This recipe satisfies my craving for an incredibly tender cake with a perfect frosting-to-cake ratio.
With almost three cups of liquid in the batter, this golden yellow cake is crazy, deliciously moist. The full tablespoon of vanilla doesn’t hurt, either.
The frosting is sweet - it’s a powdered sugar icing at its core. But there’s only a thin layer of it. And the flavor is deepened with caramely brown sugar, a dash of (more) vanilla, and extra butter. Of course.
This beauty is great for sharing, as it can serve up to 24 (depending on how you slice it).
p.s. There's a chocolate version, too.
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Vanilla Buttermilk Sheet Cake
- Prep Time: 30
- Cooling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: ~24 pieces
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
For the cake:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup / 8 oz)
- 1 cup water
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup buttermilk
- 1 TB vanilla
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (300 g)
- 2 cups sugar (400 g)
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine-grain salt (like table or sea salt)
For the frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar (240 g)
- 4 TB unsalted butter (2 oz)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (2 oz / 57 g)
- 3 TB whole milk
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp fine-grain salt (like table or sea salt)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F
Butter and flour a 10 x 15 x 1-inch jelly roll pan
For the cake:
- In a small saucepan, melt the 2 sticks of butter. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in the water.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift in the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the butter-water mixture. Using the paddle attachment, blend on medium-low speed for about 30 - 45 seconds. Add the buttermilk mixture; resume the same speed and blend just until smooth (about 30 - 45 seconds more).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 - 22 minutes, or until the cake springs back slightly when lightly touched in the center and the sides begin to contract from the pan (the toothpick test is a good indicator, as well). Let cool on a wire rack, while still in its pan, for 15 minutes. Then glaze the warm cake with the frosting. Let the iced cake cool completely and the frosting set before serving, about 1 hour.
For the frosting:
- Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the butter and brown sugar to a boil, stirring, until the brown sugar is fully dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for about 2 minutes, then whisk in the milk, vanilla and salt.
- Pour the butter mixture over the powdered sugar and whisk until completely smooth. Immediately pour over the cooled cake, still in its pan, and spread evenly.
Notes
- This is the jelly roll pan I use.
- As with most baking recipes, it helps to have all your ingredients at room temperature before starting.
- If you have a 2-cup measuring cup, measure the buttermilk in there. Then whisk in the eggs and vanilla - saving you an extra bowl to clean up.
- Don't be alarmed, this is a very loose, soupy batter.
- For a super smooth frosting, first sift the powered sugar. Although, truthfully, I usually skip this step. Just be sure there aren't any huge clumps.
- This frosting sets pretty quickly, so when evenly spreading over the cake, try to work as fast as you can. Nothing "bad" happens if you don't, the frosting just won't have as perfect of a sheen - if that's what you're going for. An offset spatula is handy here, if you have one.
April
Can not wait to try this one!! 😋💕
Sarah Marx Feldner
woo-hoo! let me know what you think!!
Karen
I don't think I worked fast enough getting the frosting onto the cake because it tore a little, but absolutely delish!
Sarah Marx Feldner
Hi Karen! Thank you so much for making this cake. I love that you loved it. I'm sorry, though, if my frosting instructions made you work faster than was necessary. (I'm actually assuming that the cake tore because you worked *too* fast, which pulled the tender cake, vs. not working fast enough.) ❤️
Rosalind
Can you use a 9x13 baking pan
Sarah Marx Feldner
Hi Rosalind, I have not done so. But in the comments, Vicki noted that she made it in a 9x13 pan and it worked out great. Yay!
Ingrid
This cake is delicious! So moist, a great vanilla flavor, and Sarah is telling the truth when she says the frosting-to-cake ratio is perfect. Give it a try!
Sarah Marx Feldner
Thank you, Ingrid!!! 😊 💕
Angie
I made this for my mother-in-law's birthday -- added some sprinkles on top for a little sparkle. This cake is insane! Absolutely delicious. I cannot wait to make it again.
Sarah Marx Feldner
Angie: Yay!!!!! This makes me SO happy! Thank you for celebrating your mother-in-law with this cake. How special. And I'm so happy it was a hit!! 🎈
Amanda Kendall
Sarah, you weren't kidding! So, so moist with great flavor. I intentionally gave some away and placed more in the freezer so I wouldn't eat it all!
I appreciate your recipe notes as I would have wondered what I did wrong to make such a loose batter. And my jelly roll pan has seen much better days so I added your recommendation to my shopping list.
Sarah Marx Feldner
This makes me SO happy to read, Amanda! Thank you so much for trying the recipe. And I love that you love it as much as I do. xo!
Sarah
This is my top Bake it Write recipe. This cake is the perfect bouncy texture and sweetness. I love the notes section that assures me I don't have to be a perfectionist if I don't want to. I make mine in two mini jelly roll pans- one to give and one to keep. 🙂 My family likes the Vanilla Pound Cake but this vanilla cake is MY choice.
Sarah Marx Feldner
I have many favorite recipes on this site, but I'm not going to lie, this recipe is high on that list! 😉 LOVE the idea of making two minis - cute and shareable. Win! Win! (p.s. The Vanilla-Glazed Pound Cake is a winner, too.)
Stephanie
Came out very tasty!
My only problem was I was halfway through making it, and noticed it said to use a jelly roll pan. I panicked for a second. I thought I did something wrong. I was wanting a sheet pan cake. I just kept going and used sheet pan anyway. Came out good. Next time I’m going to double the frosting. Husband likes lots of it. 😂
Sarah Marx Feldner
Hi Stephanie! I'm so happy you found this recipe. It is one of my absolute favorites. Sorry for the confusion re: the pan size. Yes, the recipe calls for a 10x15 jelly roll pan. As you discovered, an 18x13 sheet pan works, as well, it's just a smidge bigger, which will make the cake a bit thinner (and will probably bake for a bit less time?). I'm glad it was husband-approved! 😉
Vicki Noles
Made this cake in a 9x13 sheet cake pan. My family loved it. Great texture and taste. I mean REALLY delicious. I had some extra butter cream icing so I used it instead of the listed icing, but I look forward to making the cake and icing in the future just as listed.
Sarah Marx Feldner
Yay!!!!! Thank you so much for making this recipe - and for loving it! 😉 And so great to know that a 9x13 sheet cake pan worked well for you.
Grace
What are the calories per serving?
Sarah Marx Feldner
Hi Grace, I'm sorry, but I don't know.