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.
Queeny
Look delicious I cant wait to make and taste it. YUMMY!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We hope you love it 😊
Stacie
Hi,
I just want to let you know I have tried many of your recipes and I am happy to report that I have a very satisfied family. The question I would like to ask is in this recipe can you use cake flour instead of all purpose and how much would I use?
Thanks so much.
Stacie
Sam
Hi Stacie! You can use cake flour here. If you use weights you will want to use the same amount of cake flour. Measuring this one with cups will get tricky as you typically need 1c + 2 TBSP of cake flour for every cup of flour you use. I hope this helps! 🙂
Heather
Hi Stacie! Does it matter which fat content milk I use for this recipe?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We typically use whole milk, but 2% will likely work fine 😊
Sherri
I would like to make this cake approximately 5 days; due to time constraints, then frost and decorate on day 5. What is your recommendation for storing the cake to maintain the same freshness if I did everything on the same day.
Sam
Hi Sherri! 5 days is really the end of the storage time I would recommend so it may be best to freeze the cakes for that time.
Sherri
What is your process for freezing cake? Do I just wrap in plastic wrap and freeze and pull out the night before to defrost? Sorry for all the questions, I have never done this before. I have made quite a few of your cakes and so far, all have been amazing and my coworkers would say the same. So, just wanting to make sure I maintain the same level of freshness. Loving your recipes!!!
Sam
Yes. I would wait for it to cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in the freezer. It would probably be able to thaw on the counter overnight. 🙂
Sherri
Sam,
Thank you for the help and thank you again for all the amazing tasting cakes.
Mary Wolf
The cake was very heavy and dense. I’m wondering if it was the amount of oil. I’m going to look for a different recipe.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this, Mary! The most likely causes of this cake being dense and heavy are over-mixing, over-baking, or not getting the egg whites to proper consistency before adding them in. 🙁
Kasie
I’m a long-time baker who has always relied on Pillsbury white cake mixes for my cakes which are professionally decorated. Recently, I noticed “bioengineered ingredients” had been added to the list, thus ended my long and happy use of their product. I began googling, found your recipe, and made 2 batches, thus a dozen eggs, 4 cups of sugar, etc. I did so based on all the raving reviews. The next morning, I took a bite of the small amount I’d baked for my taste test and was greatly disappointed in the flavor, as well as the texture. 🙁 I made the recipes separately, following directions to the letter. I found the cake to be very dense, more akin to cornbread than cake. And the flavor just didn’t make the cut for me. I was very upset, but mostly at myself for not just making 1/2 of the recipe and trying it first. With that said, not all recipes hit the mark for some people and this one didn’t for me. I do enjoy your content, so will still try some of your other recipes.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this happened, Kasie! The most likely cause of a dense, cornbread-like texture here is over-mixing the batter, or over-baking the cake. 🙁 Since this one uses egg whites you have to be gentle when folding them in. I hope you’ll give this one another shot, possibly checking for doneness a few minutes earlier. I think you’ll really enjoy it. I hope you continue to enjoy the other recipes as well and I’m always happy to help troubleshoot. 🙂
Kelly Mckenney
Hello, I would like to try this recipe for my son’s birthday, but I want to make a 9 x 12″ cake. Can I follow the recipe exactly? Thank you.
Sam
Hi Kelly! This typically fills a 9 x 13 so if your pan is only 9 x 12 you may have a touch too much batter. You will want to make sure not to overfill it. I’m not sure on a bake time though. You will want to keep an eye on it. 🙂
Kimmy
I did a total of 4 cake layers. The day I did the first two layers I remember I was multitasking and not fully reading the recipe thoroughly. The egg whites weren’t at stiff peak and I overmixed my batter. I wasn’t gently folding since I was in a rush. I had a feeling it was going to be a disaster but still had hopes that it would turn out fine. I WAS WRONG! The first two cake layers came out very dense and oily. I hated it! So I decided to give it another try and took my time on my second try and it came out wonderful! The cake was pillowy soft and delicious. At first I was disappointed but it just comes to show that even one ingredient being overmixed or something not being done correctly will ruin EVERYTHING! There are no short cuts to baking. It does not forgive.
Sam
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Kimmy, it’s so true that technique matters so much when baking! I’m so glad you ultimately loved the cake, thank you for trying my recipe!
Darlene
Outstanding! White cake is my absolute favorite cake and this is by far the best cake recipe! Delicious!!
Terisa
Hello! I need to make a gender reveal cake…can I add a bit of food coloring to a small area of batter without affecting the structure of the cake?
Sam
Hi Terisa! As long as you don’t over-mix the batter you can stir in some food coloring. 🙂
Monica Martin
This was so yummy! I’ve never made a cake with egg whites before. Although this was extra steps it was completely worth it. Very moist and everyone was a fan.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you liked the end result, Monica! Thanks for the review 🩷
AQ
Hi!
I’m excited and going to make your white cake recipe right now.
I would truly appreciate your quick response to my question-I measured and weighed 2 2/3 cups of flour and 2 tablespoons and the total weight is coming to 307 g.
Your recipe mentions 2 2/3 cups of flour is 345 g +2 tbsp. Please guide me if I should just measure out the amount by hand for the recipe or go with the exact weight of 307 g.
Eagerly waiting for ur response.
Thanks!
Sam
A cup of flour should weigh 125g so the measurement listed in the recipe is accurate. 🙂
Ash
Wouldn’t that make 2 2/3 cup weigh ~333g? 2T should then weigh ~16g. Together that’s 349g. Is it 345g altogether? 😅
Thank you for helping!
Sam
It is 345g all together. 🙂
Laura Blom
Hello! I’m about to make this cake. In the video, you decorate with white icing and then purple icing. The recipe states that you should double the vanilla buttercream recipe for the cake. Does doubling the icing include enough for the purple decoration, or would I need to make more for that? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Laura! If you double the frosting you will have enough to make the purple as well. 🙂
Laura Blom
Thank you so much!
Jennifer
Excellent recipe, I used a 9×13 cake pan. Took about 45 minutes, I had to turn my oven down to 325, it was getting a little brown.
I will add to my recipe collection.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for letting us know how it went in that pan size, Jennifer! Enjoy ☺️
Lea
do you think I can double this recipe? I need to make a 4 tier wedding cake, 10″ 8″ 6″ and 4″ 3 layers each. I dont want to have to make a million single batches lol
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Lea! We haven’t tried doubling, but it should work. The only thing that could cause you some issues is mixing in the egg whites; you want to make sure to not over-mix the batter at this point, and it may be a little difficult to do with all of the batter you will have. Good luck! 🙂
Linda
I decided to make this white cake recipe today and wanted to tell you the flavor is awesome but…it did not come out of the pans like they should have. I coated pans using a pastry brush then floured and followed all directions. This also happened to me when I made your chocolate cake. I just don’t understand.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this happened, Linda! I’ve never run into this issue before. Did you happen to run a knife along the edge of the pan before trying to flip it out?
Kimberly
Can I use a 9 x 13 pan for a single layer cake and, if so, what amount of baking time do you recommend? Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Kimberly! We have not tried this recipe in a 9×13, but others have reported 30-35 minute bake time.
Mrs Goodrich
Hi! We( my 3 and 2 year old grandchildren made this today and added sprinkles and sugar confetti very minimal bleeding and we put them in decorative mini bundts baked at 18 minutes the kids love it Thank you
Nan
This cake was everything you said it was! Delicious and moist! I added almond extract, used raspberry filling with Swiss buttercream and it was a huge hit! I would like to make a 10” round and was wondering if all the batter should be used for one layer of 10”. Or if not all, most of the batter. What do you think? I’m going to do an anniversary cake and need a 10” and either a 7 or 8”. I only want to use this recipe as it was fantabulous!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! The 2 8 inch pans will make about 8 cups of batter and a single 10 inch pan will take about 6 cups of batter. This would have you using most of the batter for 1 10 inch round. I hope that helps! 🙂
Christine
Hello, would this work for cupcakes?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Christine! We would recommend our white cupcakes instead 😊
Bruce
Note to self: Trust your instincts after about 50 years of baking. I made half a recipe, and it seemed to fill the pan too much, but I thought maybe it just won’t rise a lot, so I ignored my inner voice and went ahead with it, rather than taking some out and making a couple of cupcakes. Well, it rose very nicely, so it kind of overflowed (but none fell off), and developed a crust on top. I pulled most of the crust off, so that I could de-pan the cake, and it was delicious. The crust that stayed on the cake gave something of a cookie texture to the bites that included it, so it definitely wasn’t a problem.
Since I love layer cake, and I didn’t want to have a lot, I cut the cake into two half circles, and made it into half a layer cake with your chocolate buttercream frosting. This thing is a winner.
Oh, the reason I made a white cake is the leftover egg whites from your great creme brulee recipe, which I make every few months for a friend (and some for myself).