Small 6-Inch Vanilla Cake Recipe

Pretty slices of a small vanilla cake topped with strawberry frosting fanned out on a plate.

5 from 6 reviews

Small 6-Inch Vanilla Cake Recipe

A soft, moist mini vanilla cake made with butter, oil, and buttermilk for a rich, tender crumb that stays that way for days — baked in a 6-inch pan and perfectly sized for smaller celebrations. An easy, small cake ready in under an hour.

Prep Time15

Cook Time33

Total Time48

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: Servings

Calories: 314kcal

Author: Erin Cernich

Equipment

Ingredients

Small Vanilla Cake

¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup organic cane sugar or granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into cubes
½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cold pressed refined coconut oil, melted or any neutral oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line the bottom of a 6-inch round cake pan with a piece of parchment cut to fit. Lightly grease the pan.
In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar to just combine. Note - If using a stand mixer, I recommend the 3-quart mixing bowl (link above) for the small batch batter. Otherwise, you can use a hand held mixer and medium mixing bowl.
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
Add the butter cubes to the dry ingredients. Mix on medium-high speed until the butter is broken up into small pebbles, and the mix resembles coarse sand. Note - The butter should still feel cool to the touch. If it's too warm, the cake may come out dense.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into cubes
In a liquid measuring cup, measure out the buttermilk. Add the egg, vanilla, and oil. Mix until fully combined and smooth. Note - If you do not have buttermilk, you can make your own. Add a 1½ teaspoons vinegar to the measuring cup. Then add milk to the 1/2 cup mark. Let sit for 5 minutes until the milk looks curdled.
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature, 1 large egg, room temperature, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons cold pressed refined coconut oil, melted
Turn the mixer on low speed. Slowly drizzle the wet ingredients into the dry until mostly incorporated. Turn off the mixer and finish mixing the batter with a spatula until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix, or the cake will turn out gummy, It is ok if there are a few lumps of dry ingredients.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and spread out evenly with a spatula. Bake for 30 to 33 minutes, or until the middle of the cake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool the cake in the pan set on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then, flip the pan over onto the wire rack to remove the cake and let it cool completely. If needed, run an offset spatula or sharp knife around the edge of the cake to release it from the pan.
Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting. The cake can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. If using the strawberry whipped cream as pictured, I recommend refrigerating the cake.

Notes

Serving Size - This is a small batch recipe that should be ok to double. Bake in an 8-inch cake pan and start checking at 30 minutes.
Yield - The small 6-inch cake can be cut into 4 large slices, or 6 small ones.
Stand Mixer - You can use your stand mixer with standard bowl. However, because this is a small batch batter, it will mix more evenly when you use a 3-quart mixing bowl. Note, the bowl works with standard attachments and only works on a tilt head mixer.
Reverse Creaming Method - You will notice we mix the butter and sugar with the other dry ingredients first. This method of mixing limits gluten development and yields a fluffy and airy cake.
Oil - I have tested the cake with coconut oil and canola oil - both work great.
Freezing - The baked, unfrosted cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator.

Nutrition