Simply the best white cake recipe made from scratch
This white cake recipe is the perfect classic white cake. Light and fluffy, moist and full of flavor. There is a joke in the cake world that white is not a flavor, it’s actually a vanilla cake. But a white cake is not just white. Let’s dive into what makes the perfect, best white cake recipe.
White Wedding Cake Recipe
White cake recipes where originally created for weddings. Only the rich could afford white flour and sugar so a white cake was considered a symbol of your wealth. These days, a white cake with a fine, moist crumb is probably the most common flavor cake baked for all types of occasions.
Ironically, where I am from (Portland, Oregon) the more organic and less refined your ingredients are, the more expensive they are. Funny how things tend to go full-circle.
What Is The Difference Between White Cake Recipe And Yellow Cake Recipe?
Many people confuse white cake recipes with yellow cake or even vanilla cake. Although similar, these actually are totally different types of cakes. Mostly to do with how the eggs are incorporated. A white cake recipe only uses the whites of the egg, sometimes whipped and then folded into the batter, sometimes added directly to the butter/sugar mixture. Vanilla cake uses both the egg whites and the egg yolks (usually) and results in a slightly off-white colored cake but in my opinion has the most flavor. A yellow cake is made with the egg yolks only so the batter has a very rich and golden color with lots of flavor and is a very moist cake.
Vanilla and white cake recipes are both used in many different recipes as a base by substituting out spices or extracts. Yellow cake is traditionally paired with rich chocolate buttercream or ganache and is not often used as a base recipe for other flavors although it certainly could be.
Again, people laugh and say that “white” and “yellow” is not a flavor but making an order for “all egg yolk cake” just does not have the same ring to it. It’s just a way of describing the cake so we all are on the same page.
How Do You Make White Cake?
To make the best white cake recipe ever, you need to make sure you’re using the right ingredients. For this recipe we are using AP flour because it is the most versatile. We are also using a high-quality butter that does not have any artificial dyes in it (did you know some companies dye their butter to be more yellow?) The whiter the butter, the whiter the cake. Traditional white cake uses almond extract which happens to also be clear. Now, I myself do not love the taste of almond extract so I prefer to use vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract.
BUT WAIT! You said that the ingredients had to be clear!
True, I did say that but here we come to one of those “taste over color” rules in my book. There are not a lot of ingredients in this recipe that bring flavor to the table but the quality of the extract is #1. The vanilla bean paste and the extract WILL slightly tinge the batter to not a PURE white but for me, I’d rather have that than no flavor at all. If you absolutely must have a white color then feel free to halve the vanilla in this recipe and add 1/2 tsp of almond extract.
Another reason you might want to use almond extract or you can even use clear vanilla (imitation) extract is if you’re using this white cake recipe as a base for another cake recipe like my strawberry cake where color is really important. The whiter the cake batter, the truer the color will be after adding colors.
Why Is There Oil In This White Cake Recipe?
Funny thing, when we bite into a cake, certain things make us think “YUM!” Texture, flavor and moisture. Texture is achieved by proper mixing methods, flavor is achieved with high quality extracts but moisture is a tricky thing. You can’t just dump more moisture into your cake batter or you’ll end up with a gummy mess. One thing that makes your brain think “moist” is the addition of a little oil. I don’t like to add too much, about an ounce will do. I prefer to use vegetable oil because it doesn’t have a flavor and is colorless.
If you don’t want to use vegetable oil you can use any other mild flavored oil.
Should You Put Sour Cream In White Cake?
A long long time ago (we’re not going to talk about how long) I remember reading in the cake forums about this magical white cake recipe called WASC cake that all the cake decorators used. I had no idea what it was but desperately wanted to know! Soon, I learned that WASC stood for White Almond Sour Cream cake and the first ingredient is a white box cake mix.
Whomp Whomp
Now, I don’t actually have anything against anyone who uses boxed mixes or doctors boxed mixes. For my personal journey as a cake decorator, I was looking to make my own recipes that would make me stand out. Anyone can whip up a box mix but then it just tastes like everyone else’s cake. You see what I’m saying?
So why would you use this type of white cake recipe? Well not everyone is a scratch baker or wants to be. Or maybe they just want a quick and easy cake recipe that will for sure turn out. This recipe is definitely a no-fail and is what you might call a “doctored box mix”. The addition of the sour cream and eggs makes it more flavorful and moist. It also detracts from that “chemical” taste that most box mixes have.
Would I suggest you make this instead of scratch mix? Well really that’s up to you. I promise I won’t hold it against you one way or the other. Just always be up-front with your customers (if you have them). If you say you bake from scratch then bake from scratch. If you use a box, it’s perfectly ok to say you use “freshly baked cakes”.
How To Make The Best White Cake Recipe From Scratch
So here’s the deal with white cake recipes. Just like with most things, there more than one way to skin a cat… er… bake a cake.
Who even came up with that saying? So bizaar.
So anyway, as I was saying. There are multiple ways to make a white cake recipe but I’m going to make it REALLY easy for you. Option one is the traditional mixing style of creaming your butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add in your egg whites until combined. Then add in dry ingredients and liquids. This is the route I go.
The other option is you whip up your egg whites to a soft but firm peak. Then you cream butter and sugar as usual and alternate your dry and liquid ingredients until combined. You then fold in your egg whites into the batter. This technique results in a lighter, more delicate cake but CAN potentially cause over-mixing.
You can try both ways and see what you like best.
One more tip, I always wrap my cakes while they are still warm. Wrap in plastic wrap and then place into the freezer. This locks in the moisture of the cake. Once cooled but not frozen, you can trim the brown edges off your cake (optional but results in a whiter slice) and frost with a nice white buttercream or any frosting you desire.
I hope that answers all your burning questions about white cake! If there’s something I missed, feel free to drop me a comment and if you like this recipe, please share and link back to me if you use it and I would love you forevah <3
Want to learn more about how to decorate a cake like a pro? Check out my FREE training on how to make your first cake ever!
Happy Baking!
– Liz
White Cake Recipe
A white cake recipe that is light, fluffy, full of flavor and easy to make! A great base recipe for any baker that can be adapted to other recipes.
This recipe makes enough batter for two 8"x2" round cakes or three 6"x2" tall cakes
Ingredients
White Cake Recipe Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted butter room temp
- 14 oz sugar
- 6 large egg whites fresh not boxed at room temp
- 14 oz AP flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp almond extract use clear for a whiter cake
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 10 oz milk room temp
- 2 oz vegetable oil
Easy Buttercream Frosting
- 8 oz pasteurized egg whites room temperature
- 32 oz powdered sugar
- 32 oz unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Gold Drip
- 6 oz white chocolate
- 1 oz warm water
- 1 tsp warm brown food coloring
- 2 tsp Truly Mad Plastics super gold
- 1 Tbsp Everclear lemon extract or rose water can be used
Instructions
White Cake Recipe Instructions
Place butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and cream until smooth. Sprinkle in your sugar and then let whip on high until light and white (about 5 minutes)
Combine your flour, baking powder and salt and set aside
Combine milk, oil and extracts and set aside
Add in egg whites one at a time (roughly) and let fully combine after each addition before adding the next. If your egg whites aren't at room temperature you can microwave them for a few seconds. Be careful not to cook them! Cold egg whites will curdle the batter.
Add in 1/3 of your dry ingredients and let combine. Add in 1/2 of your liquids, then dry, then liquids and the rest of your dry. Let mix until just combined.
Add batter into prepared cake pans and bake at 335 degrees F for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center.
Let cool ten minutes then turn out cakes onto a cooling rack. Wrap warm and place into the freezer to flash chill. This locks in the moisture. Once cool but not frozen you can then trim off the brown edges of your cakes and frost as desired. Chill cake.
Easy Buttercream Frosting
Combine egg whites and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl with the whisk attachment. Whisk to combine on low then whisk on high, adding in your butter in small chunks, vanilla and salt. Turn mixer up to high and whip until light, fluffy and white.
Gold Drip
Melt chocolate and water in the microwave and whisk until smooth. Add in a couple drops of food coloring. Let cool to about 90 degrees before attempting to drip over the chilled cake. Once chocolate is set, you can combine the everclear and gold dust to make a paint and paint the drip.
*note: this is a non-toxic gold dust
Recipe Video
I really appreciated the great information in this article. I recently made a white cake for Easter and was so disappointed with the texture. After reading your article, I think I understand what I did wrong. I am for sure saving this in my favorites.
Hi there. Can you talk about your gold drip used in these pictures? What product is it? Thanks!
That is just water ganache painted with truly mad plastics super gold. Search golden drip cake in the tutorials for more info 🙂
Sounds easy cant wait to try it!
Oh this is fabulous information. I have been struggling with white/yellow/vanilla for soooo long. I love your vanilla cake recipe, which I change up to make lemon. It is fantastic. I have been searching for a white cake that doesn’t taste like a buttermilk pancake. Weird, but many vanilla cakes taste this way to me. I really want to make a great white cake to pair with my homemade raspberry puree and lemon curd. I also like to alternate chocolate/white cake layers in one tall cake. Thanks so much. Gonna give this a try!
I have been searching so long for this type of recipe….
Hi my name is mahirah, i on my way to try this receipes.can i know when should put the oil and milk?
milk and oil is part of the liquid ingredients. Please follow the written instructions for when to add this part
BEST WHITE CAKE RECIPE EVER
Hi, just wondering it says 6 cups of batter makes 2 8″ cake rounds. So does that mean this recipe is only enough for 2 8″ or there is a little more left over? I need 2 9″ cake rounds.
I would make a batch and a half for 9″ rounds and you’ll have a little leftover for some 6″ which I always freeze and are great for tastings!
Another question related… will this be enough to make a 4 layer 6” cake??
Hi, have been following your recipes for a while and finally have the opportunity to bake so want to try the white cake.
When you say wrap, is that in foil or cling film? I want to make this cake this weekend but decorate next weekend, can I just leave in the freezer for a week? Do I then let it defrost or decorate it frozen?
Thanks
I have a customer who has requested an almond cake. Is this the recipe you would use for an almond
cake? I don’t see an almond cake recipe on your site. 😊
Yep! Just replace the vanilla with almond
Would this cake be dense enough to hold up to carving? Looking for a nice dense cake that is still moist and yummy while being “carvable”
Yes it is!
I just made your white velvet cake and it was so good! Unfortunately, I don’t think it will be dense enough to stack for a wedding cake. Would you say this recipe is denser than your white velvet cake? I’m looking for a good recipe for my wedding cake.
It’s absolutely dense enough for a wedding cake. I’ve used it dozens of times for weddings, birthdays etc. The only cake I don’t use for stacking for wedding cakes is box mix.
Most beautiful batter I’ve ever seen. Not sure if it was supposed to or not, but it looked like the most beautiful vanilla bean ice cream I’ve ever seen!! Thanks for the info. I’ve been using a white cake recipe that was sooooooo 🙄 much trouble. This was a breeze and yummy to boot! 😇🎂
I’m going to try this recipe, but I’m wondering what the ounces equate to in cups. Also, do you grease and flour your pans or just grease? Thanks for your help!
I really recommend you use weight instead of converting to cups for a successful recipe. I use cake goop for my pans. https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/cake-goop-recipe/
I made this cake for Memorial Day. It turned out great and got lots of compliments.
A good white cake is hard to find! So glad this one worked out for you 🙂
In your opinion, are white cakes and vanilla cakes pretty similar? Changing out clear/brown vanilla and using, or not, almond extract aside…could a “white” cake be a “vanilla” cake? Maybe the addition of whole eggs vs just whites also makes a white cake white. Am I making any sense….
You are making sense but she did address all those points on her blog post if you read it.
Used this recipe for Memorial Day, and added strawberry jello to make it a poke cake. It turned out wonderfully, and have used this recipe numerous times. The perfect white cake recipe!
Oh that sounds tasty!
How long will this cake retain moisture and flavor— for example, can it be iced one day, fondant covered the next and then decorated the 3rd day and still be moist for delivery the 4th?
Yes it can, that is what we usually do here but we do it in three days. I bake, chill and crumb coat in one day to retain the most moisture, then decorate on the second day and deliver on the third
Will this work for a 9×13 cake?
Totally, you can use any kind of pan 🙂
Using a 9×13 pan, is it just enough batter for one cake? Would you need to adjust the temperature or bake time?
Bake time varies on the size of the cake, the larger the cake, the more time it will take for it to bake. Nothing else needs to be adjusted.
Hi, is this recipe good for making rainbow cupcakes you think?
Definitely, it takes color very easily 🙂
When you say this recipe is enough for 2 x 8″ pans, is that 2″ or 3″ deep pans please?
2″ deep
Could I use cake flour instead of AP?
Not for this recipe but you might check out the vanilla cake recipe if you want to use cake flour 🙂 It’s my favorite cake recipe!
Why do you say cake and pastry flour can’t be used in this recipe? Cake and pastry flour is all I’ve ever use for cakes and they’ve always turned out just fine. I’d be more than leery subbing AP flour for cakes as it’s better suited for yeast recipes & quick breads.
Hey there, I say it can’t be used for this recipe because this recipe is formulated for AP flour. I always recommend that you use a recipe as it’s written and if you want to use cake flour, check out my vanilla cake recipe.
Hi if people understood that different flours had different protein levels ( aka gluten) they wouldn’t ask such inane questions. AP flour has 9-12% protein, cake flour 6-8% protein. Should be listed on the packaging nutritional info.
Do you use bleached or unbleached flour?
Bleached but you could use unbleached. The only difference is the color.
WHat Gold did you paint the cake with? Do u sell it?
Truly mad plastics super gold https://www.trulymadplastics.com/store/#!/TMP-Super-Gold/p/76477425
Hi is AP flour (all purpose flour) x
Yep!
Is this actually 1 tablespoon of almond extract?
1 tsp vanilla and 1 almond but you can change it up to suit your tastes!
When you say 14 oz why not use 1 3/4 cups? Is this American way of measurement?
Because volume measurements aren’t accurate and this recipe will fail if there’s too much/not enough flour. Measuring by weight is the way we where taught in pastry school for accuracy so that’s what I use in all my recipes 🙂
A must have recipe for every Baker.
Sounds great, but would be better if it had actual measurements for ingredients as we don’t use cups and sticks of butter as measurements
Hi Nicki, did you read the recipe? This recipe isn’t in cups and sticks. I always write my recipes by weight. If you need grams you can easily convert it with an online calculator.
2751 calories per serving????
Thats for the whole cake lol
Can you stack to a 3 tier and cover in fondant? Is it dense enough?
Yes you can stack most any type of cake because the weight of the cake sits on dowels or straws, not on top of the cake
Hi, is the milk and oil liquid measures or by weight? I’m trying this out this weekend, and I want to make sure I’m on the right track.
Everything by weight is easiest
Liz,
Why do you recommend using AP flour for this recipe, when in you video for baking a cake from scratch, you highly recommend using cake flour?
Not everyone has access to cake flour so I try to offer recipes that use both. If you can get cake flour I definitely recommend the vanilla cake recipe
Hello, I’m planning on making this cake recipe on friday, will this be fine if I use peaches and mangoes mousse as for its filling? Will it not affect the cake like turn the texture soggy? Thank you
No that will not turn it soggy and that sounds delish!
Have you ever iced the cake then froze it for a later date? How did the icing fair?
No I don’t usually freeze my cakes but if you want to you can, just defrost in the fridge for two days, not at room temperature or it will sweat too much. Freezing doesn’t affect the buttercream
Hello! I am planning to use this recipe to make cupcakes for a rain-themed baby shower. How many cupcakes will this recipe make, and at what point should I add gel food coloring without over-mixing the batter? I assume adding the gel color with the liquids would be best, but I will defer to your advice. Thank you!
You are correct about adding gel with the liquids. Not sure exactly how many cupcakes this makes, at least 24
Hi. I’m a beginner baker, and have only ever made chocolate cakes with any success. White cake scares me, but this actually doesn’t seem too technical and it looks really lovely, so I want to give it a go.
I’m baking a large cake for (what feels like hundreds of) 3 year olds and their moms, and I was wondering how you would adapt the cooking time for one large 36cm (around 14inch) cake. Also, if I make a double batch, can I leave the other half sitting out until the first cake is done as I only have one pan.
Thanks!
Hi Mandy, the bigger the cake pan, the longer it is going to take to bake. I would start at 35 minutes and see where you are after that. I prefer to make separate batches of batter for each cake because as soon as the baking powder get’s wet it starts bubbling and reacting and if the batter isn’t in the oven then it could affect the rise of your cake. Good luck and have fun!
I was a little skeptical when I tried this recipe. I was nervous about the ‘almost’ all butter recipe. But that little bit of oil is genius. It’s a perfect white cake. Amazing crumb, moisture, texture. I couldn’t have asked for a better recipe. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much! I love getting feedback on my recipes <3
Ok …have to ask …2 pounds of butter in the frosting …that’s 8 sticks!
Yep 🙂 Takes a lot of frosting to frost and fill an 8″ cake 😀
Hello So I’m fairly new to baking still how much is 14oz of butter in cups and flour and the 2oz of oil to cup measurements ?
I really encourage you to start using a scale if you want to get better at baking from scratch. Measuring with cups is actually really inaccurate and can cause your recipe to fail and you wouldn’t even know why. You might think you did everything right but in reality, the measurements were way off. Check out my blog post on using a scale 🙂 I promise it’s not as bad as it seems. https://sugargeekshow.com/news/digital-kitchen-scale/
Hi! I am in search of the perfect white cake recipe. Yesterday I tried three different ones (none of them yours!) and wasn’t happy with any of them. My question is, do I try this one or your vanilla cake subbing in the egg whites? What would be the difference? Thanks for your time and your very informative posts!
The white cake recipe is made with AP flour and is a pretty sturdy cake. I use it a lot for sculpted cakes. The vanilla cake uses egg yolks so it is not pure white and it uses cake flour so it’s very tender and moist. Just depends what you’re looking for. I think my vanilla is the best! If you can get cake flour I would suggest trying that one and make sure all your ingredients including milk are room temp if not a little on the warm side.
What size eggs should I use?
Large eggs are the standard for most baking recipes unless otherwise stated
Is this your go to recipe if a client requests an almond cake? If so, would you use all almond extract in place of vanilla or 1/2 and 1/2 still? Do you have any recipes for an almond cake with almond flour in it?
Hi, could this recipe be used to make mini cake stacks? I would like nice round layers.
Sorry but I’m not familiar with that term? Mini cake stacks?
Please see link http://www.glorioustreats.com/2012/05/purple-ombre-mini-cakes.html for better understanding. Thank you.
can I reduce the sugar content?. Thank you
If you reduce the sugar the recipe may not turn out properly. Cake recipes are a delicate science and unfortunately not low in sugar 🙂
WHERE CAN I GET ALMOND AND VANILLA EXTRACTS.THANKS A LOT
Grocery stores or online like amazon
What about high altitude? Any ideas or alterations needed?
Sorry I haven’t tested this recipe for high altitude because I don’t live in a high altitude area.
I have to say it’s nice to see a cake in weight over volume for a change! Brits use weight over volume for majority of things and it’s a nightmare trying to convert an american cake! I plan on trying this cake over my standard Madeira but was wondering how long you would say the cake is “good” for after delivering? Madeira’s have a good 2 week shelf life on them once baked and I know this isn’t likely to last as long BUT I’d like to give my clients an idea. Thanks x
I am so thankful I was taught weight measurements! So much easier than cups IMO. I’ve never tried a Madeira cake, would love to! This cake unfortunately is not a cake that lasts for a long time. It tastes best if eaten after a couple of days.
You should totally try a Madeira. I’d say it’s not far off a pound cake but the crumb is very tight and somehow gets more moist as time goes on. Fab for carving and long lasting.
Jem x
Oh I will try that! Do you have a recipe?
Is raw eggs whites in the buttercream not an issue?
They are already pasteurized meaning they are heat treated already. I would appreciate if you removed your one-star rating.
What can I substitute for pasteurised egg whites ?
You can use regular egg whites, you just will have the yolks leftover
I am planning to use your recipe for making a wedding cake. My bottom layer is a 12 x 2 inch pan. Does this recipe work well for this size cake pan? Thank you!
Yes you can use any size cake pan
Hi,
Thank you for the good information you provided differentiating between yellow and white cakes. I am glad to get such a wonderful recipe, will soon try it within this week. I always wish to make white cakes and now it is going to happen. Even I prefer weights than cups.🙂 For buttercream frosting you have written 1 cup of egg whites. Can you tell me in that in weight or how many eggs need yo be taken. Thank you so much. You are a wonderful person with sweet n wonderful recipes 😍
In this cake the egg whites weigh the same as water so 8oz 🙂
Hi Liz! Love your work 😍I had a query regarding storing the cake. Once the cake is baked and warm you cling wrap it and store it in the fridge? What would be the shelf life of the cake? How many days in advance can I store my cake, without being dry and retaining the moisture.The reason I’m asking is cos I’m a novice home baker and I struggle with time management.
You can bake, wrap as soon as they are cool enough to handle and freeze them until you need to use them. This actually makes them moister. Don’t freeze for more than a couple of weeks though or they will dry out
I am living for these comments and questions. lol. but more than that, I have been looking for an amazing white cake recipe and I cannot wait to try this. 😉
hi Liz,
In my homecountry (Belgium) AP-flour is not known.
Here we have baking flour to prepare for example bisquit, cake,…and we add potatostarch when we want to change the density and ‘souplesse’of the cake.
Can you explain me what’s so different between flour and AP flour(what are the additives)?
thx!
I don’t know what the exact flour is in your country but here AP flour is all-purpose flour with nothing added. Used for most generic baking
I love, love white cakes. I plain to bake this soon. It’s looks really tastee!!
Hi Liz, If I use this recipe as a base for Oreo cake, do I need to adjust the amount of the flour? I’m going to fold in crushed oreos to the batter. By the way, I tried your Strawberry cake recipe for cupcakes & it was the best, my cupcakes had perfect domes and it was delicious. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes.
You can add up to 1/4 cup of dry ingredients and it not affect the cake 🙂
Thank you, the cake turned out great and tasty!
Hi! Do you know what the weight of the egg white would be? I have some saved in the freezer, but can’t remeber how many are in the container.
one egg white is 1 oz 🙂
Hi Liz, off the back of this answer, do you use medium eggs to get 1oz egg white? I use large eggs for pretty much everything and decided to weigh the white and it’s between 1.25 and 1.75oz. I’ve started weighing my whites to 6oz (6 egg whites) and my cakes taste MUUUUUCH better 🙂 xx
Interesting. My egg white do weigh about 1oz. Sometimes a tad more but def not 1.75. A whole egg typically weighs 1.67 oz. Are you sure you weren’t using x-tra large eggs?
I tried this recipe last evening and oh wow wow wow!!!!!!! I have been using a white cake recipe that I absolutely love but it’s quite a pain to make. This recipe is now my go to recipe for white cake! It’s soft, melt in your mouth and oh so easy to make. Thank you for sharing this.
Hi!
First off…I LOVE THIS RECIPE!
You mentioned freezing in the earlier comments. Do you mean freezing the batter or baked cake?
Would butter based batter that are frozen be ruined after freezing?
Freezing the baked cakes
H there,
I am one of those WASC junkies and have to do a wedding cake this weekend – I would really like to branch out an try a nice white cakes from scratch. I understand the weight of the measurements, but how do a measure the tsp? (e.g. how would i know what 4.58 tsp baking powder is)
Maybe I should stick with the WASC on this one to ensure it turns out right?
A tsp is a tsp, I don’t go by weight. Just follow the tips in the directions for the scratch cake to come out right. It’s really all about the ingredients being room temp or even slightly warm and following the mixing directions.
Hi there,
I’m making my first double barrel in a couple of weeks, would this cake be ok to use for this? I will board and dowel the bottom layer like in your tutorial. Thanks in advance! Cake looks amaze!
Yes, any recipe other than the WASC can be used for stacking
Love your site, so informative and great recipes. But, I also have a question on this white cake why couldn’t you use the pasteurized egg white in the batter also would it effect the texture? I love the buttercream recipe using those been using it for some time now. I have having a lot of egg yolks left over when I don’t make a lot of custards or curds they end up wasted. Thanks again for your time answering all the questions and posting great recipes. Some day I will attempt a carved cake. Don’t have the nerve to do that yet.
You can use pasteurized egg whites if you prefer. One egg white is equal to 1oz of liquid egg whites.
Swt……Thank you for the Recipe, I really love White cakes .. can’t wait to try this out .
Hi Liz! I made this cake a few months back and subbed the almond for additional vanilla but I’m wondering if I can adapt it for lemon cake? I’ve seen your lemon cake recipe but it calls for CF which is very difficult to come by in the UK or it’s expensive and I know you say about using the correct flours for these cakes. If it can be adapted, would you recommend just the flavouring be swapped out or can I add lemon zest?
Thanks!
Yes you can adapt this recipe in the same way to make lemon by subbing out extract and adding in lost of lemon zest 🙂 I would use full eggs instead of just whites for a lemon cake.
Can you use this for cupcakes?
Sure can
Can’t wait to make this cake. I have been baking for many years but do not know what AP flour is?
Many thanks!
You must be from another country? AP flour stands for all-purpose flour. It’s just generic flour used in most baking.
I love your article. The cake looks wonderful. I have been doing cakes for family and friends about 40 years. I would love to have my frostings between layers was rich and thick like yours. I bought a cake from a local and theirs was like yours. Can you tell me the secret?
Try the easy buttercream frosting, I use it for everything! https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/easy-buttercream-frosting/
LOVE, love, love the simplicity of this cake recipe. Beautiful results. Can’t wait to test it out!
Question(s): why do you put eggs in your frosting? Is this necessary for some reason? Aren’t eggs supposed to be cooked prior to eating?
Thanks for a wonderful white cake recipe and the great explanation that went with it.
Thing about a meringue. A meringue is made from egg whites. Meringue is what makes marshmallows light and fluffy. Now add butter to that meringue and you have frosting that’s super light and fluffy and not as sweet as regular frosting. Trust me, it’s a real thing. This is a simplified version of a traditional recipe called Swiss Meringue Buttercream. The whites have been pasteurized (heat treated) already.
Butter… ounces by weight or ounces by volume?
hHiiiiiii……oz are USA or British???
I’m not sure what you mean, oz is a form of measurement for weighing ingredients.
Not sure if this was covered in the other comments. But if you want the vanilla taste without the vanilla color, Watson’s makes a clear vanilla flavoring. I use it for my whipped cream and cream cheese frostings. 🙂
Yes but it has a very “fake” vanilla flavor in my opinion. I’d rather have the slight tinge from the real vanilla but yes you can use clear if you want to
My cake is in the oven right now and I’m curious to see how it is going to turn out. I used a measuring cup to measure 14 Oz, of sugar and flour, not a scale. I may have a mess in my hands.
Yea unfortunately you can’t substitute cups for a scale 🙁 I do state that in the recipe.
Hi, I’m just trying this recipe out tonight and had a few questions. I’m very excited to give this a shot!
First, what exactly does curdled mix look like? I thought my eggs were room temp but I think they might have been cold (it’s December in Canada lol). I’m not sure what the better should look like when you’re done adding the eggs, but I feel like by the end it looked a little off. If a batter did curdle, would it effect the end result very much?
Second, if one wasn’t worried about having a white cake could you use maybe 4 full eggs instead of 6 egg whites?
Curdled means it looks like the fat is separated from the liquids and looks splotchy. If your eggs are a little cold at room temp then you can put them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes. All your liquids being a little warm is better than too cold. Yes to subbing out 4 whole eggs 🙂
It looks amazing!
Can u help me pleaseeeee???
my scale is in grams how can I turn this recipe to grams?
You can google oz to grams and it’s very accurate
Hello Liz!
I am baking this cake for my sister’s wedding. We have to leave for the wedding on the 25th and her wedding is in the 27th. I was going to bake on the 24th and wrap for in the refrigerator. I was also thinking maybe I should make this weekend and freeze until we leave. Do you have a recommendation? I am making 8″ 10″ and 12″ layers. Two of each size.
Do you have to travel with the cake? Driving I assume. You can definitely bake the cakes ahead and then decorate when you arrive to where you are going. That would be a lot easier than trying to travel with a fully decorated cake. I would not freeze because they will just defrost during travel.
This was such an excellent white cake recipe, I only used 1.5lbs of powdered sugar for the frosting rather than 2lbs and it was sweet enough!!
Made this for my grandmother for her 72nd birthday and it was a hit!
Very moist and buttery….will definitely save this recipe for the future. Thank you! 😄😁😊😋😃😄👦🏽👩🏽
Fond of cake recipes. And I love the way you explained each and every step.😋😋
Thank you!
Hi Liz,
I discovered many years ago purely by accident, aren’t all good discoveries made that way, that you can make packaged/boxed cake mixes taste just like scratch made ones with a simple trick.
I was having my sons birthday party and as time was pressing I used a couple of cake mixes but although I had mixed one of them didn’t have the time to put it in the oven before going to get him from school so just covered it with a tea towel/dish cloth and when I got back to it I thought well here goes and baked it as usual… you would have thought one of those celebrity chefs had baked it by the reaction I got from people… best cake ever, can I have the recipe and all that stuff. Seems if you let it stand it has time for that terrible cardboard taste to go and the true taste to develop and you can fool people and smile, I do it whenever I need to make cakes these days so I hope this helps anybody who needs to make cakes this way.
Interesting! I have known people to let their mixes rest before baking, I’ll have to try that one out! How long did you let your mix rest before you baked it?
I’ve tried countless white cake recipes!!! (Not yours) and it seems like everyone is this and grainy kinda like cornbread?!??? I have no idea what I am doing wrong. I won’t to try yours, but can you give me any advice on how to avoid whatever I’m doing first?!?
It could be that you’re not brining your ingredients to room temperature (especially eggs and milk). I actually put my eggs in warm water before cracking them so they are slightly warm and I microwave the milk so it feels slightly warm. This will help your ingredients combine together properly and make that super fluffy cake texture.
Do you have a strawberry cake recipe I really been a good one
Yes I have two! One with freeze dried strawberries and one with fresh. Check them out in the recipes section under cakes
Until I realized all the unhealthy chemicals in a box cake, I baked, and loved traditional boxed white cakes like Pillbury/Duncan Hines. So would you suggest your Vanilla cake or this classic white for a comparable taste? Also, if I omit the almond extract, would I then use 2 tsp of pure vanilla instead of one? Eager to make this cake, the reviews are great!
The closest thing I have tasted to box mix is the white velvet buttermilk cake because it’s very soft. If you want that classic white cake mix flavor you want to use clear vanilla extract
I don’t have almond extract on hand so could I substitute fresh lemon juice instead?
Lemon juice and almond extract are completely different flavors? If you don’t have almond extract just leave it out.
Hi Liz,
Do you think using carton liquid egg whites for the cake instead of fresh eggs will terriably alter the texture and taste of the cake.. I’d like to make 3 8 inch rounds and never know what to do with the yolks!
Love your tips, recipes and personal stories and reflections of how you develop your cakes and techniques!
I do use carton egg whites for my white cake and it works! Just make sure you shake up the box before using and try to use fresh boxed egg whites if that makes sense
Im a doctored box mix convert, Ive got a ton of flavors im now trying to convert to scratch. Currently im working on my pineapple cake. How would you incorporate pineapple juice in to the cake without affecting the texture and moisture content?
I don’t put pineapple juice into the cake because it doesn’t add any flavor. Just add in the crushed pineapple and use the pineapple juice as part of the simple syrup afterwards
In the article you say that white cake does not have egg yolks. But in the recipe I see that you have eggs (complete). I do not understan!
There are no whole eggs in the recipe, it says egg whites
Can you please please pleaseeee convert this recipe into grams. Everytime i convert the recipe myself it goes wrong..you would be a livesafer😍
Are you using a scale? Your scale should have an oz option as well as grams
I am still on the hunt for a vanilla cake and a white cake. I am making a champagne flavored cake but with emulsions because its for a baby shower. Do you reccomend the vanilla cake or the white cake for this?
You could do either and just replace the vanilla with champagne emulsion 🙂 I think the vanilla cake is moister just make sure you follow the mixing directions properly and your eggs/milk are slightly warm
I am making this recipe as we speak. Is the batter supposed to be really thick? I have never made a cake from scratch before. Box mix batter is thinner… you can almost pour it into the pans. This is almost as thick as frosting. ?????
Michelle
Yes it’s very thick, check out the video in the recipe card 🙂
Could I use buttermilk in this recipe?
Check out my white velvet buttermilk cake recipe! It’s sooo good and already formulated for buttermilk
So I have been baking cakes for a very long time and my daughter wanted me to make this recipe with her. Upon mixing the batter, I could already tell something was off from what I’m used to, but I know every recipe will be different, especially with different ovens, weather, ingredient qualities, etc. However, I also noticed the taste of the batter was off as well in a rather unpleasant way, after having followed all directions; it reminded me of other recipes that called for too much of X and I couldn’t quite place what ingredient I was tasting too much of. But I put them into two round cake tins and baked them anyway. I have to say, I am very confused, I haven’t seen many cakes do this. They took nearly 1 whole hour to bake. The texture was very greasy, and saturated in a way that was borderline rubbery and the top formed a solid, caramelised crust. In addition, the taste was remarkably displeasing and bland. I don’t want to say this recipe is awful yet but I’m struggling to find a reason as to why this happened after doing everything exactly, and double checking to make sure everything was at the correct amount, and it was. Help?
If the recipe seemed off from the very beginning then I am guessing you made a mistake with your ingredients, the eggs and milk where not slightly warm so they didn’t mix up properly or you didn’t mix them correctly. Since you are the one that made the recipe, you’re the only one that can figure out where it went wrong. We used to do this in pastry school when our baking didn’t turn out right. Our chef would have us go through the recipe line by line to see where we might have gone wrong. I can assure you the recipe is balanced and turns out great for myself and many others who have tried it.
Hello! I am excited to try this recipe! We don’t have a good scale. 14oz is same as 1.75 cups. Is this ABOUT what you used? We only have cups. Thanks.
Hello, I highly recommend getting a scale to avoid wasting ingredients. Proper measurement of ingredients is very important to your cake turning out. Measuring by cups is not accurate which is why weight is used instead of cups. If you try to guess the cake is not going to turn out. You can get a simple scale at any grocery store.
Hi Liz! First, let me just say I love all your stuff!!! I bake alot of cakes, and always have trouble using up egg yolks, even with alot of lemon curd, etc. I am not concerned with having a pure white cake, so can I use whole eggs with this recipe? If so, how many? Will it change the texture of the cake? Does it affect scupting/carving? What are your thoughts on boxed egg whites in this recipe?? Thanks, and again, I love your ideas, recipes, and cakes!!
Yes you can use whole eggs if you prefer, one egg white weighs 1oz and a whole egg weighs 1.67 oz (roughly) so two whole eggs equals about three egg whites. I hope that makes sense.
Hello!
Your classic white cake instructs to wrap warm cake to chill.
What do you use to wrap the cake?
Thank you for your time!
Plastic wrap 🙂
Could I use buttermilk instead of regular milk in your recipe? Pros? Cons? Thanks!
If you want a buttermilk cake, check out my white velvet buttermilk cake recipe 🙂
Hi Are the liquid measurements in weight or fluid oz? Thanks so much
They are all by weight
Hi Liz 🙂
Your recipe calls for a 335* oven temp, is this convection? I have always baked my cakes at 350 but don’t have convection.
No I don’t use a convection.
Could I use margarine instead of butter for this recipe?
No, margarine is not the same as butter 🙂
Are there any alterations in your recipes for high altitudes?
I don’t specifically have one but if you look up high altitude cake alterations you can see that the leavening is generally reduced
OMG. I’ve been baking for years and this is, by far, the best cake I’ve ever made/eaten. I made it this morning then couldn’t get back to the site. I was in a panic until I finally found it! (I’m a Mom of five, the youngest being 12, but I focused hard on finding this recipe for the last few hours!) This cake is AMAZING! 🧁💕
Yay I’m so happy that you liked my white cake recipe <3
I’ve tried this cake three times now and every time I add the milk mixture it all separates. I have no clue what I’m doing wrong. Everything is room temp and I followed what you did exactly.
Maybe your ingredients are still too cold. That’s the only reason it would separate. I warm my milk slightly in the microwave, same thing as the eggs and butter so they combine together. Your ingredients might be room temp but your room could be cold
Okay never baked a cake from scratch, you’ve given me the courage.My Irish twins birthday this weekend,29&28,one wants a simple white cake,I’m going for it wish me luck
You can do it! <3 Read through the blog post for tips first!
Hi , thanks for taking the time to answer all these questions! I am baking cupcakes for a baby shower, I know that not all cake recipes convert to cupcakes, have you tried cupcakes using this recipe? I read all comments and one person did ask if the recipe can be converted to cupcakes, you said yes. I just want to make sure because this will be my third attempt at white cupcakes and so far they are just ok.no epic fails or anything just … meh… tried the box cake w sour cream ,it taste like chemicals, I have a recipe that turns out well but it’s one that requires you to fold in the egg whites and only makes 12 cupcakes. Thanks for your help!
I make cupcakes with this all the time, not sure what you’re looking for when it comes to a good cupcake though
Can I use this recipe to make a fresh cream gataeu u
I don’t know what that is 🙂
Want to make this this weekend for Easter! 🐣 It looks amazingly moist!! 😋
Could you add lemon exact to this cake batter for lemon flavored cake? If so, how much would you add to give it a nice lemony flavor?
And, what would be best for frosting for lemon? Cream cheese buttercream sounds like it might be a good matchup? Or something else?
Lastly, have you tried it with gluten free all-purpose flour? If so, how did it turn out?
Thanks!
Hi Tracy, yes you can replace vanilla with lemon extract and I would add some lemon zest as well. Any frosting including cream cheese would be delicious. I have not tried this with gluten free flour
Thank you so much!!
If you decide to experiment with gluten free, PLEASE share! 😁 Would love to find some really good GF cake recipes!
Hi Liz, This cake looks amazing! Do you know if it would work well using the reverse creaming method of mixing? Thanks so much!
No, because it uses AP flour instead of cake flour. If you want a good white cake with cake flour try the white velvet buttermilk cake recipe. https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/white-velvet-cake/
Oh wow! What an amazing recipe! After years and years of looking I think I have finally found my ‘go to’ vanilla/white cake recipe (though you say they are different 😉 )
Ok, I’ve been baking for years and years and sometimes my batter splits as it did with this one after I added the third addition of egg whites. I ignored this as I always do because after adding the flour the batter always comes together fine. However, being you are a professional that has been to culinary school I’m really curious to know what the danger is and why do bakers freek out when they see the batter split at some point during mixing. Is this a major issue for the end product? Am I ignoring a major key to how my cakes come out?
Thanks again. I love your work and your very well written recipes.
Splitting comes from the eggs and the batter being two different temperatures. It may cause the cake to not rise properly. Always make sure your egg whites are warm as well as your milk, butter etc to avoid splitting.
Thanks very much!
I left out the oil and i already frosted the cake… is it gonna be awful?!?
Only way to know is to taste it 🙂
I’m allergic to eggs, specially egg white, white would you do for the buttercream?
I would use a different type of buttercream like American buttercream or stabilized whipped cream
Hello,
I would like to try this recipe, but would like to substitute whole eggs for the egg whites. Based on previous comments, I would need 4 eggs to equal the weight of 6 egg whites, correct? Also, do I need to mix the eggs in differently than the recipe states for the egg whites? If so, when and how should I incorporate them? My last question is how does this cake compare to your vanilla cake? Is it more dense/coarse and not as moist or are they similar?
Thank you so much.
Yes you can or you can just use my vanilla cake recipe. One egg weights 1.67 oz so for every 3 egg whites I do two whole eggs. Incorporate the eggs the same way as the instructions state.
Also, as a followup to my previous comment, I don’t have a stand mixer. Would a normal electric mixer work for this recipe?
Thank you.
Yes it will 🙂
So, flavor is great…however, wrapping and chilling is terrible advice. It was way too dense and almost gummy. Let cool on racks for at least an hour, then chill.
Totally understand your thinking, however, the longer you let the cakes sit at room temperature, the dryer they will be. I wrap my cakes warm to trap in the moisture. Cutting off the gummy layer to me is better than losing moisture in my cake but it’s totally up to you.
I made this for my cousin’s wedding and it turned out perfectly! It was delicate, moist, and flavorful! Thank you.
This SMB recipe shows 1/2t salt, but your other SMB recipe shows 1t salt.
You can do either. Sometimes I do more or less
Hi l tried vanilla cake recipe today but it is very soft and crumbly, followed instructions exactly and made sure all the ingredients temperatures were at room temp. The only thing l do not have is cake flour as l am in the UK, l used a substitute which uses plain flour and corn flour (which works in my red velvet cake recipe). It tastes really nice but will have to use it for cake pops as l don’t think it will take buttercream without crumbling.
The problem is the cake flour and you might be handling the cake too much when it’s warm. It should be chilled as it is a delicate and moist cake.
I just made this recipe – baked in two round pans. It turned out flat, wet, and extremely greasy. Oven temp was exact. Hmm what went wrong?
Did you use the same ingredients as me and where cold ingredients warmed up like milk, eggs, butter.
This recipe looks easy to follow, can’t wait to try it! Can I substitute milk for yoghurt in the cake mix?
I have not tried that substitution but I think it would be ok
thanks for the receipe. if I need to use both the egg whites and yolk for this receipe do I use 3 eggs or do I still stick with 6 eggs
Thank you
If you want to use whole eggs then for every three egg whites, use two whole eggs
This will be my go to recipe from now on, just made it and it is absolutely delicious! I had more than enough for 3 6″, however. Next tine i wont fill pans as much 🙂
The brand of flour makes a cake ! Gold Medal is worst of all. then store brands, White Lilly, WR, & Sun Flower are the top best 3. tried this & it was all eaten by grand kids, I never got to taste, But did blue berry muffins add blue berries to mix & was GREAT!!
This is an amazing recipe. So grateful for this. It has helped so much.
I am going to try your white cake as white cake with almond is my favorite for my whole life. Your tips are so fantastic and I feel confident. The basic issue, I believe I am doing, is either over mixing or under. It either rises too high or rises perfectly and then deflates some. Oven temp is used. I have a kitchen aid stand mixer, commercial grade. What speed do you recommend I use for batter-I use 5 most times? Thx so much
Some deflating is normal so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I tap the pan on the countertop as soon as it comes out of the oven to release air and reduce deflation. Mixing on speed 3-4 or what I do so speed 5 might be too high.
I can’t wait to make this today. I love that your daughter helped you.
I’m so glad I tried your recipe. I was using WASC for years. Only because I couldn’t find a good white cake recipe. But yours is fabulous. The texture and taste are great. Thanks for sharing. 😍
about how long in the freezer? took a long time to get baked, but it does taste delish!
Just until chilled
Hi Liz,
Do you recommend adding sour cream to this recipe? If so, what would the measurement be for the sour cream?
Thanks so much
No, I would stick to the ingredients listed 🙂
Thanks so much for this recipe. Of all the white cakes I’ve tried this is absolutely the most fluffy and airy. I love that I followed your directions to fluff it well in the beginning. I doubled it to get 4-6 inch cakes and ended up with 1-8″ cake as a consolation prize.
Bonus cake! Always nice haha
Baking in 2″ deep pans, do you fill your pans 1/2 to 3/4 full with batter ?
I fill 3/4 because I like full pans
Thank you !!!
I will never need another recipe for white cake (which I love), and I’ve baked many. Frankly, have gone to great lengths to duplicate the texture of the white cake made by Wegman’s, which I bought in a dire emergency and fell in love with much to my chagrin. This one absolutely DOES IT for me! I no longer envy those not humiliated by offering a cake they did not bake.
Made this in Europe, checking the protein content of the flour (that info made a huge difference, thank you, as the brownies I once put together there resulted in chocolate cake due to the flour): wanted to offer an example of an “American” cake. This is utterly different from “cake” in Europe, and they went crazy over it. Used Dr. Oetker bitter almond as well as the vanilla extract I’d brought from Mexico, and served with strawberries from the garden for a special birthday. Wish I could post a picture! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thank you for the great review!
Made this for my husband’s birthday. I used regular ghee for the butter and coconut cream instead of milk due to lactose intolerance and opted for avocado oil. I cut the recipe in half to make a 5in layer cake. It was a little dense (possibly because I had to refrigerate it over night?) But still delicious. Might attempt a gluten free version but those flours never seem to work out well.
Just wanted to confirm that the nutrition facts are only for the cake and not the frosting and gold drip?
Thanks!
Thats great! The nutrition facts are for everything 🙂 Servings are 1″x2″
I don’t care for almond extract. Would I replace with vanilla or just leave it out?
Just leave it out. White cake is traditionally flavored with almond extract which is why it includes it.
Hello, if I make this in a 12″ round pan, would I still bake at 335° for 35mins? Or would I need to turn up the temp and bake longer??
Don’t turn up the temperature, just bake for longer. I use a baking core in 12″ and larger cakes to help the center of the cake bake faster
This may be a dumb question but will carton eggs do or should I be on the hunt for fresh eggs? Also, is there a brand of pasteurized eggs you can recommend?
I use fresh egg whites in this recipe because the carton egg white don’t seem to work as well for this cake
I apologize if I missed this in the comments but I would like to make a three tier 8” cake. Would I just add another 1/2 of all your measurements to make enough batter? Can’t wait to try this cake. I’m going to fill and top with strawberry Swiss meringue butter cream and strawberry purée.
Do you mean a three layer 8″ cake? Yes I would do a 1 1/2 recipe. You can adjust the servings in the recipe card to re-calculate all the ingredients.
I’m looking for a great cake to serve at my wedding, and am wondering how to adjust the recipe for sheet cakes. I’m doing a cutting cake and a full sheet.
It depends on how big your sheet cakes are. quarter sheet cakes or half sheet cakes? 1 1/2 batches for the quarter, triple batch for the 1/2 sheet cake
Just have a question, would it hurt this recipe to use lactose free milk such as the lactic brand?
You can definitely use that in place of regular milk with no issue
Liz can i use turn your vanilla cake into a white cake for the cake flour? If so do i just replace the whole eggs in the recipe for eggs whites?
I took this to a church get-together and it was an absolute hit! People even took some home for lunch the next day. I was worried because to me the icing kind of tasted like butter (good butter though) but everyone else that the icing was the best part! I will definitely be trying more of your recipes.
yay im so glad!
Love your recipes and show. So much helpful information and added humor is great! Well done!
Aww thank you so much Tessa!
Hi what is AP flour? Thank you.
AP stands for all purpose flour