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.
JS says
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!
The Sugar Geek Show says
ohhh yummy! I'd put them in at the end after you add in all the flour mixture
Vilen says
Hi there, I'm wondering if I can use this recipe to make a rainbow cake? Really appreciate your response thanks. Kind regards Vilen
Kelsey Prevost says
Absolutely! You can totally divide the batter and color it to your hearts desire!
Liz says
I just want to be sure....do I measure even liquid ingredients to (like buttermilk and eggs) by weight?
The Sugar Geek Show says
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 🙂
Liz says
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
Hope Hughes says
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.
The Sugar Geek Show says
That milk chocolate cream cheese sounds delicious!
Jaydrian says
Sorry I just realized that my previous question about this went through!!
Jaydrian says
Hi!!
I was wondering if this cake would pair good with the Barry filling and your whipped cream frosting?
Thanks!
Valerie says
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?
The Sugar Geek Show says
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.
Rebecca says
How long can you store the Ermine frosting?
Cassie Gibbs says
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!
Brad Green says
Can I bake this cake in a bundt cake pan or mini bundt cake pan instead?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can 🙂
Axita says
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 !
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes I am referring to the buttermilk. Yes you can use any buttercream you prefer. I weigh everything, even the liquids.
Bunny says
Just a note, an authentic Red Velvet Cake has no red food color in it. I'm responding to a comment above.
Dipa says
Heloo mam if i make red velvet -blue-green.... vanila essence goes with all???
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes vanilla goes with any color!
Shanna says
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.
The Sugar Geek Show says
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!
The Sugar Geek Show says
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 🙂
Brittney says
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?
The Sugar Geek Show says
I just tried to make the instructions more clear 🙂
Stephanie says
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?