Simple cakes are often the best, and easiest to make! This Vanilla Tray Bake recipe is the no-fail birthday cake recipe you have been looking for!
This easy cake recipe is for a fluffy vanilla sheet cake covered in creamy vanilla buttercream frosting. It is baked in a single rectangular cake tin so there is no need to worry about chilling, stacking, and filling, making it the perfect cake recipe for new bakers!
If you love vanilla cakes as much as I do, have a look at this recipe for Vanilla Cupcakes or this recipe for a Vanilla Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting.
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Ingredients
To make this delicious sheet cake, you will need the simple ingredients listed below. Remember always to use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.
- Unsalted butter
- Sunflower oil
- Extra-large eggs
- Granulated white sugar
- Self-raising flour
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Whole milk
- Powdered sugar
- Rainbow sprinkles
Unsalted butter – choose unsalted butter when baking to be able to adjust the saltiness of your cakes. It is very important that you are using room temperature butter for the cake and the frosting.
Sunflower oil – this recipe uses a combination of oil and butter for extra moistness and flavor! Use a neutral-tasting oil like sunflower oil or canola oil.
Extra-large eggs – out of their shell, the eggs I use weigh 56 grams, if you aren’t sure if you have the same eggs – weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.
Vanilla extract – choose a quality vanilla extract rather than essence for this recipe. You can also use vanilla bean paste.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Follow the simple instructions below to make this Vanilla Tray Bake. First, you will bake the cake, allow it to cool, make the frosting, and then decorate the cake.
Instructions for cake
STEP 1: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) and oil and line a rectangular cake tin 35x28x7cm (14x11x3 inches) with parchment paper.
STEP 2: Beat sugar, oil, and butter. Add the butter, oil, and sugar to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy.
STEP 3: Add the eggs. Add the eggs to the sugar and butter mixture one at a time. Beat well between each addition and scrape down the sides of the bowl often.
STEP 4: Sift dry ingredients. In a large bowl sift together the self-raising flour and salt.
STEP 5: Combine wet ingredients. In a jug mix together the milk and vanilla.
STEP 6: Add the wet and dry ingredients. With the mixer’s motor running at medium-low speed, add the wet ingredients and the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Do this by alternating between the two. Starting with the flour and ending with the wet ingredients.
STEP 7: Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and remix the cake batter. Ensuring that it is well-mixed and lump free.
STEP 8: Bake. Pour the vanilla cake batter into the prepared tin and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in its tin for 30 minutes before turning it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Instructions for frosting
STEP 1: Beat butter and icing sugar. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and icing sugar. Beat at medium speed until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
STEP 2: Add milk and vanilla. In a jug combine the milk and vanilla, with the mixer's motor running at low speed slowly add the milk mixture. Continue until it has all been added. Then increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl often.
STEP 4: Decorate. Place the cooled cake onto a large plate and spread the frosting over the top of the cake using an offset spatula. Top with lots of sprinkles, slice, and enjoy!
Hint: No matter how tempted, never frost a warm cake!
Variations
You can get creative with how you decorate this cake, instead of sprinkles you can choose to top it with fresh fruit like strawberries or blueberries. And for chocolate lovers, you can choose to decorate it with chocolate chips or chocolate shavings!
If you’d like to try a different flavored frosting on this cake, have a look at this recipe for Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting, this recipe for Biscoff frosting, or this recipe for Strawberry Frosting.
Equipment
To make this delicious vanilla traybake, you will need an electric stand mixer or electric hand whisk. You will also need a rectangular traybake tin.
This cake can be baked in other shaped tins, just remember to adjust the baking time if needed. Larger cake tins need less baking time as the cake layer will be thinner.
Storage
Store any leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If it is very hot choose to store this cake in the fridge, especially if you have added fruit to the top to decorate it.
To freeze this cake, cut it into individual slices and wrap each slice in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the cake in the fridge overnight, then bring the slices to room temperature before consuming.
Top tip
Follow the top tips below to make sure you are baking the perfect sheet cake.
- Always check the true temperature of your oven with an oven thermometer.
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature, the butter, milk, and eggs.
- Only add the frosting to your cake once it has cooled completely.
- Make sure you have beaten the frosting for long enough, the buttercream consistency must be light and fluffy.
FAQ
Yes, you can make this recipe in two round cake pans instead of a rectangular tin. You may need to adjust the baking time depending on the size of your tins. Read this blog post to help you better understand how to bake perfect cakes. Dont choose a very small tin that would bake a very deep cake and this may result in the cake not rising properly.
The eggs I have used weigh about 56 grams out of their shell. Weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.
When it comes to failed bakes, you need to get critical of what could have gone wrong. This recipe starts by beating the oil, butter, and sugar - before adding the eggs make sure your mixture looks like the photos in this post. Also, be sure the self-raising flour hasn't expired, that the temperature of your oven is accurate, that you have used a similar-sized baking tin, and take you have only removed the cake from the oven once a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake has come out clean.
This moist vanilla tray bake comes together in about two hours, so there is no excuse when it comes to not making your own birthday cakes!
If you make this easy recipe and love it as much as I do, please leave a comment and star rating below – I love hearing your kitchen stories!
Happy Baking
With Love,
Kitty
📖 Recipe
Vanilla Tray Bake
Equipment
- 1x rectangular cake tin 35x28x7cm (14x11x3 inches)
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 100 ml sunflower oil
- 340 g sugar
- 4 eggs extra-large
- 380 g self-raising flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 400 ml milk whole
Vanilla Frosting
- 500 g powdered sugar
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 70 ml milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and oil and line a rectangular cake tin 35x28x7cm (14x11x3 inches) with parchment paper.
- Add the butter, oil, and sugar to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs to the sugar and butter mixture one at a time. Beat well between each addition and scrape down the sides of the bowl often.
- In a large bowl sift together the self-raising flour and salt.
- In a jug mix together the milk and vanilla.
- With the mixer’s motor running at medium-low speed, add the wet ingredients and the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Do this by alternating between the two. Starting with the flour and ending with the wet ingredients.
- Using a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the bowl and remix the cake batter. Ensuring that it is well-mixed and lump free.
- Pour the vanilla cake batter into the prepared tin and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in its tin for 30 minutes before turning it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Vanilla Frosting
- In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and icing sugar. Beat at medium speed until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- In a jug combine the milk and vanilla, with the mixer's motor running at low speed slowly add the milk mixture. Continue until it has all been added. Then increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl often.
- Place the cooled cake onto a large plate and spread the frosting over the top of the cake using an offset spatula. Top with lots of sprinkles, slice, and enjoy!
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