Last Updated on October 2, 2021 by Chenée Lewis
Mini vanilla cake recipe for one or two! This small vanilla cake recipe with oil is great for small groups and special occasions -- perfect for a mini birthday cake! And while you're looking for mini desserts, try my mini carrot cake, my mini pumpkin pecan dump cake, and my 6-inch butter pecan cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting!
*This post contains affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my disclosure for details*.
Mini Vanilla Cake Recipe
Today I'll show you how to make a mini vanilla cake! Because sometimes you just don't need that much cake, but (and this is important) you still want cake! That's where this small vanilla cake recipe comes in.
Tell me if you've ever been in this situation: You're having a party, and spend all day baking a delicious cake (or you pick up a delicious cake from a local bakery) and no matter how good it is, you end up with tons of cake left over??
Or, maybe you're at home alone or with one or two others, and you want cake, but not too much?
For me, that happens all the time! Sometimes you just want to make a small vanilla cake recipe that is quick and easy, but still yummy! For times like that, this mini vanilla cake is perfect!
Mini Birthday Cake, or Mini Cake for Any Occasion!
Besides being the perfect, cute little size for a small group (or just for one), this mini vanilla cake is amazing! It has so much vanilla flavor, a light, fluffy texture, and a delicate crumb. I've made it so many times and always loved it! PLUS it's the perfect vessel for some rainbow sprinkles, just in case you need a little joy sprinkled into your day! I went a little crazy with the sprinkles, but who hasn't?
Best of all, this is a one bowl recipe, and you don't even need a mixer! No butter to soften, no special techniques -- it could not be easier!
I've also included a recipe for an optional quick vanilla buttercream frosting, the perfect amount for your mini vanilla cake! So whether you're making a birthday cake for a party of two or a portion-controlled dessert for the family, you'll have just enough cake AND just enough frosting.
Mini Cake Size - What Size is a Mini Cake?
A mini cake can be between 4 and 6 inches in diameter, and can be a single layer like this mini vanilla cake, or have lots of layers. Often, mini cakes will be single serving, not much smaller than cupcakes. This small vanilla cake recipe is the perfect size whether you make it as a mini cake for one, or for a small group! Because it's a single layer 6 inch vanilla cake recipe, you won't end up with too many leftovers, any way you slice it!
How do you make a mini vanilla cake from scratch?
This mini vanilla cake is very quick and easy, and it comes together with just a few ingredients. Chances are, you have most of these on hand already:
- egg - make sure your egg is at room temperature before you start to bake! To get it to room temp quickly, set your egg in lukewarm water for about 15 minutes.
- granulated sugar - adds just enough sweetness to our small vanilla cake recipe.
- pure vanilla extract - Vanilla is the main flavor in this cake, so we want it to shine, so be sure to use a high-quality pure vanilla extract. Or better yet, check out my post on how to make vanilla extract at home with just 2 ingredients!
- vegetable oil - here's why we're making this small vanilla cake recipe with oil! First, it keeps the cake more moist than butter. Also, since you don't have to worry about softening or creaming butter, the oil makes this small vanilla cake recipe SO easy!
- buttermilk - make sure your buttermilk is room temperature. This helps your mini vanilla cake to bake up nice and fluffy in the oven. If you don't have buttermilk, see below in the Tips and FAQ for a substitute!
- cake flour - cake flour gives this mini vanilla cake its soft and tender crumb because it has less protein in it than all-purpose flour. If you don't have cake flour, see below for how to make a substitute using all-purpose flour and cornstarch! Be sure to use a kitchen scale to measure by weight, or use the spoon-and-level method to measure by volume.
- baking powder & baking soda - these helps to give our small vanilla cake recipe some lift!
- salt - since we're using vegetable oil, we don't have any salt from salted butter. So we need to add some salt to make sure we bring out the vanilla flavor and sweetness in this small vanilla cake recipe!
And for our quick, perfectly-portioned vanilla buttercream frosting you'll need:
- salted butter - I prefer salted butter, but if you use unsalted just add a couple extra dashes of salt to taste.
- powdered sugar - gives our frosting the sweetness and texture that's perfect for this mini vanilla cake!
- pure vanilla extract - of course!
- heavy cream - helps to fluff up the frosting while adding richness.
- salt - to bring out the vanilla flavor!
Equipment
One tool you'll definitely need for this mini vanilla cake are 6-inch cake pans. I like these Wilton ones -- I always get a great result from them! (affiliate link) I definitely recommend using a 6-inch pan to get an even bake, but I would imagine you could also make this small vanilla cake recipe into 4-6 cupcakes, or try baking it in a small loaf pan. If you do try a different type of pan, let me know in the comments below! Here are some of my other recommendations for tools you'll need:
Tips and F.A.Q.
This 6 inch vanilla cake recipe is perfect for two, or for one with leftovers! It yields about 4-6 slices, depending on how large you cut them.
A white cake typically is made without egg yolks, to maintain the pure white color. Vanilla cakes like this mini vanilla cake are made with whole eggs, and so the yolks, along with the vanilla extract added, change the color of the cake slightly.
First of all, don't be shy with the sprinkles! But other than that, I like to make sure that we're using a generous amount of great quality vanilla extract. The vanilla flavor really has to shine in this small vanilla cake recipe! I also like to use buttermilk to add a bit more tangy flavor to the cake batter. Finally, using salted butter in the buttercream frosting gives the flavors in your mini vanilla cake a bit more of a boost.
If you don't have cake flour, you can make a substitute to use in this small vanilla cake recipe! All you need is all-purpose flour and corn starch. Just measure out ¾ cup of all-purpose flour and replace 1 ½ teaspoon of it with cornstarch. In grams, it'll be 91 grams of all-purpose flour sifted with 4 grams of cornstarch. As I mentioned above, it's best to measure by weight with a kitchen scale, but if you don't have one be sure to use the spoon-and-level method to measure by volume.
If you don't have buttermilk, feel free to use whole milk, replacing a teaspoon of the milk with vinegar. This will create the acidic effect of buttermilk to help your small vanilla cake recipe come out even more moist and tender.
More Small Batch Recipes You'll Love
- Mini Chocolate Cake
- Apple Mug Cake
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter and Sea Salt
- Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies
- Butter Pecan Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- baking spray
- 1 large egg - room temperature
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoon (44 ml) vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup (80 g) buttermilk - room temperature
- ¾ cup (85 g) cake flour
- ¾ teaspoon (4 ml) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) salt
- ⅛ teaspoon (1 ml) baking soda
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup (114 g) salted butter - softened (1 stick)
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon (30 ml) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- salt - to taste
Instructions
- Spray a 6-inch cake pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.baking spray
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg, vanilla, and sugar until well combined and thickened.1 large egg, 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Whisk in oil, followed by buttermilk, until smooth.3 tablespoon vegetable oil, ⅓ cup buttermilk
- Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold into batter with a rubber spatula until just barely combined.¾ cup cake flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pour into cake pan. Drop cake in pan from 3 inches onto counter to get rid of any air bubbles.
- Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick entered into the cake comes out clean.
Prepare Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- In a bowl, beat softened butter for one minute until it’s light and fluffy.½ cup salted butter
- Gradually add in powdered sugar, followed by vanilla and beat until smooth.2 cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add cream a little at a time and beat until you have the desired consistency.2 tablespoon heavy cream
- Add a pinch or two of salt, if desired and beat to combine. Spread over cooled cake.salt
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Pin this small vanilla cake recipe for later:
Stephen
Hi Chenée. Can you use canola oil in place of the vegetable oil?
Chenée Lewis
Hi Stephen -- yes you can! Any neutral oil you like will work.
Paula
Everything about this cake is perfect and delicious. I love the way you have written the recipe out.
Thank you soo much for sharing it.
Chenée Lewis
Thank you! So glad you liked it!
ashok
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
Chenée Lewis
I hope so too! Glad you enjoyed it!
Cliffa Hiett
Hello! I love your recipes! I don't have a 6 inch pan only a 7-7.5, could it be done in there?
Chenée Lewis
Hi! I would suggest making a 1 1/2-sized batch. Hope you like it!
Katie Youngs
My kids and I had so much fun making this mini cake. It was delicious!
Chenée Lewis
Awesome! I'm glad you all enjoyed!
Mahy
I just love how cute this cake is. It would be the perfect treat to make for someone special!
Chenée Lewis
Definitely! So great for a date night!
Marie-Charlotte Chatelain
I want to try this and add some fresh raspberries! What an amazing recipe
Chenée Lewis
That would be delicious!!
Louise Cayzer
I love a little cake. Such a nice idea to make it small but sweet and shareable.
Chenée Lewis
Thanks! It's the perfect size!
Vandy
Hi, is this recipe only for cake flour or all purpose flour also works? Gonna make it..
Thanks
Vandy
Chenée Lewis
Hi Vandy! In the tips section above, I include an easy cake flour substitute that you can make out of all-purpose flour and cornstarch! Or if that won't work, this cake will still be good with all-purpose flour, but cake flour or that cake flour substitute will give you the best texture. Hope you enjoy!
Kate
This is AWESOME - I so often don't bake because I don't want a whole cake to eat between two of us, but this is the perfect size! Great idea.
Chenée Lewis
Thanks! It's definitely the perfect size.
Susan
I made this with the chocolate buttercream from the mini chocolate cake and it was amazing! Extremely Duncan Hines vibes (in the best way possible). Definitely appreciated the weights for the cake flour substitute because when you're making an emergency Monday night cake you don't want to do any extra math.
Chenée Lewis
So glad it's helpful! My goal is to get metric measurements for everything on the site, but for now I at least have to have weights for dry ingredients! Glad you liked the cake!
Beth
Yummy! My daughter and her boyfriend are going to love this recipe! Can't wait to show them!
Chenée Lewis
I hope they enjoy! ?
Sarah Holt
Wow this texture looks perfect! The cutest cake 🙂
Chenée Lewis
Thank you! It's one of my faves 🙂
Vicky
I cannot love this cake enough! How cute and absolutely wonderful that it is small-not too much leftover! Can't wait to make this for my family!
Chenée Lewis
Thank you so much! I hope you love it!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
This is so cute and such a great way to enjoy some cake-y goodness without having to bake a massive cake (even though I would be tempted to eat a lot of it!). It sounds so delicious!
Chenée Lewis
Exactly! It's perfect for a small group or for portion control ?
Claudia Lamascolo
this is so pretty and my kids are going to love it they are obsessed with funfetti! thanks for the inspiration!
Chenée Lewis
I hope you all love it! ?
Danielle Wolter
Your instructions made this so easy! It came out perfectly moist and delicious, can't wait to make it again!
Chenée Lewis
Glad you like it! Thanks!
Ces
Hi. Instead of oven, can it be done by steaming method?
Chenée Lewis
Unfortunately, I've never tried that method! If you do it that way, let me know how it goes 🙂
Caitlin
So cute and looks pretty too! I'll have to give it a try.
Chenée
Thanks! I hope you do! Let me know how it comes out for you 🙂
Amy
This looks delicious! The video says all purpose flour but the recipe says cake flour. Do they both work for this? Thank you!
Chenée
Hey Amy! Great catch! The recipe is correct -- it should be cake flour. I'll get that corrected right away! If you don't have cake flour, all purpose flour should work well also.
Francy
This looks very good?! Thanks for sharing. I need try to make ?
Chenée
Awesome! Let me know how it works for you!
Grace
So cute! This is perfect for me, I've been making so many sweets to pass the time, great directions!
Chenée
Thanks! I hope you love it!
Lucy
This cake looks SO good! Can't wait to give it a go. Thanks for sharing.
Chenée
Thanks! Let me know how it goes for you!