If you’re after a classic, crowd-pleasing dessert, this super moist vanilla sheet cake is it! Soft, fluffy, and full of rich vanilla flavor, it’s perfect for birthdays, potlucks, or any time you need a simple yet delicious treat. Based on my 5-star rated vanilla cake and topped with a small batch of my silky buttercream frosting, you know it’s going to be good!
Why This is the Best Vanilla Sheet Cake
This vanilla sheet cake is based on my 5-star rated vanilla cake recipe—one of the most popular recipes on the blog with over 400 five-star reviews! So you already know it’s going to be good. Here’s what sets this recipe apart:
Cornstarch + All-Purpose Flour
Instead of using only all-purpose flour, this recipe replaces a portion of it with cornstarch. Since cornstarch contains no gluten, it acts as a thickener while creating a softer, more tender crumb. You can also use cake flour instead of the cornstarch/flour combo (we don’t get cake flour in New Zealand, which is why I use this mix—it also makes the recipe more accessible worldwide!). 😊
Butter and Oil
This cake uses both butter for flavor and oil for moisture. I use oil in almost all of my cakes because it helps keep them soft and moist for longer.
Buttermilk + Vanilla for Flavor
Rather than regular milk, this recipe uses buttermilk for a subtle tang and an extra tender crumb. It also includes a generous amount of vanilla for that rich, classic flavor.
Vinegar for a Fluffy Crumb
A small amount of vinegar helps create an extra light and fluffy texture. (Check out this article for more on what vinegar does in baking!)
How to Make Vanilla Sheet Cake
You can find the full list of ingredients for this recipe in the recipe card at the end of the blog post (for easy navigation, hit the ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the blog post). Here is a quick visual breakdown of the recipe (recipe video is also provided in the recipe card below).
Vanilla Cake
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional and lightly grease a 9×13-inch cake pan (I use my homemade cake release). Line the bottom long ways with parchment paper (this will make it easier to take the cake out when it’s done).
In a bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk mix until well combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl add in butter, vegetable oil and sugar. Using an electric mixer, cream for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
Add in eggs one by one, mixing well in between each addition.
Add in your vanilla, vinegar and ½ cup (112g) of the buttermilk, and mix until well combined. Now set your mixer aside as the remainder of the batter will be finished by hand.
Finish off by adding half of your premixed dry ingredients to your wet mixture, and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Then add in the remaining 1 cup (225g) of buttermilk, and fold it in until just combined. Lastly, add in the remaining dry ingredients and gently fold it into the mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Drop the cake pan lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles and bake for 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
Allow the cake to cool in the cake pan for 20 minutes, before carefully turning it out onto a wire rack to completely cool. Once cooled, carefully invert onto a serving plate (see video for demonstration if unsure of the best way to do this) and frost with vanilla buttercream (recipe below).
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl.
Using an electric mixer (use the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), mix on the lowest speed until the ingredients are combined, and then turn up the speed to a medium-high and mix for a full 10 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway through.
The frosting should be silky smooth and it’s now ready to use!
How to Store This Cake
To keep your vanilla sheet cake fresh, store it in an airtight container at room temperature overnight, but refrigerate it after that due to the frosting. Just be sure to bring it to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor.
Fluffy Vanilla Sheet Cake
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 2⅓ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour - plain flour in the UK (see note 1 if you want to use cake flour)
- ¼ cup (25 g) cornstarch
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- ½ cup (105 g) unflavoured vegetable oil - I use canola
- 1⅔ cups (332 g) white granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- 1¼ tbsps vanilla extract/essence
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1½ cups (337 g) buttermilk - room temperature, divided into 1 cup and ½ cup (see note 2 if using a homemade buttermilk substitute)
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- 1½ cups (187 g) powdered sugar - also known as icing/confectioners' sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract
- ¼ cup (60 g) heavy cream - room temperature
Instructions
- IMPORTANT: I highly recommend using gram measurements for accuracy—especially for the flour. This recipe has a high fat-to-liquid ratio, so small variations can affect the cake’s texture. 🙂
Vanilla Cake
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional (see note 3 if using a convection oven with a fan) and lightly grease a 9x13-inch cake pan (I use my homemade cake release). Line the bottom long ways with parchment paper (this will make it easier to take the cake out when it's done).
- In a bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk mix until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add in butter, vegetable oil and sugar. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine - see note 4), cream for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
- Add in eggs one by one, mixing well in between each addition.
- Add in your vanilla, vinegar and ½ cup (112g) of the buttermilk, and mix until well combined. Now set your mixer aside as the remainder of the batter will be finished by hand.
- Finish off by adding half of your premixed dry ingredients to your wet mixture, and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Then add in the remaining 1 cup (225g) of buttermilk, and fold it in until just combined. Lastly, add in the remaining dry ingredients and gently fold it into the mixture until just combined. Do not overmix (see note 5).
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Drop the cake pan lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles and bake for 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Allow the cake to cool in the cake pan for 20 minutes, before carefully turning it out onto a wire rack to completely cool. Once cooled, carefully invert onto a serving plate (see video for demonstration if unsure of the best way to do this) and frost with vanilla buttercream (recipe below).
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl.
- Using an electric mixer (use the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), mix on the lowest speed until the ingredients are combined, and then turn up the speed to a medium-high and mix for a full 10 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway through.
- The frosting should be silky smooth and it's now ready to use! If you find your buttercream is still firm with a lot of holes/air bubbles, see note 6.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
14 Comments
Thanks so much! So glad you enjoyed it 😀
How much batter to use for your vanilla cake using a full sheet square pan. ( cookie sheet) Do I double recipe or just use regular recipe
I made half the recipe and used an 8 x 8 inch pan. I used milk with lemon juice since buttermilk doesn’t exist in my country, following the instructions to use less of it (this is extremely important), and it turned out excellent. I just added a lemon glaze with poppy seeds on top — a total success.
Awesome! So glad the recipe came out great Brenda 😀
So I prepared this recipe, and I’m so glad I tried it! The cake was not only delicious and tender, but I also learned a lot by following your techniques. I’ve never baked with cornstarch before, and I can definitely see the difference in the crumb. You can also notice a change when mixing the wet ingredients for the time indicated, rather than just doing a quick whip.
All in all, I’m so glad I found your channel and blog Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Yay! So glad you loved the recipe and that you found the extra tips helpful 😀
Made this cake in the weekend. It came out perfect. The cake was soft, fluffy and very delicious. I will keep this recipe for future use.
Yay! So happy you loved it Chandra 😀
This recipe is the 💣 diggity. I love the texture, simplicity of ingredients and the above all flavor! Thanks MK
Thanks so much Donna! So glad you loved the cake 😀
This cake turned out perfect… Just like every other Cakes By MK recipe that I’ve tried…
Aww yay! So happy to hear that Marie 😀
Hi Maryam
Thank you for this amazing recipe. I baked this yesterday for my husband’s birthday and he was blown away. Perfectly soft, moist and tender. Thank you for sharing your recipes and making people like me who don’t know how to bake look so skilled.
Steph
South Africa
Aww so so happy to hear you and your husband loved the cake Stephanie! Much love from NZ to South Africa 😀