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French Vanilla Cake

French Vanilla Cake Recipe

A soft, moist French Vanilla Cake recipe made from scratch with rich vanilla flavor, creamy texture, and simple ingredients — perfect for birthdays, holidays, or any sweet occasion.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 1
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, French-inspired
Calories: 380
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ¼ cups whole milk 300ml, room temperature
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil 80ml
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 ¾ cups cake flour 312g
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter 227g, room temperature
  • 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar 350g
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract use pure extract for best flavor
  • 1 small box 3.4 oz dry instant French vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 cup French vanilla coffee creamer

Equipment

  • Two 8-inch round cake pans or one 9×13 pan
  • Mixing bowls
  • Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
  • Measuring cups & spoons
  • Rubber spatula
  • Cooling rack
  • Parchment paper (optional, for lining pans)

Method
 

  1. Prep the Pans – Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour your pans or line with parchment.
  2. Mix Wet Ingredients – In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and coffee creamer. Set aside.
  3. Cream Butter & Sugar – In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
  4. Add Dry Ingredients – Sift together cake flour, baking powder, salt, and pudding mix. Add half of this dry mix to the butter mixture and beat on low until just combined.
  5. Alternate Mixing – Add half the wet mixture, then the rest of the dry mix, then the rest of the wet mixture — mixing gently each time. This helps prevent overmixing and keeps the cake soft.
  6. Pour & Bake – Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  7. Cool – Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack before frosting.

Notes

For the best texture, make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before you start mixing. This helps everything blend smoothly and evenly.