The BEST 8 Inch Cake Recipe
Three layers of super soft and fluffy 8 inch vanilla cakes, frosted with a whipped vanilla buttercream. This cake and frosting can be adapted into any other flavor!
The most popular recipe on Baran Bakery is my 6 Inch Vanilla Cake Recipe. Unfortunately not everyone has 6-inch pans or sometimes it’s just too small so I always get asked if it can be baked into different size pans, especially 8-inch. It certainly can be but you’ll only get two layers and it will be a fairly short cake compared to the one pictured.
So, for all you lovebugs who love my vanilla cake recipe, I TURNED IT INTO A THREE LAYER 8 INCH CAKE!
I did not have to yell that at you but honestly I’m so excited about it because it really is my favorite cake and *almost* forgot how good plain vanilla cake was. I also tweaked my whipped vanilla bean American buttercream recipe to fully frost the 8 inch size.
I’ve adapted my 6 inch version into so many different flavors but the same methods can be applied to the 8 inch, like browning the butter, swirling in the Nutella, folding in biscoff cookies, adding chocolate chips, using brown sugar and cinnamon, etc.
I also used this recipe to make my white chocolate raspberry cake,
Why I love this 8-inch vanilla cake recipe
Flavor & Texture: To me, the perfect cake has a lovely balanced flavor of butter, sugar, vanilla, milk, eggs and flour. It also has a fluffy, moist and tender texture without being too flimsy, crumbly, dry or dense.
Simplicity: No one wants to make the BEST cake recipe if the ingredient list is too long or inaccessible. I think most people have these ingredients on hand and it’s fairly simple to make…in my opinion, lol.
How to make an 8-inch cake
I really like to keep my recipes as simple as I can without leaving out anything that might help you. The full instructions are in the recipe card but we’ll run through some best practices for cakes in general and the ingredient list.
The main steps are creaming the butter and sugar together, adding in the oil and eggs, beating between each addition and then alternating adding in the dry ingredients with the milk and sour cream.
Ingredients:
- All-purpose Flour: Cake flour is known to produce better results in cakes… better is an opinion, lol. Personally, I don’t care for the taste of cake flour. The texture may be more tender, but it’s not worth someone going out to buy cake flour just to make a cake. This recipe was developed specifically to use all-purpose flour since that’s what most people have at home.
- I also HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as you will almost always overmeasure the flour.
- Fat: I use butter and oil in almost all my cake recipes because I like the flavor from the butter and I like the texture produced by the combination of both fats. I find that oil alone is sometimes too spongy and not quite as pleasant in a plain vanilla cake. Whereas using all butter usually results in a cake that’s a bit more stiff.
- Whole Eggs: you simply can’t argue against the flavor and richness that egg yolks bring to the table. I use egg whites when I specifically want my cakes to be white and not yellow but this cake was developed for optimal flavor and texture so whole eggs all the way!
- Sugar: I mean do we need to talk about this one? YES WE DO, because some people think it’s ok to remove ¼-½ of the sugar from a recipe because “they don’t want it so sweet”…I get it. But the truth is homemade cakes are nowhere near as sweet as store bought ones (at least mine aren’t).
- If you want to remove sugar, use a European based buttercream, like Swiss or French, instead of the American
- If you do use my Swiss or French (or any other one from my cookbook, Frosted, you’ll want to multiply the recipe by at least 1.5x-2x depending on how much you want to decorate.
- Sugar is not only there for sweetness. It caramelizes to produce flavor and color. It also creates tenderness and locks in moisture.
- Liquid: I was a firm believer in buttermilk before I did all this testing. Now I am a firm believer in sour cream. The difference in texture and flavor was mind blowing from the very first test.
- If you really don’t have access to sour cream you can replace it with equal amounts of greek yogurt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my ingredients need to be at room temperature?
The temperature of the ingredients ensures that the right amount of air is incorporated into your cake and that the batter emulsifies properly. If your batter ever looks split/curdled when you add the eggs, it’s most likely either the temperature of your ingredients or the fat to liquid ratio is off.
I usually pull the butter and eggs out first. Put the eggs in some hot water and slice the butter so it warms up quicker. Get the rest of my ingredients together and measure. Microwave the milk for 10-20 seconds so it’s not cold and use cold sour cream because warm sour cream sounds gross, lol.
How to prevent the cakes from sticking to the pan?
Honestly I rarely encounter this problem. I typically just use a baking spray made with flour to grease my cake pans. I feel like that’s not as common as greasing with plain butter or flour but it works for me and it’s so much easier. If you’re really nervous you can use parchment paper to line the bottom of the pans as well.
When are my cakes done baking?
This is important because a good cake can become a dry cake in a matter of minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center that comes out clean is also a common test to check for doneness but this can also easily lead to an overbaked cake. .
If your cake pans are greased properly, the cake should release itself from the edge of the pan once it’s fully baked. Another way to know is that as soon as the top of the cake no longer looks wet, gently press on the center of it and if it springs back, it’s done. If your fingerprint stays pressed down then bake it for another 1-2 minutes and try again.
Can I make this 8-inch cake in a different size pan?
Mehhh…if I’m being honest, you don’t need to. If you want a 6-inch cake, then make that version but if you want a 9-inch cake, you can make this one (bake a couple minutes less if using three pans or a few minutes more if using two pans) but I’d prefer to just double the recipe for the 6-inch one to make three 9-inch layers. If you want a quarter sheet cake (9×13), I recommend the original 6-inch version for that as well.
I also have a 10 inch version and a 4 inch version of this cake. They’re all tweaked just slightly but almost unnoticeable.
Can I turn this cake into cupcakes?
This cake recipe is not my favorite for cupcakes. It was developed to dome less and created a flatter top so the cupcakes would be kind of sad looking. You would also probably get an awkward amount of cupcakes like 30-35 cupcakes.
BUT, here’s my small batch vanilla cupcake recipe and stay tuned for my basic full-batch vanilla cupcake recipe!
How much frosting do I need for a three layer 8-inch cake
I prefer not to decorate my cakes heavily so I find that a frosting that uses 1 ½ cups of butter is sufficient. If you’re looking to decorate as well, I would recommend a frosting that uses at least 2 cups of butter.
For example, the recipe included with vanilla American buttercream uses 1 ½ cups of butter but the recipe for Swiss meringue buttercream uses 1 cup of butter. To adjust them to fit this cake, multiply them by 1.5x the recipe. So for a Swiss meringue buttercream, instead of 4 egg whites and 1 cup of sugar, use 6 egg whites with 1 ½ cups of sugar and 1 ½ cups of butter.
If you haven’t already, make sure to check out my cookbook Frosted. It’s about all the different types of frosting and it has 60 recipes to use the frostings for!
How to store cake
Storing unfrosted cake layers (make ahead)
You can make the cake layers ahead of time. For best results, allow the cake layers to cool almost to room temperature. When they’re still just slightly warm, wrap them in plastic wrap and leave them on the counter overnight.
If you’re making them more than one day in advance, you’ll want to freeze them. Place the plastic wrapped layers in a freezer bag, removing the excess air, and freeze on a flat surface.
You can remove the cakes from the freezer and frost right away or you can remove them a few hours earlier and bring them back to room temperature. If you’re frosting them frozen, make sure to let the cake rest so it thaws before serving.
How to store the finished cake
If the cake is fully frosted and unsliced, you can leave it on the counter overnight (unless it feels soft and unstable, then refrigerate it).
If the cake is partially sliced, cover any cut sections with plastic wrap or a cake dome. Place all the cut slices in an airtight container. It can stay at room temperature for a day or refrigerated for up to a week.
How to freeze the cake
If the cake is sliced, place the slices in an airtight container. You can also individually wrap each slice in plastic wrap if you want to remove one at a time. Place the container in a freezer bag and squeeze out all the excess air. You can store them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
You can also freeze the cake whole. To do this, refrigerate the cake until the frosting is firm, a couple of hours. Then wrap the whole cake in plastic wrap, twice and freeze for up to two months.
Let the cake thaw in the fridge over night. Then remove the plastic wrap and let it thaw on the counter until serving. Keep in mind, the cake is never as good as fresh.
Thanks so much for reading, I really hope you guys enjoy. this cake as much as we did. If you make this 8-inch cake make sure to tag me @baranbakery on instagram! As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
Vanilla 8 Inch Cake Recipe
Three layers of super soft and fluffy 8 inch vanilla cakes, frosted with a whipped vanilla buttercream. This cake and frosting can be adapted into any other flavor!
Equipment
Ingredients
8-inch Vanilla Cake
- 360 grams (3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 113 grams (1/2 cup/8 Tbsp/1 stick) salted butter room temperature
- 400 grams (2 cups) granulated sugar
- 118 mL (1/2 cup) vegetable or canola oil
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 227 grams (1 cup) sour cream
- 240 mL (1 cup) milk room temperature
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
- 340 gram (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter cool room temperature*
- 600 grams (5 cups) powdered sugar
- 60 mL (1/4 cup) heavy whipping cream room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F/177C convection (325F/163C conventional) and grease and line three 8 inch cake pans.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until they're evenly distributed.360 grams (3 cups) all-purpose flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp fine sea salt
- Place the room temperature butter and the granulated sugar in a large bowl and use an electric mixer with the whisk attachment to beat them for 2 minutes, scraping the edge of the bowl halfway through.113 grams (1/2 cup/8 Tbsp/1 stick) salted butter, 400 grams (2 cups) granulated sugar
- Add in the oil and beat for another 1-2 minutes.118 mL (1/2 cup) vegetable or canola oil
- Add one egg at a time and beat on medium-high speed for 30-60 seconds, until each one is fully incorporated. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl every so often.4 large eggs
- Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and beat just until they're combined.1 Tbsp vanilla extract, 227 grams (1 cup) sour cream
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter, turn the mixer up to low speed and then pour in the milk, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients.240 mL (1 cup) milk
- Distribute the batter evenly among the three cake pans, about 18oz in each pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.
- When the cake is fully baked it will release itself from the edge of the pan and it will spring back if you press on the center of it.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
- Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, fit with a whisk attachment and beat at full speed for 2-3 minutes, scraping the edge of the bowl every so often.340 gram (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter
- Add in half of the powdered sugar, beat at the lowest speed, just until it's combined, then add the other half of the powdered sugar beating at the lowest speed again, just until it's combined.600 grams (5 cups) powdered sugar
- Scrape the edge of the bowl and turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for 2-3 minutes.
- Scrape the edge of the bowl again, add in the heavy whipping cream, vanilla and salt and beat at medium-high speed for another 2-3 minutes.
Assemble
- Place the first layer of the cooled cake onto a flat surface and frost with 1/4 of the buttercream. Repeat with the next layer and then place the third layer on top.
- Use another 1/4 of the buttercream to apply a thin crumb coat to the outside of the cake and then refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
- Use the rest of the buttercream to frost the cake fully and then refrigerate it for another 15-20 minutes, just to set.
- Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
*I wrote cool room temperature because if my butter is at true room temperature in my house, it’s almost always too warm. What I like to do is either pull the butter out 1-2 hours before using it and cut it into small chunks OR leave it out at room temperature the night before and refrigerate it for about 15 minutes before I use if for the frosting. You want the butter to be soft enough that it squishes when you press on it but not so warm that it looks greasy at all.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 649kcalCarbohydrates: 79gProtein: 5gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 289mgFiber: 1gSugar: 60g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
hello,
I had leftover whole egg buttercrean frosting, So I crumb-coated my cake with it. Now, I have to make a new batch of frosting to cover the final coat on the cake. I noticed, that it’s soft and not as firm as American/ regular buttercream. I was planning to make petals with a palette knife but it’s not as stiff as the regular buttercream. Please suggest should I make the same whole egg buttercream ( as I already filled the layers and crumb coated it) or make the you mentioned in this recipe.
Also, let me know whenwhich one is the best buttercream for decorating cake( flowers). I am sure it’s not tye whole egg buttercream! Right?
Hi Merriam, if it’s soft you can just refrigerate it to firm it up.
If not, you can use the frosting in the recipe or use Swiss meringue buttercream, it’s more stable/firm but uses just egg whites and tastes more like the whole egg buttercream
In this recipe you used American vanilla buttercream frosting. Can I go for who egg buttercream frosting for this vanilla cake?
I made your vanilla cupcakes and made the whole eggs buttercream recipe I loved it so much. Now, I want to make this cake with whole egg butter cream.
Please let me know
Yes you can but I would probably 1.5x or 2x the buttercream recipe for an 8 inch cake! I’m glad you liked it!
I loved your vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream “ whole egg buttercream”frosting on this cake?
For the stand mixer do you use the whisk attachment or the beat attachment?
Thank you for getting back to me. Have a great day!
Good morning! How are you? I have made many of your recipes and they have all turned out great. I am planning to make a 9X13 vanilla sheet cake with your recipe. Could you tell me if the 8 or 10 inch woulfit in a 9X13 pan? Thank you
Hi Kristen, actually the three layer 6 inch cake fits a 9×13 perfectly 🙂
can I sub granulated sugar for castor sugar
should be fine 🙂
I absolutely adore this recipe, it’s the best I’ve tried and a favourite with my family so thank you!
I’m making a 3 tier wedding cake for my brother’s wedding in a few months and I just wondered if you had any experience of stacking cakes using this recipe?
Ah so glad you like it 🙂
I did recently stack it with a 6 inch on top and it worked well. I used dowels/rods just in case though.
Have to genuinely thank you for this recipe ????????
I’ve tried SO MANY different cake recipes and every time they fail. But the detail in the measurements and steps made the whole process so easy and the cake came out beautiful straight from the oven. ????
Thank you! So glad you liked this recipe!
I am so sad to say, but my cakes sunk in the center (about a half inch) when they were almost finished baking. Leavening agents are not expired. My oven temps were as specified. I followed the directions as written and used 8 inch pans. I noticed others had issues but just ignored it, I should have chose another recipe. *sad face*
Hi Elizabeth, I’m sorry the cake didn’t work out for you. Did the cake start sinking while it was still in the oven? Also did you happen to open the oven at all in the first 20-25 minutes of baking?
I’ve tested this recipe so many times trying to figure out why it would sink for some people. I’ve intentionally tried to make it sink and cannot. Is there any chance you’re at a higher altitude? If not, the only thing I can think of at this point is that the oven may be heating unevenly or inaccurately.
This is the best vanilla cake recipe I’ve tried! It says you can adapt the recipe to several flavors. Do you have recipe cards for these adaptations? I’d love to see!
Hi Chelsey, so glad you liked the cake! Thank you for your review!
I linked several adaptations, like using brown sugar, brown butter, cinnamon, nutella, biscoff, etc. near the top of the blog post. I hope that’s helpful 🙂
Hi, I have another question! I noticed when I make these sometimes it is very delicate on the edges. I use a stand mixer, what setting/how long do you recommend beating the sugar abs butter, and then oils on? I’m not sure if the timing is different than a hand mixer, and it’s possible I’m beating too long or at too high a speed! Thanks again
Hi Chelsey, I use a stand mixer as well. I wrote electric mixer because you can either use a stand or hand mixer as long as it’s electric.
I use the stand mixer at medium/medium-high speed. If I use a hand mixer, I would get a high powered one at full speed.
What type of pan are you using? How are you greasing the pan? and how long do you leave it to cool in the pan?
I use a metal pan with PAM baking spray and I usually remove them right away by flipping them onto a tea towel. Then I let them cool a while before flipping them over. The edges normally caramelize a little so I never notice them being fragile.
I think this recipe may need tweaking maybe? Followed to a T and it was flat
thank you so much for your infometive post.its very immpresive.
I want to use your recipe to bake a cake.I’m halfway through making the cake and I don’t know how much to measure out!
Hi April, what don’t you know how to measure out?
I followed the metric measurements and my cakes didn’t rise, have a very dense flat cake, unfortunately. I might try again with self-raising flour 😢
Hi Carla, I’m sorry the cake didn’t turn out. Were your ingredients all room temperature? Cold eggs and milk can make cakes really flat and dense.
I followed the instructions to the letter and I still ended up with flat dense cakes. I end up with the exact same every time and I did everything exactly as written. What on earth am I doing wrong?! I See all these lovely thick sponge cakes, and I can’t for the life of me make mine rise 💔
Hi Natalie, I’m sorry it didn’t rise. I would just double check that the baking powder isn’t expired (and make sure it’s baking powder not soda). Were all your ingredients room temperature? Did you beat the butter with the sugar well and make sure the butter wasn’t soft and greasy to start with? Did you add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each one? If you did all of those I don’t know what else could be the problem. I’ve tested this cake so many times and have never had it turn out flat 😣😣
Hi Bernie, I really enjoyed making this cake and followed your recipe to the T . For some reason they turned out a bit thicker than a pancake. I do look forward to icing tomorrow! I must have done something wrong…arghhhh.
Hi Lori, how did it end up turning out? Was the cake dense if it was short like a pancake?
Hi, I only have one deep 8 inch cake tin. Could I do the same recipe but just alter my times and cut the cake to size or would that not be recommended?
I don’t see why it wouldn’t work but I personally would just bake them one at a time, up to you 🙂
I have a question. How many cups of batter does this make ?
Thank you!
Hi Sammy, I did not pour the batter into measuring cups so I can’t say exactly but this recipe makes 54 oz of batter. 🙂
Bernice
how much cocoa powder would you use for an 8inch chocolate cake please
thanks
Hi Elaine, I would probably do 2 1/4 cups (270g) of flour and 1 cup (80g) cocoa powder. I recommend dutch process cocoa powder for this cake if you have it. If you don’t have that and you want to use natural cocoa powder, I recommend doing 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 of baking soda 🙂
Hi
I want to use your recipe to bake a cake,
Is the flour bleached or unbleached?
Beautiful cake!
Thanks
Stephanie K
Hi Stephanie, I usually use unbleached flour 🙂
Did I miss the sour cream amount somewhere? I’m halfway through making the cake and I don’t know how much to measure out!
Hi Jenny, I’m SO SORRY! I don’t know what’s wrong with this page but it keeps cutting off my ingredients!!
8-inch Vanilla Cake
3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (118mL) canola oil
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup (227g) sour cream
1 cup (237mL) milk, room temperature
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
1 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, SLIGHTLY colder than room temperature*
5 cups (600g) powdered sugar
1/4 cup (59mL) heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract
1/8 tsp salt
Thank you!!! I haven’t frosted it yet, but snitched a little edge from the cake and it is amazing! It will be the star of my son’s birthday dinner 🙂
So glad it still worked out 🙂 enjoy & happy birthday to your little one!
Hi Bernice, thanks for making your vanilla cake into an 8″. I just gave it a go and noticed there is no vanilla listed in the ingredients. How much should it be? Also, this used the same amount of oil as your 6″ just checking as my 8″ layers turned out super thin. Thanks again.