This vanilla cake is so easy to make and comes out soft, fluffy and moist. It is just 5 ingredients and doesn’t require eggs, butter or milk, but you can’t even tell. The texture is just like traditional vanilla cake. This cake is perfect for any occasion that requires cake.
This is my go-to vanilla cake recipe. It is so easy to whip up and also happens to be egg-free and dairy-free. You can bake it as a regular cake, use it for cupcakes or use it to make a layered cake as well.
Ingredients
- Self-Rising Flour
- Sugar
- Oil
- Water
- Vanilla
Self-Rising Flour: To simplify this recipe, I used self-rising flour which already has baking powder and salt added to it. If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can make your own with all purpose flour, baking powder and salt. The exact amounts are shared in the recipe card notes section.
Sugar: This recipe is sweetened with regular granulated white sugar.
Oil: This cake uses vegetable oil. You want to use a neutral oil like vegetable oil so that you don’t taste the oil flavor in the cake.
Cake Texture
This cake is inspired by Crazy Cake but is not quite the same. The ingredient list is simpler and I think the texture is also much better than the crazy vanilla cakes I’ve tried in the past.
Crazy Cake, also known as Depression Cake, is a cake made without eggs, butter or milk that was created during WWII when resources were scarce. The most popular version is a chocolate crazy cake. I made it a few years ago and fell in love with the concept. I immediately tried making a vanilla version but the vanilla versions I tried never quite worked out for me. The cake texture was gummy and not as fluffy and light as the chocolate version.
Crazy cake also usually contains baking soda and vinegar to act as a leavening agent. But I found that using baking powder creates a better crumb. I always found the chocolate crazy cake’s crumb a little too loose, but this vanilla version doesn’t have that issue.
More Easy Cakes
- 4 Ingredient Chocolate Cake
- 3 Ingredient Apple Cake
- 2 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Cake
- 4 Ingredient White Cake
5 Ingredient Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (230 g) self-rising flour
- 3/4 cup (148 g) granulated white sugar
- 1 ½ tsp (7 ml) vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (79 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (237 ml) water see note
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour and sugar. Whisk until evenly combined. Then sift your mixture by running your whisk rapidly back and forth through the flour until it looks light and powdery.
- Add in vanilla, oil and half of the water. Do not add the entire amount of water, otherwise you won't be able to mix your batter. Whisk until your batter is smooth and no flour lumps remain. Once batter is smooth, add in remaining water and whisk again until batter is smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for about 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cake cool completely in pan before removing and cutting. If adding frosting, add it after the cake has cooled.
Notes
- To make your own self-rising flour, add 1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour, 2 and 5/8 tsp baking powder and 7/16 tsp salt to a bowl. Whisk until evenly combined.
- I used Lily's self-rising flour* to make this recipe.
- Water amount: Depending on the self-rising flour brand you use, you may need to add more liquid. I used Lily's self-rising flour which has 2 grams of protein per 1/4 cup. If your self-rising flour has 3 grams of protein per 1/4 cup (or the all purpose flour you are using to make self-rising flour has 3 grams), then you will need to add 2.5 oz more of water. Also instead of adding only 1/2 of the water initially, add 1 cup initially and then after the mixture has no more lumps, add the additional 2.5 oz and whisk until smooth.
- If you choose to mix your batter using an electric mixer, you do not need to sift the flour and sugar. You do still need to follow the steps for adding the liquids (and not adding them all at once).
- You can double this cake recipe and bake in a 9 x 13 inch cake pan. If you are doubling the recipe, I do not recommend whisking the batter by hand. Use an electric mixer, otherwise it will be very hard to remove all the flour lumps.
- I frosted the cake with a whipped cream frosting. To make whipped cream frosting, add 1 cup of cold heavy cream and 3 tbsp of granular sugar into a mixing bowl. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. If you need a dairy-free version, you can also make a coconut whipped cream using coconut cream.
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
So I’ve tried the recipe so delicious but now I’m out of self-rising flour so I’m trying to make some and I am so lost I don’t have teaspoons that say 5/8 so how many teaspoons how do I get 5/8 worth in teaspoons LOL can anybody help with that as a one half teaspoon 1/4 or is it 1/2 tablespoon. Also what is 7/16 of salt how many teaspoons or tablespoons do I use please help I’ve tried to Google it and I’m just lost!
We use 1/8 teaspoon and 1/16 teaspoon for these measurements, but if you don’t have those the easiest thing to do is make a double batch of the basic self-rising flour amount. Just mix 2 cups all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Once you mix it up you can measure out the amount you need for the recipe (1 3/4 cups) – there will be extra so don’t add it all.
Can you use almond flour for your recipes?
For this recipe, we don’t recommend using almond flour. It is not a 1:1 substitute for wheat flour. We have quite a few Gluten Free Recipes you might like if you are looking for GF ideas.
Great recipes! Truly. Never heard of such things. Imagine! To bake with only few items on hand! Wow!
Can’t wait to try it. I especially like your yogurt cake!! Question; .Does it matter if it’s plain or Greek yogurt? Just wanted to clarify.
Also, holiday are coming. Wondering if you could pls introduce cranberry recipes? Particularly cranberry breads biscotti and cranberry bars? IAM addicted to cranberry apple recipes. Don’t care much for cookies.
But love rustic traditional recipes without extra calories. Who wouldn’t….right? Lol
Anyhow, thanks for doing great job! I appreciate your hard work time and effort it takes.
Be safe! Stay well!
Marina.
We have several yogurt cakes, if you let us know which one you’re wanting to make, that would be great. We have a cranberry bread you might like to try or easy cranberry biscotti – or, search “cranberry” in the search bar and there are a few other recipes, too!
i really enjoy baking but sometimes it can be annoying when you find what you think will be a good recipe but then find out it has 10 ingredients! this recipe was super simple and didnt require much ingredients so it was super handy! i will definitely be using more recipes from this website!
We’re glad it worked for you! We have a lot of Recipes with 4 Ingredients or Less that you should check out.
HI there. Can this cake be made as a glutenfree dairyfree cake as well? with no egg? Thanks, just what I need to use when baking! Thanks
ann
Sorry, but we haven’t tested the recipe with those changes. We have quite a few Gluten-Free recipes you might like to try instead.
I didn’t read the comments until after I put the cake in the oven, and after that I was worried I wasted ingredients because of the mixed reviews lol but alas, I was pleasantly surprised and I will definitely save and continue to make this recipe. I used a combination of vanilla and almond extract, and coconut oil in place of the vegetable oil. I’ll be honest when I say i did *not* sift my flour and sugar, and I also dumped all the water at once lol and everything mixed up just fine without any issues at all. Baked perfectly. Topped with strawberry frosting. We loved it. It was a bit cloyingly sweet to me, but that could be because I’ve been eating healthier and less sugary foods as of lately. I still enjoyed it and at least that will keep me from eating too much of it and ruin my healthy habits lol
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your experience.
can you use self rising almond flour
Almond flour can’t be used in the same amount so without testing it, we can’t say it will work.
Hi – how do you store this and how long will it last please
Store it in an airtight container at room temperature. It should keep for a couple of days.
So bad I used the exact same stuff measurings and same cook time was WAY to salty! 1/10
Did you make your own self-rising flour?
Just love the recipes
Thanks so much!
I made this cake and was very moist and delicioue. I am not the best baker but this was a big hit. Thanks!
I’m so glad it was a big hit!
Tastes just like I poured it out of a box and tastes just like that too
So disappointing. Followed the recipe to the letter. It is more of a vanilla flavourd bread than a cake .
It sounds like it was too dense – that could be the amount of flour that was added to the batter. Too much can cause this – how did you measure the flour?
how many people can this serve(I have a school paper and I’m writing about this recipe)?
We slice the cake into 12 pieces.
I followed the instructions to make the self rising flour and it made the cake taste like baking soda. I think those instructions need adjusted. The batter tasted great – the final result not so much.
First, you should be using baking powder, not baking soda. If you used baking soda as a direct substitute for baking powder you will end up with problems because baking soda is 4 times stronger than baking powder.
Second, the measurements provided is how you make self-rising flour. If you do a search, you’ll see other websites sharing the same ratio.
its very easy and delicous
So glad you enjoyed the cake!
I have made this twice now, and it is very good. What do you think about adding a little can of crushed pineapple?
We haven’t tried it and can’t say how it will work – let us know if you do!
Can this cake be made using whole milk instead of water? I want to make it this weekend.
We haven’t tried it, but it should work.
Can you still use milk instead of water in the recipe. I was wondering if it would change the texture of the cake?
It will change the texture – it makes the cake more gummy. Using water produces a fluffier cake
With no eggs or margarine or butter in the house, this did the trick to satisfy that cake craving, thanks! My sunflower oil left a slight taste, but I tried apricot jam on it-great and some chocolate fudge icing on another piece. Also great. My head tester thought it tasted a bit like a pancake. I thought it’s a bit like a scone tastewise, but the texture is different.
I’d give it the thumbs up especially if someone with lactose intolerance turned up. Look at it as a base for all sorts of things, like strawberries, jam, chocolate fudge. It’s very easy. Mine wasn’t salty. I used normal Self raising flour. In fact, for my taste, a pinch of salt might be a good idea.
The only difficult thing was reading the measurements on my jug!
We’re so glad you liked it!
Does it freeze OK?
We haven’t tried freezing it, but it should work. Just don’t freeze it with the frosting.
I’ve made this twice. The first time I followed the self rising flour directions on here and the texture was perfect. Very light but it tasted like flour. The 2nd time I tried again but I used another self rising flour recipe and used it for your recipe and it still tastes like flour. I’m an avid baker and cook and I followed everything right to the T. Even scooped the flour into the measuring cup. Do you have the flour in grams? Maybe I’ll try it again with the right weight measurements
Yes, the amount in grams is in the recipe card.
It wasn’t as great as I thought it would be, it was flat and dense and there was hardly any flavor probably because in ever baking recipe there is ment to be salt which this one doesn’t have.
If it was flat and dense then something went wrong. Perhaps your flour? As for no salt, the recipe does have salt. Salt is already added to the self-rising flour and if you make your own you are also supposed to add salt.
I want to make this, but I want to flavor to be vanilla. Can I use lemon juice instead of the vanilla extract?
Lemon extract will work better than lemon juice – you don’t need very much to flavor a cake. Lemon juice will add more liquid which could change the cake texture.
May I please ask how to replace self raising flour ? I would love to try it out soon ?
Thank you very much for the recipe ??
You can make self-rising flour – all of the information is in the recipe card under the notes section.
Totally amazing and delicious
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I haven’t tried this yet but will soon as my guy LOVES white cake. I’m wondering if coconut oil might work instead of the vegetable oil?
I’m not sure if coconut oil will work without testing it. Coconut oil is a bit different than most oils because of the way it solidifies when it cools. If you want to try a healthier oil you could try olive oil.
I have a cpl questions, can i use gluteen free flour, also can olive oil be used instead of veg? This lookes yummy and would like to try it, but i need to use these ingredients. Thnks for your time
I haven’t tried with gluten free flour. Olive oil should be fine though you may taste the olive oil flavor in your cake.
Love the recipes!!
Thanks so much!
I’m making the vanilla cake now and I’m so excited, I tasted the beaters and it taste good. While it’s cooking my mom is getting the cool whip. It was very easy to make
So glad you’re enjoying it!
Like it
I’m so glad you like it!
so yummy and delicious cakes.. Besides its a healthy Chocolate cake.
The cake looks great. Will try this recipe and give comments of the result. Thank you for sharing.
Let us know what you think!
Thank you for sharing the recipe.
You’re welcome!
Good day I need recipes
This sounds brilliant, I can’t wait to try! Do you think the recipe would work okay with gluten free flour?
We haven’t tried it with gluten-free flour.
Looks very good..
Thanks cant wait to see what happens gonna bake it love to bake esp. For the grands thanks
We hope they love it!
Thanks
Can this recipe work as cupcakes?
yes
This vanilla cake sounds so yummy, but I can’t have gluten. Have you by any chance tried it with gluten-free flour and if so how do you get it to rise?
Sorry, but we haven’t tested the recipe with gluten-free flour.
Can you use coconut oil knead of vegetable oil?
I don’t know if it will work with coconut oil, as coconut oil is a bit different from most oils and solidifies when it cools
Can you use gluten free flour and baking powder?
Sorry I haven’t tried with gluten free flour
I have used it for years. I make 5 of them for church gatherings in Bundt pans.
Glad I saw this comment, I want to make it in a bundt tin.
Frosting for this cake???
it’s in the notes section of the recipe card
When I first tried the cookie, I thought “wow, this is different!” But I really like ?? them and my husband does also. Thank you for your wonderful recipes!
I’m so glad you both enjoyed!
Thank you for the eggless vanilla cake recipe.
Can I use this recipe to make cupcakes?
Thank you.
Sara
We haven’t tried it – if you do, you will need to adjust the baking time.
This sounds wonderful!! Could it be baked as 12 cupcakes for portion control?
yes
What is the quantity is stevia used in this recipe if I am replacing sugar with it.
I haven’t tested it with stevia