A high altitude tested recipe for a soft, moist and fluffy vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream, in a mini size that’s just right for two people or a small celebration. If you have a small family or you just want a special dessert for date night, this cake is perfect!
You might also love this mini chocolate cake, mini strawberry shortcakes, and one-layer mini carrot cake.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Small Batch Recipe. Sometimes you just want a little cake, without too much leftover. This mini vanilla cake is perfect for an anniversary, a small family birthday party, a baby’s smash cake or just any time you feel like eating some cake! You’ll get six modest servings from today’s recipe.
Simple Pantry Ingredients. You only need a few basic ingredients to whip up this cute little homemade vanilla cake.
Easy to Make. The cake batter comes together fast with a bowl and a whisk. And if you only have a hand held electric mixer, it’ll work just fine to make the buttercream.
So Moist and Soft. I based today’s recipe on my popular high altitude vanilla cake, but scaled it down to 1/4 the size of a full sized standard layer cake. It’s moist, soft, fluffy, buttery, and always incredibly delicious.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Cake
- Cake Flour. For the softest, fluffiest texture, be sure to use cake flour, rather than all-purpose flour.
- Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture.
- Baking Powder. Leavening agent.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Egg. Gives the cake structure and strength.
- Whole Milk. Adds moisture and a rich flavor.
- Butter + Vegetable Oil. A combination of melted butter and vegetable oil keeps the cake moist and gives it a rich, buttery flavor.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
Buttercream
- Unsalted Butter. Makes the buttercream rich, creamy and flavorful. For a whiter color (and a more stable consistency in warmer weather) substitute half of the butter with vegetable shortening.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the buttercream.
- Meringue Powder. Adds stability, but is optional.
- Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 F and spray the bottom of one 6-inch cake pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, sift together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients well.
- Add the egg, milk, melted butter, oil and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and tap the pan on the counter several times to pop any air bubbles.
- Bake the cake on the center oven rack for about 27 minutes, or until a cake tester or a toothpick comes out clean, and the top springs back when lightly touched.
- Set the pan on a wire rack, covered loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.
- When ready to frost and assemble the cake, remove the cake from the pan. If needed, slice off a small portion of the domed top, and use a sharp knife to split the cake evenly into two layers.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand held electric mixer), beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
- With the mixer running on low, add the powdered sugar by spoonfuls, the meringue powder and the salt, mixing until thick and combined.
- Add the vanilla and increase speed to medium and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl down several times, until light and fluffy. Only add the milk if needed for consistency (usually only necessary in colder weather, and not in the summer.)
- Fill and frost the cooled cake layers with the buttercream.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
What vanilla extract do you use?
I usually use Rodelle, Kirkland (Costco), or my own homemade vanilla extract. I also love using vanilla bean paste when I want to add those pretty black specks to my baked goods.
How do you get your cake layers to bake so flat?
Sometimes cakes bake with a dome on top, which can be a problem when stacking layers. Today’s mini vanilla cake recipe does tend to bake with more of a dome, which is why I baked it in just one pan, and then split the cake into two layers. If you divide the batter between two pans, the tiny amount of batter in each will bake very quickly and unevenly. So for this recipe, it’s best to bake it in one pan, level a small amount off the top, and then split the cake for two nice, flat, even layers.
If you like using bake even cake strips, you’re welcome to try them. Personally, I don’t like cake strips at all. I’ve tried both the Wilton ones and homemade ones, and they just make the cake turn out really weird.
How long does this cake stay fresh?
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, your cake will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
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Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
High Altitude Mini Vanilla Cake for Two
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
- 6-inch Cake Pan
Ingredients
Cake
- ¾ cup + 1 tbsp cake flour, spooned and leveled, then sifted
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup whole milk, room temperature
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ tbsp meringue powder (optional)
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp milk or cream, only if needed
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 F and spray the bottom of one 6-inch cake pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, sift together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients well.
- Add the egg, milk, melted butter, oil and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and tap the pan on the counter several times to pop any air bubbles.
- Bake the cake on the center oven rack for about 27 minutes, or until a cake tester or a toothpick comes out clean, and the top springs back when lightly touched.
- Set the pan on a wire rack, covered loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.
- When ready to frost and assemble the cake, remove the cake from the pan. If needed, slice off a small portion of the domed top, and use a sharp knife to split the cake evenly into two layers.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand held electric mixer), beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
- With the mixer running on low, add the powdered sugar by spoonfuls, the meringue powder and the salt, mixing until thick and combined.
- Add the vanilla and increase speed to medium and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl down several times, until light and fluffy. Only add the milk if needed for consistency (usually only necessary in colder weather, and not in the summer.)
- Fill and frost the cooled cake layers with the buttercream.
Delicious! I love all your recipes! I should comment more and will do in the future! I made this cake and then ended up doubling it for 4 layers and made it a rainbow cake with ombré rainbow frosting for my daughter’s friend who turned 5! It was a hit! Thanks for all your high altitude recipes. They are amazing!
made this cake and the chocolate mini cake. Very easy to do and they were a hit!!! Perfect size for us…