White velvet cake is a soft, delicate cake with a hint of buttermilk and vanilla
White velvet cake is red velvet‘s pretty little sister. Red velvet cake has been around for ages and probably one of the most popular cake flavors of all time. But not everyone want’s to eat red food coloring or maybe they have special dietary requirements that don’t allow them to eat red food dye. Whatever the reason, options are always good.
A lot of people wonder if you can just leave out the red food color and get white velvet and the answer is yes, kinda. You also need to leave out the cocoa powder. All the things that make red velvet cake delicious can be left in.
sidenote… the more I spell the word “velvet” the weirder it looks… velvet. velvet VELVET. Starts to look wrong.
But anyway…
What is white velvet cake?
White velvet cake is basically red velvet without the red. It’s a buttermilk cake base that results in a VERY soft, fluffy and moist cake. If you leave out all the color and the cocoa powder you have yourself a nice white velvet cake. Neat huh. The buttermilk gives this southern inspired cake it’s rich and velvety texture.
Traditional red velvet cake has a little bit of cocoa powder in it. Some will tell you that red velvet is actually chocolate cake (wrong) or that it’s just white cake with red food color added (so wrong). The cocoa powder does add a little bit of flavor to the cake but not enough to call it chocolate so when you leave it out, it doesn’t affect the flavor that much.
What’s so great about white velvet?
So one of the BEST things about this recipe, in my opinion, is the texture. The crumb is soooo soft and well… velvety! I love how it looks when you cut it. Soft and pillowy. It’s like magic!
What Is Buttermilk?
Buttermilk is basically fermented milk that has gone sour. I know it sounds weird but it actually tastes amazing in baked goods. The tanginess in buttermilk adds a great flavor and the acidity in buttermilk actually breaks down gluten so baked goods are more tender than if you used regular milk.
I mean, there’s a reason recipes like “buttermilk pancakes” and “buttermilk” biscuits always seem better than just… pancakes. Ya know?
Don’t have any buttermilk? You can make it! Add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of regular milk, stir and let it sit for about 10 minutes. You’ll see the milk begin to thicken and curdle. Voila. Homemade buttermilk.
How does white velvet cake taste like?
White velvet cake tastes so amazing BECAUSE of the buttermilk! It just adds a little tang and zip that for some reason your tastebuds just love.
The crumb is super fine like my white cake recipe or my vanilla cake recipe and is definitely a great cake for flavor to just bake up for a special occasion.
What frosting goes with white velvet cake?
The traditional frosting that goes with velvet cake is ermine frosting. Ermine frosting is made by cooking sugar with a bit of flour and then whipping it into softened butter.
Ermine frosting is super creamy, not too sweet and tastes amazing with white velvet cake. In my opinion it tastes very similar to a swiss-meringue buttercream but without the eggs so it’s a nice alternative if you have an egg allergy.
How do you make blue velvet cake?
To make blue velvet cake, simply add in 1 oz of electric blue food color (for a light blue cake) or royal blue food color (for darker blue) to the base white velvet recipe.
For a more natural blue, add 1-2 tsp of natural cocoa powder ( not dutched. I like Hershey’s special dark) The cocoa powder will tone down the bright blue just a little so it’s not so VIVID and make a nice natural blue. Or if you want a really bright blue you can leave the cocoa powder out.
Blue velvet is a great cake for gender reveals, birthday cakes or just because blue velvet is awesome.
Can you can make velvet cake with different colors?
Yes! If you want a different color of velvet cake then simply replace the food color with any other color you like. You can do a white velvet rainbow, ombre or go with neon. The color possibilities are endless!
I made this lovely green velvet cake for st patricks day! I added in the cocoa powder for a more natural shade of green and used 1 oz of leaf green americolor food color gel.
What about black velvet cake?
Ok so TECHNICALLY I have another recipe called black velvet cake that does not use this velvet cake base. Why? Because it’s really a chocolate cake. It doesn’t have any buttermilk in it, vinegar or food coloring! So why even bother calling it black velvet?
Well it’s got a nice velvet-y texture. In the future I may experiment further with a true black velvet recipe working from the base velvet recipe but upping the cocoa powder. Too many cake ideas, so little time.
Related Recipes
Rainbow Cake
Green Velvet Cake
Pink Velvet Cake
Black Velvet Cake
Red Velvet Cake
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White velvet buttermilk cake recipe
Ingredients
White Velvet Cake Ingredients
- 14 oz (396 g) cake flour
- 13 oz (368 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 5 oz (142 g) egg whites room temperature
- 4 oz (113 g) vegetable oil
- 10 oz (284 g) buttermilk room temperature or slightly warm
- 6 oz (170 g) butter unsalted and softened
- 2 tsp vanilla
Ermine Frosting Ingredients
- 14 oz (396 g) granulated sugar
- 3 oz (85 g) flour
- 16 oz (454 g) whole milk
- 16 oz (454 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Whisk Attachment
- Paddle Attachment
Instructions
- NOTE: It is SUPER IMPORTANT that all the room temperature ingredients listed above are room temperature and measured by weight so that the ingredients mix and incorporate correctly. Heat oven to 335º F/168º C — 350º F/177º C. I tend to use lower setting to prevent my cakes from getting too dark on the outside before the inside is done baking.
- Prepare two 8"x2" (or three 6") cake pans (with a little leftover batter) with cake goop or preferred pan spray. Fill your pans about 3/4 of the way full of batter.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of .a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Mix 10 seconds to combine.
- Combine 1/2 cup of the milk and the oil together and set aside.
- Combine the remaining milk, egg whites and vanilla together, whisk to break up the eggs and set aside.
- Add your softened butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low until mixture resembles a coarse sand (about 30 seconds). Add in your milk/oil mixture and let mix until dry ingredients are moistened and then bump up to med (setting 4 on my kitchenaid) and let mix for 2 minutes to develop the cakes structure. If you don't let your cake mix on this step your cake could collapse.
- Scrape your bowl and then reduce speed to low. Add in your egg white mixture in three batches, letting the batter mix for 15 seconds between additions.
- Scrape down the sides again to make sure everything has incorporated then pour into prepared pans. Bake 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out cleanly but the cake has not begun to shrink yet from the sides of the pan. IMMEDIATELY TAP PAN FIRMLY on countertop once to release the steam from the cake. This stops the cake from shrinking.
- Let cakes cool for 10 minutes inside the pan before flipping them out. The cake will shrink a bit and that is normal. Flip onto a cooling rack and let cool fully. I chill my cakes before handling or you can wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them to trap moisture in the cake. Thaw on the countertop while still wrapped before frosting.
Ermine Frosting Instructions
- Whisk together your flour and sugar in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Cook for about 2 minutes to toast the flour.
- Slowly add in your milk, whisk to combine and bring your heat to medium-high. Whisk continuously until mixture is thickened and pudding like. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool.
- Add your butter to the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk on high until light and fluffy. Slowly add in your cooled flour mixture one spoon at a time as you whip. Incorporating slowly insures a smooth buttercream.
- Add in your vanilla and salt until everything is creamy and then you can frost your cooled cake.
I loved making this recipe, it was moist and delicious.
Have you tried using GF flour in this recipe? Would like to know if it works.
I have used bobs red mill gluten free 1:1 baking mix
I have a recipe that I’m wanting to try for a Pina colada rum cake. It calls for a white or yellow cake mix. I don’t have a cake mix, because I never make anything but these cakes on your site. I’m wondering if I can use this recipe as my base instead of the mix. What are your thoughts on that?
Totally! You can add up to 1/4 cup of extra ingredients like pineapple and not have to make any changes to the recipe
Hey I would like to know an egg free version of dis recipe… I don’t consume eggs
So sorry, I don’t have one 🙁
Baking substitute for eggs; Knox unflavored gelatin. 1 tsp. softened with 3 Tbsp. cold water and 2 Tbsp+1 tsp hot water = 1 egg
Use Ener-G Egg Replacer.
Flax seed is my go to sub for eggs in baking. Google the specifics
I assume you do not eat eggs, because you are vegetarian or vegan..?? (Just guessing) Meaning, you also may not use gelatin as a substitute..?? Random note: my sister is NOT vegetarian or vegan, but she still does not consume eggs and WOULD be able to use a gelatin substitute. It’s EGGS itself that makes her feel sick. So it’s not a healthy life choice (as i call it). I ask, because i notice you got a replacement suggestion that contained animal products.
I tried making this and failed miserably. I think I was wrong on the flour and sugar. How many cups of AP flour is 12 oz and how many cups of granulated sugar is 14oz. Thank you!
Hi there, if you try to convert to cups this recipe will not turn out. I always use a scale for accuracy since baking from scratch is a science 🙂 You can get a food scale at most grocery stores for less than $20
Wasted ingredients because that isn’t noted. Thanks.
Actually it IS noted. In every recipe, the first step says that you must weigh the ingredients.
That’s a bit harsh mate. No need for the tantrum because you didn’t read that you have to weigh your ingredients.
Also, it isn’t AP flour, it is cake flour.
Hi Liz can this be converted to grams? I’m in South Africa and we use the metric system so my scale is in Mililiters and grams.
One ounce = 28 grams 🙂
How is the frosting so white with browned flour?
It comes from whipping and incorporating air. Similar to how yellow butter ends up white 🙂
Hi! So the first time I made this cake, I took everything out and realized the battery to my scale was dead. I had to improvise and convert it into cups. The cake turned out fine and was delicious! I’ve made it again by properly weighing, and I honestly couldn’t tell the difference.
That’s great!
Hi there, could I use yoghurt instead of buttermilk in this recipe?
I haven’t tried that so I am not for sure 🙂
I would not recommend it. I live in a country that doesn’t sell buttermilk, but you can easily make your own. Just mix normal milk with 1 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for 5-10 min. Done! 🙂
Yes definitely… I always use half milk, half Greek yoghurt instead of the stated amount of buttermilk and the result is always brilliant.
I did the same. I’m in the US. Half 2% Greek yogurt and half 2% milk for buttermilk substitute. Read somewhere online recently that is a better substitute than milk/vinegar combination. Still moist
If I’m not mistaken, it’s 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice plus milk to equal one cup.
hi what kind of flour you used for the frosting? is cake or all purpose flour? thanks
All purpose flour for the ermine frosting
What is all purpose flour and cake flour. n UK and we have plain and self raising flour. Thanks
I have heard several people say they can find a low protein flour in the UK. That would be a good substitute unless you can find unbleached cake flour. Cake flour is more tender than AP flour and used when you want a very fine/delicate cake
142g egg white means how many egg. And if I don’t hv cake flour can I use the regular all purpose flour or self raising flour.
The recipe is by weight so you use a scale to measure out the egg whites. Cake flour is not the same as all purpose flour. If you substitute then the may not work out
can you use carton egg whites for this recipe?
Yes you can
This cake is amazing! The texture is unbelievable. I loved the original recipe and even tried baking another one with 10% less sugar and it’s still sooooo good. I really want a chocolate cake with this texture. How do you think I can convert this cake to chocolate without sacrificing the amazing texture?
I’m glad you like it 🙂 I don’t know about turning it into chocolate, would take some experimenting for sure
THANK YOU for scaling your ingredients!! Using a scale is not only best for accuracy, but it saves a lot of time and utensils in the kitchen. I can’t live without my scale!
I made this cake and everyone loved it. I appreciated the subtle mix of sweet and tang. I will, however, have to turn down the temp on my oven because the edges got a bit crispy. Great for home snacking (I looove the crispy bits), but not so great if I’m cooking it for someone else.
How many cups of batter does the recipe version for 2-8″ rounds make? I’m looking for at least 6 cups batter. Should I go with 2 rounds or 3? Thanks!
6 cups of batter, I use 2″ tall cake pans.
Mine came out as yellow as any other standard cake made with whole eggs and very brown on top too. The only thing I can think of is that baking soda intensifies the maillard reaction that causes food to brown so it made my cakes dark. But I measured it very precisely according to the recipe and yours comes out lovely and white using baking soda. 🙁
Maybe your oven is a little hot or the cake was too close to the top of the oven? I do always have browning on my cakes but I trim the brown parts off (top, bottom and sides) before torting and frosting.
Would I do the white velvet recipe to do a yellow velvet cake and just add yellow food coloring?
yes you could do that
I love this cake, the first time I made it I failed somewhere but tried it again and voila!! Lol. I am going to try this cake adding in pistachios next time, my husband wants pistachios in a cake, how do you think that would taste?
Pistachio cake sounds divine!! I bet it would look really pretty too
ok for the baking science challenged and those leery of vinegar in cakes…
why the vinegar? can I leave it out?
Vinegar is delicious in cakes! It helps create a bubbly reaction with the baking soda so you can a nice fluffy texture. Fluffy is good 🙂 Trust me, no vinegar taste can be detected hehe
Hi! I am excited to try this recipe…I have been reading through all of the notes here. I notice the comment here for the vinegar, which I used in red velvet cake, but I didnt see it in the ingredients list here. Did I over look it or is it not needed for the white velvet cake. I just want to be sure before I delve in. 🙂 Thanks so much!!
I took out the vinegar because I don’t think it needs it 🙂
So glad that was asked and answered. Whew!
I’M still wondering why i don’t see any vinegar in THIS recipe in particular. Not that I love it or hate it in cakes. I’m just confused, because i learned what makes a cake “velvet” is the vinegar and buttermilk.
It just doesn’t need it, it’s not a mystery 🙂 The cake tastes great without it
Would I be able to use this recipe for cupcakes? How long would you recommend I bake them?
To make cupcakes I would remove the oil and reduce the buttermilk by half
Hi Liz,
I love everything you do and I have been using your recipes/tutorials for anything I do and cant tell you enough how thankful I am for all you share! I’ve made this recipe so many times and will be making cupcakes this go around and wanted to confirm that you still recommend taking the oil out and using only 1/2 the buttermilk. I only because in an earlier post from January 2019 you mentioned they came out perfect with the recipe as is and I didn’t know if this response was in regards to something else I may have missed (i.e: cc’s came out too oily or something) Thank you so much!
Melissa
I think it depends on the location. I have baked this as cupcakes and it was just fine but others complain they overflow or are too oily so I suggested taking out the oil and half the buttermilk as a fix. If I where you, I’d try to just bake a couple of cupcakes next time you use this recipe and see if it works for you before making changes
Perfect, thank you!
Do you think this could be done in a hand mixer
Absolutely! Any of these recipes (except fondant) can be made with a hand mixer, I just prefer my stand mixer so I can multi-task 🙂
Do the eggs and buttermilk need to be room temp? Can I use carton egg whites?
Did you leave out the cocoa to achieve the purple color or adjust the amount of cocoa?
There isn’t any cocoa in white velvet. If you want it purple just add in some pink and purple food coloring
Does this recipe do well as cupcakes? I’ve learned the hard way not every cake recipe works well as cupcakes. Ina Garten’s Beatty’s Chocolate Cake is one. I would give ANYTHING to use it for cupcakes but every time I’ve tried its been a complete disaster. It bakes out over the cupcake pans, its a mess. I was so shocked the first time I tried it I didn’t know what to do. And shockingly, the very same thing happened when I used it to bake in a Wilton shaped cake pan. I only fill about half or a hair above full and it bakes out all over the oven. But yet, when I do it in round cake pans, it’s beautiful. Go figure. It makes NO sense to me at all.
I haven’t tried this with cupcakes yet, but I agree not all cake recipes do well as cupcakes. I’ll test it out 🙂
A couple years late… but for anyone wondering about using this recipe for cupcakes… I have done it several times and they are amazing, however…it took me some experimenting to get it right. I recommend baking just a couple cupcakes at a time while you experiment with how much to fill your cupcake liners, your oven temp and your baking time. My oven worked perfectly at 340 with liners filled just over half full, for 18 minutes. You need to be very precise with the amount of batter in each liner… any overfilled will sink, underfilled will brown too much… keep in mind they’re may be slight browning around the top edges that you can’t cut away like you can with a cake… but it they taste so great it’s not a problem for me, and you can’t really see it once decorated.
I knew if I read long enough I would find my answer. Thank you…… I’m looking forward to making cup cakes. How many cup cakes does recipe make? Thank you in advance.
Depends on the cupcake size. I get about 48 by filling the liners 2/3 of the way full.
Same here! I was hoping someone would know the answer. This recipe is now one of my family favorites! I figured it was baker error as to why my cupcakes baked up flat. Delicious no less, but flat. Thanks for the info! ☺️
I made this first with the comment to limit the milk and oil and they were a bit dry. I made them again with all of the ingredients, filled them half full, reduced temp to 325 (same as before) and they came out beautiful…. then sank and deflated. 🙁 The bottom of the wrappers fill oily. Should I increase them? I love the flavor of these and hope to be able to get it right. Thanks!!
If your cake is oily then there is a problem with the ingredients mixing together. Make sure you’re following the mixing instructions and your ingredients including milk and eggs are all room temperature so they create an emulsion and do not separate. Changing any mixing or replacing any ingredients can result in a failed cake unfortunately
Ive tried ina choc cake with cupcakes came out great used 2 tbsp per cupcake….happy baking
So I’m late to this comment party, but I make Ina’s Cake as cupcakes all the time. The trick Is to not fill the cupcake liners as high as you normally would. I think I normally scoop them out with a quarter cup measuring cup that doesn’t fill all the way with batter if that makes sense!
Hi Liz! I’m a huge fan of you, your family & your work! Which one of your buttercreams would you suggest for this recipe? Thanks girlfriend! XOXO
Crusting cream cheese is always a hit with red velvet cake! https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/crusting-cream-cheese-buttercream/
My mother made red velvet cake for my birthday every year when I was growing up! The white sounds divine! But she made an ermine frosting. I never see that anymore. Rich without being too sweet.
What’s your take?
I’ve heard about ermine frosting but never made it, definitely on my to-do list <3
Hello, just checking that the oil & buttermilk measurement their weight and not fluid ounces?
Yes it’s all by weight
Have you had a chance to try this or any of your “velvet” cakes as cupcakes? I need a good white cupcake and immediately thought of this recipe. When I wrote before you mentioned you were going to try cupcakes. Have you tried any yet?
If this recipe calls for 2- 8″round pans then why does the picture show a three-layer cake?
Because I made a cake using three layers 🙂
Lovely. Eager to try it out
Hi 🙂 if one would like to yield a 3-layer cake, how would you adjust the recipe please?
It depends on the size of the layers
Hello, I’m also interested in knowing if this velvet cake recipe will work for cupcakes.
Yes it will
Hello, I use olive oil for much of my cooking. Will this work in this velvet cake recipe?
You can but just keep in mind that olive oil has a flavor that will affect the cake. Grapeseed oil is a great option because it doesn’t have a flavor.
Hi do you use the same recipe above for the blue velvet cake but just add blue food colouring and cocoa powder ?
Yes I do
Hi! I’m planning to use this recipe for my daughter’s birthday. Can it be made the night before? Do you suggest leaving it at room temp or refrigerating if so? Thanks so much!
Yes it can be made the night before, I usually makes cakes at least a day in advance. I refrigerate mine so they are easier to handle
Hi! In your description of the cake, you say to use egg white if you want to make blue velvet but the whole egg for other colours. I want to make pink velvet. Can I use the whole egg? If so, how many? I need 24 cupcakes
Yes you can use the whole egg but your pink will turn more to a peach color. 2 egg whites equals 1 whole egg (roughly)
Can this be tripled and evenly divided in the pan sizes I need?
Yes it can 🙂 Thats how I do it!
Hi. Just wondering if this cake is robust enough to stand up to a fondant icing and decorations or is it too fluffy and likely to collapse?
Thanks.
The only cake that isn’t strong enough for fondant is an un-doctored box mix
Can I make this cake ahead of time and freeze it? If so…for how long?
Totally! Freezing seals in moisture for cakes. Just wrap in plastic wrap, freeze and when you’re ready to use them defrost on the countertop while still wrapped. If you stack while still slightly cold, that’s best.
Hi
I have noticed that the recipe has changed recently. Will this new version be robust enough to be carved in the shape of a house and decorated with fondant.
I am looking forward to making this for my best friends birthday cake.
Thanks
Jo
Yes it has been updated to be more like my other cake recipes that use the reverse creaming method. I wouldn’t use this cake to carve since it is extremely tender. You could use the white cake recipe for carving though and replace the milk with buttermilk and add in 1/2 tsp baking soda to get a similar cake recipe.
Hi! I noticed the description mentions a tang from buttermilk & a touch of vinegar. I don’t notice vinegar in the recipe ingredients. I feel like I read it 100x, but I don’t see it listed. Did I misunderstand? Is vinegar supposed to be an ingredient? —cake looks delish btw!
Sorry this was from a previous edit that used vinegar, I have updated it 🙂
All measurements are always by weight for accuracy. If you use cups then the recipe has the potential to not turn out and then you waste expensive ingredients.
Could you please let me know the measurement for AP flour instead of the cake flour? Will it work with AP flour?
This recipe uses cake flour, not AP flour and they are not interchangeable. If you try to make a substitution you can end up with a cake that’s more of a cornbread texture
I used All purpose flour and it didn’t cook through. I’m on minute 40 now in the oven and it’s still very liquid. Wouldn’t advise using regular AP flour! I didn’t know they weren’t interchangeable.
I used so flour and ended with a cornbread texture, still doesn’t taste bad
yea, the cake flour is super important to the texture of the cake
what is the frosting on the cake?
https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/easy-buttercream-frosting/
thanks so much
You’re welcome!
Does this cake freeze well for later use?
Yes! Freezing your cakes is great
Hi, I have some question. Do egg whites with buttemilk need to be whipped or mixed? I used the K whisk to mix the dry ingredients and the “Spider” whisk for the rest. I did well? the cake is rather yellow. it did not come as white as in the picture. why? THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!
No they don’t have to be whipped, the stand mixer does most of the work to get everything mixed
This recipe was really good!! I made it for my mother’s birthday and everyone loved it! I frosted it with a whipped cream cream cheese frosting that was delish!!❤
Wish I could show you a pic of it! Thank you for the recipe!!!
Yay thats excellent! You can always join our fb group! I love to see finished projects in there 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/groups/sugargeeks
Can i use 3 6 inch pans instead of 2 8 inch pans? How long would i bake it for? How much food coloring to make pastel pink?
Yes you can, I often do this. I would use just a drop of electric pink food coloring and start with 30 minutes and see where you are.
They didn’t pull away from the liners! Woohoo!
For all the colors, once the cocoa powder and red coloring has been eliminated, is it just a matter of adding the desired color to White Velvet Cake or do some of the colors have cocoa powder in them or another formula?
Hi! To make the three layer cake, did you split the batter into 3 8inch pans? or 3 6inch pans?
Thank you!
I split the batter into three 6″ pans but you could do 8″ if you don’t mind the layers being about 1″ thick instead of 2″
Could this cake be covered with fondant?
Yes
i thought you mentioned in an above comment that he cake is tender, so fondant may not be a great idea…or did you say it’s tender to be CARVING into sculptures?
I’ve used it to stack many times so I can safely say it is ok to use under fondant 🙂
I tried this cake 2 times and I had success with it it tasted good but it crumb I tried it with baking powder and baking soda the first time I thought it was because I used the baking powder and soda together so the next I only used baking soa and it still didn’t to right I used white lilt flour or should I have used cake flour or a white cake box please let me know what I did wrong
I don’t understand the question, did you follow the recipe and use the ingredients listed?
You should have used cake flour.
regular flour may make it “crumby” (i believe you were saying it was). Cake flour will make a lighter and softer texture and less “grainy’ or “crumby”
Just made the batter for this cake, in the oven now, smells delicious, rising perfectly. The raw batter was absolutely delicious (yes, I tasted the raw batter). Will make your crusting cream cheese frosting to go with it. Cannot wait to try the finished product!
Im a raw batter taster too (no shame) 😀
Me too, grew up eating it, and I’m 71 no problem. Haha
My cakes don’t go in the oven until I give it the raw batter taste test!! I’m 60 and have been eating raw batter (aka: licking the bowl and beaters!) since I was a tot and proud of it!! LOL
Seems pretty clear to me. Baking is a science… Will make this soon!
Hi Liz! ?? I see that you replied to someone above (earlier on) saying that you were planning on trying the white velvet with cupcakes. Just wondering if you ever did and if they turned out as perfect? ?. Thinking of making some for New Years Eve.
Cupcakes turned out great!
Do you have any adjustments for high altitude (over 5,000′)? I find cakes made from scratch generally need some adjustments to turn out right.
Here’s some information on baking at a high altitude https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
How do I adapt this recipe to make/bake at 5000 feet altitude?
Here’s some info on baking in high altitude https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
This sounds delicious and anxious to make it. If I used whole eggs instead of egg whites what happens? Also if I cut the recipe in half how many eggs would I use? If it requires egg whites did you say carton ones can be used? Thanks for posting this!
If you used whole egg it wouldn’t be white and would have a little more egg in it since you’d have to account for the addition of the yolk. One egg white weighs 1 oz and an egg yolk weighs about .67 oz so for every two egg yolks you’d subtract one egg white. I do use egg whites from a box and as long as you shake the box before you use them and don’t use egg whites that are really old then they will be good!
If I have a Betty Crocker measure cup with oz on it can I use that. And I thought I read some where on Pinterest that if I didn’t have cake flour I could take all purp and sift it several times So what is the difference?
No you have to use a scale for these recipes, oz on in a measuring cup is not the same as measuring in oz by weight. Cake flour is made with a softer part of the wheat kernal so using the “make your own” flour will result in a grainy and cornbread texture
Hi, Liz!
Would one be able to add a type of nut to this recipe and have it hold up? For instance, can I mix in some pecans or pistachio?
Thanks so much!
Yes you can add up to 1/4 up of chopped dry ingredients and it won’t effect the cake recipe
Which Frosting is recommended for this cake? Should I use buttercream or whipped cream frosting or Cream cheese??
Any buttercream you like best
I am so looking forward to making this my cat loves egg yolks (the whites are not good for them, but the yolks are) and there is only so many meringues that you can make, ha ha so pleased to find a recipe for the egg whites.
haha I did not know that! Will have to try that one out on my cat
I live in the UK and have never seen cake flour in the supermarkets. Is there an alternative I could use?
I would recommend you try a recipe that uses AP flour if you cannot get cake flour 🙂
I make my own cake flour by replacing 1 TBSP of Corn Starch for each cup of AP flour. Works like a charm, never had any issues.
That will not work for this recipe because there is too much gluten in the AP flour. The cake will become very over-mixed and taste like cornbread.
I just saw this recipe and I really would like to make it so I have plans of doing it since I got a KitchenAid for Christmas but I was wondering what kind of frosting I would like cream cheese can you give me a tip on that
The cream cheese frosting recipe is delish 🙂
I have a family member requesting 4 tiers of white velvet cake for their wedding. Its a delicious cake, but I’m worried if it will hold up. My doweling and supports are really strong, so I’m guessing it would hold up. Yes? I see you answered that it will hold up under fondant, but now I’m wondering if it will stack well in tiers. Thank you!
Yes it can be used for a wedding cake.
Will this cake hold up for a wedding cake that will have a layer of buttercream and a layer of fondant?
Yes
Made this into cupcakes last night with white chocolate buttercream. They’re perfection. We even layered them to be rainbow cupcake. I wish I could post a photo!
Can you use two 9” pans instead?
Sure if you want, the layers will be slightly shorter though due to the bigger pan
Hy can i hâve The récipé un french please,thank you very much
I’m sorry, I don’t speak french 🙂
Copy, paste, then translate on any translation search engine ?
Hello, can use this recipe for blue velvit cake, how much baby blue I can use. Thanks.
Please check out my green velvet cake for more info on making blue velvet 🙂
This is the best white cake I’ve ever baked. The texture was nice and the cake was moist. I followed the directions exactly as they were written and it was perfect. I put strawberry jam in between the layers and on top then frosted with cream cheese frosting. It was delicious. I will be making this again!!!
Super soft crumb, best white cake. Frosted with Ermine frosting, perfect.
Hi Liz!
Just a quick question. This cake has become on of my favorites. I need to make a 1/2 sheet with it. Do you recommend 1 1/2 recipes or 2? Trying to make sure I have enough ingredients! Thanks! And like always, everything I make from this site is amazing!
I would triple for a 1/2 sheet, unless you mean a quarter sheet then I would do 1 1/2
This cake is delicious! I recently made it for daughter’s first birthday. The only issue I had was after baking and cooling in the pans the cakes pulled away from the sides and angled in ??♀️ Did I do something wrong?
Could have been slightly over-mixed or maybe your ingredients where not all room temp (like eggs and milk)
Hi Liz
Self raising flour is the same that cake flour. If so way more salt, baking soda, baking powder ? ?
Self rising flour is not the same as cake flour. It’s just flour with baking soda and baking powder in it already and should not be used as a replacement for cake flour.
Hi, will you be able to convert the ingredient measurements from OZ to grams and millilitres for the oil and buttermilk.
I want to try the recipe but I don’t have an idea about measurement in oz.
Thank you
If you would like grams there are plenty of online converters for you to use. Thank you.
Hi, escuse me, who can i make the buttermilk?? In mexico we dont use baked whit it. So its hard to tey to understand the recipe.
You can make buttermilk by adding 1 Tbsp of white vinegar to 1 cup of whole milk, stir and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Is it okay if i use just one 8” cake pan for this recipe?
I think you’ll have a hard time fitting all the batter into one 8″ cake pan unless it’s very tall 🙂
to make 9×13 or two 12 in pans.How would you double your rescpie
Double all the measurements
How to separate the batter if my pans are 8 x 1 1/2? Please I need this Saturday.
Just put less batter in the pan 🙂
You knocked it out of the park again!!!! Truly a delicious recipe!!! Thanks for your hard work and dedication for all of us bakers!
Has anyone tried measuring the eggs by weight. I have been told the eggs I get in my country may not classify as large eggs :). Please let me know if anyone can get me a weight measurement of egg. One whole egg measures 46gm for me.
Yes I usually use boxed egg whites. One egg white weighs 1oz.
Best cake I have ever made! Followed directions to the letter. Tips were really helpful and informative. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
P.S. I also made your cream cheese frosting and that was unbelievable as well!
hi,
thank you for your recipe. i tried making this but i failed?. i followed the recipe but for some reason it came out very oily. not sure what i did wrong. the cake was too moist and oily. it tasted good but it didn’t came out as in the picture.
Sounds like you didn’t measure correctly somewhere along the way. The recipe has been made by myself and many others many many times and is not oily. Try going back over the recipe and comparing the weights to what you remember measuring to see where you might have gone wrong. Perhaps you put in too much butter.
Hello,
I’m wondering if this beautiful cake could be made with gluten free flour as in a 1:1 same as regular flour? Is there such a thing as gluten free cake flour? Also is there a good frosting recipe that’s not really sweet, but fluffy?
Thank You for such great cakes!!
Yes please check my gluten free cake recipe. I use bobs red mill 1:1 baking mix (NOT gluten free flour) because it tastes just like regular flour
Sounds delicious! Will this be enough batter for a 9×13 Pan? Any suggestions on baking time?
Yes it is, I would start with 40 minutes and see where you are 🙂
I had never used the reverse mix method, but use again. Weighing the ingredients and READING the instructions is definitely the key to the success of this truly amazing cake. Made it this weekend for March family birthday get together and had rave reviews. This will become a favorite in my recipes to make again and again. I am a retired home economics teacher and taught Food Science and wish I had known this technique to have taught my students, mainly for weighing ingredients for baking success. Thanks again for this beautiful recipe.
Can I use butter instead of oil?
I have only made this recipe using oil, it might not be as soft and moist if you omit the oil.
Thanks for using weight for the dry ingredients. Should the wet ingredients also be weighed, or measured by volume? I have not made this cake yet, but will post a rating when done. Thanks
All by weight to make it easy 🙂
Hey there. First, this cake is DELICIOUS. So fluffy and delicate. Second, my questions: 1) it did shrink quite a bit when I took it out of the oven. Probably ended up being about half the size it was initially. Is that normal? It still seems very light and fluffy so just wanted to check. 2) I am making my first sphere cake (BB-8 from Star Wars) and just used my best judgement on baking time, leaving the temp as you suggested at 335. Do you think I should have made other adjustments? It took a long time to cook, for a 6″ diameter sphere. Probably double your suggestion above. Probably also was related to the problem in #1. Any thoughts on how I could have done things differently? Again, thanks for a delicious recipe! Looking forward to your reply because I will*certainly* make this again and hope to do a better job!
Did you tap the cake pan to release air when removing it from the oven as stated in the instructions to prevent shrinking?
Can you bake this like a pound cake in a tube pan? Is so, I am wondering what the cook time would be? My pound cakes bake at 325 for 1 hr and 15 minutes. I may try it sometime, but any advice is appreciated.
This is not a pound cake, it is a light and fluffy dessert style cake and it may not hold it’s shape in a tube pan.
Is the Ermine Frosting recipe ok for piping?
I used it to pipe all these rosettes on the cake and it held up just like any other buttercream
Love love love this recipe!!! Can this be made in 10 inch pans? Does the recipe need to be altered or just doubled? Thank you for sharing such a delicious cake with us and your advice.
Yes you can double and triple the recipe because it’s measured by weight
Hi i want to ask about frosting.. I did not understand how u put flour and sugar on medium heat to cook the flour .. The sugar will becom caramel
It would take a lot longer for the sugar to heat and become caramel. I only toasted it for 2 minutes.
I’m excited to try this! I make an awesome Red Velvet cake that is a family recipe. I love white cake and this looks great. We will see what the hubby thinks?
What is the baking time for cupcakes? I want to try these for Mother’s Day!
Mine baked in about 18 minutes and I filled the liners half full.
Could you put the vinegar back and just make that (optional ) ? I would like to try it with vinegar, just don’t know amount needed. Thank you, it’s a wonderful recipe can’t wait to try it!
It doesn’t need vinegar because it has buttermilk.
I am about to make this cake, but I was reading over the ingredient list. I have never seen an icing recipe with 16 oz of butter; that seems incredibly high. Is that for a very large quantity of icing or is that simply to cover this one cake?
Very standard 🙂 Just make sure you whip whip whip until it’s light and fluffy and creamy if you’ve never made this type of buttercream before.
True red velvet cake doesn’t have red food coloring. Its a chemical reaction of vinegar and chocolate so labeling a cake velvet because of its texture is a misnomer.
Actually, the original red velvet cake was named as such because of the red tinge to the cocoa powder and the use of beets for food coloring. The velvet name comes from the beautiful texture and since this recipe is a variation of all the things I love about red velvet, I felt the name was appropriate.
Is it possible to make it into a lemon cake by adding 1/4 cup of lemon juice?
No, that would alter the cake chemistry but you could replace the vanilla with lemon extract and add in lemon zest.
Could this cake be made as a sheet cake?
Definitely! One recipe is perfect for a 9″x13″ pan
This looks so good! Do you use this frosting for any other recipes?
It’s really good with chocolate cake too!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
All cakes keep a few days but the sooner you eat them the better they taste 🙂
This first time I made it, it kept for a week just fine covered in the fridge.
Can I use this recipe as a base for any other color velvet cake?
Yes, did you read the blog post above?
Will one recipe be enough for a 9×13 if not how many recipes do I need to make
Yes one recipe is enough for a sheet cake pan
Well I just made this cake and I did see that you needed a scale which I don’t have in my kitchen . So the batter was very liquidy. Not sure what it’s going to be ….are you British is this why the oz instead of cups.
It was most likely mis-measurement. I am not British, I just believe in baking precisely so that ingredients are not wasted.
I love this cake! If my sides are pulling away from the edge and the top is pretty brown before the cake is done in the middle, is that just a matter of oven temp being too high? Thanks!
Sounds like your cake is too close to the top of your oven
Can I use canola oil in place of the vegetable oil
Yes you can
Can this cake be made with skim milk instead of whole milk?
Skim buttermilk?
Hello! Quick question, how long does it typically take for the sugar and flour mixture to cool?
I put mine in the fridge overnight
A really delicious cake, but I made it twice and both times it puffed up beautifully then fell. The second time it got dense. Both time all ingredients were room temp. I measure everything. Baking power is new.
The first time I mistakenly added all the eggs at once and it came better. Maybe I over baked, especially the second time. Any thoughts? (I think my oven temp was lower, at 335 the first time and at 359 the second.) Anyway- the cakes were enjoyed both times.
The frosting is ABSOLUTELY DIVINE!!! Oh my god!!!
I loved this recipe! It’s moist and delicious but definitely denser than expected.
I tried it twice and neither time did I get that beautiful white color as is pictured so not sure what I did wrong. I’m an avid baker so I’m pretty confident with my methods. Overall the cake is really great and I’ll be using it for a 4-tier wedding cake as it keeps its shape well.
Could be the type of butter you are using, I’m using darigold most of the time which is quite light. It’s never going to be PURE white though, it’s a slight off-white
Great recipe! I was a little disappointed that my cake wasn’t as white as I expected. I followed the recipe and even used clear vanilla. I’m guessing that it was because of the butter. So I call it a light velvet cake?. Quick question, have you ever considered making a video on how to make the frosting? I tried making it a few years ago and it didn’t work out. Never tried again. Hopefully I can find something on YouTube because the frosting looks amazing. Thanks again for sharing!
Can I make this in a 9×11 pan? If this has already been asked and answered I’m sorry I didn’t see the post.
You can make any cake recipe in any size pan you would like 🙂 Just for future reference.
This looks so good! I want to cover finished cake with coconut! What do you think? Also, can I use coconut flour instead of cake flour?
You can definitely cover with coconut, toasted tastes the best. Using coconut flour instead of regular flour however, will not work 🙂
The cake looks moist and delicious. I will definitely try this weekend. Hope it turns out well.
thank one and all for their input and especially Liz for all of her time and energy helping us create these wonderful cakes…so happy I came across this site!! THE BEST!!
I live in the uk and we don’t have cake flour here but i think we do have something that it very similar to it. i just wanted to know what exactly cake flour is and what it should be like so i know for sure if it’s like cake flour or not.
Cake flour is low protein flour, much like pastry flour
If I want to freeze my cake layers and also have the frosting premade, what would be the best way to go about that? Make the frosting completely and then refrigerate until ready to use? Just make it through the addition of the milk and then finish making it right before frosting?
Make your frosting and keep it refrigerated until a few hours before you need it. bring it to room temp and stir with the paddle attachment until smooth and frost your defrosted cakes
I tried this recipe twice and both times it came out a disaster can you help convert measurements from metric to us example 200 ml cake flour we converted it to 1 1/2 cups flour it was all runny and boiled out of cake pans my grandsons birthday and his mom was looking forward to this cake it was horrible
So sorry for the disaster. Unfortunately, all my recipes go by weight not volume because of this issue. Volume (cups) measurements are very inaccurate and for these recipes to turn out, you have to use a scale. You can get a scale at most grocery stores for very little money and will save you from wasting ingredients in the future.
Quick question, what is the standard size of the tsp/tbsp you are using? I’m in Australia and ours are 5ml/20ml, but I think the tbsp is slightly larger than normal. Thanks ?
Good question! According to Wikipedia, A United States tablespoon is approximately 14.8 ml (0.50 US fl oz)
Loved your video such a beautiful cake.. Explained very well I’ve watched it at least a doz times now. Making this cake for July 4th 2019 fingers crossed. And I love using a scale for recipes can’t believe how much of a difference it makes Had a problem a few years back with my sugar cookies I’ve been making for 20 years now so I bought one. Now my sugar cookies & everything else comes out great 🙂 Happy 4th of July !!!
That’s what I love about using a scale too! I never have those “off days” anymore where a recipe randomly doesn’t turn out.
Desperate to make this recipe but it’s coming out as far, far too oily? I’ve tried twice now, measuring everything by weight and using all the correct ingredients (except cake flour is swapped to corn flour+ap flour substitute cause I don’t think they sell cake flour in the UK). Anyone had this problem? Any clue what I’m doing wrong?
I mention in the blog post that you can’t substitute the flour because of the mixing method. The other issue might be your ingredients not being warm (even eggs and milk) must be slightly warm or they will curdle and the batter will separate.
Can I put oreos in the batter to create cookies and cream?
can you use white lily self rising flour in this recipe ,would white lily work? thank you for the information.
Do you always use real egg whites in your recipes? Or can I use the liquid egg whites that come in a carton?
I use liquid egg whites all the time, just make sure you shake the box because they do get watery and separated
Do you have a suggestion for how much by weight for the baking powder? In Australia our tablespoon is bigger in volume. Or… rather than weighing it, should I use 3 teaspoons which would hold roughly the same volume in millilitres?
I don’t know off the top of my head but yes there is a difference if you google it 🙂
Hi, I’ve now made the cake but Is there any way to bring my ermine buttercream back?? It’s really soupy & would definitely not hold any shape… actually I’d be lucky to get it to stay on the cake lol. I’d like to be able to pipe rosettes (like yours). Do you think it’ll make it better if I add some meringue powder?
I attempted making this for the fair…I WILL NEVER MAKE IT AGAIN! The cake was really sticky and it sunk it the middle. It stuck to the pan even though i greased it really well. Then i made the frosting to try and save it and the frosting was so soupy and gross. The only thing i did different in the whole recipe was convert my measurements because i didn’t have scale available at the time. i’ve converted other weights to cups and it has always worked fine for me. why not just use regular measurements in the first place? My local grocery store doesn’t sell cake flour or buttermilk unless you want to pay a ridiculous price. i used the substitute ap flour + corn starch for the cake flour and whole milk + lemon juice for the buttermilk. i’ve used both of these before and the recipes worked fine. i also separated my own eggs but i’m assuming that doesn’t really make a difference. all in all this recipe was gross and didn’t work for me. i don’t know what exactly i did wrong but the cake didn’t taste or look good!
Hi Alexis, I can completely understand your frustration. I hate when I try a new recipe and it flops big time! I myself am a chronic “recipe tweaker” as well and have definitely been in your shoes. I know not everyone understands why I chose to create my recipes by weight instead of cups but that is how I was taught in pastry school and the only way I can guarantee good results and accuracy in measuring. I tried to explain why in the blog post above that it’s really important to measure by weight, follow the instructions and not make substitutions except were suggested (such as adding vinegar to milk if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand) to avoid a baking disaster. Best wishes.
Could I add a vanilla bean or extra vanilla extract to up the vanilla flavor? Do you have a link to buy your scale?
Yes you can def add a vanilla bean. This is my affiliate link to the scale I use 🙂 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VEKX35Y/?cv_ct_id=amzn1.idea.Z0PFK2BYSGWM&cv_ct_pg=storefront&cv_ct_wn=aip-storefront&ref=exp_cov_sugargeekshow_dp_vv_d
Would love more direction with the frosting. The “cool” part is vauge. How cool does the sugar/flour/milk mix need to be? Cooler than it was, room temp, 41degrees, cooler than that? How cool until I add it to the whipped butter? Thanks. A video on how to make the frosting would be really helpful as well, but I would be grateful for just a little more detail too.
Ok, I can update that for you. Cool until it’s not warm anymore so like, room temperature or colder is fine.
Hello!! I haven´t tried this recipe but I´m so tempted to do it, so… Can I replace butter for flavorless oil? Maybe same amount or perhaps a little less. Thank you and best wishes from Buenos Aires, Argentina!!
Butter and oil don’t work the same unfortunately
Hi, I would like to flavor this cake with coconut. Can I add coconut extract in place of the vanilla extract? Or do you suggest I use both flavors?
Thank you
Yes you can use coconut extract
We made this cake and it was wonderful! Have never tried this type of icing and it is now our new favourite. Thanks for posting:)
Thank you! I love it too!
I’m planning to do different coloured layers like you did to have the rainbow cake like you did about. When should I add the food colouring? At the very end? I’m afraid of overmixing the batter. If I wanted more than one colour, do I separate the batter into different bowls and colour them individually?
Hands down my favourite vanilla cake recipe! I noticed you changed the amount of buttermilk you combine with your oil, how does this impact the cake? Does it make a difference?
I just tried to make the instructions more clear 🙂
Made this cake (weighed ingredients) and it turned out delicious! Could NOT get the icing to turn out. Maybe I didn’t let it cool long enough??? Regardless, the cake recipe is worth keeping.
Yes the flour mixture definitely has to be COLD before you add it to the butter or you’ll end up with butter soup 🙂 Glad you liked the cake recipe!
Glad you liked the cake recipe. Yes the frosting has to be COMPLETELY cold otherwise it will melt the butter and you’ll have soup 🙂
Heloo mam if i make red velvet -blue-green…. vanila essence goes with all???
Yes vanilla goes with any color!
Just a note, an authentic Red Velvet Cake has no red food color in it. I’m responding to a comment above.
Hi,
I really want to make your recipe for my daughter’s birthday party. I am just a little confused.
1) In the recipe ingredients “milk” is not one of the ingredient. Instead I see buttermilk, but in recipe instructions/method you mention mixing milk and oil aside. And use remaining milk and mix with egg whites and vanilla. I presume you mean buttermilk and not “milk” here. Please advise.
2) Can I use regular buttercream frosting to frost the cake?
3) I read you mentioned weighing all the ingredients as stated. For liquid ingredients also its weight and not fluid ounces, please advise?
Thank you !
Yes I am referring to the buttermilk. Yes you can use any buttercream you prefer. I weigh everything, even the liquids.
I gave this 4 stars because of the cake is AMAZING! The frosting however is NOT good at all. No one liked it and we ended up not eating all the cake because of that. I won’t use the frosting again BUT the cake recipe is a keeper!
Can I bake this cake in a bundt cake pan or mini bundt cake pan instead?
Yes you can 🙂
How long can you store the Ermine frosting?
I made this cake yesterday as a practice run. I’m looking for a great white cake recipe for a cake for my grandson’s baby shower. I followed this recipe exactly (even bought a new scale) and it sunk terribly in the middle and is a bit oily for my taste. I weighed all ingredients, including the liquids. Should I have just measured the liquids?
Sounds like some of your liquids where too cold which causes the batter to curdle, and separate while baking. I warm my buttermilk in the microwave and I place my eggs in hot water (while still in the shell) for five minutes before cracking. I hope that helps. I weigh everything, including the liquids.
Hi!!
I was wondering if this cake would pair good with the Barry filling and your whipped cream frosting?
Thanks!
Sorry I just realized that my previous question about this went through!!
Made this cake at 3 am this morning for a friend’s birthday tomorrow. I had enough batter to make two 8 inch round cake pans, and leftover batter to fill a budnt pan about half way. I learned that you can’t wait the usual amount of time like other cakes, this one will stick. All three cakes after 2 or 3 mins were loose from the pan, but I waited another 5 or 6 mins to cool more, and all 3 stuck. Also, this cake definitely browns more even with the lower oven temp. All that being said this is a delicious tasting cake, I must admit I added real vanilla, and 1/4 tsp of pure almond extract. The flavor of the almond is in the background, but does make a tastier flavor overall. The texture is a dream, and truly a soft velvety mouth feel. I am not sure if this will be my go to white cake just because it is more steps, and time. I do know my friend is going to love it . Btw I am making a milk chocolate cream cheese frosting to use on it.
That milk chocolate cream cheese sounds delicious!
I just want to be sure….do I measure even liquid ingredients to (like buttermilk and eggs) by weight?
Liquids yes, eggs no. Just go by how many are listed in the recipe. Standard sized eggs in US recipes are large sized eggs and weigh about 1.67ounces if you want to get specific 🙂
Thank you! I tried this recipe for the first time and love it! Next time I want to try wrapping it in plastic wrap, as you suggest, to see if that makes a difference in the moistness. I let it sit out for a couple hours until cool enough to frost but I’m afraid it takes away from the moisture level in the cake
Hi there, I’m wondering if I can use this recipe to make a rainbow cake? Really appreciate your response thanks. Kind regards Vilen
Absolutely! You can totally divide the batter and color it to your hearts desire!
I’m very excited to try the ermine frosting! I’d like to flavor it with powdered dehydrated raspberries. At what point in the recipe would you suggest adding these?
Thank you!
ohhh yummy! I’d put them in at the end after you add in all the flour mixture
Hey there. I noticed you use the reverse creaming method however would it work the same if I did the regular creaming method and will it also work for cupcakes? I love how the texture looks for the cane so I’m just wondering. Thanks so much!
I have not tested this cake using the regular creaming method. Is there a reason you don’t want to try the reverse creaming method if you like the look of the cake? I recommend you check out the vanilla cupcake recipe for cupcakes
I’ll be making a 3 tier wedding cake this week for my brothers wedding on Saturday.
I used to be a wedding cake baker years ago and have stuck to my one white cake recipe from the Cake Bible. It’s really good but I’m looking for something more like this recipe which I think will be really moist.
I’m not going to have time to try it out so I’m just going to go for it.
Please help me with a few questions I have.
I’m making a 4 layer 6inch, 8 inch and 10 inch rounds.
Will 6 recipes be enough? Maybe to much?
Since I haven’t made it I was going to bake on Wednesday but the wedding is Saturday. I’d rather wait until Thursday. If I bake it early and leave it in the pans and wrap it will it be fine left out or better in the fridge?
The cake will have raspberry syrup, lemon curd buttercream and fresh strawberries.
Thank you for your help.
I can’t wait to try it!
6 recipes would be way too much. Usually when I do a four-layer, I torte a 2″ or 3″ tall layer in half. I would do a double batch to make two 10″ cakes and a double batch to do two 8″ and two 6″ cakes. You might have a little leftover. Check out my blog post on how to make your first cake for more info on trimming, torting, chilling etc. This cake is very delicate at room temperature and I recommend chilling before crumb coating. I would bake early on thursday, put the layers in the freezer for an hour then trim, fill, crumbcoat and store in the fridge until the next day to do the final layer of frosting and decorating.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your time. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Your recipe is the best and the only one I use. I noticed the low price of Sour Cream at Costco and decided to not use buttermilk in the recipe, but used 5oz of whole milk and 5oz of Sour Cream. I lined the bottom and the sides of my cake pans with parchment paper and the cakes came out perfectly (just had to trim the top as I forgot to re-level my oven after cleaning it last week…so the cake tops had to be levelled), and didn’t have to trim sides or bottom. This one’s a keeper! Thank you for your amazing recipes!
That’s great! I will list sour cream as a substitute 😀
FYI, Hershey’s Special Dark IS a Dutched cocoa – it’s a blend of half natural, half dutch process.
i was taught to bake by my grandmother who owned a bakery in Boston for many years. This is the best tasting cake I’ve ever made. Follow the recipe exactly. Including the trick with warming the egg whites. I made a unicorn cake for my granddaughter. This cake colors beautifully and tastes amazing.
Thank you so much Terri!
Ok I’m gonna sound complicated bc I know you already have a vanilla cake recipe but I want to use this one because I personally like buttermilk in vanilla cake. Can I replace the egg whites with whole eggs (assuming I fix the ratios) and add more vanilla to make this a vanilla cake?
Technically this is already a vanilla cake because the flavor is vanilla 🙂 You can increase the vanilla if you like but if you use whole eggs it could throw off the texture
I’ve been trying different white cake recipes for years, and this one takes the cake!! It is the most tender and fluffy cake I’ve ever had, with perfect moistness! The aesthetics are magnificent and it melts in your mouth!! The recipe made 3 nice height 6” layers. I was out of almond extract, so I decided to flavor it with key lime and vanilla bean paste and filled it with cream cheese SMBC. I also drizzled each layer with key lime and vanilla bean paste simple syrup. Then I frosted it with vanilla SMBC. This recipe is definitely a keeper – thank you for sharing!!
Hi!
can this recipe be made into a bundt cake?
I have not tested it but I don’t see why not 🙂
hi i loved this recipe but the only thing is that my cake wasnt as white as yours what have i done wrong?
Could have been a little under-mixed. Mine is more ivory if I don’t mix it enough
Hi! I love your cake and I’ve already made it a couple of times. However, my icing does not turn out as pretty as yours… tastes good but looks ugly like it has little clumps in it. I suspect it might be that my kitchen is too warm. Any insight about what could be causing the problem?
Sounds like you’re adding your flour mixture too fast or not whipping long enough
Hi. I made a blue velvet cake from this recipe for Father’s Day this year. The cake turned out beautiful and tasted so wonderful. We, my husband and I and our 9 year old girl finished this cake within a few days! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. I’d like to know though, if I want to make this cake like a chocolate velvet cake, how much cocoa powder do you think should be added without compromising the texture of the cake? Thank you.
I haven’t tested this out with a chocolate version yet and I’m sure it would be more in-depth than just adding cocoa powder. Glad you liked the recipe though!
Hi there! This cake looks amazing! I’m looking to make a 6 layer rainbow cake just as you have pictured. Did you 3x this recipe to achieve that many layers? Did you add the food coloring at the end? Any guidance is appreciated. Thanks!!
The layers are only 1″ tall. I divided the batter into 6 bowls, colored them all separately and then baked them in 6″ cake pans.
Hi liz Im making this cake tomorrow! What brand butter do you recommend using for great results? Please let me know.
So, I tried this recipe for a layered 10” cake. It taste amazing however I think I did something wrong. Is there such thing as your ingredients being too warm for room temperature? I followed the recipe to the t but my cakes rose evenly 1/4” above the pan in the oven then dropped in the middle…. any suggestions? I can’t think of anything
Maybe your pans were just a little too full and then under-baked?
Hello.can I add in the egg yellows too instead of just the whites. What difference will it make?
the yolks will make the cake less white
Fantastic cake. Super light and fluffy. I love the ermine frosting too. Lovely taste, and not too sweet. It pipes beautifully. I’d never heard of it, but it is definitely going to replace Swiss meringue buttercream for me. Thank you for providing these recipes.
Hi! Can I please have the recipe for the cake goop? I find when baking smaller cakes that you can see the flour from the flour/butter pan prep but with your cake goop mixture, I am hoping this fixes my problem. Can’t wait to make your cake! All the best….
1 cup each of flour, vegetable oil and vegetable shortening. Mix it all together and then brush it onto your cake pans before filling with batter. Works perfectly!
Hi. I just wondered if this cake is sturdy enough to be covered with ganache and sugarpaste?
Yes absolutely
Thank you Liz. I’m going to make this next week for my mums birthday. I can’t wait to try it. I love all your recipes and thank you so much for giving us all the benefit of your cakey knowledge. xx
Liz, I want to try the ermine frosting, for the recipe you have listed, will that cover a 2 layer 10 inch cake?
I would make a 1 1/2 batch for a 10″ cake
Will this recipe work for a half sheet cake?
Yes you can bake the batter in any size cake pan you want
Will this cake hold to be stacked in a 3 layer cake? And how full do I feel my cake pans? I will be using 10×2”
yes you can, I fill my pans 2/3 full
Would adding sprinkles to the cake for a fancy funfetti look alter anything? Not a huge amount just a table spoon or so.
Nope! I have done it before too and it’s great!
My American parents lived through the Depression. Mom worked and Dad was in medical School during my childhood. Cakes were either yellow or chocolate because the yolk was “the best part of the egg”. I am so looking forward to making a great WHITE cake. That is what I wanted, cake-wise…. so I stopped asking for any birthday cake and asked for a blueberry pie instead. I noticed several other comments about “adding the yolks”. Ugh! White cake is so special and the yolks must be totally OUT! It is sacrilegious to even think of adding yolks!
Hi Liz, if I used 4in cake pans do you know how many cakes I could make with this recipe? Thanks!
I don’t really know. I don’t often use 4″ cake pans
I am wanting to make this recipe for a 12 x 18 x 2 pan. The pan is huge! Would you suggest doubling the recipe??
I do a triple batch for half sheet pans
Thank you!!!
Why is this so much more detailed than your red velvet cake? The red velvet has extra vinegar added to it. Is it possible to use the red velvet recipe and leave the red color and cocoa out? It also has a bit more sugar. His recipe has a absolutely beautiful texture but not the little buttermilk touch I was expecting. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe with the Ermine icing:)
I have tried that but it doesn’t work the same
If I were to halve this recipe, would you suggest adding 1/4 cup of buttermilk and oil to the dry mixture? I tried doing it this way but the mixture did not turn out to be like yours in the video. The mixture wasn’t thick and fluffy like yours, but resembled something like choux pastry, slightly thick and stretchy even after mixing for more than 2 minutes. I weighed everything using a scale so that shouldn’t have been a problem. Any idea why that happened? I really want this recipe to work!! Your cake really looks amazing.
If you halve the recipe there shouldn’t be any other adjustments needed. Mixing more than 2 minutes will result in a thicker batter
Wow!! A vanilla cake that I did NOT have to use simple syrup! I love buttermilk cakes because they tend to be a bit more moist. Pairing this with cake flour makes it super light, soft and, well, velevetty! LOL This one is a keeper! I paired it with my cream cheese frosting and it is DELICIOUS!! I was looking for a nice cake that I could dye lime green for Halloween and this is perfect! I’ll be using the cream cheese frosting between the layers (dyed the same lime green) but using a SMB on the outside (yup, lime green, too!) since I will not be using fondant, and topping it with a chocolate ganache, with a bit of black coloring, for a creepy top to put the tentacles and eyeballs in! LOL Hope it tastes ok! And this is the first time I tried your cake pan goop. MAGIC! Thank you for freeing me of my parchment paper! I will certainly be checking out more of your recipes.
Thank you so much Jennifer! Love your review
Well, I made the cake today for my daughter’s birthday. This is the first time I followed a recipe with dry ingredients measured by weight and it’s very easy to do! The batter went together beautifully–I think I actually like it better than the baked cake. I used cake strips on the pans and the layers came out flat and mostly even–think my oven rack is a bit warped. One day I’ll have a better range with sturdier racks. The ermine frosting went together very well and it was a hit with everyone because its rich but not sweet. Yay! Just may become the default buttercream.
I even got a turntable to frost the cake and hmm, there is a learning curve here. I tried the trick of lining the spatula or bench scraper up with the cake board to get a real smooth side and it didn’t quite work since I didn’t bother to trim the layers first. You really need that extra little space for this to work, so trim the cake! I even made sugared pansies to decorate the top. So, so pretty.
This is a lovely white cake and I had to try it even though I am not a fan of “plain cake”. I prefer more flavor (and texture) so for the little baby 6″ one I made for fun I’ll use lemon curd between the layers and add some lemon zest to the leftover ermine frosting. And sugar a few more pansies!
That’s great! So why the four stars I’m curious 🙂
We don’t have the option of “cake flour” down here. Is it the same as 00 or soft flour? I may be able to get them from a specialty shop online. I tried the recipe with regular flour, and as mentioned… crumbly. Made a great strawberry shortcake by accident! Still delicious though.
I’m not sure what 00 or soft flour is but it sounds like it could work 🙂
Love it! Thank you so much for explaining so well! I used one and a half recipe and it converted perfectly. I really appreciate you sharing so many tips? my favorite velvet cake yet!
Would this recipe make two 10” pans? I’m trying to make a 4 layer cake using 10” cake pans. Thank you in advance!!
Increase the amount of batter the recipe makes by adjusting the servings. I would make a batch and a half for two 10″ round cake pans and then tort the layers in half length wise to make four layers
I’m sure it doesn’t matter that much, but I was a little confused. Your video doesn’t match your recipe instructions. In the recipe you combine half a cup of the milk and the oil together. But in the video you mix half a cup of the milk with the egg whites and the vanilla.
You can mix either way but I updated the recipe to reflect easier mixing instructions after feedback about not getting the mixing correct.
Hi
I am going to try this recipe tomorrow and I was wondering if you remember how much batter by weight shall i put in the 6 inch cake pans? I tried to see your weighing scale in the video but i cant make out the numbers. I want the layers to be same size so i usually prefer weighing it. I am using Fat Daddios 6 inch x 2 inch pans.
Thanks!!
I believe it is 15oz for 6″ pans
This is the best white velvet cake I’ve ever made. Thank you for the updated recipe. For my first attempt, I made 3 x 6 inch cakes. I added1/3 cups of sprinkles for a confetti cake. Next time I halved the recipe and made 3 x 4 inch cakes which I’m going to make a mini champagne cake for my friends birthday. Those cakes are in the freezer waiting for their turn. I used cake flour which is available here in Australia and that is the secret to the success plus the reverse creaming method I believe. It’s great to have a moist light white cake that is so versatile. Thank you.
Thats awesome Brenda! I’m so glad you guys have cake flour, it makes a huge difference
Hi there!
This didn’t come out good at all, however, I think I’m missing something in the recipe. As per the recipe, I combined half of the oil and the buttermilk and set that aside. But I didn’t see in the directions, where to add the other half of the oil. I only discovered when I was cleaning up that I had oil left over. Can you point me in the right direction here? Although it didn’t come out good, I want to try it again. Also, I weighed everything except for the ingredients that were “tsp” or “Tbsp”, is that right? Thanks so much! I’m excited to try it again.
The recipe says to combine half the milk and the oil, not half the oil. That milk/oil mixture is used in the 2 minute mixing. The rest of the milk/eggs are added in at the end.
OHHHHH!!!! Thank you! I’m trying this again!
Stupid question maybe….Can you use this recipe for a wedding cake? A 6”, 8”, and 10” layered stacked cake? I’ll have a center dowl with heavy duty straws for stability, using a shortening/powdered sugar icing recipe. Any advice?
Yes you can use any of the scratch-made cakes as wedding cakes. Cake tiers are supported by dowels, not by eachother.
This was easily the BEST white cake I’ve ever made in all my years of baking and trying new recipes for white cake. It baked perfectly (I used a 9×13 pan- baked at 325 for 45 mins). I don’t know why I was so hesitant to try it all these months. I weighed my ingredients using cups so I know the measurements next time I need to whip it up. It literally took no time. It’s super fluffy and moist even after chilling in the fridge for a day (wrapped). It doesn’t turn super hard like an all butter white cake. I added sprinkles to the batter to make it funfetti and it was so white and pretty with all the little flecks of color. Thank you Liz for this amazing recipe!
Yay thank you so much mona! It’s my favorite vanilla cake too!
This cake is delicious!
Does it need to be refrigerated because of the ermine frosting?
The cake can be left at room temperature for up to 6 hours
I probably should have asked this before baking ?- but does this cake hold up well to carving? I wanted to do a surprise inside Christmas tree cake for my sons bday and although the cakes are beautiful just out of the oven, I’m wondering if such a light texture might not be good for what I’m trying to accomplish. Totally something I should have thought of! This recipe is similar to what I make typically save for the cake flour (I use AP), which makes sense then that this one is less dense than mine! He wanted a “velvet” cake so I chose this one! I’m sure it’s going to be absolutely delicious-just trying to decide if I should simply stack instead of trying to carve anything. Don’t want to waste the cake!
Carving a hole out of the center shouldn’t adversely affect the cake. Just keep them well-chilled and they will hold up 🙂
Hello! I am really excited to try this recipe and wonder if I can use coconut oil as a substitution for the vegetable oil? Thank you so much!
I haven’t tried that but I dont see why it wouldnt work 🙂
Hello 🙂 I am going to make a rainbow cake and love to try this. When can I put the gel colors? I’m afraid to mix the colors at the end may be I mixed it too much and will end up dry.
Just mix them in at the end as directed.
Probably the best cake I’ve ever made. I didn’t even have a proper scale. Nothing seemed to be going right, but at the end, it was amazing. I’ve never received so many compliments. I’m no Baker, but I do love to bake. Thanks for the great recipes.
Nailed It!
This is my new favorite cake! I made this for a co-workers birthday and it received rave reviews from everyone. The cake is so velvety soft, moist, and the flavor is wonderful. I was impressed at how the batter made use of every square inch of the cake pans, 2 8×2 ( for a moment, I was a little worried it would overflow, but it didn’t) It made nice tall layers. I’m putting this on repeat!
Divine. Absolutely divine! I have been searching for a cake like this forever. My family judges a cake based on how it tastes without frosting, and let me just say, they asked me to skip the frosting because the cake tastes so good! I did not have cake flour on hand so I did a DIY version of cake flour, and I used applesauce instead of oil. Hands down, best cake I’ve ever made. I followed the measurements and weight to an exact.
Thanks so much! I’m so glad that the substitutions worked out! I’ll have to give that one a try 😀
I followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious! However it was so soft and crumbly that I was unable to frost it as they fell apart. Wondering how to adjust either my bake temp or time? Or refrigerate before frosting? I baked at 350 for 33 minutes. Cake pans were a little too full. Brown on top and some crispy edges. Help! I want to make again this weekend for my gender reveal party!
Yes you definitely need to chill the cakes before frosting so they are easier to handle. Check out my how to make your first cake tutorial. If your pans are a little too full then you can divide into three pans. Your layers will be shorter. https://sugargeekshow.com/news/how-to-make-a-cake/
Can i use this recipe to make cookies n cream cake? And if
So how much crushed oreos can i add to the batter?
I havent tested this recipe using crushed cookies
I made this cake a couple of days ago. The cake was very heavy and dense. Is it supposed to be that way? I also made the icing, following your recipe, but it was very runny and I had to throw it away. What did I do wrong?
No, the cake is not supposed to be heavy and dense and the buttercream is not runny. Perhaps some measuring went wrong somewhere. Did you use scales or did you convert to cups? The flour mixture has to be completely cold before you whip it into the butter to avoid it being runny.
My kids loved the cake and the frosting! I make a funfetti and white velvet practice cakes for a birthday cake order and I think I liked the flavor of the funfetti cake a bit more actually. However, the kids have spoken, and white velvet cake with sprinkles it will be! It was delicious, even though I over-baked it just a wee bit to where it had pulled away from the walls of the cake pan. Does that affect the density?
Slight shrinking is normal 🙂
I am making a unicorn cake and wondered what the adjustments would be to make three 8″ round layers? Also would your easy swiss buttercream icing work with this cake?
I would do a batch plus a half batch and yes to the swiss buttercream. Yum!
What kind of unsalted butter do you use? The recipe has the frosting as ermain but in the comments you said you have never made it, which frosting is on the cake in the video? Do you use whole eggs and separate the whites or do you use a carton of just eggs whites? Thanks.
Hi Heather, perhaps the comment was an older comment. I have updated this recipe from the original which used easy buttercream. The frosting on the cake and in the recipe card is ermine frosting. I use carton egg whites for cakes.
Thank you.
Can this be doubled or would I need to make the batches separately?
I double and triple it all the time without problems
THIS IS THE BEST CUPCAKE RECIPE EVER!!!!!! I have tried SO many, and none of them have had the texture or a moistness like these. I was married to my last vanilla cake recipe (seriously—it took everything in me to try something new), but I wanted to see if I could find something that stays as moist as my chocolate. AND THIS IS IT. I couldn’t wait for them to be frosted, so I had one. And then I had four more. I JUST DOWNED 5 UNFROSTED CUPCAKES. I’m sure the frosting is fabulous, but the cake is insanely amazing just on its own. I followed the recipe exactly as instructed…I did see a comment that suggested omitting the oil and using only half of the buttermilk if making cupcakes, but since I chose this recipe based on the moistness and the tender crumb it promised, I decided to keep both of those in the recipe and it ABSOLUTELY delivered. They had perfect domes, a beautiful white shade on top (and on the bottom!), and OMG are they fluffy and moist! This recipe is the dream. THANK YOU Liz!!!
Yay!! I’m so glad someone finally loves these as much as I do haha and I feel you on eating them warm and unfrosted! The best!
This is easily the best white cake I’ve ever made or eaten! I flavored it with Meyer lemon (zest and essence) in addition to the vanilla, but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter and it turned out wonderfully. The crumb is as fine and light as a good fatless sponge but it has all the flavor of the butter and buttermilk. Thanks for developing this recipe!
Two questions…
1. Is it possible to over mix after the addition of the milk/oil mixture (such as mixing for 4 min instead of 2) or over mixing after addition of the milk/egg white mixture.
2. If you use cake strips, would you have to adjust the baking temp or time?
Yes, absolutely you can over-mix. When you over-mix a cake your cake will be very tough and gummy and have big holes in the cake called tunneling. I don’t know about using cake strips and if it affects the time, I have only used them a couple times and find them to be a hassle.
Hi there
Quick question
If i use salted butter in the frosting will it be ok?
If yes
Should i leave the salt out?
Thank you
It might taste a little salty which is why we traditionally use unsalted butter. Yes you would leave out the salt
Hi! I wonder does it matter if I use bleached cake flour or unbleached cake flour for this recipe? thanks!
You want to use bleached cake flour if possible, unbleached gives you more of a cornbread texture
I have made this cake and it is SO delicious.
I need to use this recipe for a 10” round 4-layer cake. Should I triple the recipe for 4 10” pans?
Yes but you might have a little batter leftover
I am making cakes for 2 separate occasions. Can I double the recipe without causing any issues? Also, will this bake okay using 9×13 pans?
Yes and yes 😀
Hi SGS, i wanted to know, can i keep this cake coat this cake with Fondants and can i keep the cake in room temperature for 3 days or 4. Thank you.
Yes you can cover this cake in fondant and it will keep at room temperature but I wouldn’t for more than 2 days
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. It’s a keeper! I just had one question for you. I wanted my cake to be less sweet. How would I adjust the sugar so that it doesn’t effect the outcome of the cake? If even possible. I’m making an 6″, 9″ and 12″ tiered wedding cake this weekend.
Hi Josue, you could remove maybe 2 ounces of sugar without hurting the recipe but keep in mind that sugar is what makes this cake moist and tender so your cake may become dry and tough if you start removing too much sugar.
This cake is so good! Could I make a lemon variation by adding some lemon zest and extract? If so, How much extract could I add? I love your lemon cake recipe also but this base is my ultimate favorite! Tia ❤️
You definitely could replace vanilla with lemon extract and add in the zest of one lemon
I love this recipe and the flavor so much… But I have a question regarding cutting the cake. Just a little background…I fill and frost it with Italian meringue buttercream (after the cakes have chilled in the refrigerator for 24 hours ). I also keep in the fridge for another 24+ hours after I frost it. I then take it out to get softer for about 2 hours before we cut and serve.. But when we cut into the cake it crumbles quite a bit. But the cake is super tender and moist and I’m not sure what could be wrong. I’ve made this recipe over a dozen times and follow the directions as well as scale my ingredients and keep all my ingredients at room temperature. What do you think this could be? Thank you!!
I think you might be under-mixing a bit or you might be using medium eggs instead of large eggs so the structure is not quite solid enough
Sheer fluffy perfection! Thank you for the awesome recipe. I baked this in an 8×12″ same time 8500 ft. 38 minutes. Absolutely lovely!
Hi! I made this cake first in 8 inch pans and it was gorgoeus and then tried again with 10 inch pans by adding a half recipe. It didn’t come out fluffy and the outside cooked way before the inside. What should I do to the recipe, temperature, and baking time to make two 10 inch cakes?
Make sure you increase the baking time, everything is mixed properly, ingredients at room temperature etc.
Hi
Can I use this as substitute for Vanilla Butter Cske/Vanilla Cake and top with various frostings and topping like lemon/passion curd?
Yes you definitely can and that sounds delicious
I made this cake to practice for my wedding cake in October. Questions are: 1. How many oz of batter do you use in a 8” and a 10” Round cake pan? 2. I know that there is baking soda and buttermilk to react with each other in this recipe, how long can the batter sit before that reaction stops and starts to deflate the batter? (I only have limited cake pans so I am trying to figure out how I can stagger a 6”, 8” and 10” and if I should need to make multiple batches separately to achieve the beautiful crumb of this cake. 3. Do you have a chocolate mousse recipe you like to use to put in between your cakes? Thanks so much and I have really enjoyed your videos and recipes!
If you add up all the oz in the recipe you can get a number of ounces. I don’t fill my pans by ounces, I just go by sight. About 3/4 full. You should bake the batter as soon as you make it. I do not use mousse for wedding cake fillings because it is very soft and needs to be refrigerated. I would use whipped chocolate ganache instead.
How much cocoa powder and food coloring do you need to add to make it red velvet?
Follow the red velvet cake recipe
Crap! Just measured out my ingredients for the cake part. Yes, I have a scale! Went to measure for the icing and realized I don’t have enough granular sugar. Our state now on lock-down since yesterday (COVID19) so not running to store for sugar. Can I make up the difference by using powdered sugar? I’d add it to the granular to get up to 14 ounces. Thanks!
Sorry, I didn’t see this comment until now. You’ve probably already mixed it up! Let me know how it goes. I think it will be ok
For the icing, not sure what it means to “toast” the flour. Am I supposed to see it turning brown?
It means to just let the flour cook in the pan until it starts to lightly turn brown
Is the frosting supposed to be really buttery tasting? I sent you a msg earlier about how I only had powdered sugar (and a tiny bit of granulated). I also didn’t know how to toast the sugar/flour mix. I ended up burning some that stuck to the bottom sides of the pan. Stuck hard! But I went ahead and used the rest of it, whipping it into the butter. It tastes good! It may be a little more buttery tasting because I didn’t use the burnt portions, causing me to have less of it for whipping into the butter? But it’s fluffy. I really want to try it again with all granulated sugar. It was really hard to whisk the powdered sugar in the pan because it’s texture causes the whisk to “drag”. I think regular sugar would yield a better result!… As for the cake – a winner! Very light and fluffy! Delicious. The frosting was light, fluffy, and delicious on it too!
No, the frosting should be very light and taste like whipped cream. So sorry you had so many issues but it sounds like you made the best of it <3
I have tried this recipe twice and both times it collapses in the middle. I can’t seem to get a fluffy cake. What am I doing wrong?
It could be that you are under-mixing, some of your ingredients are cold or that you are not baking for long enough
Hi there – I’m hoping you can help me figure out what I did wrong. This is the first time using reverse creaming (love) in my new Bosch (love)!! Also for baking at 335. I followed the directions except I added sprinkles ton ale or a funfetti. When I took them out of the oven they sank and after 10 minutes when flipped out of the pans they were sunken also. Could it be from adding the sprinkles? My oven thermometer was accurate. Thanks so much – Jennifer
Hmmm it could be you under-mixed. This happened to me one time in my bosch, I was worried I was over-mixing because it’s so powerful but I actually under-mixed. Also, not sure if you’re doubling the recipe but if you are, be extra careful about adding in the liquid slowly so the batter doesn’t break. I have added in sprinkles successfully with no problem as long as you don’t add too many. If they sunk, it makes me think the batter was not mixed right somehow
I have your WASC cake cooling right now! Q: How would you describe the taste and texture differences between your 3-ish “white” cakes? 1. white velvet 2. white scratch 3. WASC white (and if I’m missing any others?)
(I don’t necessarily need to know about things like carvabiliity or stacking, etc, so, I’m curious to your description of taste/mouth feel/texture differences/similarities.)
LOVE YOUR SITE!!!! 🙂
White velvet is the most tender and flavorful, white cake has a firmer texture and a milder flavor, WASC is very soft and spongy like a bakery store white cake.
Hi Liz, I was so excited for a white cake to succeed as I’ve tried many, but unfortunately it resulted in a really odd cake. It did not rise and had an almost wet texture. The only thing I did different was converted ingredients to cups, as I don’t have a scale. Everything else was done EXACTLY as you instructed. I’m sure yours is great but mine was not and it just bothers me why I can’t get a perfect white cake to save my life. Any comments would be appreciated.
That is, unfortunately, the issue. Im so sorry you had to waste your ingredients 🙁 Investing in a scale will save you a lot of headaches in the future and is SO much easier. You can learn more about using a scale in this blog post. https://sugargeekshow.com/news/digital-kitchen-scale/
Hi. I’d like to make a rainbow cake, I want to start in a few hours, so I hope you see this soon enough. How many batches are needed to make 6 layers, I don’t want the cake to be too big (lockdown=no visitors), but I don’t wanna do a half job by only making 4 layers.
Also, what are cools things to make with egg yolks, I don’t wanna waste.
You could follow my rainbow cake recipe which is made with the white velvet cake. https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/rainbow-cake/
Thanks for this wonderful recipe – the cake came out amazingly soft and tasty. I made it for my son’s first month celebration and added some peppermint extract to get a peppermint cake.
I’m thinking of using this same recipe (because it’s so good!) to make an Elderflower cake. The recipes I’ve seen call for quite a bit more syrup than just a tsp of flavouring to flavour the cake. I was wondering if you have used any other syrups like this to flavour this recipe that may affect the consistency of the batter and ultimately the final product.
Thanks again!
If you need to add a lot of liquid, reduce the milk by the same amount. If your elderflower syrup has added sugar, reduce the sugar by a few ounces as well. You may have to do a couple tests to dial it in.
Great, I’ll try that. Thank you so much!
Really looking fwd to try this recipe. I Hve to make a 8 inch and 6 inch wedding cake. If I need to make the cake 2 days in advance is it better to soak the cake with sugar syrup? Tanx a lot
No you do not need to soak the cake. Most cakes are baked 2-3 days in advance to allow time for cooling, stacking, filling decorating etc.
The 1st time I made this cake I had to convert measurements b/c my scale was broken. It still turned out amazing. Just made it again, this time scale in hand! Absolutely 1 of the best cake recipes I’ve tried. I appreciate the details you’ve added. I’m a much better cook than baker so I found them very useful.
I only have two 9″ rounds will the baking time be similar? Thank you.
Yes it will be, possibly a few minutes less because the cakes will be thinner
My cakes look yellow?! The only thing I had to change was I didn’t have buttermilk, so I followed a recipe to thin out sour cream & I weighed everything correctly 🤷🏼♀️
I forgot, I also had to do a AP flour & cornstarch mixture because I didn’t have cake flour…
That would be the problem, despite what the internet says, cake flour and AP flour + cornstarch does not result in the same thing. It’s a myth.
Thanks so much for this recipe. Will be trying it out tomorrow. Please what kind of flour should be used for the frosting and will this frosting hold decorations such as a chocolate sail on top?
Regular flour for the frosting. Yes you can put a sail on top. The sail should be pushed down through the frosting into the cake
Is this cake dense enough to make a 3 tier covered in fondant?
Yes, just remember your cakes are supported by cake supports, don’t just stack cakes on top of each other. You can learn about stacking cake layers in this tutorial https://sugargeekshow.com/news/marbled-fondant-tutorial/
I made it just now ….the texture is good but inside it’s not white it’s normal pale yellow. 🙁
Sound like it was not mixed quite enough or the ingredients were cold. I have had this happen before and it was because my batter broke and curdled during mixing
Hi! How many ounces of batter would you put in each 6in pan?? Thanks !
About 14
I used half the recipe to make cupcakes as a tester before I bake a birthday cake. I couldn’t find cake flour anywhere (Target, Safeway, Harris Teeter, Streets, Whole foods). Even finding AP flour was difficult. So I did exactly what it says shouldn’t be done – AP flour and cornstarch. The cupcakes where AWESOME. I bake a lot of muffins and cupcakes and typically eat only one and give out the rest. I have eaten 3 of these. They are so moist. Hopefully when baking the full birthday cake it comes out as good as the cupcakes.
Thank you for the tip! I’m so glad it worked out for you for cupcakes 😀
Hi I have a left over toasted flour. Can I use it for the ermine frosting? Thank you so much and God bless.
I don’t see why not 🙂
Hi Liz – looking forward to making this! Your vanilla cake is my go to .
Can I store the ermine frosting? What to do when I’m ready to use the frosting after storing in the ref?
Thank you!
Ermine frosting should be used right after you make it
Hi there! You video says mix 1/2 cup milk to the egg whites, save the rest in another bowl and mix oil and vanilla. But your written instructions are opposite… you have combine 1/2 cup milk with the OIL (not the egg whites) and mix. Add rest of milk to egg whites and add vanilla. Can you clarify please? Thank you!
The correct way is to combine the milk with the oil. I used to do it the other way 🙂 Recipes are always evolving.
Will this recipe work for a funfetti cake?
Yep! Just add about 1/4 cup of rainbow jimmies or confetti sprinkles, not non-perils, they will just melt.
Hi! Could I add coconut to this recipe?
You could add coconut extract or replace the milk with coconut milk plus lemon juice (read the buttermilk substitute blog post)
5 oz of egg white how much eggs in total
Everything is measured by weight so you would add egg whites to the container until you reach 5 ounces
Hi there what an amazing recipe. I was wondering if you could help me, How many times would I have to multiple this recipe for two sheet cakes. I have to make the fortnight battle bus for my sons birthday. I’m feeding 12. Not sure if you also knew what size of sheet pan I should go with. Thank you in advanced and I so plan on following your post. You have amazing recipes
Hi there, 12 is not a lot of servings. You could make a 6″ cake and get 12 servings. If you want to go for size, then I recommend baking two 1/4 sheet cakes. You would only need one batch of batter per sheet pan so its easy to do. Good luck!
Hi! I was wondering what could be a possible alternative for the cake flour… I realise you wrote no AP flour and cornstarch but could I just substitute it in whole with AP flour? I’m in a huge dilemma since your cakes are amazing and we usually don’t get cake flour here in the UK… Thank you!
Hi Duaa, you can get cake flour in the UK, search shipton mills soft cake and pastry flour 🙂
I made this cake earlier this week and it was a huge success!! I’ve made a few failed cakes during this quarantine, so I was so happy to finally make a good cake. It turned out so moist and yummy. I gave half the cake to my mom so she can give it to her coworkers at the hospital and she said they finished it right away 😀 what a huge compliment!
I used your SMBC recipe for the frosting instead of ermine because I didn’t have any milk left (lol). Whenever I made SMBC it would always turn out so buttery, but thanks to your instruction, it turned out perfectly!! Thank you! Can’t wait to try more recipes. I have my eye on your strawberry cake next because my mom bought too many strawberries for our household of three to eat haha!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that! Get some strawberry extract too if you can and some pink food coloring :-D.
Hi Liz after many hours of going back and forth trying decide which one of your vanilla type cakes to make I’ve decided to go with the white velvet one but i just started preparing the ingredients but im @ stand still with the amount of cake flour required since 14oz c.f= 397g and
340g c.f =12oz
I’m afraid I don’t understand the question. Can you elaborate?
What’s the main difference between this cake recipe and your vanilla cake recipe? I want to avoid cake bulges and plan to use one of these recipes for tiered cakes, and standard cakes.
I plan to try your vanilla cake one next and see which one I like best. I’ve been looking for an awesome vanilla cake recipe that was fluffy and moist, I’m so happy with how this one turned out❤️❤️ I’ve tried 3 different recipes and resorted back to doctoring a cake mix 😭
The vanilla cake is very soft and tender and is not white. The white cake is very white, has a slight almond flavor and is sturdier than the vanilla cake. Both are delicious.
Undoubtedly had to be the best white cake and frosting I’ve ever made! Your description is right on! This now will be the recipe I reach for for special occasions or just because I’m ready for another slice!
Hey! I would like to make this cake for my mom for Mother’s Day. Does the ermine frosting do good with decorating? Can you color it?
Yes the ermine is great for decorating. As you can see I used it to decorate the cake in this blog post. You can add color but it needs to be used the same day as you make it because the frosting “sets” and can’t be re-mixed
This cake is A. May. Zing. It’s delicious, with a texture like no other. It is NOT a basic, cream-butter-sugar-add-eggs type of recipe, but the results are far from basic, so the effort is well worth it. I have made this cake several times and have failed twice, both times from NOT FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS!! Before you make this cake, weigh out your ingredients (have them room temp), and line them up in the order you add them. Don’t try to use volume measurements, use weights.
I have always used the ermine icing with this cake, and until today I have never done the ‘beat it for ten minutes after’ step. But I did today and the difference is clear. It’s very smooth and easy to spread, and delicious!
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. You are fantastic baker and teacher!
Your recipe is amazing, I just tried it with my friend and it’s spot on. Thanks for this amazing recipe.
I haven’t made this cake yet but plan on doing it this week. My question is can you use pasteurized egg whites? I’ve made some of your other recipes and they are amazing!!
You definitely can! That’s what I use 😀
Can you use Unbleached cake flour?
Short answer is, maybe? Unbleached cake flour sometimes has a protein level similar to regular bleached all-purpose flour. How they can call it cake flour, I’m not sure. So I would check to see the protein content of your cake flour to see if its 9% or less. If it’s higher, your cake just might not have as fine of a texture, more like a cornbread.
Would using whole eggs hurt the cake except for turning it a slight yellowish color? I know you could make a curd with your yolks but I don’t make curds but very very rarely and would rather not waste? Thank you
Yes you definitely can. 1 1/2 egg whites equals one whole egg.
I need to make a big cake as im feeding 12 people. I have a cake pan about the size of a casserole dish. can i add all the batter into one dish for one layer then repeat. or does the batter need to be devided into smaller pans?
Hi there. I don’t know how big your casserole dish is. If the batter fills the pan more than halfway I would use a different dish.
I’ve made the cake part so I know it is amazing! So I can rate it five stars. My question is when making the frosting how long do i let the stuff i made on the stove top and covered with plastic wrap cool? Does it just cool while im whipping the butter or till it gets to room temp? Its been cooling a while and super hot still.
No, it needs to be cooled until its COLD. Pour it onto a sheet pan and put it in the fridge to make it cool faster 🙂
If using 6” pans, will this recipe fill 3 pans?
Also, how would I adjust the cooking time & temperature?
Yes it will fill three pans with a little leftover so bake yourself a few cupcake snacks 😀 Baking time varies but I would start with 30 minutes and see how done they are. Add time as needed until the center is set
Could I add a cup of wine to this cake.
I think that would throw the liquids off but you could try removing some of the milk and replacing it with the wine
Hi, how many eggs are in 5 oz? I’m not used to this type of egg measurement 🙂
I’m planning on making this cake over the weekend!
I suggest using a scale for this cake and not to convert or it could possibly sink. The flour requires very exact measuring. To answer your question, 5 egg whites = 5 oz
Hi can we substitute margarine for oil
Thank s
I think that would be ok
Hi,
If I were to use whole eggs, would 5 oz egg whites equal to approx 3 large eggs?
Yep! you are correct 😀
Can this recipe be tripled to make a Full sheet cake?
Absolutely 🙂
Hello Liz! I have already made this recipe for a friend’s baby shower and everyone loved it! I especially love the dome part because it is so creamy, and my son had a similar reaction to your daughter when he ate it. I would like to use this recipe to make cookies and cream cake for Father’s day. Can i just simply add chopped oreos to the batter? How much oreos can i add to the batter and to the ermine frosting? Thank you and i really appreciate your videos.
Yes, you definitely can add Oreos. I would put them in the blender to break them up and make them pretty fine or they might sink. I don’t know how much exactly, maybe 1/4 or so after it’s been crushed.
How would I use your recipe for 3 layer with 8 inch round pans?
Make one and a half batches to have enough batter for three cake pans
Hi! I am making a birthday cake that is supposed to be red velvet. I wanted to spice it up and make it a rainbow layer red velvet cake. I am worried that the colors won’t be as vibrant because of the cocoa powder in traditional red velvet. Does the cocoa powder make it tase any different than this white velvet cake? What would you suggest doing?
Hi there. I suggest you check out my white velvet rainbow cake. I’ve already done all the work for you 🙂 https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/rainbow-cake/
Hi,
Can I substitute 3 whole eggs for the egg whites?
Yes you can, it just won’t be white 🙂
How much ingredients would I use to make a sheet cake how many of each
It depends on the size of your sheet cake. For a quarter sheet, you only need one recipe. For a half sheet you will need a triple batch and a very big mixer 🙂
I love this recipe. I made a 14in round wedding cake with this. It took about 13 hours with frosting and only being able to bake one tier at a time(x9) but it was amazing. Thank you for sharing this.
I am trying to make a rainbow cake but a smaller version since there are only 4 of us due to shelter in place. I am thinking of making a 6 in rainbow cake with 6 layers of color using this recipe at 1 1/2 times the recipe. Would the layers be too thin? Thanks
You can use my rainbow cake recipe, I’ve already figured it all out for you 🙂 https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/rainbow-cake/
Hey Liz,
Just wondering if I could use pasteurized egg whites in this recipe. Thanks 😊
Yes you can, that is what I use
First time trying this recipe and first time using my new scale…whoopeee!!! it sure makes measuring easier! The cake turned out very well. Thank you!
My question is can I make the ermine and frost the cake for a birthday tomorrow, keeping it in the fridge over night or will the frosting not seems as fresh? Should I try to do that tomorrow morning? I did three 6″ layers and I am going to put sliced strawberries between the layers. Also, if I slice the cake layers into six, will I have enough frosting for inbetween? I was thinking of making a batch of frosting today to put the cake together, and maybe another batch tomorrow for the outside? I wanted to make the rosettes which I imagine uses more frosting? I always run short…lol What do you suggest? Thanks 🙂
It will taste great tomorrow! It just is not spreadable after 24 hours so you need to frost the cake right away before it sets but it tastes great. I don’t know about having enough frosting for 6 layers, that is a lot 🙂 Usually, a cake has 2-3 layers of frosting. You might want to double the ermine frosting recipe but you might have some leftover.
Loved it! The buttermilk is definitely the star! The flavor is delicious with a subtle tang. Very light and fluffy.
Do we use the butter in the cake. it is crossed off in the ingredients but still included in the instructions.
hmm I’m not sure what you mean, yes you use the butter listed in the recipe.
This is by far my favorite cake! 😍 I am wondering how many batches of this recipe I need to fill bigger pans. Does it make sense that the batter needed for three 6” pans = two 8” pans, therefore three 8” pans = two 10” pans and so on? Getting more into wedding cakes and need to know about 10-12-14-16 inch pans. 🙂 I did the math following my logic above (which could be WAY off 😜) using a comment of yours I found that you used about 14oz of batter per 6×2 inch pan. But I wanted to check my outcome with how many batches you would use. Wow, long winded, sorry! But you’re amazing and I’ve learned SO much from you! So thank you!!!
Roughly you increase the batter by 1 cup for every 1″ of cake pan. So 6″ round cake pans have 2 cups of batter, 8″ have 4 cups, 10″ have 6 cups etc. This is for round pans.
Why did you use ounces in your recipe instead of using cups? I think this would help a great deal for those who are just starting to bake. Everyone does not have a. Food scale