and keep mixing on low speed until homogenous and smooth. Add the vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.

STEP 7: Decorate. Secure the first layer of cake on the cake stand with a small amount of frosting on the bottom. Use a cookie or ice cream scoop to measure out the frosting, then spread into an even layer with an offset spatula. I used a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop and put 3 scoops of frosting between the cake layers. Cover the whole cake in a thin layer of frosting for the crumb coat. Place in the fridge for about 20 minutes, then frost the cake as desired.

STEP 8: Serve. Top with rainbow jimmy sprinkles and enjoy!

How to Scale the Recipe

If you would like to create a larger cake, such as a 3 layer 6-inch cake or 2 layer 9-inch cake, you can scale the recipe up. Simply multiply the gram measurements by 1.5. For example, this recipe calls for 180g of cake flour, so for a larger cake you will need 270g of cake flour. 

Please Note: Scaling can work with volume measurements, however with the extremely precise gram measurements required, it can get very complicated. I recommend only scaling the gram measurements. 

If you are looking for an even smaller recipe, try these small batch vanilla cupcakes! You could also bake this cupcake recipe as a 1 layer 6 inch cake if you would like. 

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x