Small Batch 6-Inch Vanilla Cake
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This small vanilla cake delivers rich vanilla flavor in a soft, moist crumb. Made using the reverse creaming method, the butter is blended into the dry ingredients first for an easy batter that comes together in just 15 minutes. The scaled-down cake is perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, or any celebration for two.
FEATURED REVIEW
“It turned out great! I didn’t use a mixer…mixed by hand. Very moist and spongy cake. Excellent instructions…thank you!” ★★★★★ Jen
My Quest For the Perfect Vanilla Cake
I love cake. And just like my mini chocolate cake, I was on a quest to make a classic vanilla version that had deep vanilla flavor, and a pillowy, moist crumb … you know the kind. Like the sheet cakes you buy at the grocery that almost melt-in-your-mouth (but without all the ingredients you can’t pronounce). This is that cake.
I have a small batch of vanilla cupcakes that I adore, but the volume of that batter would yield a pretty thin cake.
It took some trial and error to get here. I tried various methods to find the perfect balance of moisture and fluffiness. The winner: instead of normally creaming butter and sugar, add the butter to the dry ingredients first. This method of mixing — reverse creaming — produces a tight and soft cake crumb.
Once I declared the winner, I paired it with my fluffy strawberry whipped cream frosting. But really, the cake can be combined with any flavor frosting you like, and I give a few more options in the recipe card. Now, let’s go eat some cake!
A Small Vanilla Cake, In Under And Hour
With reverse creaming, you’ll add the butter to the dry ingredients before mixing. When the butter and dry ingredients are mixed, it will resemble a sandy mixture.
Tip! For the best results with reverse creaming, the butter should still feel cool to the touch. Too warm and it will just melt into the flour. Too cold, and it won’t be properly distributed for a spongy crumb.
It’s ok if the cake batter is a little lumpy after mixing in the wet ingredients. The cake is done baking when it’s springy and golden around the edges.
Tip! Remember the old saying (is it really old, or just baking science? 🙂 ) – overmix the batter, and the cake will be flatter. I just made that up. But really, overmixing will most certainly yield a gummy cake.
Suggestions For Decorating
Now you have it. A cake for every occasion. I give you a few frosting options in the recipe card. As for decorating – that’s entirely up to you!
- Birthdays – Classic vanilla frosting + festive rainbow sprinkles.
- Valentine’s Day For Two – Pretty pink strawberry frosting + heart candies.
- Spring Celebrations – Serve the cake au naturale and top with fresh berries + a dusting of powdered sugar.
- Fall Gatherings – Light whipped topping with a caramel drizzle + toasted pecans.
- Holiday Dessert Table – Mint-infused chocolate frosting + crushed candy canes.
I’d love to hear from you if you made the cake! Let me know in the comments below if it was a special treat – or just to have a little snack cake all to yourself (no judgment here – because I’ve done it!) 🙂
Small 6-Inch Vanilla Cake Recipe
by Erin Cernich
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 whipped cream frosting, I recommend refrigerating the cake.Strawberry Whipped Cream, Strawberry Whipped Buttercream, Chocolate Fudge Frosting, Vanilla Butter Free Frosting
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 Estimates
Behind The Scenes: Cake Testing
- Test 1 – I used water instead of milk and added sour cream to add fat. The result: The cake was pretty dense and compact.
- Test 2 – The traditional creaming method, along with milk and sour cream for moistness. The result: The texture was soft, but not light enough.
- Test 3 – Sour cream was replaced with buttermilk to help tenderize the crumb. The result: Very similar to test 2!
- Test 4 – I introduce oil because it makes the cake incredibly moist. To make sure the cake wasn’t dense, I use half butter and half oil along with buttermilk to make the cake soft. Winner, winner, cake for dinner!
TRY THESE SMALL BATCH RECIPES NEXT!
About the Author …
Hi, I’m Erin! With years of experience baking for two in my own small household, I know about the love for desserts without the leftovers. I’ve tested, written, and photographed every one of the 300+ recipes on my website. And even had some of my desserts featured on Taste of Home, The Spruce Eats, ELLE, Parade, and more! From traditional to gluten free desserts for two, I have the recipe for you.
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This cake is PHENOMENAL! Best true vanilla cake I’ve ever made. If I want to make a double or triple layer 8” or 9” of this do you have a recipe already? THANK YOU
This made my day – thank you so much Christine! If you want to make a 2-layer 8-inch cake, you’d need to 4x the ingredients (essentially doubling the recipe as written to get 1, single layer 8-inch cake). The bake time should stay about the same, but I’d start checking the cakes at 30 minutes just to be safe. I’d love to hear if you made a larger cake and how it turned out!
This recipe was so simple and turned out perfectly moist and delicious. I split the 6-inch cake into two layers and used it to make strawberry shortcake. It easily feeds four (or seconds for the two of us!). Thanks so much for sharing it.
Thank you so much for trying the recipe, Betty! I appreciate the lovely comments!
It turned out great! I didn’t use a mixer…mixed by hand. Very moist and spongy cake. Excellent instructions…thank you!
Thanks so much Jen! And great to hear mixing by hand worked – appreciate you sharing that!
You have me prepare a six-inch pan, and in the instructions it says an inch pan.
A 6-inch pan is correct. Sorry, I’m not seeing a reference to ‘an inch pan in the instructions’? But I will scan it again to see if I can find the typo.
I cooked mine in a round cake pan that was almost 7″. I didn’t use butter milk, just regular whole milk. It didn’t rely rise . It came out an inch tall on one side and alot shorter on the other end. Where did i go wrong?
Hi Madge – I think the pan size may have been the primary issue – with the small batch batter, baking in larger pans will make the cake thin. The lopsided could be caused by a few reasons: the dry ingredients didn’t get mixed enough at the beginning (the baking powder could have been concentrated in on spot?); on the other hand, overmixing the batter can cause uneven baking – too much gluten developed in spots; you could have hot spots in your oven that may cause uneven baking; if the oven wasn’t preheated fully, that will cause uneven baking. I like to use buttermilk because it acts as a tenderrizer to make the cake light and fluffy. Hope you give it another try!
sososossosoo yummy
Yay!!! Thank you Mariela – I appreciate you trying the recipe!