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.
Jo Bailey says
Hi! Could I add coconut to this recipe?
Elizabeth Marek says
You could add coconut extract or replace the milk with coconut milk plus lemon juice (read the buttermilk substitute blog post)
kendra says
Will this recipe work for a funfetti cake?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yep! Just add about 1/4 cup of rainbow jimmies or confetti sprinkles, not non-perils, they will just melt.
Katie Schoenberger says
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!
Elizabeth Marek says
The correct way is to combine the milk with the oil. I used to do it the other way 🙂 Recipes are always evolving.
Eve says
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!
Elizabeth Marek says
Ermine frosting should be used right after you make it
Marlenemlagmay says
Hi I have a left over toasted flour. Can I use it for the ermine frosting? Thank you so much and God bless.
Elizabeth Marek says
I don't see why not 🙂
Ijay says
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.
Elizabeth Marek says
Thank you for the tip! I'm so glad it worked out for you for cupcakes 😀
Briana says
Hi! How many ounces of batter would you put in each 6in pan?? Thanks !
Elizabeth Marek says
About 14
Kizhi says
I made it just now ....the texture is good but inside it's not white it's normal pale yellow. 🙁
Elizabeth Marek says
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
Margie says
Is this cake dense enough to make a 3 tier covered in fondant?
Elizabeth Marek says
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/marbled-fondant-tutorial/
Ijay says
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?
Elizabeth Marek says
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
Marissa says
I forgot, I also had to do a AP flour & cornstarch mixture because I didn’t have cake flour...
Elizabeth Marek says
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.
Marissa says
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 🤷🏼♀️
Denee says
I only have two 9" rounds will the baking time be similar? Thank you.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes it will be, possibly a few minutes less because the cakes will be thinner
Allysa says
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.
Blessy says
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
The Sugar Geek Show says
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.