White Cake Recipe
You can never go wrong with a white birthday cake! Its delicate, airy texture and gorgeous snowy white color make it a sight to behold - and a perfect canvas for every decoration idea.
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Servings: 12
Calories: 508kcal
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups spooned and leveled cake flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup or 12 tbsp softened unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 5 egg whites room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk room temperature
Vanilla Frosting
- 1 ¼ cups softened unsalted butter, room temperature
- 5 cups confectioners sugar
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
- optional garnish ¼ cup sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9'' round cake pans and line them with parchment paper. Grease these parchment rounds, too.
Cake
- Dry ingredients: Whisk together cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set that aside.
- Wet ingredients: Bring out your handheld or electric mixer. Whip the unsalted butter until creamy (1 minute, high mixer speed). Add the white sugar and mix (3 minutes). Scrape the bowl thoroughly.
- Beat in egg whites until combined (3 minutes), then mix in sour cream and vanilla. Scrap the bowl.
- While the mixer is low speed, gradually add your dry ingredients (from Step 2) until JUST mixed in. Slowly pour whole milk into the running mixer. Don't overmix. Whisk with your hands (optional) to get rid of lumps.
- Pour the batter into the cake pans. Bake them for about 25 minutes (so-so) until fully baked. To check, stick a small toothpick into the middle; it should be clean when you pull it out.
- After baking time, let them cool in the cake pans on a wire rack.
Frosting
- Grab a stand or handheld mixer. Beat the unsalted butter (2 minutes at medium speed). Then, toss in the confectioners' sugar, cream, salt, and vanilla extract, keeping the mixer low for about 20 seconds. Then, crank the mixer speed to high (3 minutes).
- Frosting too thin: add confectioners' sugar. Frosting too thick: more heavy cream. Too sweet: more salt.
Assembly
- Slice off a very thin layer from the cakes' tops to flatten them. Plop one cake layer onto your cake turntable and slather on some frosting. Pop the second layer on top and cover it with the rest of your frosting. Optional: add sprinkles.
- Enjoy every bite of your fluffy cake!
Notes
- Fresh egg whites boost the cake's white color. Avoid using store-bought egg whites or yolks with broken membranes.
- Replace some of the vanilla extract with almond extract for a subtle nutty flavor without ruining the color.
- Adding a pinch of cream of tartar to the egg whites while beating helps them reach much stiffer peaks and yields a lighter cake.
- Choose white chocolate, vanilla buttercream frosting, and/or white food coloring to maintain the clean white aesthetic.
Nutrition
Calories: 508kcal | Carbohydrates: 73.7g | Protein: 7.3g | Fat: 16.1g | Saturated Fat: 9.9g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 760mg | Potassium: 836mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 18.6g | Calcium: 755mg | Iron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @cakegirls or tag #cakegirls!