This vanilla cake recipe is one of my staples, both personally and for my clients. It is simple, versatile, and always reliable. It can be baked into cupcakes, a round cake, or a sheet cake, and it does especially well with mix-ins like sprinkles, chocolate chips, matcha, or strawberry dust. I come back to it again and again because it never disappoints.

Cake

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups cake flour

• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 eggs

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla paste

• 1/2 cup coconut oil

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake tin with 12 liners or prepare a cake pan.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla paste, and coconut oil until smooth.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined.

5. Divide evenly into cupcake liners (or pour into a cake pan).

6. Bake for 15 minutes for cupcakes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Baking time will vary slightly for a round or sheet cake.

7. Cool completely before frosting or serving.

Cream cheese icing

Ingredients

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Intructions

1. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.

2. Add confectioners' sugar gradually, mixing until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla bean paste. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes or cake.

Notes and tips

• I always use coconut oil in my baking. It is a neutral oil and does not make baked goods taste like coconut. I prefer it over vegetable or other oils.

• I am not a buttercream girl.  All of the cakes I make are topped with cream cheese icing.

• This recipe does well with flavorings and mix-ins like sprinkles, chocolate chips, matcha, or strawberry dust. Strawberry dust is simply freeze-dried strawberries ground in a spice grinder. You can use any freeze-dried fruit this way and add it to the batter. I recommend taking about a quarter cup of flour out and replacing it with the fruit dust.

• It is flexible — you can make it as cupcakes, a round cake, or a sheet cake.

• This recipe makes exactly 1 dozen cupcakes when portioned evenly.