Moist One Bowl Vanilla Snack Cake

My one-bowl vanilla snack cake is a must-have recipe for any home baker. Made in an 8×8 pan with simple pantry staples, it uses oil instead of butter to create a soft, moist crumb — no mixer required! Just whisk the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and bake. The result is a fluffy, tender vanilla cake that's perfect with any frosting you're craving, or none at all.

This is my go-to easy one bowl vanilla cake whenever I need something reliable fast — in-laws stopping by, a last-minute birthday, new neighbors on the block. One bowl, no mixer, minimal dishes.

If you're building out a rotation of easy cakes, this one lives alongside my other cake recipes I reach for most.

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What Actually Matters in This Batter

You don't need anything special for this one — just pantry and fridge staples. A few notes on what I've found makes the biggest difference:

Oil, not butter. A neutral oil like canola or vegetable keeps the crumb moist and skips the whole creaming-butter step. Olive oil will work texture-wise, but its flavor comes through in the finished cake — if that's what you're after, my Lemon Olive Oil Cake is built around it.

Room-temperature eggs. Pull them from the fridge at least 30 minutes before you start. Cold eggs don't incorporate as evenly into the oil, and you'll notice it in the texture.

Good vanilla. This cake is vanilla-forward by design, so it's one of the few places where using real, pure vanilla extract instead of imitation genuinely shows up in the final bite.

The single biggest lever for a moist crumb here isn't a special ingredient — it's not overbaking. Pull the cake as soon as a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs, not clean. It'll firm up as it cools.

Notes From Testing This One Bowl Vanilla Cake Recipe

I wasn't looking for a fussy, ingredient-list-a-mile-long vanilla cake — I wanted the one I'd actually make on a Tuesday. Whisking the dry ingredients first (rather than dumping everything in at once) made a noticeable difference in how evenly the batter came together and how fluffy the crumb baked up. It's a small step, but it's the one I'd tell you not to skip.

Bake it in a square pan lined with parchment, let it cool completely before frosting, or don't frost it at all — it holds up fine on its own with coffee.

Frosting It

Chocolate Fudge Buttercream and Strawberry Buttercream (both pictured above) are my two most-requested pairings for this cake. Either one turns this from a snack cake into something worth bringing to a party.

Turning This Into a Layer Cake

Divide the batter evenly between two pans — by weight if you want to be precise, or by eye if you don't. Keep an eye on it near the end of baking, since layers usually bake a bit faster than a single 8×8.

Storing This Cake

Baked and completely cooled, this cake keeps at room temperature, wrapped tightly, for up to 3 days. To freeze, double-wrap and freeze for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature before frosting.

Made this one? Let me know how it turned out in the comments — I read every one.

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Moist One Bowl Vanilla Snack Cake

My easy one-bowl vanilla snack cake is made with pantry staples like oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla for a soft, moist crumb. Baked in an 8×8 pan, it's simple, fluffy and so delicious.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Course: All Recipes, Dessert, Snacks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: birthday cake recipe, easy birthday cake, one bowl cake recipe, vanilla cake

Servings: 16 servings

Calories: 193kcal

Author: Kimberlee Ho

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

• 8x8 inch baking pan
• parchment paper

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• ¾ cup vegetable oil or grapeseed oil or canola oil
• ¾ cup whole milk room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line an 8 x 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• To a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until combined.1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Add to the bowl the eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla and whisk until thoroughly combined and no dry spots appear. Whisk well until evenly combined.2 large eggs
  2 large eggs, ¾ cup vegetable oil, ¾ cup whole milk, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• Pour batter into the prepared baking pan, bang pan on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles then bake in the preheated oven for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Allow to cool on a wire cooling rack before slicing or frosting

Video

Notes

• Cake can be baked ahead of time, cooled completely, covered with plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 3 days
• Store frosted cake in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to one week
• If you are preparing this way in advance, double wrap tightly in plastic wrap (make sure the cake has cooled completely!) and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw at room temperature before frosting and serving
• Frosting not calculated in nutrition information
• Frosting recommendations: Chocolate Fudge Buttercream Frosting (pictured), Strawberry Buttercream Frosting (pictured), Oreo Buttercream Frosting, White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Nutrition

Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.8g | Protein: 2.2g | Fat: 11.3g | Saturated Fat: 1.2g | Cholesterol: 24.4mg | Sodium: 97.1mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 13.2g

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