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.
Kae Carper
sorry about that I hate autocorrect. now back to the question do you use all purpose flour or can you use self-rising flour?
Sam
Hi Kae! I would not recommend self rising flour here. You will want to use all purpose flour. 🙂
Veronica Bevans
What about using cake four?
Sam
Cake flour will work here as long as it is substituted properly. 🙂
Camille O.
I made this white cake to go with Valentine’s Day dinner. I didn’t have clear vanilla so I used almond extract instead (1 1/2 tsp as it is has a strong flavor). My husband’s family has a traditional cake they call “Sunday Cake” which is white cake with a coconut frosting that is poured onto the cake and broiled for a crunchy texture. I never cared for the cake portion of their recipe so I made this white cake recipe, spruced up the coconut frosting and it turned out so good! My husband loves it. I have several of your recipes as my “go to” now. Thank you Sam, for sharing your love of baking.
Christin
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe ! Would I be able to cut this in half if I just wanted it for a small 2 layer cake ?(4 inch’s or 5)
Thank you !!
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Kari
This is the best cake/cupcake recipe ever! I’ve made multiple times, followed recipe exactly, with incredible results! Thank you!!
I’d love to experiment with a marble version (without giving up the perfection of this recipe). Do you think I could take half of the batter and add cocoa for marble cupcakes? Or would you recommend a different way?
Sam
Hi Kari! I actually have a zebra cake that may be what you are looking for. It’s very similar. 🙂
Lori
I’ve made this cake twice and everyone loved it. I need to make a 12″ cake and am not sure how to adjust the batter. It’s going to be a 3 tiered bridal shower cake. I’d prefer to make a 10″ cake, but I need to feed 45 people. Any suggestions?
Sam
Hi Lori! This recipe will make about 8 cups of cake batter, which “should” fill one 12 inch pan. I hope this helps. 🙂
Abigail
Is this recipe asking for whole milk or semi skimmed? Thanks
Sam
Whole milk. 🙂
Ashley
What would I need to do to use this for cupcakes?
Sam
Hi Ashley! I actually cover how to make these as cupcakes in the post. 🙂
Angie
I’ve made this cake before and it’s so delicious and moist. I wonder if I could add crushed Oreos to the batter?
Sam
Hi Angie! I’m so glad you enjoyed this one! I actually have an oreo cake you could make. 🙂
Diana
Love this recipe. I usually make chocolate cake and have been searching for a white cake that turns out as well as my chocolate. This recipe hits all marks. Everyone I shared it with wants the recipe. Thank you for this winner
Sam
I am so happy to hear this, Diana! Thank you so much for trying my recipe, and for the feedback! I hope you’ll return to my site and find another recipe you enjoy just as much!
PJ Tomlian
I made this cake in a true 9×13 pan (most store bought pans are 8.5×12) and it only rose about one inch. I made the recipe previously in 9″ round pans and didn’t have any problem and it tasted fantastic. Any idea on what might have gone wrong? I’m waiting for it to cool to add frosting and we’ll dig into that baby tonight. I’ll let you know if the taste is any different. Thanks a bunch for wonderful recipes!
Sam
Hmm that’s interesting. Was the cake really dense? Could your baking powder be bad? Could your egg whites not have made it to the proper consistency this time?
Lorelei
I’m practicing baking my son’s wedding cake with this recipe and I’ve made this cake twice now. The flavor is fantastic, the crumb is very tender, but the outside crusts over so much, it’s a little tough for a wedding cake. Is there something I can do in the bake to prevent it from crusting so much?
Sam
Hi Lorelei! Are your pants particularly dark in color, by chance?
Lorelei
No, the pans are not dark. just regular silver colored. Are they supposed to turn crunchy on the outside? Do you think if I used those fabric wraps around the outside of the pans when baking it would make a difference?
Sam
It shouldn’t be crunchy. It will turn golden on the outside. I do have a picture in the blog post that shows the outside turns golden, and the video may help provide some clues. I have never baked with bake strips but I have heard they can help with browning so it might be worth a shot.
Lorelei
I’ve been reading that Pam spray tends to crust the outside of the cakes, which is what I was using. I’ll have to try the recipe again without Pam.
Febry
Yeayyyy, big success. This is the first recipe I tried that using the meringue method folded into batter. The cake is so soft, fluffy, and light. I reduce the sugar into 260 gr only and it’s still taste great and nice textures. Thank you ❤️
Katie
Can’t wait to try this! One question – would this recipe work well with substituting a portion (25% or so) of the flour and/or sugar with lower carb alternatives? I’m looking to make a birthday cake for my diabetic nephew, and while he can eat regular sweets in moderation, I would like to make something he can enjoy a larger portion of, if possible. Thanks in advance!
Sam
Hi Katie! Unfortunately, I haven’t tried using those substitutes so I can’t say for sure how it would work. Let me know how it goes if you do try it. 🙂
Katie
Very delayed response on my part, lol, but I did try it and it worked out reasonably well. I replaced half the sugar with Erythritol, and 25% of the flour with almond flour. It was a bit dense (makes sense that the almond flour weighed it down), but people seemed to like it! I’m using the recipe again this year, but this time I will probably only replace a quarter of the sugar, and use regular flour.
Sam
Thank you for the feedback! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! 🙂
PJ
I made this into a Cherry Chip cake! Absolutely delicious!! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Nancy Bencivengo
Can you make this in a round tube pan?
Sam
Hi Nancy! That will work, but I’m not sure on a bake time.
Tricia
A wonderful soft crumb — tender and delicious. I wrapped and refrigerated, then sliced off the tops and frosted. Beautiful presentation with your chocolate buttercream frosting! Thank you, as always, Sam! I appreciate all you do!
PJ Tomlian
has anyone tried this cake in a 9 x 13 pan? Any idea on baking time?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi PJ! It will work in a 9×13″ pan. It will likely take 30-35 minutes to bake, but we can’t say for sure without trying it ourselves. Hope that helps 🙂
Jamie
I baked this cake in a 9 x 13 stoneware pan in a convection oven and it was great at around 30 minutes. I used all sugar substitutes as my husband is diabetic, added rum extract and apple pie spices. Instead of the yummy buttercream, I chopped and sautéed apples with raisins in a rum extract and butter sauce with the Apple pie seasoning and some fresh squeezed orange juice since I was out of lemons. The cake itself was fabulous! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Alison
Hello! I know cake flour is for cakes, but can I replace the AP flour for cake flour at the same measurements?
Sam
Hi Alison! All purpose flour will work here if substituted correctly. You will use the same amount if using weights. 🙂
Sharon
Do you think the cake would keep it’s white color if I add chocolate chips to the batter?
Sam
Hi Sharon! The chocolate chips won’t change the white color of the cake. 🙂
Andrea Johnson
Can I make this ahead of time and freeze it for a week until I need it? And then ice it at that point.
Sam
Hi Andrea! That will work just fine. 🙂