White velvet cake is a soft, delicate cake with a hint of buttermilk and vanilla
White velvet cake is red velvet cake'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.
This same light, fluffy batter technique is what inspired my baked donut recipe - if you love this cake you will love those too.
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 teaspoon 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.
Try my vanilla cupcakes that have the same velvet texture as this white velvet cake, thanks to the reverse creaming method.
Related Recipes
Rainbow Cake
Green Velvet Cake
Pink Velvet Cake
Black Velvet Cake
Red Velvet Cake
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Cups of Batter Needed
8 cups
Cups of Frosting Needed
5 cups
Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.
Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Whisk Attachment
- Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
White Velvet Cake Ingredients
- 14 oz cake flour
- 13 oz granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 5 oz egg whites room temperature
- 4 oz vegetable oil
- 10 oz buttermilk room temperature or slightly warm
- 6 oz butter unsalted and softened
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
Ermine Frosting Ingredients
- 14 oz granulated sugar
- 3 oz flour
- 16 oz whole milk
- 16 oz unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
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 ¾ 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 ½ 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.
Alma says
Would this recipe make two 10” pans? I’m trying to make a 4 layer cake using 10” cake pans. Thank you in advance!!
The Sugar Geek Show says
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
Sylvia Rosenberg says
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!
Kathleen Gardner says
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.
The Sugar Geek Show says
I'm not sure what 00 or soft flour is but it sounds like it could work 🙂
Lisa says
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!
The Sugar Geek Show says
That's great! So why the four stars I'm curious 🙂
Jennifer Greene says
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.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Thank you so much Jennifer! Love your review
Joyce says
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.
The Sugar Geek Show says
If you halve the recipe there shouldn't be any other adjustments needed. Mixing more than 2 minutes will result in a thicker batter
Molly Stingley says
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:)
The Sugar Geek Show says
I have tried that but it doesn't work the same
Angie says
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??
The Sugar Geek Show says
I do a triple batch for half sheet pans
Angie says
Thank you!!!
Shannon says
Hi Liz, if I used 4in cake pans do you know how many cakes I could make with this recipe? Thanks!
The Sugar Geek Show says
I don't really know. I don't often use 4" cake pans
GINA MARIPOSA says
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!
Kat says
Would adding sprinkles to the cake for a fancy funfetti look alter anything? Not a huge amount just a table spoon or so.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Nope! I have done it before too and it's great!
Jalyn says
Will this recipe work for a half sheet cake?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can bake the batter in any size cake pan you want
Malena says
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 10x2”
The Sugar Geek Show says
yes you can, I fill my pans 2/3 full
Maria says
Liz, I want to try the ermine frosting, for the recipe you have listed, will that cover a 2 layer 10 inch cake?
The Sugar Geek Show says
I would make a 1 1/2 batch for a 10" cake
Maureen says
Hi. I just wondered if this cake is sturdy enough to be covered with ganache and sugarpaste?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes absolutely
Maureen says
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
Lexley says
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....
The Sugar Geek Show says
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!