Today I’m so excited to be sharing the very best white cake recipe! This recipe yields a fluffy, snow-white cake that’s light and soft but still sturdy enough to stack or cover with fondant. Read on for plenty of tips for making the perfect white cake, completely from scratch!
We’ve covered chocolate cake, vanilla cake (one of my most popular recipes, thanks to you guys!), and even pineapple upside-down cake, but up until today we’ve been missing a critical flavor: a classic, delicious, white cake!
This is a classic cake flavor and a personal favorite of mine, so when I say up in the intro that I’m excited to share this recipe with you, I really, really mean it. This cake is delicious, and honestly so easy to make… even if you’ve never beaten egg whites before I’m going to walk you through that below so you too can enjoy a perfect, from-scratch white cake.
In case this white cake recipe seems familiar to you, I should probably mention that it is essentially my Funfetti cake recipe, only scaled down to be just two layers (so if you want a 3 layer white cake recipe, just head over to my Funfetti recipe and leave out the sprinkles!).
Let’s dig in to what makes this cake so incredible.
As I mentioned, this cake is fairly simple, but there is an important technique that I want to discuss regarding the egg whites. To keep this cake pure white, we’re not using any egg yolks and instead we are going to beat our egg whites to stiff peaks (if you’ve made my meringue cookies, you’ve beaten egg whites to stiff peaks before). Let me explain how:
How to Beat Eggs Whites to Stiff Peaks for White Cake
- Place your egg whites in a completely clean and grease free bowl. It’s best to separate your whites and yolks in a separate bowl first, that way if a small bit of yolk escapes you don’t have to start over. Even the smallest bit of grease or yolk can ruin your egg whites and keep them from reaching stiff peaks.
- Reaching stiff peaks will take several minutes, just keep beating and you will see them start to take shape!
- Stiff peaks are formed when the whites have increased in volume (see visual below) and, if you pull a beater straight out of the mixture, a peak forms that does not recede back into itself — its holds its shape. Once you reach this point, stop beating, as it is totally possible to over-beat your egg whites.
Fold your egg whites gently into the rest of your white cake batter. I always recommend doing this part by hand. Make sure that you stir enough so that the egg whites are well-incorporated into the batter, but use a light hand so that you don’t deflate the egg whites, or you’ll end up with a dense cake.
While the cake is baking, don’t be alarmed if it seems that the surface is turning too dark. The outside of the cake will actually bake up to a golden brown in the oven, but don’t worry, the cake will be pure white inside once you go to actually slice into it.
What Kind of Extract Should I Use for My White Cake?
I use clear vanilla. Regular (caramel-colored) vanilla extract will work just fine and your cake will still come out mostly white (check out my above-mentioned Funfetti cake, that one was made with standard vanilla extract), but for this white cake recipe I opted for clear extract for a cake with a pure white interior.
Many white cake reicpes also call for almond extract. None of my family members are huge fans of almond extract, so I leave it out, but if you like the taste you can substitute some of the vanilla extract for almond… since almond extract is quite potent I wouldn’t personally recommend using more than 1 ½-2 teaspoons for this recipe, but feel free to experiment!
Can I use 9″ Cake Pans Instead of 8″
Yes! The baking time will be reduced, though. Start checking your cake at 30 minutes.
Can I Make This Recipe Into Cupcakes?
Yes! Fill each cupcake liner about ¾ full (don’t over-fill) and bake on 350F for about 18 minutes (for mini cupcakes, bake for 14-15 minutes). This recipe will yield approximately 30 standard sized cupcakes.
Enjoy!
How to Make White Cake
The Best White Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) avocado oil, canola oil or vegetable oil
- 2 cup (400 g) sugar
- 1 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract
- 2 ⅔ cup (345 g) + 2 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (235 ml) milk room temperature preferred
- 6 large egg whites room temperature
- Double batch Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (click link for recipe)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by lining the bottoms with a round of parchment paper and generously greasing and flouring the sides. Be sure to shake out excess flour.
- In a stand mixer (or using an electric mixer), beat butter on medium-low speed until creamy.6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- Add sugar and oil and beat until all ingredients are well-combined and creamy.⅔ cup (160 ml) avocado oil, canola oil or vegetable oil, 2 cup (400 g) sugar
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and then stir in your vanilla extract.1 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract
- In separate bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt.2 ⅔ cup (345 g) + 2 Tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Measure out your milk.1 cup (235 ml) milk
- With mixer on medium speed, gradually alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Stir until each one is almost completely combined before adding the next.
- Pause occasionally to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.
- In separate bowl combine your egg whites and using a hand-mixer on high-speed beat until stiff peaks form.6 large egg whites
- Using a spatula, gently fold your egg whites into your batter. Take care to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so that ingredients are well-combined, and take care not to over-mix.
- Evenly divide cake batter into prepared pans.
- Bake on 350F for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake layer comes out clean or with few crumbs (should not be wet). For best results, rotate your cake pans halfway through baking to ensure even baking.
- Cakes will be a light golden brown when done baking.
- Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the inside rim of each pan and invert each onto a cooling rack.
- Allow to cool completely before covering with buttercream frosting*. I used a double batch of my recipe (linked above) to thoroughly cover and decorate this cake.Double batch Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Maria
Do you use whole milk?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Maria! Yes, I use whole milk for this recipe. 🙂
Maria
Thank you will be making this weekend for my husband.😊
Beverly Somersall
Can you bake this cake in a 9×13 pan?
Sam
Hi Beverly! That will work, the baking time will just be a little different. I’m not sure what the bake time would be. Enjoy! 🙂
Sierra Struble
I love this recipe!
I do have one question : can I mix in things like Raspberries for a unique flavor? I have a raspberry cupcake recipe but I don’t love it. I LOVE this cake I just don’t know if it’s a thick enough batter to accommodate the raspberries. Thanks!
Sam
Are you looking to incorporate whole raspberries or just fresh raspberry flavor? I used this cake as the base for my strawberry cake recipe, and you could substitute the strawberries for raspberries if you’d like.
Sierra
Thank you! I’m planning to use whole raspberries. I’ll give it a shot with your suggested recipe 😁
Milagros
Hello, is there any way to substitute the oil without messing up the texture of the cake?
Thank you!
Sam
Hi Milagros! You could use any type of neutral oil, but any other substitution and I’m afraid the texture will be affected.
Kelly
I am going to try this recipe today!! It sounds great! I bake cakes all the time, but never without the egg yolks.
Sam
I hope you love it, Kelly! 🙂
Melanie Harris
Hello,
I am using this recipe to make a wedding cake for a friend. Can you please tell me approximately how long I should bake it in a 10 inch pan?
Sam
Hi Melanie! Unfortunately I haven’t baked it in a 10 inch pan so I am not quite sure. I would just be sure to keep an eye on it. 🙂
Melinda
Could this be baked as a sheet cake or in a 9×13 pan?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Melina! Yes, it can! Others who have baked this cake in a 9″ x 13″ baking pan reported that it took approximately 30 mins to bake. 🙂
Savannah Miller
i’ve been on the hunt for a good raspberry cake and i wanted to add raspberry jello mix to this, if i do, would i need to reduce the sugar amount and if so by how much?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Savannah! I have not experimented with adding jello mix to the batter so I can not advise. I do have a raspberry filling that you can add in between the cake layers that would work well for this. I hope that helps. 🙂
sav
oooooo yes that does help a lot thank you! also i made your strawberry cake back for mother’s day and it was so GOOD, one of the best cakes i’ve made
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much! I am glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Gracie
Would the taste change if I used the normal vanilla Extract instead of the clear vanilla extract?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Gracie! The taste will not change however, it may alter the color of the cake slightly. 🙂
Arafat
Hi, is this white cake fluffy? I’m thinking of trying it out
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Arafat! Yes, this is a soft, fluffy cake. I hope that you enjoy it! 🙂
anonymous
hi, just wanted to ask could I bake this same amount but just divide it into 3 layers instead of 2 so the layers will be a bit thinner. I now you have a 3 layer funfetti cake recipe but just wanted to know could I still just use the same amount for 3 layers? How will this affect baking time and temperature? thanks.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi! Yes, you can divide the batter into three cake pans. The layers will be thinner than what is shown and require less time to bake. I do not have an exact bake time, so I reccomend just keeping an eye on them. I hope that you enjoy it! 🙂
amina
hi, can I make this cake the day before decorating or will it dry out? also how should I store them to make sure it doesn’t turn dry? room temperature or fridge? should i wrap it in cling film?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Amina! Yes, you can bake the cake layers in advance. I reccomend storing them well wrapped and at room temperature. 🙂
Theresa Overby
Can I make a Bundt cake out of this recipe?
Sam
Hi Theresa! You shouldn’t have any issue baking this in a bundt pan. 🙂
Sabeen Shahzad
Hey sam
I was just just planning to bake this cake next week .i want to make it in two 6″pans. ANY suggestions for measurements?
Sam
Hi Sabeen! You can cut this recipe by about 1/3 or you can just make it as is and discard any excess or bake them as cupcakes. 🙂
Sabeen Shahzad
Thankyou so much helps alot
Megan
I don’t think I’ve tried a white cake before (at least not knowingly). If you had to make a comparison, would you say it has a similar texture to a yellow cake, a pound cake, or an angel food cake? Your pictures are very nice, looks delicious!
Sam
Hi Megan! A white cake is similar to a yellow cake. 🙂