Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting

A slice of vanilla cake on a small plate.

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5 from 4 votes

Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting

A soft and fluffy vanilla cake with chocolate American buttercream. This is the perfect birthday cake!

Prep Time30

Cook Time35

Total Time1 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: slices

Calories: 643kcal

Author: Ella Gilbert

Equipment

2 8-inch cake pans

Ingredients

Vanilla Cake

⅓ cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 ⅔ cup white sugar
¼ cup neutral oil
4 large eggs room temperature
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk room temperature

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
3 cups confectioners' sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 oz chocolate melted and cooled
½ cup dutch process cocoa powder
¼ cup heavy cream

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Make Cake

Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃. Grease and line two 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper and set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the room temperature butter with the oil and sugar until creamy on medium speed. This will take about 2-3 minutes, and it'll look a bit grainy and fluffy.
⅓ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup neutral oil, 1 ⅔ cup white sugar
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl after each addition.
4 large eggs
Mix in the almond and vanilla extract.
3 teaspoons vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour with the baking powder and salt.
2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
Add ⅓ of the flour mixture, then mix on low. Add ½ the buttermilk. Repeat once more, then end with the flour mixture.
1 cup buttermilk
Pour the smooth cake batter into the prepared pans.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes before removing and letting them cool completely on wire cooling racks.

Chocolate Frosting

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, combine the butter with the confectioners' sugar on low speed. Once fully combined, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until very thick.
1 cup unsalted butter, 3 cups confectioners' sugar
Stop the mixer and add the cocoa powder, melted chocolate, salt and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until combined, then beat on medium-high speed again for 1-2 minutes.
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 4 oz chocolate, ½ cup dutch process cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Turn the mixer to your lowest speed and slowly pour in the heavy cream until it is the desired consistency.
¼ cup heavy cream

Assemble

Place one of the cooled cake layers down on your cake stand or serving plate. Cover the top with frosting, then place the second layer on top. Spread the rest of the frosting on the top and sides. Decorate with sprinkles!

Notes

My recipes have been developed and tested in metric grams. I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. Just click on ‘metric’ above ingredients.

Room Temperature: I make sure that all of my ingredients are at room temperature before I start the recipe, so pull out all of the ingredients before you start baking.

Chocolate: I used semisweet chocolate for the frosting, but feel free to use whatever type of chocolate you prefer! I recommend using a bar and not chips, as chips have emulsifiers in them and it might be harder to get smooth once melted.

Cocoa Powder: you can use unsweetened natural cocoa powder or dutch processed for the frosting.

Butter: I use European style butter in my recipes. This will make your frosting much creamier and richer.

Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt, halve the amount of salt called for in the recipe. 1 teaspoon kosher salt = ½ teaspoon fine salt. I am using Diamond Crystal kosher salt and not Morton Salt which is much too salty!

Storage: Keep tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let it come to room temperature before eating.

Making Ahead: You can make the cake layers ahead of time. Bake them and then once completely cooled, wrap in plastic wrap tightly. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. If frozen, allow to defrost and come to room temperature before frosting the cake.

Nutrition