Buttermilk Vanilla Cake Recipe From Scratch
Bake a cake just like Grandma used to with this Vintage Buttermilk Vanilla Cake Recipe From Scratch. A delicate layer cake topped with homemade vanilla buttercream frosting!
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Table of Contents
BUTTERMILK CAKE
I spend a lot of time thinking about how cooking and baking has evolved over the years. (I know that is a weird thing to ponder)
Would my Grandma approve of this generation of convenience cooking? She had 5 kids, of course she would take advantage of quick and easy recipes. So long as it still tasted good.
I’m positive my Grandma would still make her cakes from scratch. Does boxed cake mix taste good? Sure it does. But, do you know what tastes better?… This Buttermilk Vanilla Cake Recipe From Scratch.
I consciously kept this cake plain. First, I wanted the vanilla flavor to shine. Second, this cake can be enjoyed as is. Or dress it up however you want. Top with fresh fruit, edible flowers or sprinkles. This cake is the perfect starting point for your unique creation.
I wanted to highlight Rodelle Reserve Vanilla in a classic recipe for the modern day. Rodelle Reserve uses the best in historical techniques and modern technology to make the best vanilla available with the purest of ingredients and a vintage feel.
Sometimes it is worth a little extra time and effort to get the best. Rodelle Reserve was aged for 6 months in French Oak barrels to enrich the vanilla flavors and soften the harsher alcohol flavor that all extracts inherently have.
That is how my Grandma used to bake, with quality ingredients and lots of love. (of course)
This cake is timeless but will not take you all day to make!
Get your bottle of Rodelle Reserve now! Only 1600 bottle are available!
The imported Italian bottles were screen printed, and each bottle contains a gourmet Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean. No one bottle will ever be the same!
So this one’s for Grandma. I think she would approve.
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BUTTERMILK VANILLA CAKE
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 Cups Unbleached Cake Flour
- 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1¼ Cup Buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons Rodelle Reserve Vanilla
Frosting
- 1½ Cups Unsalted Butter - softened
- 6 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Rodelle Reserve Vanilla
- 2 teaspoons Buttermilk
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs.
- Mix flour, baking powder and salt.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet while alternately adding buttermilk.
- Mix in vanilla.
- Divide batter between 2 (8") round cake pans that have been generously greased with butter or shortening.
- Bake 25 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
- Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes. Transfer cakes to cooling racks. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the butter for 1 minute.
- Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Scrape the sides in between each addition. Mix for 30 seconds between each sugar addition.
- Add vanilla and buttermilk.
- Mix on medium/high speed for 4-5 minutes. Frosting will be light and creamy.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before frosting your cake. Whip once more before frosting cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Welcome!
Nicole Harris is the recipe creator behind WonkyWonderful, sharing fast, budget-friendly meals for busy families. Since 2012 she’s been developing 30-minute dinners, kid-approved favorites, and holiday dishes with flair - all with real ingredients and no fuss. She grew up stretching simple pantry staples into something delicious, and that shows up in every recipe: easy, affordable, and full of flavor. Read more...
I made the vanilla buttermilk cake for my daughter’s 41st birthday. The cake is delicious and I am very pleased with this recipe. In fact, everyone thought it was delicious. I have never decorated a cake before so this cake was my first adventure. Our daughter just finished her last chemotherapy treatment after a diagnosis of breast cancer. Surgery is next week. Her young children said she needed a pink cake with sprinkles. The icing is whipped cream and mascarpone cheese. All delicious. Thank you for your informative website.
I would love to make this cake. So do i use a hand mixer to mix the ingredients and the frosting? I ask because I don’t have a stand up mixer.
Huh??? What do you mean?
What do you think made it taste like cornbread?
Was your cake salty?
Did you add a tsp of baking soda? And if so, did you decrease the amount of baking powder?
I made this cake today, and it’s delicious. I liked that the cake wasn’t too sweet, so the frosting was a nice contrast to it. I added extra buttermilk to the frosting before mixing again prior to frosting. That helped to soften it up a bit. I also only had salted butter and used that, and just omitted the additional salt. Thank you for the recipe!
I read a lot of the questions and I still have this one, did you use 8×2 or 8×3 round pans?
I used an 8×2. It didn’t rise much so definitely no worries there.
I just made this cake .
It came out as flat as it went in the oven.So disappointed
No time to re bake. Don’t use this recipe
Then you didn’t follow the directions correctly. I just made it and they came out perfect. I used 9” spring form pans and baked for 16 minutes.
5 ⭐️ not enough! This is a home run… less ingredients than any other cake I’ve baked but super moist and so delicious.
Awesome, thanks!
When I made this cake I was told not to change a thing! Thanks for such a great recipe!!!
Awesome!