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    Home > Recipes > Dessert

    Easy Vanilla Cake (with oil)

    Published: Oct 20, 2022 · Modified: Jan 9, 2023 · by Jess Smith · Jump to Recipe · 47 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links.

    26.5K shares
    vanilla snack cake
    vanilla snack cake
    vanilla snack cake

    An Easy Vanilla Cake recipe makes a celebration possible any day of the week! Especially because this cake is made without butter or buttermilk. All you need is oil to give the cake a tender, moist crumb.

    a piece of vanilla cake on a white plate

    To know me is to know that I love baking, but do not love a big baking project. I love a cake that can be whisked up while dinner is in the oven and enjoyed immediately after. And once I started making this Easy Chocolate Cake (also made with oil and no butter), I knew I needed a similar vanilla version. And this no-butter easy vanilla cake is the best vanilla cake recipe if you want oil instead of butter or buttermilk to give it a delicious, moist crumb.

    Perhaps best of all, this cake makes just enough to serve a small group - like our family of five and a few dinner guests. It makes nine generous servings. I've used it to make birthday cakes for family members and friends. It’s great with just a dusting of powdered sugar, but is extra fun with my whipped cream frosting and a few sprinkles.

    vanilla cake cut into pieces on a white tray

    Why Bake a Cake with Oil

    Convenience is a great reason to make a cake with oil instead of butter. Oil is easy to measure and doesn't need to be softened first. And although oil doesn't have the same rich flavor as butter, it makes for a very moist cake.

    Ingredients

    • All-Purpose Flour - Just the regular all-purpose white flour that you likely already have in your pantry. To get the most accurate results (and minimize dishes!), I like to do this on a scale by weight.
    • Sugar - Use granulated white sugar for this cake. Like the flour, I prefer to do this on a scale by weight, right inside the mixing bowl.
    • Baking Powder - Double check that you use baking powder in this cake, NOT baking soda. Baking powder makes the cake rise and keeps it super light and fluffy.
    • Sour Cream - The sour cream gives the cake added moisture and a very subtle, pleasant tangy flavor. I use full fat sour cream, but light sour cream or even plain Greek yogurt will work.
    • Egg, Milk, Vegetable Oil, Pure Vanilla Extract, pinch of salt - You’ll also need these other common ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.
    eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla, baking powder and measuring spoons on a white table

    How to Make Vanilla Cake

    1. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl – flour, baking powder, and salt.
    2. Whisk together wet ingredients in a separate bowl - egg, vanilla, sugar, milk, sour cream, and vegetable oil. (Note: Don't worry if they are cold. The ingredients do not need to be at room temperature for this recipe to work.)
    3. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir just until combined (don't overmix; the batter will be slightly lumpy).
    4. Pour batter into a greased 8x8 baking pan. (It's not necessary, but you can opt to line it with parchment paper for extra easy removal from the pan.)
    5. Bake at 350 degrees F until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the center of the cake springs back lightly when pressed, 33 to 36 minutes.
    6. Cool, slice, and serve!
    vanilla snack cake in a clear baking dish

    Tips

    • For the easiest removal from the pan, line it with a piece of parchment paper and also spray it with nonstick cooking spray.
    • Use full fat sour cream - this will give you the most moist, flavorful result in this no-butter cake.
    • Don't overmix. Keep in mind that the batter will have some small lumps. Don't overmix it because that can make your cake tough instead of light and fluffy.
    • Let the cake cool completely before frosting. If you're going to add frosting (see below for ideas), be sure to let the cake cool completely. If the cake is still warm, your frosting will melt right off.
    • Store the cake in the pantry (if not frosted) or in the refrigerator (if frosted) for up to 3 days.
    cake batter in a clear bowl with a spatula

    Toppings for Easy Vanilla Cake

    Any easy vanilla cake is great topped with any of the options below. Just be sure to let the cake cool completely before adding any frosting, or the frosting will melt right off.

    • Powdered Sugar
    • Cinnamon-Sugar
    • Light and Fluffy Vanilla Frosting and Sprinkles
    • Creamy Chocolate Frosting (for an 8x8 cake) 
    • Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting
    pouring vanilla cake batter into a clear baking dish

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I use olive oil?

    Yes! Olive oil will work fine, but keep in mind that olive oil does have a flavor that will be noticeable in the finished cake.

    How should I store leftovers?

    If the cake is unfrosted, you can store it at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days. If it is frosted, it's best to keep it in the refrigerator. (Cold slices of this cake are delicious!)

    How can I make it ahead?

    The best way to make this cake ahead is to bake it up to 3 days ahead and store it, unfrosted, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator. Let it come to room temperature a few hours ahead of time and then frost right before serving.

    Can I use a glass baking dish?

    Yes, but the cake will take 3 to 5 minutes longer to cook. I prefer to bake this cake in an aluminum baker.

    Can I make this in a 9x13 pan?

    I get this question a lot, and I've never actually tried it! But you should be able to double the recipe and bake the cake in a 9x13 pan. It will likely take about 10 minutes longer to cook.

    Can I use cake flour?

    I don't find that this cake needs cake flour. All-purpose flour yields a tender, light crumb. If you do try it with cake flour, I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

    Can I bake it in a round pan?

    Yes. You can bake this cake in round cake pans. If using a 9-inch round pan, the baking time should be about the same as listed in the recipe card. If using an 8-inch round pan, it should take about 5 minutes more to bake.

    Can I make it into a layered cake?

    Yes. These layers are sturdy enough to stack into layers. Just bake as many individual cakes as you would like in round pans as outlined above.

     a piece of frosted vanilla snack cake on a white plate

    Other Easy Desserts

    • One Bowl Chocolate Cake - This is my go-to weeknight cake because it can be made in one bowl!
    • Easy Apple Crumble - Just a few minutes to prep and you can have this super easy not-too-sweet apple crumble for dessert. Top it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!
    • Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars - These peanut butter bars loaded with chocolate peanut butter cups are made in an 8x8 baking pan which is great for a weeknight dinner, packing in lunches, or freezing for later.
    • Smash Cake for Baby's First Birthday - If you happen to have a baby in your life that is about to turn one (or just want a small cake to serve your family!), check out this sweet vanilla smash cake.

    Favorite Tools

    • Anchor 3-Piece Glass Mixing Bowls - My go-to mixing bowls for baking.
    • 8x8 Metal Baking Pan - This nonstick pan is my absolute favorite for baking any small cakes, brownies, and other desserts.
    a piece of vanilla snack cake
    Print Recipe
    3.90 from 233 votes

    Vanilla Cake Recipe (made with oil, not butter)

    An Easy Vanilla Cake recipe makes a celebration possible any day of the week! This is a truly simple cake that doesn't require a mixer and is made without butter or buttermilk. You just need oil to give the cake a tender, moist crumb.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Keyword: easy dessert recipe, vanilla cake
    Servings: 9
    Calories: 232kcal
    Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef
    Cost: $4.00

    Equipment

    • Mixing Bowls
    • 8x8 baking dish

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour (2 cups = 250 g)
    • 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
    • ⅛ teaspoon Salt
    • 1 Egg
    • 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
    • 1 cup Sugar (1 cup = 200 g)
    • ¾ cup Milk
    • ¾ cup Sour Cream
    • ½ cup Vegetable Oil (see note)

    Instructions

    • Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 pan with nonstick cooking spray. (This cake bakes best in a metal pan. If using a glass pan, expect that it may take about 5 minutes longer to bake.)
    • In one medium mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
    • In a larger mixing bowl whisk together the egg, vanilla, and sugar until smooth. Add milk, sour cream, and vegetable oil and mix again until smooth.
    • Pour the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and stir until just combined (no dry spots should remain; but the batter will be lumpy).
    • Pour cake batter into prepared pan.
    • Bake until the center is firm and the cake is golden on top, 33 to 36 minutes.
    • Let cake cool in the pan before slicing and serving. (Note: If adding frosting, be sure that the cake is completely cool before adding frosting.)

    Notes

    Vegetable Oil - A neutral oil like vegetable oil will give you the best texture and moisture in this easy cake. It will have plenty of flavor from the vanilla extract and sour cream. You can also use another neutral oil like grapeseed or avocado oil. Olive oil will work too, but will give the cake a subtle flavor.  

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 290mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 128IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 2mg

    Related

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    26.5K shares

    About Jess

    Hi! I'm Jess. I am the recipe creator and photographer behind the 900+ recipes you’ll find on Inquiring Chef. As a mom to three young kids and professional cook, my mission is to make every moment in the kitchen and around the table count. If you’re looking for easy, flavorful, family-approved recipes, you’ve come to the right place! Learn more about me here.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Monica G

      March 25, 2020 at 9:22 am

      5 stars
      Excellent recipe! A dense cake with just the right amount of vanilla. I only used 1 cup of sugar and it was just sweet enough for us. My son said it was like cornbread! Thank you for sharing, your applesauce cake is the next one I’m baking!

      Reply
      • Jess

        March 26, 2020 at 9:29 am

        Thanks so much Monica! Glad you liked it! We've done the same thing and reduced the sugar too and had the same thought!

        Reply
      • SG

        August 15, 2021 at 7:47 pm

        5 stars
        Made the vanilla snack cake with the creamy chocolate frosting and it was a hit for my niece's birthday dinner. I measured the flour and the sugar per your suggestion. Will keep this recipe on hand. The best part is the size is perfect to eat only enough to satisfy the sweet tooth without feeling guilty for over indulging.

        Reply
    2. asiansnacks

      May 07, 2020 at 6:54 am

      Hi author!
      Love the way you describe. Its really amazing.Thanks for
      sharing your knowledge.
      Regards:
      Snacks Near Me

      Reply
    3. Angela Kitchen

      June 23, 2020 at 10:02 pm

      Great cake unique and easy to make...thank you🌈😊

      Reply
    4. Becky

      June 27, 2020 at 10:57 pm

      5 stars
      Love this cake! I use it for strawberry shortcake. I can’t believe I can bake cakes from scratch. Keep sharing your recipes!!

      Reply
    5. Alyssa

      July 07, 2020 at 8:30 am

      Could you use full fat plain yogurt for the sour cream?

      Reply
      • Jess

        July 07, 2020 at 9:03 am

        Absolutely - that will work great!

        Reply
    6. Elizabeth Malek

      July 18, 2020 at 5:11 pm

      5 stars
      My family makes this cake so often— one of a kind!! So simple and delicious & ADDICTING!

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        July 20, 2020 at 8:19 am

        That's so great to hear! I'm so glad you like it!

        Reply
        • Robert Timmons

          June 14, 2021 at 1:59 pm

          Recipe was awesome, my wife really loved it I'm not much of a Baker but it turned out perfectly!!!!!

          Reply
    7. Jimi

      August 18, 2020 at 6:47 pm

      Can you use cake flour for this recipe instead of all purpose?

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        August 19, 2020 at 11:17 am

        Absolutely! Cake flour works well in this recipe.

        Reply
    8. Erica

      September 08, 2020 at 9:05 pm

      Can I put chopped fresh strawberries in the cake? If so, how many cups and how will that effect the bake time?

      Reply
    9. Erika

      September 18, 2020 at 8:03 am

      Should I grease or flour the pan before adding the batter?

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        September 18, 2020 at 8:08 am

        Yes - do grease the pan (no need to flour). Thanks so much for your note - I've updated the recipe to include that.

        Reply
    10. Joanna

      October 02, 2020 at 8:26 pm

      5 stars
      I made this cake twice last month for 2 celebrations. They were delicious and I love the smaller size. It's perfect for a smaller crowd. No need to spend big money on a bakery cake because this is just as good. I made a simple glaze for the topping instead of icing and served with strawberries. It was a hit with everyone.

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        October 02, 2020 at 10:18 pm

        That's wonderful! Thanks so much for the note Joanna - so glad you've liked it! (And love the idea of simple glaze + strawberries - yum.)

        Reply
    11. Ali B

      October 15, 2020 at 10:01 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Jess I tried this recipe for the first time 5 days ago and my husband loved it but a little too dense for me. So I tried it again today and measured flour more carefully, sifted the dry ingredients. Whisked the wet ingredients in separate bowl Very well added to dry and folded all together gently with rubber spatula then baked. And voila! Much better. I used coconut and vanilla flavoring, cream cheese frosting and coconut on top. Delish. Thanx for this quickie snack. 😋

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        October 19, 2020 at 3:56 pm

        I'm so glad you both liked it! Those additions / toppings sound absolutely delicious!

        Reply
    12. Deborah

      January 14, 2021 at 5:25 pm

      5 stars
      So easy and delicious and "sociable ".......and we love it. Thank you.

      Reply
    13. Tracy

      January 22, 2021 at 7:11 pm

      5 stars
      Added some Nesquick and only did 2/3 cup of sugarto make it a chocolate cake yummy 😋😋 thanks for the recipe 😋😋😋😋

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        January 25, 2021 at 1:17 pm

        What a great idea! Yum!

        Reply
    14. Kate

      January 24, 2021 at 5:33 pm

      5 stars
      This is awesome, thank you! The recipe I have been searching for. My family cheered!

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        January 25, 2021 at 1:11 pm

        So glad you all enjoyed it Kate. Thank you for the note!

        Reply
    15. nadene mallisk

      February 07, 2021 at 3:54 pm

      1 star
      did not care for it

      Reply
    16. Kelli Ludinich

      February 16, 2021 at 2:44 pm

      5 stars
      Loved it! It was perfect for what I was craving. Not overly sweet. Loved the texture and weight of it. Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        February 18, 2021 at 7:04 am

        So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the note!

        Reply
    17. Kate

      March 01, 2021 at 8:10 pm

      5 stars
      Best cake ever.

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        March 02, 2021 at 7:30 pm

        So glad you liked it Kate!!!

        Reply
    18. Amy

      May 08, 2021 at 1:59 pm

      5 stars
      I’m making 3 of these for different homes for Mother’s Day! I doubled the recipe in my mixing bowl and then allowed my 5 year old to follow with the third batter in her own bowl. It was easy and a lot of fun! Even with a 2 year old trying to take swipes at the bowls. They are in the oven right now, I’ll update with how they turn out! My daughter insisted they needed to be pink though, so we added a small amount of food coloring. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    19. Denise

      October 12, 2021 at 9:40 am

      How can the sodium be right??? Baking powder salt milk sour cream and egg have sodium

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        October 13, 2021 at 10:03 am

        Hi Denise! We get all of the nutrition information from the USDA Database of Food, but there may be variations. We always recommend that you use your own preferred nutrition calculator if you are looking for more detailed or accurate information.

        Reply
    20. Nancy Bishop

      January 28, 2022 at 2:25 pm

      5 stars
      I love the cake and the easy prep method. I don't like frosting. especially when shoveled on. Would a lemon glaze work for this cake?

      Thanks // Nancy B

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        January 30, 2022 at 9:20 am

        A lemon glaze would be fantastic on this! Great idea

        Reply
    21. Brittnee

      February 14, 2022 at 10:00 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious, quick, and easy! Perfect for a quiet Valentine’s night in:)

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        February 15, 2022 at 2:09 pm

        So glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    22. Holly

      March 17, 2022 at 5:14 pm

      do you think i could use this recipe as a base for a poke cake with jello?? thanks in advance

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        March 18, 2022 at 10:55 am

        I think that would be wonderful! I'm not exactly sure what adjustments I'd recommend, but this cake would be a great base to play with if you wanted to add the jello poke-cake style.

        Reply
        • Holly

          March 18, 2022 at 12:48 pm

          5 stars
          it ended up being wonderful! i didn’t even make any adjustments really, except maybe a little less sugar & added a small amount of almond extract, but i LOVED it for a small poke cake!

          Reply
    23. Marlene

      July 03, 2022 at 3:49 pm

      5 stars
      My hubby and I enjoyed this delicious snack cake! It was very easy to make and I liked the fact that I had all of the ingredients in my pantry. It was great not having to get the mixer out to make it. I found a homemade buttercream icing recipe that was perfect with it. The cake was a little bit dense, as another reviewer stated, but we loved the taste of it, so it didn’t matter. Thank you for this great recipe!

      Reply
    24. Brooklynn

      July 27, 2022 at 1:52 pm

      Hi!! Can I make this without sour cream or yogurt?

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        July 27, 2022 at 5:26 pm

        You'll need something in its place. Buttermilk would probably work or a plant-based yogurt.

        Reply
    25. Rachel

      August 31, 2022 at 6:15 am

      I’ve been making this cake as a healthier snack with just some berries instead of frosting and we always love it!! But I noticed the recipe changed sometime recently and I tried it anyway but still think I like the original way better. Is it possible to share those original measurements? 😊

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        September 01, 2022 at 12:41 pm

        Hi Rachel - I just emailed you! Let me know if you didn't get it.

        Reply
    26. Pat

      January 29, 2023 at 6:24 am

      I make a struesal topping, take the cake out about 7 min. early and put the topping on and return to oven for maybe 5-7 more min. Makes a great coffee cake.

      Reply
      • Jess Smith

        January 31, 2023 at 8:44 am

        The streusel topping is such a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing Pat!

        Reply

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