Celebrate with our irresistible Vanilla Birthday Cake recipe! It's the ultimate treat for any special occasion, boasting a moist vanilla cake, luscious mascarpone whipped cream, and a simple yet delicious vanilla buttercream.
*Recipe and photos updated on 17/04/2024.
Looking for an easy vanilla birthday cake recipe that everyone will love? Look no further! This cake is super simple and delicious, featuring layers of moist vanilla cake filled with a light frosting and topped with pretty sugar sprinkles.
Jump to:
Made up of 3 preparations: a soft 3 vanilla cake layers filled with an creamy mascarpone filling and a smooth outside finish with a simple vanilla buttercream frosting recipe and its pretty and simple sugar sprinkles decoration.
You won't be able to resist the vanilla flavor of this dessert. It's the best vanilla cake recipe for both beginners and those more experienced in baking. However, it's also an ideal choice for indulging on any other special occasions.
Why you'll love this recipe
Ingredients you need
You need these ingredients to make the best birthday cake recipe:
Vanilla cake
- Eggs: at room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes if you haven't had time to bring them out in advance.
- Sugar: Use granulated white sugar, not brown sugar, opt for fine sugar if possible.
- Flour: Use cake flour only, or a combination of all-purpose flour with a bit of cornstarch.
- Heavy cream: It replaces butter, so use full-fat and cold cream.
- Baking powder: Measure the quantities carefully.
- Vanilla and salt: Use pure vanilla extract and fine table salt.
- Vanilla mascarpone frosting: Mascarpone cheese, full fat heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract or from ½ a vanilla pod.
- Vanilla buttercream: unsalted butter, icing sugar (powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar), heavy cream, vanilla and salt.
How to Make Easy Vanilla Birthday Cake Recipe
Here are some quick visual instructions. Don't forget that full recipe instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the recipe card below!
Cake layers
- Preheat the oven to 160°C and line three 15 cm round cake pans with parchment paper.
- Sift together the dry ingredients: flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla for 5-7 minutes until doubled in volume.
- Gently fold in the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula, then fold in the whipped heavy cream.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 40 minutes, then cool the cakes upside down on a cooling rack.
Mascarpone frosting
- Place all the ingredients: powdered sugar, cold mascarpone cheese, cold heavy cream, and vanilla extract (or the seeds of a vanilla bean) in a large bowl.
- Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for about 3-4 minutes until you have a thick cream.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to assemble.
Vanilla Buttercream
- Place the butter in the bowl of your mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed for about 5 minutes until the butter is white and creamy.
- Add sifted powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla and mix again with mixer for another 5 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Finish mixing at slow speed with a paddle attachment and set aside until ready to assemble.
Assemble the cake
- Place the first layer of sponge cake on a cake board atop your rotating cake stand.
- Fill the inside with a layer of mascarpone whipped cream and smooth with an offset spatula.
- Place a second cake layer and repeat the previous step, then finish with the final layer of sponge cake.
- Apply a layer of American buttercream over the entire cake and smooth first with the offset spatula, then finish with a bench scraper.
- Create swirls with a piping bag filled with buttercream and a star tip.
- Sprinkle with multicolored sugar sprinkles, chocolate shavings, or shredded coconut.
- Store your birthday cake in the fridge until ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions
- With fresh fruits: Arrange slices of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or other fresh fruits on top of the cake to add a touch of freshness and color.
- Whipped cream: Serve each cake slice with a generous dollop of vanilla whipped cream.
- Caramel or chocolate sauce: Serve the cake with warm caramel or chocolate sauce to add a touch of sweetness and indulgence.
- Vanilla ice cream: Accompany each cake portion with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Crushed cookies or nuts: Sprinkle the top of the cake with crushed cookies, sliced almonds, or other nuts for a crunchy texture.
- Fruit coulis: Serve the cake with homemade fruit coulis, such as raspberry or mango coulis, for a burst of fruity flavors.
Tips for this cake
Storage and Freeze
In the fridge: Store your frosted cake only in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days in an airtight container or under plastic wrap.
Freezer: Leftover cake can be stored in the freezer wrapped in storage bags for up to 3 months, let them thaw gently in the refrigerator overnight.
Variations & Substitutions
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use this vanilla cake recipe for cupcakes?
In some ways it's possible, but the cake isn't suitable for making cupcakes, so I suggest you follow my recipe for vanilla cupcakes instead.
Can I cover this vanilla cake in fondant?
As it's filled with a fragile filling, it's not possible, but if you use the buttercream inside, too, then you can cover it with fondant.
How far in advance can I bake the vanilla birthday cake?
You can bake the vanilla birthday cake up to 2 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container at room temperature.
How can I prevent my cake from sinking in the middle?
Ensure that your oven is preheated properly and avoid opening the oven door too often during baking. Additionally, do not overmix the batter, as this can lead to a dense cake.
More Birthday Cakes
I hope you love this simple birthday cake. If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Happy Baking!
Print
Vanilla Birthday Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices
Description
An easy vanilla birthday cake made of a soft and moist vanilla sponge cake, fill with mascarpone whipped cream and decorate with a American buttercream frosting (for a 6 inch / 15 cm diameter cake - about 8-12 parts)
Ingredients
Molly Cake
- 3 Eggs - at room temperature
- 190 g (1 cup) Sugar - extra thin
- 2 tsp Vanilla extra
- 190 g (¾ cup) Heavy cream - full fat and cold
- 190 g (1 ⅓ cups) Flour - Cake Flour
- 1 ½ tsp (7 tsp) baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Mascarpone frosting
- 150 g (5 oz) Mascarpone - cold
- 225 ml (1 cup) Heavy cream - full fat and cold
- 1-2 tbsp Powdered sugar - sifted
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract - liquid or ½ vanilla bean
Vanilla Buttercream frosting
Instructions
Vanilla Molly Cake
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F and line three 6-inch/15 cm round cake pans with parchment paper.
- In your stand mixer, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla for 5 to 7 minutes until doubled in volume.
- Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Sift the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl: flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the beaten egg mixture using a spatula until homogeneous.
- Finish by gently folding in the whipped cream until fully incorporated.
- Divide the batter evenly among the three pans and bake for about 40 minutes (without opening the oven door) until golden on top and cooked through. (Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of a cake layer; it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs). If not, bake for an additional 5 minutes.)
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for a few minutes before carefully turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Follow the recipe for Vanilla Buttercream frosting and all my tips to succeed
Mascarpone whipped cream
- Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, the cold mascarpone cream, the very cold heavy cream, the sifted confectioner's sugar and the vanilla.
- Mix with an electric mixer for 4 - 5 minutes until you obtain a thick and homogeneous preparation
- Set aside in a fresh place until ready to assemble.
Assembling the cake
- Place the first layer of sponge cake on a cake board placed on your rotating cake stand.
- Apply a border of buttercream frosting along the edges, then fill the inside with mascarpone whipped cream, smooth with an offset spatula, then cover with the second layer of sponge cake and repeat for the final layer.
- Apply a layer of buttercream frosting all over the cake and smooth with the spatula and cake smoother.
- Decorate the top with a piping bag filled with buttercream frosting and a fluted nozzle.
- Sprinkle with sugar sprinkles and serve or refrigerate the cake. (Remember to take your cake out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving to soften the buttercream.)
Notes
*For the best baking results, I recommend using a digital scale to measure ingredients in grams instead of cups. Precise measurements ensure consistent and perfect outcomes every time.
Storage: Up to 4 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: cake, Dessert, layer cake
- Cuisine: americain
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 799
- Sugar: 64
- Sodium: 393
- Fat: 43
- Saturated Fat: 27
- Carbohydrates: 95
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 9
- Cholesterol: 180
Hi,
What a lovely recipe!
Can I also use a cake pan with a diameter of 18cm? Do I need to change the measurements of the ingredients?
Thank you in advance!
Hello Sara, thanks ❤️ , yes as I use a 15 cm pan in this recipe you can use a 18 cm pan your cake will be just a little less high.
Hiyaa,
This cake looks amazing, thank you for the recipe.
Quick question, which flour did you use for this recipe?
Thank you
Thank you very much, for this recipe I used homemade cake flour, if you have any use cake flour or simply all purpose flour will work too.
Hello, I would like to know how many people this cake is for?
Hello, this is a cake of 8 - 10 parts.
Hello,
If I put the vermicelli in the oven, is there any risk of them disgorging?
Thanks in advance
Hello, no, there's no risk. Buttercream is not a wet cream, so there's no risk of the vermicelli disgorging.
Can the cake be made the day before? Or with the mascarpone cream and butter is it better to make everything the same day?
Hello, yes it's perfectly possible to do it the day before.
Hello, if I make the cake in the morning for the evening can I keep it in the fridge? Will that spoil the frosting?
Hello, no worries, you can even prepare it the day before and store it in the fridge.
Hello
Your cake is really beautiful! I would love to make it for my eldest son's 4th birthday.
I need a little clarification as to the height required for the cake moulds please? You indicate the 6inch diameter but not the height. I've seen molds that are 7 cm high, doesn't that seem small to me?
Looking forward to your reply, I wish you a lovely evening!
Céline
Hello and thank you for your message.
I prefer using the 7cm height for more even baking and dividing the baking into two rounds rather than baking it all at once in a 10cm deep pan.
Hello Fadela,
I'd like to make this recipe for a birthday but living abroad I don't have access to liquid cream. What can I use instead?
What size sponge do you recommend for 25 people?
Thank you
Hello, you can replace the cream in the icing with milk, but you'll need half as much.
3.5 for me. Made this Easter. Good but too heavy, too rich
Hello and thank you very much for your feedback, the layer cake is quite a rich dessert especially when it's made with buttercream. This recipe is more suited for beginners. You can always take a look at the other lighter sponge cakes and alternatives for American buttercream that I share on the blog.
Hello Fadela,
I want to make this cake in 20cm, I saw the table for the quantity of Molly cake.
How much do I increase the quantity for the ganache?
Merci beaucoup
Have a nice day!