This is perhaps the best vanilla cake recipe with oil. In case you are looking for one, you have come to the right place. This vanilla sponge cake recipe is even easier than baking those boxed cake mixes. And way cheaper as well! Why waste money when you can master this basic vanilla cake recipe and modify it in a million ways for a different cake, every time you bake? I bake this vanilla cake all the time in all shapes and sizes, sometimes in a loaf tin, cupcake muffin tray or a round cake pan. Depending on my mood or more like, my toddler’s mood!
Here, I will tell you why you should stick this easy homemade plain vanilla cake recipe to your fridge. This basic cake recipe can be used to make so many different types of desserts. Add some sprinkles to make a birthday cake or add chopped-up dried fruits and nuts to makeĀ a FruitĀ andĀ nut cake, or bake it in a bundt pan and play around with a variety of frostings and glazes.
As Julia Child said, “A party without cake is just a meetingā, I would extend that by saying that a life without cake isnāt worth living.
Right from birthdays to weekend celebrations, one thing that sets the celebratory menu apart from any other is the presence of a decadent cake which adds to the glory of the dinner table.
Baking scares many and I am quite aware of that fact. This is further emboldened by the fact that many people buy an oven with the intent of baking but end up using it as a food warmer!
Often, it takes them a single failed attempt or maybe two to turn away from baking. However, it is very important to recognize that it takes more than two trials to understand the workings of your oven, let alone the science behind baking.
The basic science behind baking a cake
Baking involves basic science which means you have to understand certain elements of the recipe and how they behave upon exposure to heat to achieve the perfect outcome. A cake recipe comprises flour, fat which comes as butter or oil, and a leavening agent that gives the cake its lift which is either eggs or artificial leavening agents like baking powder and sugar.
Apart from this, there can be a flavouring agent like vanilla extract, cocoa powder, or almond extract.
When the eggs are whisked they trap air between their protein matrix which later upon baking gives the height (lift) to the cake.
This is further helped by the baking powder which upon reacting with the acid releases carbon dioxide. This tries to escape upon heating and creates uniform air pockets throughout the cake, thus giving it a soft, fluffy and sponge-like texture.
Well, not going any further into the concept, lest it scares you any further, let me get down to one simple fact it is relatively very easy to bake cakes at home. All you need is just a handful of ingredients and you are all set to bake.
Vanilla sponge cake ingredients
- 1Ā cupĀ All-Purpose FlourĀ with 2 tbsp of it replaced with an equal amount of Cornflour
- 1/3Ā cupĀ Refined Oil – any refined neutral oil such as Sunflower Oil, Canola Oil, etc.
- 1/3Ā cupĀ Granulated Sugar – you can go as high as 1/2 cup if you prefer sweeter cakes
- 1Ā tspĀ Baking Powder – or 1/2 tsp Baking Powder + 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- Ā¼Ā cupĀ Whole Milk
- 1Ā tspĀ Ā Vanilla Extract
- 2Ā Eggs
Instructions bake a plain Vanilla Sponge Cake at home
- Prepare the cake tin for baking. In case you are using non-stick tins then there is no need to do anything extra to it. For greater ease in unmoulding the cake, you can line it with parchment paper. In case you are using regular baking tins, then you can either line it with parchment paper. Or, brush it with some oil and then sprinkle some flour on it to coat it uniformly. Keep it aside for the time you prepare the cake batter
- Pre-heat the oven to 170C
- Prepare the cake mix. Take a mixing bowl and mix all the dry ingredients. Sieve them through and keep this aside
- Now, in another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt till light and almost twice in volume
- Add oil and vanilla extract to the eggs and whisk them vigorously till light and airy
- Now we are going to incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient mix. For that we are going to add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with milk and mix gently. Once you see that the dry ingredients have been incorporated nicely, stop mixing. Sometimes over-mixing leads to hardened cakes.
- Bake the cake. Now, pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake it for 30-35 minutes. Since every oven is different, keep an eye on it once it crosses the mark of 30 minutes. Once you see that the cake has baked and the sides are pulling back from the edges, you know that it is done.
- Take it out and allow it to cool in the cake tin for 10 minutes before turning it upside down on a wire rack to cool down completely.
- Serve this cake as it is or drizzle it with a glaze. Or, if you are feeling fancy then you can frost it with whipped cream or cream-cheese frosting.
How to Make a Vanilla Cake recipe for Microwave?
The answer is simple. Simply make the cake batter as I shared and use a microwave-friendly cake tin ( borosilicate or silicone baking dishes) to pour the batter in. Now, bake it for 4 minutes on High Power, i.e. 900W or the maximum wattage your Oven offers. Once the cake is baked, you should see the edges of the cake pulling away from the sides. Test the centre with a knife if it’s done, otherwise bake for another minute till it’s done.Ā Please note that a cake baked in a microwave oven tends to be slightly drier and chewy.
How to make an Eggless Plain Vanilla Cake with Oil?
Simply follow this formula where I replace 1 Egg with 5 tbsp Milk + 1 tsp Oil + 1/2 tsp Baking Powder. So, for this vanilla sponge cake recipe just double the quantity of milk, oil, and baking powder and you will get the perfectly baked sponge eggless vanilla cake
Super-easy & interesting vanilla cake recipe variations
The best thing about this cake recipe is that you can bake it in any sort of mould, whether you have baking tins of a particular shape, glass/borosilicate baking dishes or silicone baking moulds. This vanilla sponge cake recipe comes through every time. I have a bunch of recipes that use this vanilla cake recipe as its base recipe. Check them out here for inspiration.
- You can use this plain cake recipe as a base for glazed cakes. For instance, I have used this vanilla cake recipe for thyme-infused Lemon Glazed Cake.
Have you tried this recipe? I would love to hear about it. Please leave a comment and star rating if you loved my recipes. It would help this post to reach more readers. Thank you!
Follow me or Subscribe to my Channel
I often say that Vanilla Cakes the "Clean Slates" of the baking world. It is that canvas which can be turned into a masterpiece with your creativity. This Vanilla Cake recipe is even easier than baking those boxed cake mixes. And way cheaper as well. Why waste money when you can master this basic vanilla cake recipe and modify it into million ways for a different cake every time you bake? Here, I will tell you why you should stick this easy homemade vanilla cake recipe to your fridge because you can make so many different types of desserts using this basic cake recipe.
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour With 2 tbsp of it replaced with equal amount of Cornflour
- 1/3 cup Refined Oil
- 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tspĀ Baking Powder
- Ā¼ cup Milk
- 1 tspĀ Vanilla Extract
- 2 Eggs
-
Take a bowl and mix all the dry ingredients together. Sieve them through and keep them aside.
-
Now, in another bowl, whisk the eggs with sugar and a pinch of salt till light and almost 3 times in its volume.
-
Add oil and vanilla extract to the eggs and whisk them vigorously till light and airy.
-
Now, add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with milk and mix gently. Once you see that the dry ingredients have incorporated nicely, stop mixing.
-
Now, pour the batter in a slightly oiled and floured cake tin and bake it at 180c for 30-40 minutes. Once you see that the cake has baked and the sides are pulling back from the edges, you know that it is done.
-
Take it out and allow it to cool in the cake tin for 10 minutes before turning it upside down on wire rack to cool down completely.
-
Serve this cake as it is or drizzle it with a glaze. Or, if you are feeling fancy then you can frost it with whipped cream or cream-cheese frosting.
Recipe Video
This post was first published on May 16, 2020, and later republished on October 19, 2024, with a more elaborate description of the recipe.
Leave a Reply