This Vanilla Sheet Cake is a wonderfully moist and fluffy vanilla cake recipe that is easy to make! It’s covered in a creamy vanilla buttercream and made in a 12×18 inch pan, so it’s perfect for a crowd!
Is it weird that I’m already starting to think about what I’ll do for the boys’ first birthday? Yes, they are just over 6 months old, but they are already starting to show preferences for things and gravitating towards certain foods and toys, so themes are popping into my head.
If you’re like my mom, then you don’t understand the whole first birthday party thing and why people make a big deal out of it when the kids don’t even remember it. Well I’ve discovered as a new parent to twins that the real reason for a first birthday party is not for the kids – it’s for the parents. When we make it to that one year mark, it’ll not only be a celebration of a whole year with those sweet boys, but a celebration that we made it! These early months are precious, but boy are they hard too! Especially with two!
Seriously though, if there’s one thing I should be good at as a mom, it should be cakes and birthday parties. I’m thinking that parties with friends and such will feature my fair share of cakes, so I’m getting ready with this Vanilla Sheet Cake. It’s a classic birthday party cake! Pink frosting is optional, of course. 🙂
One thing that’s great about sheet cakes is the ease of making them. You know I’m a lover of layer cakes, but when baking for a larger group or with only a little time to prepare, sheet cakes are handy to have.
How to make a Vanilla Sheet Cake
To get started with this vanilla sheet cake, you’ll want to cream your butter, sugar and vegetable oil together until they are light in color and fluffy. Don’t skimp on the creaming – it adds air to the batter that gives the final cake part of its fluffy texture. The butter adds great flavor and moisture to the cake, while the vegetable oil adds some additional moisture that sticks around for days.
The remaining ingredients are all staples – eggs, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, salt and milk. I chose to go with all purpose flour and regular milk, but I also tested this sheet cake with cake flour and buttermilk.
The hubs and I really preferred this cake with the all purpose flour, but cake flour was also delicious. The texture is completely different! The all purpose flour gave a looser crumb, while the cake flour was tighter and reminded me a little more of a “bakery-style” cake. Even though we had our preference, you really couldn’t go wrong with either.
As for the milk, I liked both but didn’t see enough difference using buttermilk to use that as the final ingredient. While I always have buttermilk powder handy and ready to use, most people don’t and for the purpose of keeping this sheet cake simple and approachable, I stuck with trusty, classic milk.
The frosting is a lovely, light vanilla buttercream. I added a little corn syrup to it, but you could substitute that with a little honey. The corn syrup helps keep it soft and smooth and perfect for topping a light cake! I finished it off with some fun sprinkles, because what birthday cake doesn’t have sprinkles?
This vanilla sheet cake was a BIG hit! It is so soft and moist with a tender crumb. The flavor is rich and buttery with great vanilla flavor. Everything just melts in your mouth. I shared a good bit of this cake with a friend and I dare say we took forks to it and left few crumbs behind. It’s totally addicting and so delicious!
Watch How To Make It
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Vanilla Sheet Cake
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, plus cooling time
- Yield: 25–30 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Vanilla Sheet Cake is a wonderfully moist and fluffy vanilla cake recipe that is easy to make! It’s covered in a creamy vanilla buttercream and made in a 12×18 inch pan, so it’s perfect for a crowd!
Ingredients
Vanilla Sheet Cake
- 2 1/4 cups (293g) all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup shortening*
- 6 cups (690g) powdered sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp corn syrup (or honey)
- 4–6 tbsp water or milk
- Pink, Peach and Ivory gel icing color
- Sprinkles
Instructions
1. Prepare a 12×18 inch sheet pan/jelly roll pan with non-stick baking spray. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
3. Add the butter, sugar, and oil to and large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
4. Add the eggs two at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
6. Slowly add the milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
7. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
8. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool.
10. To make the frosting, beat the butter and shortening together until smooth.
11. Slowly add half of the powdered sugar and the salt and mix until smooth.
12. Add the vanilla extract, corn syrup and 4 tablespoons of water or milk and mix until smooth.
13. Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional water or milk, as needed to get the right consistency of frosting.
14. Color the frosting to your desired shade. I used a little bit of pink, peach and ivory gel icing colors.
15. Spread the frosting evenly onto the cooled cake and then top with sprinkles. Cover the cake well and store at room temperature. Cake is best when eaten within 3-4 days.
Notes
* I like to use some shortening with the butter for reasons you can read about in this vanilla buttercream post. Feel free to substitute it with additional butter, but keep in mind that you might want to refrigerate the cake and frosting.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 315
- Sugar: 30.7 g
- Sodium: 64.8 mg
- Fat: 17.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 38.7 g
- Protein: 2.8 g
- Cholesterol: 54.5 mg
Enjoy!
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I am feeding quite the crowd. Do you think it is possible to make 2 cakes and layer them? Or do you think the cake is too delicate to attempt that. I have done it with 9 x 13, but never a sheet cake. Thank you
I would think it may be tough to maneuver the cakes at this size and haven’t done it myself.
I use this recipe to make a two layer cake and it’s always a crowd pleaser!
To make the cakes easier to maneuver, once baked and cooled, freeze them.
Take one out, layer it with filling then top with the next layer. Also easier to frost if it’s still cold, less crumbs in your frosting!
It IS possible! I baked two and layered them. It was a little tricky to get the second layer on top, but I used a long spatula and a cake lifter, and it worked perfectly. I used your chocolate buttercream frosting (double batch) and the cake disappeared in minutes. This recipe is a keeper.
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know. So glad you enjoyed it!
Do you have a corresponding chocolate cake recipe that I can layer with the vanilla?
This recipe is a little different than the vanilla, but it’s an excellent chocolate cake that would work as a sheet cake and could be layered with it. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/best-chocolate-cake/
This cake was sooo delicious! It was moist even after I doubled the recipe to bake in a 13×17, 2 inch deep sheet pan.
So glad to hear that!
Thanx sooo much, il definitely try this 1 ,because I like soft and moist and light cakes
Hi thanx for replying quick, sum people don’t an others take too long anyway want 2 know if this is also soft and light cake?
I think it’s soft and light. It’s meant to be that way.
Hi I’m jus wondering do I need to use this creaming method or can I add all my wet in a bowl and dry in clean bowl and stir together til combined
That method won’t work with this recipe.
Hi. Is this recipe based on a 12 x 18 x 2 in. pan. First time making a sheet cake and I want to get it right.
Thank you
Yes, it is.
what brand of sprinkles did you use for this recipe?
Sweetapolita
Hello, I love all your recipes.
I plan on baking a thick rectangular cake for my son’s birthday (pool theme) can I use this recipe with the given measurements or should I tweak it a bit?
When you say a thick cake, do you mean like a 9 x 13? You could certainly use this recipe, but I might recommend this funfetti cake without the sprinkles since it was made specifically for a 9 x 13 cake. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/easy-homemade-funfetti-cake/#tasty-recipes-32705
Can I make it in a 9*13 inch rectangular pan?
That should be fine. You may want to reduce the temperature to 325 and increase baking time.
How tall is the finished cake before frosting? If I wanted a taller cake should I double the batter or do two layers?
I don’t remember the exact height. It’s probably around an inch. If you want it taller, you could do either way.
I have a 11×15 pan. How should I adjust the baking time?
I haven’t made that size, so I don’t know for sure. Since it’s a touch smaller, you might need a few extra minutes.
I love this recipe and is my go to recipe for customers wanting a sheet cake. Quick question, can this recipe be doubled up? so that 2 sheets can bake at the same time? Thank you!!
So glad to hear that! I’m guessing it’d be fine doubled. The bake time just might be a few minutes longer.
I just used this recipe for my latest order as a cottage baker, and it was PERFECT and I will use this for the future. I have tried others, and this recipe was better than all of them I have used! Since the layer bakes to only about an inch high, I made 3 layers (13 x 18), which held up beautifully. I did not double recipe, but I will try next time to make it more efficient. My customers LOVED it and I was so pleased! I added an 1/8 teaspoon of almond extract in addition to the vanilla which rounded out the flavor every so slightly and it tastes so good!
I’m so glad to hear it was a hit!
Super fluffy! However, my cake was also very thin. I think the measurements of the pan/tray provided are incorrect. Next time I’ll use a smaller tray to get some height
This was absolutely delicious, with a tender and moist crumb. I frosted with some leftover ermine chocolate frosting which put it over the top.
I really appreciated that I could make it with ingredients I have at home AND it had weight measurements which made it so much easier. I baked it in a smaller pan so it needed to cook about 25 minutes.
It got so much praise when I brought it in for morning tea.
Beware! TWO layers are neede to make a standard height sheet cake. This recipe make only one layer. I wish I could post a picture because it turned out great! Everyone raved and raved. It was my first time making a sheet cake this large before and it was so easy to follow this recipe (except that I had to make a second layer really quick, but no big deal because it was easy!) thank you very much for this delicious and simple recipe.