Fluffy, moist vanilla cake straight from your air fryer? Yes, please! Ditch the oven and make this easy one-bowl cake that comes together in minutes.
With just a few simple ingredients you likely have on hand, you’ll have a slice of old-fashioned vanilla cake goodness to satisfy that sweet tooth.
Keep reading to learn how to whip up this air fryer dessert that’s as tasty as it is quick and simple. We’ll even share tips to help you nail the perfect fluffy texture every time. Trust us, this cake is about to become your new favorite way to treat yourself!
💖 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
It’s Fast & Easy – This cake comes together in just minutes right in your air fryer. Simply mix up the batter, pour it into a cake pan, and air fry for 30-35 minutes. No oven required! It doesn’t get much easier than that.
Perfectly Moist & Tender – Thanks to the air fryer, this cake bakes up incredibly moist and tender on the inside with a touch of crispiness on the outside. It’s texture perfection!
Satisfies Sweet Cravings – In only 30 minutes, you can have a freshly baked cake to satisfy sweet cravings in a much healthier way.
✨ Recipe Ingredients
For this air fryer vanilla cake recipe you will need these ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Honey
👨🍳 How To Make
Follow this recipe and make a delicious air fryer vanilla cake:
Step 1
Add these ingredients to a large mixing bowl: flour, honey, sugar, salt, baking soda, vanilla, water, and oil. Mix them together thoroughly.
Step 2
Spray a pan (make sure it’s suitable for the air fryer) with cooking spray. Then, pour the cake batter into the pan. Air fry for 30-35 minutes at 320F (160C).
Step 3
Remove from the air fryer, let it cool for at least 20 minutes, slice, and then serve! You can add your favorite frosting on top. Enjoy this easy and tasty air fryer vanilla cake recipe.
💡Tips
1. Use Room Temperature Ingredients
It’s important that your ingredients, especially the eggs and butter, are at room temperature before mixing the batter. Cold ingredients can cause the batter not to fully combine or result in a dense final cake texture.
Take eggs and butter out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes in advance. You’ll get a lighter, fluffier cake if everything starts off at room temperature.
2. Don’t Overmix the Batter
It’s tempting to beat the cake batter until perfectly smooth, but overmixing causes too much air to incorporate, leading to air pockets and tunneling in the final cake.
Gently mix just until the flour, sugar, and liquid ingredients come together. A few small lumps in the batter are just fine.
3. Grease the Pan Properly
Make sure to spray the air fryer pan generously with nonstick cooking spray. You can even brush the insides with melted butter or oil too. This prevents sticking and allows the cake to pull away from the sides as it bakes and cools.
Skipping this step often leads to parts of the cake tearing off when you try to remove it from the pan.
4. Test Doneness with a Toothpick
It can be tricky to tell when an air fryer cake is fully baked, since you can’t see inside it like a traditional oven. To test for doneness, gently insert a toothpick into the center of the cake.
If it comes out clean with no wet batter, the cake is done. If batter clings to the toothpick, put it back in for a few more minutes.
5. Cool Completely Before Frosting or Cutting
It’s hard not to want to dig right in, but cooling is an essential last baking step. Attempting to frost or slice into a still warm cake causes it to tear apart or sink unevenly.
Let it cool in the pan for about 20 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Allow it to cool completely before adding frosting or cutting into neat slices. This helps everything hold together perfectly.
Variations
1. Citrus Surprise- Zest an orange and a lemon (about 1 tablespoon each) into the batter, and swap half the water for fresh orange juice.
Drizzle the cooled cake with a tangy glaze made with powdered sugar, orange juice, and a touch of lemon zest. Boom! Your tastebuds will be doing a happy hula in the tropics.
2. Chocolate Chip Craze- Who can resist melty chocolate chips hiding in every bite? Fold in a cup of your favorite chocolate chips (semi-sweet, dark, peanut butter… you choose!) for a classic flavor explosion.
Sprinkle a few extra on top before hitting the air fryer for an irresistible gooey finish. Don’t forget to warm up that milk for dunking!
3. Berry Bonanza- Toss in a cup of fresh or frozen berries like blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries. They’ll burst into juicy pockets of sweetness with every forkful.
Top it off with a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of berry sauce for a dessert that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.
4. Spice It Up- Warm up your taste buds with a touch of autumnal magic. Add a teaspoon of pumpkin spice and a pinch of nutmeg to the batter. Swap the honey for maple syrup for an extra layer of depth. This cake is practically begging for a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
5. Tropical Twist- Get ready for a beach vacation in every bite. Blend a ripe banana into the batter for added moisture and sweetness. Stir in a handful of chopped pineapple and toasted coconut flakes.
Finish it off with a pineapple glaze made with powdered sugar and pineapple juice. This cake will have you booking your next flight to paradise in no time.
Keto / Low Carb Version
To make a keto and low carb version of this air fryer vanilla cake, there are a few simple substitutions to make.
First, instead of all purpose flour, use a nut flour like almond flour or coconut flour. You’ll likely need less than the 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour called for. Second, replace the granulated sugar with a keto-friendly sweetener like erythritol or stevia. You can use powdered forms of these sweeteners instead of granulated sugar.
Third, replace the vegetable oil with a more keto-friendly oil like avocado oil or coconut oil. Finally, you can reduce or omit the honey, as honey does contain natural sugars. The vanilla, salt, baking soda and other ingredients can stay the same.
With these simple swaps to keto-friendly ingredients, you’ll have a tasty low carb vanilla cake to make in your air fryer!
Gluten Free Version
To make a gluten free version of this air fryer vanilla cake, simply substitute the all-purpose flour called for in the recipe with a gluten free flour blend. I recommend using a 1:1 gluten free flour blend, which contains ingredients like rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, and xanthan gum.
Storage
This air fryer vanilla cake can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow the refrigerated cake to come to room temperature before serving.
The cake also freezes well for longer term storage. Wrap it tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap and then foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw the frozen cake overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What size pan should I use for the air fryer?
Choose a 7-inch or 8-inch round pan that is labeled oven safe and fits inside your air fryer basket. The pan height should not exceed your air fryer’s maximum capacity.
2. How do I know if my cake is fully cooked?
Check doneness at 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center, it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. If needed, air fry 5 more minutes at a time until fully baked.
3. What do I do if my cake sinks in the middle?
A sunken center usually means the batter wasn’t mixed thoroughly or well enough aerated. Try sifting the flour next time prior to mixing to incorporate more air into the batter.
4. Can I substitute the vegetable oil for another oil?
Yes, you may use melted coconut or another neutral tasting oil instead of vegetable oil. Avoid using olive oil or other strong flavored oils as that will alter the vanilla flavor.
The Air Fryer – The Perfect Cake Maker
Air fryers have become increasingly popular in recent years, and for good reason. Not only can they produce deliciously crispy fried foods with little to no oil, but they are also surprisingly adept at baking cakes.
There are several key reasons why an air fryer can be the perfect cake-making tool. For starters, air fryers bake very evenly – the hot air circulates around the cake pan, ensuring it bakes uniformly. This can help prevent domed or sunken centers, resulting in level, beautifully risen cakes.
Air fryers also tend to bake quite quickly. The confined space and powerful heating elements mean oven temperatures get reaching faster. This allows the structure of the cake to set quickly before it has time to slump. And you can have a freshly baked cake on your counter in almost no time!
The enclosed design also means very little humidity escapes while baking. This helps keep cakes moist and tender rather than dry. Open ovens allow moisture to escape easily, sometimes leaving cakes parched. With an air fryer, cakes stay deliciously moist.
Finally, air fryers take up very little counter space. Perfect if you have a small kitchen! Their compact size belies their usefulness for whipping up everything from crispy brussels sprouts to tall layer cakes.
I hope you enjoy making this easy and delicious air fryer vanilla cake recipe! The air fryer creates a moist, tender cake in way less time than baking it in the oven. Feel free to get creative with mix-ins and frostings to customize it to your liking.
Be sure to check out more fast and tasty air fryer recipes on my website! I love hearing from readers, so let me know if you have any questions or suggestions about this recipe in the comments below. If you make this cake, I’d also love to know how it turns out for you. Happy baking!
Air Fryer Vanilla Cake
- 1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Honey
- Add these ingredients to a large mixing bowl: flour, honey, sugar, salt, baking soda, vanilla, water, and oil. Mix them together thoroughly.
- Spray a pan (make sure it’s suitable for the air fryer) with cooking spray. Then, pour the cake batter into the pan. Air fry for 30-35 minutes at 320F (160C).
- Remove from the air fryer, let it cool for at least 20 minutes, slice, and then serve!
