The Best White Cake Recipe

Slice of white cake with white icing and blue icing decorations on plate

The Best White Cake Recipe

This BEST white cake recipe yields a fluffy, snow-white cake that's light and soft but still sturdy enough to stack or cover with fondant.

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 35

Total Time 1 10

Servings slices

Calories 415kcal

Author Sam Merritt

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 + 2 Tablespoons (345 g) 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 + 2 Tablespoons (345 g) 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

Video

Notes

If you don't like buttercream frosting, try one of these:

Nutrition