Classic Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting is always a favourite. An easy to make basic vanilla cake with the best whipped chocolate buttercream frosting!

Who doesn’t love a great vanilla cake with chocolate frosting? I think it’s probably my favourite flavour combination for cakes. And this cake, made in a small sheet pan style, is not only delicious but easy to make.

This makes for a great celebration cake or even to pack in kids lunch boxes for back to school.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 Cups flour
• 1 Teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Cup butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 Eggs at room temperature
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 Cup milk
• 3/4 cup butter unsalted and at room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• sprinkles (optional)

REMEMBER, The full recipe and instructions is found at the end of the post in the recipe card.

Instructions – For the Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line an 8 inch square baking tin.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt . Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix the butter on high speed until smooth and then add the sugar. Continue mixing for about 3 minutes or so. Mix in the vanilla and add eggs one at a time , mixing well after each addition .
4. Add the flour and milk to the batter in three additions, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just long enough so the flour is incorporated.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 – 25 minutes . Cake will be done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean . Remove from oven and leave to cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 5 minutes . Remove cake from pan, remove parchment paper and leave to cool completely on the wire rack .

Instructions – For the Frosting

1. In the bowl of your electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as necessary.
2. Add in the cocoa powder, vanilla and salt. Mix until combined, just about a minute.
3. Add the cream, one tablespoon at a time, on medium low speed until combined. About a minute.
4. Turn the mixer to high speed and continue to mix for about 5 minutes until the frosting is light, fluffy and shiny.
5. Once the cake has cooled completely, transfer to a serving plate and frost the cake with the frosting. Will keep for about 3 days in an airtight container on the counter.

Recipe Tips

• Use room temperature ingredients – Room temperature eggs, butter and milk work best for baking cakes. Make sure to take your ingredients out of the fridge at least 30 – 40 minutes before using.
• Measure ingredients correctly – I like to weigh my ingredients (in the recipe card, the ingredients can be converted to metric with the click of a button). You get exact measurements every single time.
• Use the correct baking pan size – I used an 8 x 8 inch baking pan for this cake. I recommend sticking to this size pan. If you use a pan that’s larger, the cake will be flatter. Alternatively, if you use a smaller baking pan, the cake may not bake through the center.
• Whip frosting for time stated – This frosting takes up to 15 minutes to whip properly . it takes this long to create air bubbles in the the frosting which is what makes it light and fluffy.
• Cool cake properly – Make sure to allow the cake to cool completely before you frost the cake. Otherwise the frosting will run off the cake.
• Make ahead frosting – This frosting can be made ahead and kept in an airtight container up to one week before using.

Substitutions and Recipe Changes

Cakes are baked and tested using very specific ingredients and measurements. Often, there are very few substitutions you can make to yield the same results as the recipe creator states. So, for this recipe, there are very few changes that I would recommend. Below, are the only changes I would recommend to yield the same results.

FOR THE CAKE

• Milk – I used whole milk for the cake. You could use buttermilk in place of whole milk for the same richness.
• All purpose flour – You can use cake flour for this recipe.

FOR THE FROSTING

• No changes – I don’t recommend changing anything to this frosting. It’s taken me a while to develop this recipe to this perfect fluffy perfection. Please follow the instructions and measurements in the recipe card for perfect frosting.

Storage

• At room temperature – This cake needs to be served at room temperature. You can store it at room temperature in and airtight container up to three days.
• Store in the refrigerator – You can also keep this cake in an airtight container up to five days. It’s important to remove it from the fridge and bring it to room temperature before serving.
• In the freezer – This unfrosted cake can be stored in the freezer up to one month. Bake the cake according to instructions and leave to cool completely. Wrap in freezer proof plastic wrap and store in the freezer up to one month. Before frosting and serving, remove from freezer and allow to freeze completely.

Frequently Asked Questions

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US CustomaryMetric

Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Moist and buttery cake topped with the best chocolate frosting.

Prep Time35 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: North American

Keyword: cake, chocolate, frosting

Servings: 16 squares

Calories: 218kcal

Author: Julia Pinney

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
• 1 Teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Cup butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 Eggs at room temperature
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 Cup milk

For the frosting:

• 3/4 cup butter unsalted and at room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• * sprinkles optional

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

For the cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line an 8 inch square baking tin.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt . Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix the butter on high speed until smooth and then add the sugar. Continue mixing for about 3 minutes or so. Mix in the vanilla and add eggs one at a time , mixing well after each addition .
• Add the flour and milk to the batter in three additions, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just long enough so the flour is incorporated.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 – 25 minutes . Cake will be done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean . Remove from oven and leave to cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 5 minutes . Remove cake from pan, remove parchment paper and leave to cool completely on the wire rack .

For the frosting

• In the bowl of your electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as necessary.
• Add in the cocoa powder, vanilla and salt. Mix until combined, just about a minute.
• Add the cream, one tablespoon at a time, on medium low speed until combined. About a minute.
• Turn the mixer to high speed and continue to mix for about 5 minutes until the frosting is light, fluffy and shiny.
• Once the cake has cooled completely, transfer to a serving plate and frost the cake with the frosting. Sprinkle over sprinkles, if using. Will keep for about 3 days in an airtight container on the counter.

*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Nutrition Facts

Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 218 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Cholesterol 44mg15%

Sodium 189mg8%

Potassium 50mg1%

Carbohydrates 31g10%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 21g23%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 314IU6%

Calcium 36mg4%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Thanks For Stopping By & Hope To See You Soon!