This Easy Vanilla Snack Cake makes a celebration possible any day of the week with just a little bit of effort! This is a no-mixer-required cake that is baked in an 8×8 pan and comes out tender and soft.
If I’m going to bake, I love a no-mixer weeknight-friendly dessert that doesn’t feel like a big project. After adding One Bowl Chocolate Cake and Applesauce Cake to our baking rotation, I knew we needed a similarly easy vanilla version to add to the mix. True to its name, this vanilla snack cake has been serving us well for months. The kids and I can bake it together after school without any fuss. It makes just enough to serve our family of five and a couple of dinner guests. It’s great with just a dusting of powdered sugar, but is extra fun with vanilla frosting and a few sprinkles.
See below for the easy instructions!
Ingredients for Vanilla Snack Cake
- 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.
- Sour Cream – This is the “secret” ingredient to this cake that is simple, moist, and has a rich vanilla flavor. The sour cream gives the cake moisture and a very subtle 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.
Toppings for Vanilla Cake
Vanilla Cake is great topped with any of these:
- Powdered Sugar
- Cinnamon-Sugar
- Vanilla Frosting and Sprinkles
- Creamy Chocolate Frosting (for an 8×8 cake)
- Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting
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 8×8 baking pan which is great for a weeknight dinner, packing in lunches, or freezing for later.
Favorite Tools
- Anchor 3-Piece Glass Mixing Bowls – My go-to mixing bowls for baking.
- 8×8 Baking Dish Emile Henry – I love this small, sturdy baker.
Easy Vanilla Snack Cake
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- 8x8 baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour (190 g)
- 1 cup Sugar (200 g)
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
- 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In one large mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a small bowl whisk together egg, milk, sour cream, oil, and vanilla.
- Pour wet ingredients over dry and stir until just combined (no dry spots should remain; but do not over mix).
- Pour cake batter into prepared pan.
- Bake until the center is firm and the cake is golden on top, 28 to 32 minutes.
- Let cake cool in the pan before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
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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!
Thanks so much Monica! Glad you liked it! We’ve done the same thing and reduced the sugar too and had the same thought!
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.
Hi author!
Love the way you describe. Its really amazing.Thanks for
sharing your knowledge.
Regards:
Snacks Near Me
Great cake unique and easy to make…thank you🌈😊
Love this cake! I use it for strawberry shortcake. I can’t believe I can bake cakes from scratch. Keep sharing your recipes!!
Could you use full fat plain yogurt for the sour cream?
Absolutely – that will work great!
My family makes this cake so often— one of a kind!! So simple and delicious & ADDICTING!
That’s so great to hear! I’m so glad you like it!
Recipe was awesome, my wife really loved it I’m not much of a Baker but it turned out perfectly!!!!!
Can you use cake flour for this recipe instead of all purpose?
Absolutely! Cake flour works well in this recipe.
Can I put chopped fresh strawberries in the cake? If so, how many cups and how will that effect the bake time?
Should I grease or flour the pan before adding the batter?
Yes – do grease the pan (no need to flour). Thanks so much for your note – I’ve updated the recipe to include that.
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.
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.)
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. 😋
I’m so glad you both liked it! Those additions / toppings sound absolutely delicious!
So easy and delicious and “sociable “…….and we love it. Thank you.
Added some Nesquick and only did 2/3 cup of sugarto make it a chocolate cake yummy 😋😋 thanks for the recipe 😋😋😋😋
What a great idea! Yum!
This is awesome, thank you! The recipe I have been searching for. My family cheered!
So glad you all enjoyed it Kate. Thank you for the note!
did not care for it
Loved it! It was perfect for what I was craving. Not overly sweet. Loved the texture and weight of it. Thank you!!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the note!
Best cake ever.
So glad you liked it Kate!!!
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!
How can the sodium be right??? Baking powder salt milk sour cream and egg have sodium
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.