Best White Cake Recipe
This White Cake recipe is soft and velvety with perfect vanilla flavor.
Have you ever taken a bite of a beautiful white cake only to be disappointed by it’s rubbery texture and bland taste? With the proper ingredients and mixing technique you can make the best White Cake at home, from scratch.
Science behind the recipe
If you’re into baking science and want to learn how I developed and tested this recipe you can visit this post where I explain in detail how I created the best White Cake recipe.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Cake Flour – I prefer bleached cake flour because it is slightly acidic and whiter in color.
- Sour cream – Sour cream enriches and tenderizes the cake.
- Vanilla extract – Use real vanilla extract for the best flavor. (Alternately, you can use almond extract to make White Almond Sour Cream cake.)
- Egg whites – The main difference between a White Cake and a regular vanilla cake is the absence of yolks in the batter.
- Cream of tartar – Stabilizes the whipped whites.
Process Photos
See the recipe card for detailed measurements and instructions.
- Sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add half the sour cream and combine. Then add the softened butter.
- Mix until the butter is completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the remaining sour cream and vanilla and mix on high speed 2-3 minutes to aerate.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tarter.
- Add the sugar and whisk to full peak.
- Fold the egg whites into the batter in three batches.
- Fold just until there are no streaks of egg white.
- Divide the batter between two cake pans. Do not butter the sides of the pan or use a non-stick pan.
- Bake until the center of the cake springs back when pressed. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
White Cake Recipe Tips
- Use Room temperature ingredients for the lightest batter. Room temperature butter is between 65°F and 70°F. It should be slightly pliable but not soft and melting.
- Using the “reverse creaming” method to mix the batter makes a soft and fluffy cake. Whipping the whites in the cake also makes the cake soft and fluffy.
- Do not use pasteurized egg whites as they may not whip up properly.
- Do not butter the sides of the cake pan or use a non-stick pan. The cake will rise higher as it clings to the sides of the cake pan. Butter and flour the bottom of the pan or use a round of parchment paper.
- The cake will often “settle” as it comes out of the oven because of the whipped whites in the cake. The soft texture of the cake is well worth the slight shrinking.
- Do not overbake the cake. Remove it from the oven as soon as the cake springs back when the center is pressed.
Storage
- The cake can be kept at room temperature for several days (unless it has a perishable filling).
- If the cake has a perishable filling store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Leftover slices of cake can be individually wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months.
- Un-iced, the cake can be wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap and frozen for up to 3 months.
What Frosting Should I Use for My White Cake?
I love to fill and ice Velvety Soft White Cake with snow-white Ermine Frosting. I also recommend Italian Meringue Buttercream, Swiss Meringue Buttercream, Seven Minute Frosting or American Buttercream frosting for this cake.
What the difference between white cake and vanilla cake?
Most of the yellow color in a vanilla cake comes from the egg yolks. White cake is made with only egg whites and no yolks.
Now that you’ve made this recipe what should you do with the extra yolks? Check out this collection of recipes that use extra yolks for some great ideas.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a star rating and a quick comment. Ratings and comments help my recipes show in search results. Thanks!
White Cake Recipe
It is possible to make velvety, soft white cake from scratch. How you mix the cake makes a big difference. By using the reverse creaming technique you’ll get a white cake with a tender and moist crumb.
servings
Ingredients
- 9 ounces cake flour (2 cups, preferably bleached, see note)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces granulated sugar ( 1 ½ cups, divided)
- 8 ounces sour cream (1 cup, room temperature, divided)
- 8 ounces unsalted butter (room temperature (see note))
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 large egg whites (room temperature (see note))
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line two 8"x3" cake pans (don't use non-stick pans) with a circle of parchment paper or butter and flour the bottom of pans only. Do not butter and flour the sides of the pan.
- In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, sift 9 ounces cake flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ¾ teaspoon salt with 1 cup of the granulated sugar. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to distribute the leavening. With the mixer on low speed, add half the sour cream and toss in 8 ounces unsalted butter a tablespoon at a time.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. With the mixer running on low speed, add the remaining sour cream and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
- Increase the speed to medium and beat about 2-3 minutes until the batter lightens in texture and becomes aerated. If your using a hand mixer this may take an extra minute or two. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure there are no pockets of unmixed batter.
- In another bowl, 6 large egg whites with ½ teaspoon cream of tartar on medium high until they form soft peaks. Turn the mixer to medium low and slowly add the remaining ½ cup sugar. Turn the mixer to medium-high and whip the whites to full peak.
- Fold the whites into the base in 3 parts, folding just until there are no streaks of egg white. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans and spread to level.
- Bake 25-30 minutes until the center of the cake springs back when lightly pressed or a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool at least 20 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a cooling rack. **The cake will "settle" a bit as it cools. That's fine.**
- Trim the brown edges off the cake, split each cake into two layers. Fill and ice with your favorite frosting.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Equipment
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Video
Notes
If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.
Room temperature butter is between 65°F and 70°F. It should be slightly pliable but not soft and melting.
Do not use pasteurized egg whites as they may not whip up properly.
The assembled cake can be kept at room temperature for several days (unless it has a perishable filling).
Un-iced, the cake can be wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap and frozen for several months.
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!
Hi Eileen,
I commented on the issue with high altitude baking and decreasing the leavening. Now, hoping you can help me out. Interested in making this recipe, using 3 – 8 inch cake pans.
Doubling the recipe will be too much cake batter.
Any ideas?
You could make 1.5 times the recipe. Just multiple all the ingredients out by 1.5 times, (e.g., 2c flour x 1.5= 3c flour) and use three pans. Because you’re at high altitude, for the leavening that would mean multiplying the original amount by .75 (that’s the same as dividing it in half and then multiplying by 1.5). Hope that makes sense. Do you know if, in general, meringues behave differently at high altitude?
@Eileden Gray,
Sorry, I’m so late in responding to your question about meringues at high altitude baking. No, I’ve never had problems with meringues at high altitude. Colorado usually is dry,not humid like many other states. Meringues will not hold up very well in Colorado, when occasionally the weather may be very warm and rainy.
I live in Colorado Springs, CO at 6,035 feet. Your leaving (baking powder and baking soda) are used by cutting the measurements in half. For example, if a recipe calls for
1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda use only a 1/2 teaspoon of each leavening. I bake a lot. It only fails, if I’m distracted and forget to use the high altitude method. I hope this helps.
Happy Baking
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn, Are you saying that for all baking recipes you should use half the amount of leavening for high altitude baking? Thanks so much for the tip. I’ve had folks ask about high altitude baking but since I’ve never lived in a high altitude area I had no idea how to help.
I made this recently and used old fashioned frosting (flour/granulated sugar) massive success. Absolutely delicious cake thank you for sharing, I will be making it again. Thinking to use this as cupcakes next.
Great! I love the flour based frosting (Ermine). It’s on my list of recipes to post.
@Eileen Gray, This cake makes a fabulous coconut cake!!! I use Ermine frosting; for the filling I combine well drained crushed pineapple and extra coconut with some of the Ermine frosting. Of course coconut all over the outside of the cake; Ermine is great for this because it is easier to make the coconut ‘stick’.
PS I am on Team Ermine for Red Velvet Cake.
Hi,
Quick question for you….I’d love to make this but I want to add white chocolate. What do I need to do to get my perfect white chocolate cake using your recipe?
Hi Valerie, Well it’s a bit more complicated than just adding a little white chocolate. I’d have to do some recipe testing to get the exact amounts because adding white chocolate changes the balance of the recipe. I do have a recipe for White Chocolate Sacher Torte, that has a white chocolate cake. You can try that.
Help I love the the flavor but how do you do for the cake to keep moist and not to get dense the next day sitting on the fridge?.
Hi Mel. Don’t put the cake in the refrigerator. Refrigeration actually speeds up the staling process. Sometimes you may need to refrigerate the cake if it has a perishable filling. If that’s the case let it come completely to room temperature before serving. Otherwise, keep the cake at room temp. If you want to work ahead, it’s better to freeze the cake than putting it in the refrigerator.