A slice of vanilla cake with a red swirl and heart sprinkles on a plate. / Una rebanada de pastel de vainilla con un remolino rojo y chispas de corazones en un plato.

Valentine’s Classic Vanilla Cake

Kitty FloridoFebruary 7, 2026

This post is also available in ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)

I’ve been testing classic vanilla cake recipes in search of the one—a dependable, celebration-ready cake that works beautifully on its own or paired with buttercream, frostings, or jams. This recipe hits all the marks: a soft, tender crumb that holds its structure and adapts effortlessly to different flavor combinations.

For this version, I reserved a portion of the batter, tinted it with red food coloring, and swirled it back into the vanilla batter for a subtle marbled effect—perfect for Valentine’s Day or any festive occasion. Once baked, the cakes are leveled, layered with cream cheese frosting, and finished with a smooth coat of frosting, piped dollops, and festive sprinkles. I got both the sprinkles and food-grade coloring at Blossom Cakes GT.

Short on time? A boxed vanilla cake works great too. Use two boxes to create a tall 8-inch cake like the one shown here, and two tubs of frosting for filling, crumb coating, and decorating. For the swirl, simply reserve about 1 cup of batter, tint it red, swirl it into the batter, and bake according to the package instructions. Once the cakes are completely cool, frost and decorate as desired.

Kitty

Classic Vanilla Cake

Makes 1 8-inch cake

Ingredients:
114 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup vegetable oil
300 grams granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
315 grams all purpose flour
96 grams of cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ⅓ cups of buttermilk
Red food coloring, optional

Ingredients, for decoration:
1 recipe of cream cheese frosting
or 2 tubs of store-bought cream cheese or vanilla frosting
Sprinkles, optional
Your favorite frosting or buttercream

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 8-inch round pans with parchment paper and grease the sides with cooking spray. Set aside.
Sift together the all-purpose flour and cornstarch five times. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and oil on low speed until combined. Gradually increase the speed to medium-high and beat until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the granulated sugar and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is light, fluffy, and turns a very pale yellow color, about 2 minutes.
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl using a silicone spatula. Add the vanilla, and the eggs oneby one, mixing well until each is combined. After all the eggs have been incorporated, mix for 2 minutes.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the sifted flour and cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk in 3 additions (half the dry, all the wet, the rest of the dry). It’s okay if the batter still has a few lumps in it–you don’t want to overmix.
If you’re doing a marbled cake,take 1 cup of cake batter, and add the red food coloring.
Divide the cake batter evenly between your prepared pans, using the spatula to spread the batter into a flat, even layer. Add dollops of the red caka batter and drag the tip of a knife through the batter in an 8 shape to create the swirls.
Bake until the cake has risen, the top springs back to the touch, and a butter knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 40-45 minutes.
Place the cakes on a cooling rack and allow them to cool slightly. To remove from the pan, drag a butter knife around the edge of the cake, then carefully flip the cakes out onto a cutting board, peel away the parchment paper, and re-invert it, right-side up onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Frost with your favorite buttercream and enjoy!

Have you made this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture with the hashtag #thefoodieskitchen!

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