Mini vanilla cake for two for celebrating anniversaries, date night, or just for fun. This small cake recipe is perfect for a small party or just two people!
As a die hard vanilla lover, this cake is a love letter to myself. It's not that I have anything against chocolate, but vanilla holds my heart. When I set out to make a vanilla cake recipe, I hit it hard with a full tablespoon of vanilla extract. After one bite of this cake, you'll agree it's the best recipe for vanilla cake out there!
Incidentally, if you need a mini chocolate cake for two, I've already written you that love letter.
Vanilla cake best recipe easy:
Making a small cake is almost the same as making a regular-size cake, but you do need a specific pan.
To make a mini cake for two people, you will need a 6" round cake pan. The one I like is here.
You're looking for a 6" cake pan with 2" high sides. I've tested 6" cake pans with 3" high sides, and I've found that the extra inch radiates more heat in the oven and the cakes can sink after baking.
I find my 6" round cake pans at Michael's or Hobby Lobby in the cake decorating section.
The easy part about my small cake recipes is that they only require one bowl, since we're using such few ingredients! First, mix the wet ingredients thoroughly with a hand mixer, sprinkle the dry ingredients evenly on top, and then fold together.
Vanilla 6 inch cake:
This cake makes 4 small slices of cake, which I love, because then I can eat two slices of cake in one day! It's perfect for celebrating an anniversary (side note: have you seen my wedding cake cupcakes?), or for having a fun date-night at home.
This recipe comes from my latest cookbook, Sweet & Simple: Desserts for Two, and I decorated it with chamomile flowers in the book.
Today, we did easy buttercream roses, which are so simple if you have the right tip. I use an open-star tip, and make a circle that starts in the center and moves outward.
All you need is a Wilton 1M piping tip to make pretty circles around the outside edge of the cake. Since this is a mini vanilla cake for two, we only have room for one row of roses. However, next time you're decorating a big cake, try making several lines of them. Buttercream roses look difficult, but they are so easy to do!
Just cut the cake into 4 equal slices, and serve it!
If you love 6 inch cakes, check out my other recipes! They're perfect for small parties, date night, or for gifting to friends on their special day!
Recipe from: Sweet & Simple: Desserts for Two, my third cookbook, full of EASY desserts that have less than 10 ingredients.
More Favorites from Dessert for Two
Vanilla Small Cake (6" cake)
Mini vanilla cake for two people with vanilla buttercream roses.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons whole milk
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar*
For the vanilla buttercream recipe:
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350, and spray a 6" round cake pan with 2" sides with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper.
- In a medium-size bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat very well, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until well-combined, about 15 seconds.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Add half of the this to the batter and beat for just a few seconds before stirring in half of the milk and vinegar. Continue beating. Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat, and then stir in the remaining milk.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth out the top, and bake on a small sheet pan for 37-39 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool on a wire rack in the pan. Carefully remove it from the pan, pulling away the parchment paper once it has cooled.
- To make the buttercream, beat the butter in a medium-size bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and heavy cream, and beat until light and fluffy. If the mixture seems too stiff, add a splash more heavy cream.
- Use a little more than half of the buttercream to frost the cake. If you made the cake ahead of time and frozen it, it's best to apply a crumb coat of buttercream before applying a second layer.
- Place the remaining ¼ of the buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip, and pipe roses along the outside edge of the cake. To make a rose, pipe a spiral shape, starting inside of moving around the center.
Notes
*Instead of whole milk and apple cider vinegar, you can use 6 tablespoons of buttermilk.
The cake may be baked and frozen, tightly wrapped for up to 1 month. Defrost before frosting.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 542Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 119mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 0gSugar: 54gProtein: 3g
Jasmine says
Hi, I was wondering if I could sub the egg with 2 egg yolks. I have a lot left over from other recipes, and am looking for ways to use them.
Nish says
I wanted to know is it ok to frost the cake a day before and keep it in the refrigerator??
Christina Lane says
Yes, but let it sit at room temperature before serving.
Christine says
This was such a great cake recipe! So tender and fluffy, great directions. I made a half batch of the icing (with an added pinch of salt ) and iced the top only - just the right balance. Serving for one? I’m not saying.
Lauren says
My grandparents celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on Christmas Day. My grandma has advanced Alzheimer’s and is in a facility and because of high Covid numbers they are not allowing in person visits. Her facility made a special exception for my grandpa on Christmas (their anniversary) and I sent him for his visit with this cake for them to share! He said they both loved it and thought it was delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
Christina Lane says
This comment absolutely makes my day :) I'm so happy I could be a small part of a wonderful day celebrating so much love :) Thank you for writing!
Karina Prilianti says
Hi, if I want to make the vanilla cake in bigger size, can I just double the ingredients?
Christina Lane says
I'm not sure. I only test recipes the way you see them written on the site.
Lori says
Purchased a mini Bundt cake maker and decided to try out your recipe. It was perfectly portioned to make 4 little cakes. Delishious little treats,
Prerana says
Hey! when I tried it he first time the cake turned out perfectly and it looked bigger and fluffy, I didn't change anything but 2nd and the 3rd time it came out kind of flat :(. Do you have any tips or might know what I might be doing wrong possibly?
Christina Lane says
Yes, the amount of time spent beating the butter and sugar together directly effects the height of a cake. Also, beating extra after eggs are added can make a cake rise higher.
Sabryna says
Hi!
Any suggestions on how I could make this a strawberry cake? It’s my Mom’s favorite and I want to make her a mini cake like this.
Christina Lane says
I will work on a mini strawberry cake for you. It's a family favorite in our family, too, and we need it :) Thanks for the request!
Rachael says
Hi, could I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour in this recipe?
Thanks!
Rachael
Christina Lane says
No, don't use cake flour. It has a different protein structure and your cake will sink.
Hilary says
I have baked this cake several times and it is always delicious! This time I decided to make it into a layer cake so I sliced it horizontally and filled it with the buttercream and some raspberry jam I had in my fridge. So good! It was a nice mix up and tasted so summery!
Kris Marie says
That’s a fantastic idea! Thank you. My cake is in the oven now.
Tara says
I made this cake as a weekday treat, and it is delicious! The recipe was easy to follow, and the cake turned out moist with a nice crumb. I will definitely make this again whenever I have a mid-week craving for cake.