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.
Constance nora
Best cake ever so moist , light , and fluffy I was a bit intimidated about doing every thing about the eggs whites but I’m more confident now and I’m making it again for my sister and brother n law party this Friday she enjoyed it that much and I used king author ap flour and land o lakes unsalted butter amazing just simply amazing thanks for sharing god bless you and your family
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Constance! I hope everyone loves it at your party! 🙂
Lynn
I need a White Cake recipe that will make 3 8″ round layers. Can I adjust this to make 3 layers?
Sam
Hi Lynn! You can increase the recipe by 50% or make 3 thinner layers out of it. 🙂
Whitney
Do I need to make any adjustments for high altitude?
Sam
Hi Whitney! Unfortunately I am not familiar with high altitude baking. Maybe someone else can chime in with any suggestions.
Marcia Swanson
Can I use this recipe to make a two layer 9 x 13 X 2 cake? Should I double the recipe? Please advise
Sam
Hi Marcia! That should work and you will want to double the recipe, but I’m not sure on a bake time. 🙂
Alyssa
Can I substitute some or all of the milk with cream of coconut to make it more coconutty? If so, will I have to reduce the sugar?
Sam
Hi Alyssa! Honestly I have not tried it so I’m not sure how it will work. If you try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
Kristen
Hi! I tried this recipe yesterday and it was great. I had one issue though — the middle of the cakes sank just a bit. I think I’ve determined that it was because I used 9″ pans but your recipe calls for 8″ pans. Is it possible for the recipe to be adapted for 9″ pans, or would I need to buy different pans?
Sam
Hi Kristen! This recipe does work in 9 inch pans you just need a little less time in the oven. Make sure to use the toothpick test to make sure they have finished baking. If they are still sinking if they are fully baked you may have accidentally over-mixed your egg whites when stirring them in.
Kristen
Thanks so much for the reply! I will try it again.
A
Hi ! Can I use whole eggs ? If so how many ?
Sam
Unfortunately whole eggs will not work here. You really need to whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. 🙁
Enaka
Whoops hit send accidentally. If I wanted to make a six inch two layer cake is this a recipe that I can cut the ingredients by half?
Sam
Hi Enaka! You shouldn’t have any issues cutting this recipe in half. 🙂
Meri
Can this recipe be used to make a 3 layer, 6 inch cake? If so, will the temp and bake time require adjustments?
Sam
Hi Meri! You can make in a 3 layer 6 inch cake. You may have a little excess batter so make sure you don’t overfill the pans. The temperature will remain the same but I’m not sure on a bake time. 🙂
Carla
Amazing cake, granddaughter made it yesterday for the party. We ,will be using this recipe from now on…gonna try the chocolate one next.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Carla! 🙂
Mina Bumblebee
Easy to make but way to sweet! I cut the sugar down by 1/4 but the cake still tasted only sweet.
Sam
Interesting!
Makalyn
Hi! I want to make this as a birthday cake! How would I use the same ingredients to make a 12×18 sheet cake? Please advise! Thank you!!
Sam
Hi Makalyn! You will want to double the recipe to make sure you have enough batter. 🙂
Meri
Would one half of this recipe make a 3 layer 6 inch cake? How would bake time/temp change?
Sam
Hi Meri! You will probably about 3/4 of the batter to fill 3 6 inch pans so it may be easier to just make it as is. Your temperature won’t change but the bake time will definitely be shorter. I haven’t tried it myself to know an exact time. I would just keep an eye on them. 🙂
Neatra McMiller
Hello,
Can you make the batter the night before using it.
Sam
I am honestly not sure how it would work being stored that long. 🙁
Tracie
Can you use buttermilk instead of milk ? Thx
Sam
Hi Tracie! That should work just fine. 🙂
Tracie
Thank you. Also is this cake good to stack like a 3 tier cake ?
Sam
It should hold up for 3 layers. 🙂
Manmeen kaur Marwaha
What can we replace egg with if we wan to make eggless cake
Sam
Unfortunately the eggs are vital in this recipe so I’m not sure how to substitute them. 🙁
Suhaavi
I made this recipe, but as cupcakes and they are THE BEST. They stayed moist for a long time and required such little effort. Definitely will be using this recipe a lot
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Suhaavi! 🙂
Michelle
I made this recipe for my mother’s birthday cake, and she said it was even better than her wedding cake! I love this recipe and will absolutely use it again!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Michelle! 🙂