Vanilla Cake with Berries

Name: Vanilla Cake with Berries
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 8 tablespoons of butter, room temperature; 1/3 cup of vegetable oil; 1 1/3 cups of granulated sugar; 4 large eggs; 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract; 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour; 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon of salt; 1 1/4 cups of whole milk; 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries (each); 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar; confectioners sugar; vanilla ice cream

February 12, 2025
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There are two ways to properly serve a vanilla cake – covered with a thick layer of bakery style frosting or covered with a big pile of fresh berries. Now the occasion will dictate which topping you go with. If you are at a wedding, office birthday party or grocery store after 10pm, there will most likely be frosting involved, but if you happen to be baking a vanilla cake for any other occasion then you should go with the big pile of berries. It is a much loved pairing for a reason…

With nostalgic strawberry shortcake vibes, when this tender vanilla cake is topped with fresh berries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream it quickly becomes a go-to dessert for so many occasions. It is easy to bring together and whether you top it with berries ahead of time or right before you slice it up, the flavors and textures of this cake will keep you coming back for one more bite.

Let’s get started…

The ingredients for this cake are super simple, but the most important element required is an electric hand mixer (or a impressively strong whisking arm). What transforms the basic pantry ingredients into something special is the air that we are going to whip into them creating a beautifully moist and spongy cake with the perfect texture to hold up under a heavy pile of berries and soak up all of their glorious juices.

Begin by beating 8 tablespoons of room temperature butter and 1/3 cup of vegetable oil together until they are completely combined.

Add 1 1/3 cups of granulated sugar and beat until the mixture develops a pale yellow color and the sugar looks well incorporated.

Next, add 4 large eggs, a tablespoon of vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract and beat on medium high speed until the mixture is fluffy and full of air bubbles.

Add 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix until the dry ingredients are mostly incorporated.

Last, but not least, add 1 1/4 cups of whole milk and gently stir until the batter fully comes together. Some lumps are perfectly fine here! If you mix the batter enough to get rid of all of the lumps, it will be over mixed, so stop mixing once the milk is evenly distributed.

Divide the batter between two 8″ or 9″ cake pans or pour it into a 9″x13″ baking dish. Be sure that your dish is greased and lined with parchment paper so the cake slides out easily once it is baked.

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 26-30 minutes or until a toothpick will come out of the center of the cake clean.

Since we aren’t frosting these cakes, we don’t have to wait until they cool before topping them, so while they are in the oven, prep your fruit…

In a large bowl, combine a half cup of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries and toss them in a tablespoon of granulated sugar to help them begin to break down a bit. If you prefer your fruit a little mashed, feel free to smash some of the berries to bring a little more texture into the mix.

Now you can spread half of the berries over one of the cakes and then layer the other one on top, if you are looking for a layered cake, but I actually prefer to serve them individually as a single layer cake. However you decide to serve them up, you are going to absolutely love this cake…

This vanilla cake is full of beautiful flavor and it pairs so perfectly with the fruit. The places where the cake soaks up the juices from the fruit is the best part, so be sure to spread those berries out over your whole slice. You may even want to double the amount of berries just to be sure you have plenty on hand.

If you are looking for a simple dessert that is perfect for any time of year or really any occasion then you are going to love this vanilla cake with fresh berries. It hits all of those nostalgic strawberry shortcake vibes, but the leftovers will chill beautifully in the refrigerator until you are ready for seconds.

Enjoy!

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