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
Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.
Choose a pan type
Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)
Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)
Cupcake Tin Size
Choose number of pans
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.
Lauren says
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.
Elizabeth Marek says
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 🙂
candace says
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?
Elizabeth Marek says
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.
Janie says
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
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you definitely can. 1 1/2 egg whites equals one whole egg.
Sabrina says
Can you use Unbleached cake flour?
Elizabeth Marek says
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.
Dawn says
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!!
Elizabeth Marek says
You definitely can! That's what I use 😀
Morris says
Your recipe is amazing, I just tried it with my friend and it's spot on. Thanks for this amazing recipe.
Patricia Kelley says
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!
Avery says
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?
Elizabeth Marek says
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
Marla Monahan says
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!
Lexi says
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 😭
Elizabeth Marek says
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.
Taylor Lewis says
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
Elizabeth Marek says
I'm afraid I don't understand the question. Can you elaborate?
sara says
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!
Elizabeth Marek says
Yay! I'm so glad to hear that! Get some strawberry extract too if you can and some pink food coloring :-D.
Duaa Nadeem says
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!
Elizabeth Marek says
Hi Duaa, you can get cake flour in the UK, search shipton mills soft cake and pastry flour 🙂
Crystal says
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
Elizabeth Marek says
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!
Zita Saayman says
5 oz of egg white how much eggs in total
Elizabeth Marek says
Everything is measured by weight so you would add egg whites to the container until you reach 5 ounces