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.
White velvet is the cake-flour cousin of my classic white cake recipe, with an even softer, finer crumb from the reverse creaming method.
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. 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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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.
Karis Sue says
Can you freeze the cake after baking for a few days? I would like to bake it in advance before decorating but don't know if freezing it fully for a couple days would affect the texture
Liz Marek says
Yes! Wrap the cooled layers in plastic wrap and freeze them, then thaw on the counter while still wrapped before frosting. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Rory says
hi, i want to make this and wanted to know if i can use white chocolate ganache instead of ermine frosting. thanks.
Liz Marek says
Yes! White chocolate ganache is very stable and pairs great with this cake. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Laurie says
Hi, I was wondering what the conversion of this would be in cups as I do not have a scale and would like to make this recipe tonight
Thank you
LAD
Liz Marek says
I don't have cup measurements for this one because the flour needs very exact measuring or the cake can sink. A kitchen scale is the way to go. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Shana says
Has anyone had success making cupcakes with this recipe? I've made the cake layers will turned out okay, however when baking cupcakes, and follow the same recipe/method they sunk very badly in the middle.
Liz Marek says
For cupcakes, leave out the oil. That extra moisture can make them sink. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Sandra says
Wow. I have tried a few reverse-cream method recipes and felt like they always came out wet and dense. First time I've seen it explained to mix it more than usual...much more than usual for me, specifically, since I was using a hand mixer.
It's counterintuitive to regular cake recipes so it felt illegal to mix it for so long 😂
I am in awe with this recipe, full recommendations. First time I tried this frosting method as well. This will be my go-to recipe from now on. Hands down the best cake I have ever made, and I bake many different desserts very often.
Note: I gently cooked down some frozen strawberries with sugar and blended them. Filled the middle with the reduced strawberry filling and added a few tablespoons to the frosting (tasted like a strawberry milkshake).
First time making strawberry cake when its not fresh strawberry season, I cannot imagine what it will be like if I get a chance to make this over the next summer with some fresh strawberries on top. Divine. Absolutely divine. I'll be using this site for recipes more often.
Liz Marek says
Ha, it does feel illegal! So glad it clicked.
Libby Smith says
As others have said, this is a fabulous cake! Soft, moist, yes, velvety , with a fluffy icing. I took it to a birthday dinner party and everyone loved it. I am not accustomed to weighing ingredients when I bake but I do have a scale so that worked out ok. When making the icing, I may have had the heat too high or didn’t whisk and stir enough for a moment but the sugar started to caramelize and almost burned. User error no doubt. Maybe heat the flour separately to toast, then add sugar briefly to warm, then the milk? Anyway, it turned out an ecru color rather than white-white and had a slight caramelized sugar taste which was good. All in all a great cake and a keeper!
Liz Marek says
So glad it's a keeper! Thank you for sharing your tips.
Lillian says
Holy cow was this excellent!! Followed the recipe to a T. Came out amazing. So moist and rich yet light at the same time. I layered in pomegranate seeds between the layers and it turned out so beautiful and delicious. Thanks!
Liz Marek says
Pomegranate seeds between the layers sounds gorgeous! Thanks for sharing.
Sana Cheema says
Hi. I'm a home based baker and have been using your moist vanilla cake for many years and love it. I wanted to give this velvet cake a try because I wanted something more softer and fluffier.
My question is, can I use pasturized egg whites instead of separating whole eggs?
Second question is, if I'm doubling or tripling the recipe, do I need to increase the mixing time in the same ratio? For example, if I'm doubling the recipe, do I need to mix it for 4 minutes now instead of 2?
Liz Marek says
Yes, carton egg whites work great. And keep the mixing time the same even when you double or triple the recipe. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Dana says
I’ve made this recipe for a rainbow cake before - easy enough to convert to cupcakes?
Liz Marek says
Yes! Just fill the liners ⅔ full. You can also try my moist vanilla cupcakes, which have the same velvet texture. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Katherine Varghese says
Can I use carton egg whites in this recipe ?
Liz Marek says
Yes, carton egg whites work perfectly in this recipe. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Laura Fleischer says
I was looking for another recipe which turned out to be blocked so I tried yours on a whim. WOW! Knocked it out of the ballpark! I am making it again for my son's wedding in a few weeks and the only change I am making is adding a raspberry compote to the middle. Thank you so much for sharing!
Joanne says
i have been a homebaker for a longtime where has this recipe been my life?
So far good I should have used unsalted butter but still turned out well.
Liz Marek says
So glad you found it! Thank you.
Brenda Perrino says
I’m going to be making a small 3 tiered cake for the bride and groom. I’m stuck between the white velvet buttermilk and the moist vanilla. Any suggestions in helping me decide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Liz Marek says
Both work for tiers! The white velvet is softer and fluffier, and the vanilla cake is more moist. White velvet also bakes up whiter since it uses only egg whites. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Patricia says
Can I use carton egg whites in this recipe
Liz Marek says
Yes, you can use carton egg whites. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Mary Ann says
This is the best vanilla cake for any occassion! The buttermilk makes for a tender crumb with a light vanilla flavor. My most requested cake!! Thank you for sharing this recipe