Best White Cake Recipe
This White Cake recipe is soft and velvety with perfect vanilla flavor.
Have you ever taken a bite of a beautiful white cake only to be disappointed by it’s rubbery texture and bland taste? With the proper ingredients and mixing technique you can make the best White Cake at home, from scratch.
If you’re into baking science and want to learn how I developed and tested this recipe you can visit this post where I explain in detail how I created the best White Cake recipe.
Ingredients for this White Cake Recipe
- Cake Flour – I prefer bleached cake flour because it is slightly acidic and whiter in color.
- Baking powder, baking soda, salt – for leavening and flavor
- Granulated sugar – Sugar flavors and tenderizes the cake and keeps the cake moist.
- Sour cream – Sour cream enriches and tenderizes the cake.
- Unsalted butter – Butter has a rich full flavor that enhances the cake.
- Vanilla extract – Use real vanilla extract for the best flavor. (Alternately, you can use almond extract)
- Egg whites – The main difference between a White Cake and a regular vanilla cake is the absence of yolks in the batter.
- Cream of tartar – Stabilizes the whipped whites.
How to make White Cake
- Sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add half the sour cream and combine. Then add the softened butter.
- Mix until the butter is completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the remaining sour cream and vanilla and mix on high speed 2-3 minutes to aerate.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tarter.
- Add the sugar and whisk to full peak.
- Fold the egg whites into the batter in three batches.
- Fold just until there are no streaks of egg white.
- Divide the batter between two cake pans. Do not butter the sides of the pan or use a non-stick pan.
- Bake until the center of the cake springs back when pressed. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
White Cake Recipe Tips
- Use Room temperature ingredients for the lightest batter. Room temperature butter is between 65°F and 70°F. It should be slightly pliable but not soft and melting.
- Using the “reverse creaming” method to mix the batter makes a soft and fluffy cake. Whipping the whites in the cake also makes the cake soft and fluffy.
- Do not use pasteurized egg whites as they may not whip up properly.
- Do not butter the sides of the cake pan or use a non-stick pan. The cake will rise higher as it clings to the sides of the cake pan. Butter and flour the bottom of the pan or use a round of parchment paper.
- The cake will often “settle” as it comes out of the oven because of the whipped whites in the cake. The soft texture of the cake is well worth the slight shrinking.
- Do not overbake the cake. Remove it from the oven as soon as the cake springs back when the center is pressed.
Storing Leftovers
- The cake can be kept at room temperature for several days (unless it has a perishable filling).
- If the cake has a perishable filling store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Leftover slices of cake can be individually wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months.
- Un-iced, the cake can be wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap and frozen for up to 3 months.
What Frosting Should I Use for My White Cake?
I love to fill and ice Velvety Soft White Cake with snow-white Ermine Frosting. I also recommend Italian Meringue Buttercream, Swiss Meringue Buttercream, Seven Minute Frosting or American Buttercream frosting for this cake.
What the difference between white cake and vanilla cake?
Most of the yellow color in a vanilla cake comes from the egg yolks. White cake is made with only egg whites and no yolks.
What kind of extract should I use for my White Cake?
I recommend a good natural vanilla extract for the best flavor. “Clear” vanilla extract is not actually made with vanilla beans and I saw no discernable difference in the color of the cake using natural vanilla.
Another option would be to use real Almond Extract for an almond flavored cake.
Now that you’ve made this recipe what should you do with the extra yolks? Check out this collection of recipes that use extra yolks for some great ideas.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please consider leaving a 5-star review.
White Cake Recipe
It is possible to make velvety, soft white cake from scratch. How you mix the cake makes a big difference. By using the reverse creaming technique you’ll get a white cake with a tender and moist crumb.
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Ingredients
- 9 ounces cake flour (2 cups, preferably bleached, see note)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces granulated sugar ( 1 ½ cups, divided)
- 8 ounces sour cream (1 cup, room temperature, divided)
- 8 ounces unsalted butter (room temperature (see note))
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 large egg whites (room temperature (see note))
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line two 8"x3" cake pans (don't use non-stick pans) with a circle of parchment paper or butter and flour the bottom of pans only. Do not butter and flour the sides of the pan.
- In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt with 1 cup of the granulated sugar. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to distribute the leavening. With the mixer on low speed, add half the sour cream and toss in the butter a tablespoon at a time.9 ounces cake flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt, 12 ounces granulated sugar, 8 ounces sour cream, 8 ounces unsalted butter
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. With the mixer running on low speed, add the remaining sour cream and vanilla.1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Increase the speed to medium and beat about 2-3 minutes until the batter lightens in texture and becomes aerated. If your using a hand mixer this may take an extra minute or two. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure there are no pockets of unmixed batter.
- In another bowl, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium high until they form soft peaks. Turn the mixer to medium low and slowly add the other ½ cup sugar. Turn the mixer to medium-high and whip the whites to full peak.6 large egg whites, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Fold the whites into the base in 3 parts, folding just until there are no streaks of egg white. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans and spread to level.
- Bake 25-30 minutes until the center of the cake springs back when lightly pressed or a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool at least 20 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a cooling rack. **The cake will "settle" a bit as it cools. That's fine.**
- Trim the brown edges off the cake, split each cake into two layers. Fill and ice with your favorite frosting.
Equipment
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Notes
If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.
Room temperature butter is between 65°F and 70°F. It should be slightly pliable but not soft and melting.
Do not use pasteurized egg whites as they may not whip up properly.
The assembled cake can be kept at room temperature for several days (unless it has a perishable filling).
Un-iced, the cake can be wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap and frozen for several months.
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!
I have baked this cake on a good number of important occasions. Everybody loves it and when I ask what my family and friends want for cake, they always request this cake. It toppled over their previous favorites black forest and ube cake. So far, this and my Matilda cake are contending for the top, but because this is not an easy cake to make, I tend to take the easy road and make Matilda more often lol. I put it at the top though for my favorites to make and to eat. I just reduce the sugar content in mine as the frosting could be too sweet for our taste.
Can I make this cake in a Bundt pan?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work.
I have made this cake several times and have to say it is the most incredible tasting cake ever.. the only trouble I had was when I used unpasteurized eggs as the recipe called for.. my cake didn’t turn out good ay all that time…when I u regular eggs it was perfection
Are your regular eggs pasteurized? The main concern is that some pasteurized eggs can’t be whipped to a foam.
I’ve yet to make this cake, but I can’t wait, it sounds amazing. I’d love to do a lemon version. Would it be better to use lemon zest and lemon juice or lemon extract and lemon zest? Please help, thank you!
Definitely lemon zest since that’s where most of the “lemony” flavor is. I’d go with zest and extract.
Your cakes are wonderful and have been using them for some time. I have a question–I need to make a birthday cake using a half sized sheet pan. Client wants a double layer for height. Would
I make a double recipe for each half pan? Also approximately how long should I bake it? I normally do all round cakes so I’m stressing about this. Client also wants me to build up approximately one third of cake to get it height for a bee hive on it.
Would be grateful for any advice
Thank you
Pam
Do you mean a half sheet cake, two layers? So you’d be baking the cake in two half sheet pans? For that you’d need to double the recipe. Each batch of this cake would fill a standard half sheet pan. Baking would be shorter since the layers will be less thick. Start checking at 15 minutes. Press the cake in the center, when it springs back, it’s baked.
Hi I just have a question about the egg white size are they m or l.thanks
I always use large eggs. I’ll update the card to reflect that. Thanks for the question.
Question: I made your Velvety Soft White Cake.It was so awesome. I wanted to look at your site to see how to use this recipe for a chocolate and or a lemon cake. I decided to run through the recipe above and found something shocking. On my recipe I copied from you, I have 6 egg yolks in the cake portion. So did I go crazy or is it missing from this website? Can I make a delicious chocolate and a lemon cake?
Hi Sandra, sorry, but which recipe are you referring to? This white cake recipe?
Can I add sprinkles to the batter to make it a funfetti cake? And if so how much sprinkles would you recommend.
Sure, that would work. I would add the sprinkles before folding in the whipped egg whites. The amount would depend on how sprinkly you want the cake. I would say maybe 1/2 cup?
This is the best cake I’ve ever eaten. Can I put real vanilla beans in it? How many, and when should I put them in? If the answer is yes. Thank you for this recipe.
Absolutely you can put vanilla bean in this cake. I would scrape the seeds from the bean and add them in the first stage with the butter. You could also whisk them in with the eggs but I think adding them with the butter would get them to disperse more evenly throughout the cake.
Amazing recipe!!! just made this and truely will cherish this gem of a recipeformpife!!! thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Eileen,
We don’t have cake flour in New Zealand. We have a standard grade flour (APF) or high grade flour (has higher gluten content and usually used for bread). Which kind of flour would you say is best to use as substitute for Cake flour?
Thank you in Advance!
Cake flour is the softest, lowest protein flour. In the US it can also be bleached. Is standard grade flour like our all purpose flour (about 11% protein)? Cake flour in the US is about 5-8% protein. If you can’t get a low protein flour the best substitute is for every cup of cake flour use 3/4 cup of all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons of corn starch. Make sure you also use the cream of tarter for the egg whites. COT is acidic and if you’re not using bleached cake flour the acidity in the COT helps tenderize the cake and stabilized the egg whites.
@Eileen Gray, yes, standard flour is about 10-12%. And that’s the lowest protein flour we have here. Apparently, cake/bleached flour is banned in NZ so I’ll have to follow your recommendation of 3/4c all-purpose flour and 2Tbsp cornstarch.
No wonder my cakes don’t turn out as light and fluffy as yours.
Thanks Eileen
Yes, that makes a big difference. The ap/cornstarch mix is the best substitute for cake flour. I also prefer bleached cake flour for the softest cake. So adding just a hint of cream of tarter acidifies the batter for a more tender crumb.
I am very excited to make this! But the flour says 9 ounces (2 cups). 2 cups would be 16 ounces. Should I be doing 9 ounces or 2 cups? Thank you!
A cup of cake flour weighs 4.5 oz. If you have a scale it’s always better to weigh your ingredients for accuracy.
@Marcail,
so, according to the conversion charts, 9oz of cake flour equals approx. 2 cups. 1.96~2 cups exactly.
I’m baking this for a friend’s going away party. Its her favorite type of cake. I can’t wait to see how it comes out. 🙂
I hope your friend enjoys the cake. FYI: The only conversion that really matters is how the author of the recipe measures the ingredients when developing the recipe. There can’t really be one “correct” conversion chart since bakers can fill a cup of flour in different ways. I assume a cup of cake flour weighs 4.5 oz because that’s what I always get when I fill a cup of cake flour using the “dip and sweep” method. Other bakers may fluff and lightly spoon the flour and get closer to 4oz per cup. That being said, if you have a scale weight measurement is always most accurate for baking. Read through this post for more information on how to measure baking ingredients.
I made this cake for my daughter’s gender reveal party,and I can honestly say that this is the best cake I have ever eaten ,anywhere. Period. I only made one small adjustment, I used both vanilla extract ,and almond extract too. It definitely had a ” wedding cake” taste. It was so light and delicious I could have eaten the whole thing myself. I’m so glad I tried this recipe
I just made this cake and it is absolutely delicious. The only thing I’m wondering about- I must have done something not quite right because it came out quite heavy rather than light . Any thoughts?
In what way was it heavy? Was it gummy? This is not a light and airy sponge cake. It is a rich cake with sour cream and butter. It should be a melt in your mouth texture.
@Eileen Gray,
Heavy as in very dense- very moist and there are no cake crumbs. so maybe that is how it’s supposed to be? it’s not that it wasn’t good just moist heavy –
That doesn’t sound quite right. It should be similar to a basic vanilla butter cake in texture. Slightly lighter than a pound cake, but not airy and spongy.
very disappointed the cake did not rise and I know the baking powder was ok as I had made something that was perfect two days ago
@margaret, mine turned out very dense and like a pound cake as well I remade it, with a lighter flour and it was slightly better but definitely not as described by other commenters.
Can I double these ingredients exactly to make 3 layer 8″ cake?
Unless you want the cake to be extra tall there’s no need for double the ingredients. You can bake the batter in three 8″ pans. I usually bake this batch in two 8″x3″ pans and split each cake for a 4 layer cake.
Hi I would like to make this into a rainbow cake 8”x 6 thinner layers to make about 7” tall would I divide this recipe or make more?
The base recipe fills two 8″x3″ cake pans. The resulting cake is usually about 4″ tall when filled and iced. So if you want a 7″ tall cake you’ll probably want to double the recipe. Each batch of cake could be baked as three 8″ layers, each a different color. To tint the batter I would divide the batter into three before folding in the egg whites. Tint each 1/3 of the batter then fold 1/3 of the whipped whites into each color. If you tint the batter after folding in the whites you’ll deflate the whites.
My first time making a home made cake. Was delish! I saw on a youtube site to wrap cool/moist paper towels in an aluminum foil skirt around the cake pans, to keep everything from going brown and to keep from having a “dome/cap” form, so I did that and my cakes were white, and had no “dome/cap”!
Can I use this fir a wedding cake?
Yes!
Tried this recipe only one time and it was AMAZING!!! Can’t wait to try it again. Thank you!!!
I just read where you said that this cake will “settle” a bit as it cools. Is it common that it shrinks in diameter quite a bit as well?
The cake is so tender is can settle and shrink as it cools. You may loose some diameter as well. I have no problem with that as long as the cake has a nice texture. It helps if you don’t grease the sides of the pan and don’t use non-stick pans.
I LOVE this cake. It is the best textured and and best tasting white cake from scratch that I’ve eaten. The problem is that both times that I’ve made cupcakes with the recipe they shrunk–a lot– when I took them out of the oven. The 2nd time that I made it I was really careful to beat my egg whites just to soft peak, then just to stiff peak. I was also really careful with my baking soda and baking powder measurements(baking powder is new). Please help me troubleshoot. Thank you!
Hi! If I wanna make this is in a 9×13 pan would I need to double the recipe?
No, one batch should fill a 9×13 nicely. This recipe is sized for two 9″(or8″) x3″ pans.
Thanks for this recipe — could I substitute creme fraiche for the sour cream?
Yes, that should work.
I’m drooling while reading the recipe and techniques used to make such a beautiful white cake that I haven’t seen since the 1950’s ! However, I’m celiac so I will be using a high end GF cake flour….which absorbs liquids faster. Do you have any ideas on how I can decrease the flour amount or increase the liquids ( butter and sour cream) to achieve very similar results?
Hi Eileen,
I have baked this cake twice and it is absolutely delicious and tender that it melts in your mouth! But it shrinks while cooling. Why does it do that? What do you recommend? Thank you
Can I Substitute almond flavoring and add piopyseed to this recipe?
Yes.
Hey Eileen, I was wondering if you could explain about not using non stick cake pans for this cake? If you only have non stick is there any way to make that work? Thank you!
For the same reason I don’t grease the sides of the cake pan. I found I get a better rise on the cakes when they stick slightly to the sides of the pan. Non stick will work, but you might get less of a rise and they might “settle” a bit as they cool. Neither should be a huge problem.
Hi Eileen! I can’t wait to try this cake, I am making it for my sister’s birthday next week. I have a question.. I would like to make it as a layer cake using 3 9 inch cake pans.. Do you think that would work and how would I have to adjust the cooking time? Thank you for your help!
You can just divide the batter between 3 pans instead of two. The baking time will be faster. I’d start checking the oven after 10-12 min.
Love this so much… it’s the third white cake recipe we’ve tried on the quest to find my sister’s wedding cake and this is definitely the winner. Thank you! Do you have any recommendations/conversions for quantity and cooking times to make it in half sheets?
You can bake this batter in a half sheet pan. By half sheet I mean a rimmed baking sheet, not a 9″x13″ cake pan. You can bake it in either type of pan, but I always use the rimmed half sheet pans. Since the batter will be much thinner the baking time would be quicker. Check after 7-8 minutes.
This cake is what dreams are made of. Since I live in a small town, my grocery store was out of sour cream so I decided to use vanilla yogurt. This is one of the best cakes I have ever tasted in my life. I know my customers are going to I be very happy with it as well
At what point could I add food color to this recipe? I want to use this as the base for a baby shower cake. Thanks!
I would add it before folding in the egg whites.
@Eileen Gray,Thank you!
Hello, I’m planning to make this for a birthday. Do you think I can use sprinkles and convert to a funfetti cake? Any recommendations?
Sure, just fold the sprinkles in when the egg whites are almost folded in.
Could this recipe work for a jelly roll / Swiss roll type cake? I want to make a rolled cake with a local in-season strawberries and whipped cream filling and love your recipe for the soft velvety white cake.
It would probably work. Just make sure you don’t make the cake too thick since that makes it harder to roll. You could also try the white sponge cake I use for my peppermint roulade. Just skip the step for making the red stripes. Another possibility is the sponge cake from my Jelly Roll.
@Eileen Gray,
I’m going to try this soft velvety recipe to roll and will let you know how it turns out. Many Thanks for your helpful, very fast response!
I’ve run out of unsalted butter. How much will using salted butter affect the recipe? I would of course omit the salt listed in the recipe.
Yes, just eliminate the salt in the recipe.
I’m going to try your recipe for a cake I’m making for a birthday party. I want to use my 10”x3” pans. Will I have enough batter if I make the recipe twice. TIA
Yes.
Hello, This recipe sounds perfect for a layered cake I will be creating soon. However I have a question… Would it be possible to convert the measurements for a 8″square cake?
The recipe is sized for two 8″ round pans, but could also be baked in 9″ round pans for slightly shorter layers. An 8″ square pan has the same volume as a 9″ round pan. So you could bake the recipe as is in two 8″ square pans. The overall cake will be slightly shorter than the one pictured in the recipe. If you want the same height you can make 1.25x the recipe since an 8″ square pan is about 25% larger than an 8″ round.
Hello my cake is perfect in flavor but a little dry, can this be from MIXING the whipped egg white mixture into the bowl versus FOLDING the whipped egg white mixture? Also how long does it takes for my egg white to be whipped… Thanks in Advance
Jo
I can’t say how long it takes for your egg whites to whip. It depends on a lot of factors including the age of the whites, the temperature, your mixer, etc. Definitely you want to fold the whites into the batter, not mix it in. The point of whipping the whites is to aerate the batter. As far as the flavor being dry, perhaps you overbaked the cake or used the wrong flour. Again, impossible to say without knowing all the factors.
A really nice soft most cake. I used watermelon extract and made watermelon cake pops for my great niece’s birthday (Cocomelon theme). They were an absolute hit. I’ve never had a cake work so well for cake pops. This is my new go to for white cake recipes. Thank you!
Made this cake for my granddaughter’s birthday party…I had so many compliments! I had two bites of my grandsons piece, so really didn’t get to taste it. Just sat down with my husband and split the piece I brought home to him. Oh my goodness, this is now my go to recipe!! So delicious, light but yet firm…so good!! Thank you for posting!!
Hi! I’m a cake decorator and I have made this cake many times and it is absolutely amazing! I’ve tried many different recipes, including my own, and this is the best. My clients always rave and so does my family. I do have a question. I recently moved from sea level to 4,500 ft, I’m about to start baking but do you recommend I make the few changes that are usually used for high altitude or try the recipe as is first? Do you, or does anyone, have any experience with this recipe at high altitude? Thank you so much!
Hi Denise, thanks for the kind words. I don’t have experience with high altitude baking but maybe some other readers can help?
@Eileen Gray, Hey there! So, I made the cake with only minor adjustments and it came out great! I did 265g cake fl., 330g sugar, 240g sour cream and scant baking powder & baking soda. I used 2, 6″x3″ pans and baked at 365 for the first half then lowered to 350 for the remainder. Seeing as my changes were so small I’m going to try it again soon with the original amounts to see how that goes. Just thought I’d pass the info along incase anyone else at a higher altitude may benefit. Thanks again for the great recipe and all your effort in creating it! <3
Great, thanks for the update.
My only comment/complaint is that the directions don’t really tell you to mix the meringue mixture in with the batter. I did and I’m hoping it comes out okay. Just think the instructions should be more elaborate.
Step 6 says “Fold the whites into the base in 3 parts, folding just until there are no streaks of egg white.” Not sure how much more information is needed.
what vanilla brand do you use?
I use Neilsen Massey Madagascar Bourbon.
@Eileen Gray, I was wondering about that too…they sell the one you mention, so shall buy that one. I was concerned about any black bits of vanilla spoiling the white sponge. You also say not to use the clear vanilla extract…which I’m guessing is just a syrup with flavouring? I was planning to try your angel food cake recipe in a chequered cake tin, but having now seen this recipe – I think this one is more likely to work! (I have a large angel food cake tin, so will try your angel cake recipe also btw!.
I just answered your other comment and suggested you use this recipe for your checkerboard cake. I made the cake in the photos using real vanilla extract and the cake still came out nice and white with no yellow undertones. There are no specks of vanilla in the extract. White vanilla is made with vanillin not real vanilla. That being said, if you like the flavor of clear vanilla of course you can use that instead.
Hi Eileen! This is the most perfect looking white cake I’ve ever seen, I could only imagine it would taste as good.
Please do a vegan white cake in your repertoire!
Will the recipe adapt to cupcakes?
Yes.
Also, will this recipe bake well in larger pans, like 10” – 16”?
See my response below re: wedding cakes.
Thank you so much for explaining the science behind the ingredients and different techniques. Can this recipe be doubled, tripled and quadrupled to make tiered cakes?
Yes, absolutely. This recipe is a variation of my Vanilla Butter Cake. That’s the base recipe I used in my wedding cake business. I made everything from cupcakes to 6 tier wedding cakes from that cake.
Awful cake didn’t rise NOT white in the slightest and under baked in middle despite cocktail stick coming out clean.Wont be attempting again.
If you have a specific question I’d be happy to help.
@Corinn, You remind me of my sister-in-law who requested my recipe for the 7-Up Pound cake I make for most family gatherings.
I provided her with the recipe, which, BTW, is the same recipe for 90% of the recipes you will find if you Google 7-Up Pound Cake.
After she made it she called my sister and told her I purposely left out an ingredient so her’s would not taste as good as mine! Lol. Who does that?
Long story shorter, after speaking to her, turns out she put all the ingredients into a bowl, mixed them together, poured it into a cake pan and baked. Totally disregarding the instructions written underneath the ingredients.
Again, who does that? Charlesetta apparently! Lol
@Corinn, So maybe you possibly left out a step.
Hello there,
First of all thank you for this recipe. My cousin is getting married and asked me to make her a vanilla wedding cake. I’m planning on making it 2 tiered, will it stand well? Also can I make it in advance and freeze it?
Another question I have is about the Italian meringue frosting, does this crust? I usually use white chocolate ganache so I can do fancy decorations. I want to make rice paper decorations. Would you advice me to use the same or go for another frosting? I know its too many questions but I’d really appreciate if you could advise me. Thanks in advance!
Yes, this cake can hold up in a 2 tier cake. I suggest putting 1 or bubble straws in the bottom cake for extra support. IMB does not crust. But it does become firm when it’s refrigerated. It’s the only frosting I used for the 1000s of wedding cakes I’ve made. Not sure about rice paper decorations. Do you mean something like flowers made from rice paper? In that case the paper could pick up moisture from the IMB.
Hi Eileen! I’m going to be testing this recipe over the weekend. I want to make this cake and cover it in fondant; do you think it’s too soft to withstand the weight of fondant? Thanks!
No, it should be fine. This is a variation of my Vanilla Butter Cake which I used for many fondant covered wedding cakes in my career.
You mentioned something about why you don’t butter your cake pans. I didn’t come across your reason….if I missed it please explain. Thank you! Really enjoying and learning from your posts!
If you don’t butter the sides of the cake pan (butter the bottom or use a round of parchment) the batter clings to the pan and you get a better rise. This doesn’t apply to specialty pans like Bundt pans, but for round or square cake pans I don’t butter the sides of the pan.
@Eileen Gray, Got it, makes sense, thank you. I thought that not buttering the sides only applied to Angel Food cakes although I do use a loaf pan made for AF cakes and place parchment on the bottom for easier removal. Nothing at all on the sides.
Hello,
After preparing the batter, can I bake the cake one by one?
Yes, you can hold the unbaked batter at room temperature while the other cake bakes.
I’m sure it will taste good. Didnt rise to much.
Be careful not to overwhip the egg whites or overfold the batter or you can lose some volume when the cake bakes.
How does the cream of tartar change things. Because you just added this and the texture before I put it to bake is different. I’m nervous it won’t come out well.
Cream of tartar will help stabilize the whipped egg whites. I always used bleached cake flour, which is slightly acidic. But some folks don’t want to use bleached flour or it’s not available where they live. The cream of tartar is just an added insurance to keep the whipped whites stable so you don’t loose volume in the cake. If you’re using bleached flour you can skip the cream of tartar.
@Eileen Gray, OK thanks for answering. It still tastes amazing…but there is a different texture to the crust it formed. I will definitely be making this again but I will do it without the cream of tartar. The cake flour I used hasn’t been bleached. This would be the 6th time making your cake. I make it with brown butter frosting…it’s amazing!
Instead of vanilla, would almond flavor work for this cake? I always use almond in my buttercream frosting and my family absolutely adores it. Just thinking about the unification of flavoring from cake to frosting.
Sure, use any flavoring that suits your needs.
Also suggest for sour cream . Can I make it by adding vinegar in milk, will it work?
You can use yogurt in place of sour cream. But there may be a difference in texture depending on how loose or thick your yogurt is.
@Eileen Gray, Can equal amounts of buttermilk be substituted for the sour cream? If less buttermilk is needed, how much I use? I am a firm believer in buttermilk for amazing cakes. I do plan to try this sour cream version for comparison purposes.
I am also a devotee of folding the meringue into the batter; I love the texture of these cakes. (This method is used in German’s Chocolate cake and Italian Cream Cake which you already know I am sure but some of your readers might not).
My mom used cream of tartar in her meringues, as did her mother. It makes a huge difference!
Hey Elieen,I don’t use eggs for cake. Can you please suggest me what to use in place of eggs?
Sorry, that’s not a quick answer. Eggs do some pretty heavy lifting in this recipe and a simple 1:1 replacement is not realistic. It would take quite a bit of testing to develop a white cake recipe without eggs.
@Eileen Gray, There are recipes out there that use no dairy or eggs. A touch of vinegar helps with the rising but yes the recipes are completely different. I bake vegan treats often and that is a standard find in these recipes.
Yes, I’m sure there are some good ones. It’s just not my area of expertise and it would take a lot of recipe testing to create a egg free version of this recipe.
Good day,
I see you use cake flour à lot.
This is not readily available in my area. Please can you write the recipe to make cake flour from all-purpose flour?
For each cup of cake flour use 3/4 cup of all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons of corn starch.
Hi Eileen, this cake, just by the photos alone, looks totally moist and amazing. Although I am a fan of just about any cake, I prefer chocolate. Do you have a recipe like this but for chocolate cake? Look forward to your reply.
Yes, this recipe is based on my basic vanilla butter cake. This Chocolate Butter Cake is also a version of the same recipe.
White cake has been my white whale. A recipe that works has eluded me for years. I have tried so many different variations and they almost always fall, are too dense, or just don’t taste that good. I have resorted to using boxed white cake. I just came across this recipe this week and seeing the method of beating the egg whites first gave me hope (I bake genoise with no problem using this method). I just made this recipe today (twice) and it turned out perfectly! No falling and the taste is far superior to what I’ve been doing! I’m so excited!
Yay!
My daughter wants a Confetti Cake for her birthday, would this recipe stand up to the addition of Sprinkles in the batter? I am worried that the sprinkles will impact the cake rising…
The sprinkles should be no problem. I would add the sprinkles when the egg whites are about halfway mixed in.
This is by far the best white cake recipe!! I’ve tried so many recipes for white cake and they are normally super dry or dense, but not this one!! Thank you so much for the recipe!!
I just made three recipes of your Velvety Soft White Cake and have made your recipes many times but yesterday upon taking the cakes out of the pans after resting I noticed that the tops where larger than the bottoms so I didn’t have straight sides!? I can’t figure out why? I know I screwed up when putting the butter into the dry ingredients I hadn’t added the first half of sour cream so I added that after the cubes of butter and mixed it briefly and then added the reaming sour cream and vanilla and the beat for four minutes. My butter was at 67 – 68 degrees so I don’t think that was the problem. I did color the batter and then mixed in the egg whites but the other two cakes were colored as well so I don’t think I over mixed. I don’t know as yet if that will have changed the texture of the cake.
Thank you for any help. I’m doing this for the 4th of July event.
Pam
Did you butter and flour the pans or use parchment?
@Pam, I used parchment paper and sprayed only the bottom of pan like the first two recipes I made and sprayed the parchment paper as well.
@Eileen Gray, I sprayed the bottom with Pam Spray and used parchment paper. I did exactly that for the first to batches I made the day before and they turned out perfectly.
Would the fact that I put the sour cream in after the butter was incorporated because I forgot to start with the sour cream have thrown it off?
How many cups of cake batter does this recipe make. I am making an anniversary cake – 6-9-12 rounds . So I will need to figure how many recipes I need to make . I have made it before and it is delicious and had many compliments ! Thank you,
Cindi
How many servings do you need? They way I always multiply out for multi-tier cakes is by the number of servings. If I know my base recipe make 16 servings and I need to feed 50p I multiply the recipe by 3 (16×3=48).
i just microwaved a little bit of my batter to taste it, and my cake smells and tastes like eggs! is there any reason why? i’ll update after i cook the entire cake
No idea. I haven’t tried microwaving the batter.
I made this cake for my wedding last year. It was amazing. Has anyone used this recipe for cupcakes?
I usually grease and flour the sides of my cake pans, but in your recipe it says not to. Why is that? I’m just wondering because it seems like when I don’t grease/flour the sides of my cake pans then the cake sticks to the sides making it difficult for it to come out.
The cake will stick to the sides, and that’s the point of not greasing the sides of the pan. By sticking to the sides the cake can rise higher. I baked 1000s of cakes for my cake business this way. A quick scrape with a paring knife or small spatula will release the sides of the cake. Since the bottom of the pan is lined with parchment (or greased and floured) the cake will come out easily. Another bonus, I find cleanup much easier when the pan is not greased and floured.
Has anyone else experienced this cake tasting like cornbread? My hubs thought so too…really GOOD cornbread…but still
I honestly can’t imagine how this could taste like cornbread.
A small doubt for clarification u r cup measure? I mean one cup 250 ml?
Sorry, I don’t understand your question. There are no ml measurements in this recipe.
@Eileen Gray, I am asking about u r cup quantity
Are you asking about the flour or the sugar measurements? I’m still not sure what information you need.
@Eileen Gray, flour
The weight of a cup of flour is not an absolute since how you fill the cup can significantly change the actual amount of flour in the cup. I use the “dip and sweep” method for filling a measuring cup. That is, I “dip” the cup into the bin of flour and over fill it. Then I “sweep” away the excess flour for a level cup. Using that method I always get 5 oz (140g) of flour per cup and that is the conversion I use for my recipes. If you fluff the flour and then spoon it into the cup you can get as little as 4-4.5 oz per cup. Again, this is why weighing ingredients is always preferable for baking. Have fun!
Hello Eileen with u r tips and researches I am fully satisfied and with the replacement of sour cream as u told me use yogurt today I made this cake really really very good and soft turn really good I am very happy once again becoz of u iam succeeded in making cake tq tq there is no words coming out.
I noticed this cake does not freeze well it became unpleasant very dry the mouth feel completely changed I wrapped them very well so that’s definitely not the problem and also this recipe shrinks a great deal after baking which is not very conducive to having sharp edges during frosting any tip or tricks to avoid these problems
I want to make 3 layers 8” would this recipe work?
Yes, you could either bake in 3 pans or put 1/3 of the batter in one pan and 2/3 of the batter in the other pan. Split the thicker cake for a total of 3 layers.
I am from India . Can u pls tell what is sour cream
Sour cream is a dairy product. It is exactly as it is named, a cream that has been soured. It is thick tangy. Thick yogurt would be a good replacement.
@Eileen Gray, tq for the response sure I try and share a pic with u again
Would you tell me if the pans are 8×3 or
8×2 ? I’m just becoming aware that it might bake up differently.
Thank you, Jeanne
I use 8×3 pans.
I get confused about 3/4 of a teaspoon. I Know.. sorry
But is 3/4 a combination if 1/2 and 1/4 of a teaspoon? Thank you.
@Kemi, yes it is! 1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp = 3/4 tsp
What’s the difference between sour cream, milk and buttermilk?
They’re different dairy products with different flavors and textures.
Hi, I’m British and our sour cream is really quite sour. I was wondering if it could be replaced with creme fraiche, which has a less sour taste and more fat. Would you suggest sour cream over creme fraiche?
I think you could use either, or Greek yogurt is a good substitute.
@Eileen Gray, I ran out of sour cream and used Greek yogurt. It was great!
Hi! I made this cake for my son’s birthday last year and it was such a hit so I’m making it again this year. However I need to color the cake layers. Would you suggest putting the coloring gel in before adding the egg whites or after? I will need two colors to split the batter between as well. I’m guessing spilt the batter then color them and then fold in half egg white mix for each? Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!
Yes, adding color before the egg whites is probably the best plan. That way you won’t deflate the egg whites. You can eye-ball it or, if you have a kitchen scale, weigh out half the batter then half the egg whites.
Hi, Eileen
I’ve learned so much just reading the Q&As here! I was wondering, why do you trim the edges of the cake before frosting? Does that mean the sides and top should be cut off?
Thank you!
I always trim the top, bottom and sides of a cake before torting. I like the way a layer cake looks without any brown edges at all, especially for a white cake. At the very least I would trim off the top crust. I find that crust can separate from the cake and it can be a little gummy.
Hi I love you so much for providing this recipe. My go-to tight crumbed cake, almostttt like a lighter pound cake. Will make mini cakes with this and give them out to people for Christmas since I have to pay for my tooth haahah $2k for a crown+root canal yay. THANK YOU SO MUCH
Hi , I can’t wait to try this today it looks great – thanks! I am making a 3 layer 6 inch cake – would this recipe work with 3 6 inch pans?
Hi Jacqui, If you baked the full batch in three 6″ pans you’d end up with a very, very tall cake. A 6″ pan has about 56% of the volume of an 8″ pan. So you’d need just over 1/2 a batch of the batter to fill two 6″ pans since the original recipe calls for two 8″ pans. Personally, I would make either 1/2 or 2/3 of the recipe and bake it in two or three 6″ pans to get a similar height for the finished cake. If you bake it in two pans you can torte the cake to make a 4 layer cake. If you bake it in 3 pans you can make a 3 layer cake. Otherwise, if you just want to make the full recipe make sure to fill each cake pan no more than 1/2-2/3 full. Bake any left over batter as cupcakes which you can freeze for a quick snack.
Thanks so much Eileen . I like the leftover cupcake idea – I am going to do the entire recipe and fill my 6 inch pans 2/3 full for the cake. I’m sure my husband would adore the left over cupcakes! Great suggestion – thanks again.
You are very welcome.
Oh, and I should say that I work with 3″ tall pans. The 2/3 still holds true. But obviously if you have 2″ tall pans the layers will be a bit shorter. If you do have 2″ tall pans, definitely fill closer to 2/3 than 1/2.
Thank you for responding to my questions. I appreciate all your good advice.
Pam
I do have a question. I’ve baked your cake a number of times as I love it. I have to make a Wedding Cake in January for 80 people. My question is would I need a 12″, 10″, 8″ and 6″ cake to feed 80 people? I would like each cake to be 3 layers with the exception of four layers for the 6″ cake. I’m not sure how much batter I would need for the 12 and 10 inch cakes given I need to have 3 layers for each cake. Could you please advise me. The other concerns because this cake shrinks a good inch will that make a difference especially since I will trim the caramelized sides of the cake? I have tried three different recipes and your White Cake is outstanding!!
Many thanks for any help.
Pam
For the 3 layer cakes fill one of the pans with the normal amount of batter and the other with half as much. Torte the larger cake into 2 layers for a total of 3 layers. Those tiers will be shorter than the 6″ (4 layer) tier. If you want the tiers to be the same height than you should use the same amount of batter as normal, but only torte 1 of the cakes into 2 layers. Hope that makes sense. The baked cakes will shrink more if they are under-baked or if the egg whites are over-whipped. Also remember that by the time you ice the cake you add to the size.
I’m getting closer to the Wedding event that I’m doing the cake for. You replied to my question regarding how to handle getting the right amount of batter for the cakes but I’m unclear if for 80 people if I need a 12″ cake in addition to a 10, 8 and 6″ OR can I get away WITHOUT the 12″ cake so I would. only have 10″, 8″, and 6″. If that is the case would I need to make each tier 4 layers? Also do you do a 2″ cake cut or 1″ cake cut when serving?
I’ve made a lot of cakes but obviously this is my first wedding cake. Many thanks for all your advice!!
Pam
@Pam,
I’m also looking to use this recipe for a tiered wedding cake. Just wondering how yours turned out and what your decided to do. Also curious about baking times for the various sizes.
@Eileen, thank you so much for sharing all of your tips and recipe!!
I would like to make a 4 layer cake similar to the picture.Should I make the cake twice or cut the layer in half?
I bake two cakes and split them to make 4 layers. You can see how I do it here.
This is my go-to cake recipe almost every single time I make a cake. It is always a HIT and everyone says it’s the best they’ve ever had. Whipping the egg whites always feels like so much extra work, but man it’s worth it. The sour cream in the recipe is the key ingredient I think. One adjustment I made was adding about half a tablespoon of almond extract along with the tablespoon of vanilla. I just love the flavor combo that way.
I’ve also used this recipe as a gluten free cake by replacing the flour with gluten free flour, and it’s been a huge hit with my GF friends and family!
Hi
Love all your recipes and your efforts that go into making them perfect. Thankyou for all that.
Just wanted to ask what can be substituted in place of eggs?
Substituting eggs in a cake batter is kind of a big deal. It would take quite of bit of testing and retesting for me to be able to recommend a good replacement.
there are eggless cake recipes out there. Pretty popular in India since a good chunk of the population don’t eat egg. Usually yogurt (curd in India) is used, sometimes even mashed ripe bananas. But it is really trick to get it right.
I wonder because I only have nonstick pans can I bake your White or Yellow cake recipes using them or do I need to buy different pans? I need to bake a white cake for customer’s anniversary and would very much like to use your White cake recipe and wasn’t sure after reading your post if non-stick would be a problem.
Thanks
I can’t say for sure Pam as I’ve never baked this recipe in a non-stick pan. The cakes do tend to settle more in a greased pan so you’ll probably see more settling in a non-stick pan. Personally, I don’t like non-stick cake pans for this reason.
Thank you so much for the quick response. So do you know why this happens? I bought 4 8″ pans as well as 4 7″ pans and am concerned that all cake recipes will shrink more or is it this White Cake recipe in particular? By the way you must have patience of a Saint!!
Thanks
Pam
This white cake is a very tender cake so it does settle more than some other recipes. Even if the cake “settles” or “shrinks”, generally I find that it’s fine when you cut it open. You just lose a little volume. For me, a more tender cake is worth the trade off.
Hello
I wanted to ask you. Which cake do you prefer? This cake or the buttermilk one
With oil. . I have only made this one. I need to make a layered cake for this weekend. I would be layering with passion fruit filling
I like them both. The buttermilk cake is a bit lighter and softer and the white cake is a little richer and more velvety. Can’t go wrong either way.
I absolutely love this cake. I’m an avid baker. Have made several wedding cakes,
My dilemma has always been having the texture of a cake being soft but not to soft. The chiffon cake I have been using is I think too soft. This cake is perfect because it’s an all butter cake but with the sourcream that softens it.
Thank you
Thanks!
Hi Eileen, I was looking for a good sugar free white cake recipe and came across your recipe and it seems to get fantastic reviews. I currently use monk fruit sweetener which is 1:1 ratio. Would I get the same result if I changed to use this sweetener? Thank you Lori
Hi Lori. I haven’t used monk fruit sweetener so I can’t say for sure. It depends if it acts like sugar in the batter. Sugar sweetens, but it also retains water and tenderizes the gluten.
I’m going to admit that I typically doctor up a box cake mix, but with a white cake, there just isn’t much you can do. So I searched the Pinterest and give your recipe. OMG! The cake was so tender, no crumbs, absolutely delicious. The ladies were fighting with the birthday girl to take a slice home with them. Great job with the research. It was fantastic and I will be making it again!
Thanks for the feedback, Joyce!
Question I need to make this cake but I bake ahead as I have many orders and don’t have time to be baking 24-7. Can I freeze this cake for up to 3 weeks without having it change the cake.
Absolutely! The best way to keep a cake fresh is to put it in the freezer. If you double wrap in plastic and then a layer of foil it will do well for several months. Defrost at room temp in the plastic wrap. The crust of the cake will get soggy, but I always cut the crust off anyway.
I made this as a Bundt cake, in a 10-cup pan, and it baked up perfectly! I used half shortening to keep it starkly white since I also added sprinkles for a funfetti-style cake. It took around 55 minutes to bake through. I was a little worried it would turn out dry due to the extended baking time but I am very pleased with the results.
Hey, great idea!
I am making a two tiered cake for a baby shower and would like to use your Velvety Soft White Cake as the second tier. There will be about 25 guests and will do a 8″ cake and top it with a 6″ cake. Is it possible to use your cake recipe using four 6″ x 2″ pans? If so, how much batter should I use in each pan. Also approximately how long do I baKe them or how much time before I check to see if it’s done. I love cakes that use the reverse creaming method and appreciate the research you did to obtain what looks and sounds delicious.
Many thanks for any help.
Hi Pam. You can bake this batter in 6″ pans. For 2″ high pans I would fill them about 2/3-3/4 full. Do you want to use 4 pans so you have 4 layers?
Hi Eileen,
I commented on the issue with high altitude baking and decreasing the leavening. Now, hoping you can help me out. Interested in making this recipe, using 3 – 8 inch cake pans.
Doubling the recipe will be too much cake batter.
Any ideas?
You could make 1.5 times the recipe. Just multiple all the ingredients out by 1.5 times, (e.g., 2c flour x 1.5= 3c flour) and use three pans. Because you’re at high altitude, for the leavening that would mean multiplying the original amount by .75 (that’s the same as dividing it in half and then multiplying by 1.5). Hope that makes sense. Do you know if, in general, meringues behave differently at high altitude?
@Eileden Gray,
Sorry, I’m so late in responding to your question about meringues at high altitude baking. No, I’ve never had problems with meringues at high altitude. Colorado usually is dry,not humid like many other states. Meringues will not hold up very well in Colorado, when occasionally the weather may be very warm and rainy.
I live in Colorado Springs, CO at 6,035 feet. Your leaving (baking powder and baking soda) are used by cutting the measurements in half. For example, if a recipe calls for
1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda use only a 1/2 teaspoon of each leavening. I bake a lot. It only fails, if I’m distracted and forget to use the high altitude method. I hope this helps.
Happy Baking
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn, Are you saying that for all baking recipes you should use half the amount of leavening for high altitude baking? Thanks so much for the tip. I’ve had folks ask about high altitude baking but since I’ve never lived in a high altitude area I had no idea how to help.
I made this recently and used old fashioned frosting (flour/granulated sugar) massive success. Absolutely delicious cake thank you for sharing, I will be making it again. Thinking to use this as cupcakes next.
Great! I love the flour based frosting (Ermine). It’s on my list of recipes to post.
@Eileen Gray, This cake makes a fabulous coconut cake!!! I use Ermine frosting; for the filling I combine well drained crushed pineapple and extra coconut with some of the Ermine frosting. Of course coconut all over the outside of the cake; Ermine is great for this because it is easier to make the coconut ‘stick’.
PS I am on Team Ermine for Red Velvet Cake.
Hi,
Quick question for you….I’d love to make this but I want to add white chocolate. What do I need to do to get my perfect white chocolate cake using your recipe?
Hi Valerie, Well it’s a bit more complicated than just adding a little white chocolate. I’d have to do some recipe testing to get the exact amounts because adding white chocolate changes the balance of the recipe. I do have a recipe for White Chocolate Sacher Torte, that has a white chocolate cake. You can try that.
Help I love the the flavor but how do you do for the cake to keep moist and not to get dense the next day sitting on the fridge?.
Hi Mel. Don’t put the cake in the refrigerator. Refrigeration actually speeds up the staling process. Sometimes you may need to refrigerate the cake if it has a perishable filling. If that’s the case let it come completely to room temperature before serving. Otherwise, keep the cake at room temp. If you want to work ahead, it’s better to freeze the cake than putting it in the refrigerator.
Why does this cake recipe always end up undercooked and dense on the bottom I have to always cut a lot of cake off of each layer
A few suggestions; 1. Make sure you’re creaming the batter for the full 3-4 minutes after the butter is added to the flour. The batter should becomes lighter in color and texture. 2. Make sure you’re scraping the bowl after creaming so there are no pockets of dense batter. 3. Make sure you’re whipping the egg whites to full peak. 4. Don’t over fold the batter when you add the whipped whites. Fold just until there are no streaks of egg white visible. 5. Check your oven temperature is correct (use a thermometer).
Ok thanks so much! I’ve been struggling with this recipe it’s always a raw dense texture at the bottom of my layers but I really love this cake so hopefully it works out for me
My niece has asked me make her bride and groom cake for her wedding. I am so glad I found you and your recipes! I made your Vanilla Butter Cake with your IMB frosting and it was amazing. I had never made IMB before and was so thankful for all your directions and explanations and video. Since this is a wedding cake, I thought a “white” cake would be more appropriate. So I tried this Velvety White Cake recipe with a lemon curd filling and American Butter Cream frosting. It was amazing as well! Now that I feel good about the flavors, it’s time for me to work on the presentation. I am planning to do a simple 3 tier cake using 6″, 8″ and 10″ cake pans (each tier with 4 layers). I know the recipe makes a great 4 layer 8″ cake. How would you adjust the recipe for the 6″ and 10″ layers? I only have one (1) 6″ pan and one (1) 10″ pan. I didn’t know if I could keep the recipe the same and divide the batter 3:5 between the 6″ and 10″ pans or if I should increase the recipe by 1 1/2 or more. Also, if I use both IMB and American Buttercream, which would you use between the layers and which would you use to frost the cake? Thanks so much!!
Hi Angie. Thanks for the great feedback. What I would suggest is that one batch of cake (sized to fit two 8″ pans) can be divided between the 6″ and 10″ pans. So about 1/4-1/3 of the batter in the 6″ pan and the rest of batter in the 10″ pan. Do that twice to get two cakes for each size. Personally, I prefer IMB for everything because I just like it better. But American and IMB buttercream can be used either as filling or the frosting. If the cake will be displayed outdoors in warm weather, American buttercream is a better bet since IMB gets softer in warm temps. Good luck with the cake. I’d be happy to answer any other questions. I’d also like to invite you to join my private Facebook Group for bakers (it’s a private group but all are welcome to join).
Hello!!
I am wanting to do a layered “unicorn” cake. I have 9” pans. Do I need to change the recipe at all for the larger pan? Or leave the same measurements and just make an extra layer instead of splitting?
How many layers are you making? Are you tinting the batter? You can do this batter in two 9″ pans. The layers will be slightly shorter, but you can still split each of the cakes for a total of 4 layers.
Hello,
I cannot seem to see the recipe anywhere…is it just me/my computer? Please help!
Thank you so much,
Tammi
OOop, thanks for the heads-up Tammi. I was making some edits and must have deleted the recipe by mistake. It’s back at the end of the post.
Thank you! Just one more question. This recipe has 2 tbsp less butter than the Vanilla Butter Cake recipe and above you said that you increased the amount of butter in this recipe to make up for the loss of the yolks…am I misunderstanding something?
Help please!
Thank you so much xx
Sure. I did edit the recipe since a lot of folks were finding it a bit fussy. I reduced the butter a little to make the batter a little more stable. I just never changed the original text explaining the recipe details (will do now). I take feedback from readers into consideration and alter recipes as needed. The original recipe did work, but was a little more temperamental.
Thank you very much for explaining!
I’m making this tomorrow and can’t wait 🙂
Will let you know how it goes!
Great!
How can I turn this cake into an almond cake? Do I just sub out the vanilla for almond extract? Please advise.
Eileen,
That sounds great. I am getting your book and I will try that idea with your buttercream icing and chocolate.
Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge! I am excited to make some of your cakes and other goodies in your book,.Can’t wait! Thank you!
I am So Happy to find your white cake creation!, today! I can’t wait to make it as well as cupcakes. Can you please suggest how to make a chocolate cake with a great milk chocolate frosting? I would be happy to buy any great quality chocolate to accomplish a great flavor.
Thanks so mych!
Hi Sue, I’ve got several chocolate cake recipes, Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Butter Cake and Chocolate Genoise (sponge cake). I don’t specifically have milk chocolate frosting recipe, but you can flavor Italian Meringue Buttercream with melted milk chocolate.
This is the best vanilla cake ever and I’ve looked for SO long and had SO many recipes fail. I’ve always loved dense moist vanilla cake, but everything I found was either too dry and airy or too sweet or rich. When I saw the video of how the cake cut, the texture looked perfect, and sure enough it did not disappoint. The stakes were high, too – it debuted on my daughter’s first birthday!
It stood up well to modifications, too: I made mini versions in ramekins (under-baked by 5 minutes), with sprinkles for a funfetti effect, and made a passion fruit icing. All went fantastic. This is the only vanilla cake recipe I will ever use. THANK YOU.
Wow, thanks so much! So glad you enjoyed it and even better than you adapted it to your own recipes. I love that!
I love this recipe! The cake was so soft and moist and delicious! My only problem was I felt like my cake didn’t rise as well as it should have. I followed the directions and did not butter the sides and I used parchment paper. I was wondering how you measure your cake flour. I spoon the flour into my measuring cup like I do when I use ap flour.
To get the best lift in the batter, make sure you give the batter a good 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed when you add the butter to the flour in the beginning. This is when you will incorporate a little air into the batter before the egg whites are added. If I don’t weigh my ingredients I use the “dip and sweep” method. Dip the cup into the flour and sweep away the excess. But this is not a sponge cake and does have a small crumb. That’s what gives it a melt in your mouth texture.
I want to make this but bake in 4 6”x2” cake pans (I’m making 2 small cakes for mother’s day). Would I double the recipe? Or 1.5x it? Or I guess I could double and use any leftover batter for cupcakes? Thanks!
I think a 1.5 batch would easily make 4 6″ cakes. Or you could multiply the recipe by 2 (the math is a little easier) and make cupcakes. They freeze well.
Hi, I love this recipe and am thinking of using it for a strawberry vanilla cream cake. Do you think it will work? Please let me know. Thanks!
Do you intend to make the cake itself strawberry, or use a strawberry filling?
Hi Eileen!!
Elisa from emerald lancers here! Cake looks yummy!! I will have to try it! So cool to see you on Pinterest!
Hi Elisa!! Great to see that my pin popped up on your feed.
There is a discrepancy between the volume and weight measurements of butter. Two sticks or 8 ounces would be 227g but you have 283g instead, quite a large difference. I am assuming it should be 227g but just want to make sure?
Oh, thanks for catching that. I’ve edited the recipe a few times and must’ve missed the gram weight. I use 28g per ounce conversation, so that comes to 224. But my scale only weighs in 5 gram increments. If yours is the same you can of course round up to 225. Thanks for the feedback.
Any idea if this size recipe would accommodate a 9×13 pan instead of rounds?
I haven’t specifically tried baking this recipe in a 9×13 pan, but I think it would work. Let me know if you try it how it turns out.
Can you make this cake in chocolate as well if so when do I put the coco in it
Hi Karla. You could probably replace some of the flour with cocoa. I haven’t tried it with this particular recipe. But I do have a recipe for Chocolate Butter cake that is really good.
I was wondering if the cake batter would be dense enough to support adding chocolate chips without them sinking to the bottom. Also, what is your suggestion for preventing the chocolate chips from sinking in any cake?
Yes, I think you could put chocolate chips in the cake. If you read my Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake post you’ll see what I do to the chips to help the stay suspended in the batter.
I baked 30 minutes (max as directed), toothpick came out clean, cooled 20 minutes, took out of pans and the middle thirty percent or so of the cake was complete goo. Part of the cake that was cooked was not very impressive, good flavor but rubbery. I’ll check tomorrow with a thermometer to see if the oven was the problem, but I doubt it.
Hi Anna. I’m not sure what went wrong. I’ve made this cake so many times and never had that problem. I would definitely check the oven temp. Also, did you use fresh egg whites or carton egg whites?
Ok I tried the recipe again with cake tin rings (the cloth around the outside) and a nail in the center and the cake finally cooked, after 50 minutes though! Thermometer said 350 the whole time, hard to imagine it’s wrong but maybe. Yes fresh egg whites. Maybe your method results in an over mixed cake? The cake seemed denser than I’d like
This cake says wonderful. I would like to try it. But I have a question, Is this cake strong enough for a 3 or 4 tier cake with at lease 3 or 4 layers per tier.(of course with proper internal structures) Also is it strong enough to hold fondant with either IMBC or Ganache. I will be making Wedding and Celebration cakes.
Hi Alexandria. Yes, this cake could certainly be made into a multi-tier cake with the proper internal structure.
Hi! This sounds soo good! I am thinking of making this cake for my SIL baby shower.. I need to make it on a Wednesday or Thursday to transport 5 hours to decorate Friday-Saturday for Saturday afternoon shower. What would you suggest for transport? Freeze or room temp ok for that amount of time? Also doing 2 tiers what icing/filling would you recommend? I’m thinking salted Carmel but unsure of type of icing.
If you’re holding the cake for more than a day or two I would freeze it. Double wrap in plastic and then a layer of foil. I would take it straight from the freezer for travel. Because it’s a mild flavored cake, any icing works with it. I love Italian Meringue Buttercream with it.
This sounds wonderful!! Can’t wait to try it! Do you happen to have a good chocolate cake recipe? Would love to try it too! 🙂
I have several chocolate cake recipes. Scroll through the “cakes” category on the “Recipe” page to find them.
Thank you so much for this recipe! It’s awesome! I was wondering if you ever freeze your cake layers made with this recipe, and if so, does it affect the texture? I’m planning to use this recipe for a wedding cake I’m making and would like to bake the layers ahead of time. Thanks!
Hi Joy. I absolutely freeze this cake and just about every other cake. If you will not be using a cake with a day or two the best way to keep it fresh is in the freezer. I like to double wrap in plastic. Allow it to defrost in the wrapper then you’re good to go. If you want to freeze longer than a couple of week add a layer of aluminum foil on the outside.
Hi Eileen do you have a good recipe for German chocolate cake?
No yet, but I’ll put it on my “to do” list.
@Eileen, The recipe found on the German’s Sweet Chocolate packaging is the perfect recipe, and it uses buttermilk and the meringue folding technique. That awesome frosting is also on the package.
This looks delicious! Would you please tell me what high altitude adjustments would be?
Hi Karen, I’m sorry that I don’t have any expertise in high-altitude baking. I have a Facebook Group, Baking Sense Recipe Workshop, for asking these types of questions. If you ask to join the group I’ll add you and you can ask the question there. I know of at least one member who lives at high altitude and may be able to answer the question for you. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
This recipe and method is similar to chiffon sponge. To avoid the cake falling after baking you do not butter the pan and after baking immediately turn pan upside down on a parchment lined baking sheet and let cool or freeze .This way gravity keeps the cake tall and fluffy!
Hi Stephanie – it is similar to chiffon cake in that the egg whites are whipped and folded in. But since it’s made with butter and sour cream, and not oil, it is still a very tender butter cake with a different texture than a chiffon cake. I don’t butter the sides of the pan and it still pulls away ( thanks to all that butter and sour cream!). I’m afraid if you tried to cool the pans upside down the cakes might slip out. I haven’t tried it. If you do try this let us know how it works. Thanks for reading!!
Ok, I’ll try it, Thank you!
I’d like to make this using 10″ cake pans, can you tell me how to modify the recipe? Thank you!
Hi Brandi. I generally fill my pans 1/2 to 2/3 full with batter before baking. A 10″ pan can hold almost 2x as much batter as a 8″ pan (the exact amount may vary depending on the height of the pan). I would suggest you double the recipe and fill the pans no more than 2/3 full. Any extra batter can be baked as cupcakes.
Hi, I used your recipe to make a cake for a dinner party. There was a lot of shrinkage and one of the cakes broke in half while I was moving it to the cake rack. Not sure what I did incorrectly. I noticed other bakers are having an issue with shrinkage. You mentioned in several comments of “photos” posted to show what the shrinkage should look like, but I can’t seem to find them on the site. I was able to piece it back together after it completely cooled and used it as the bottom layer. Because of the break, it became a two-layer cake instead of a four-layer cake. With all that said, in addition to the tsp of vanilla extract called for in the recipe, I also added a half tsp of almond extract. The flavor was amazing! My guests loved the cake! This will be my go to white cake going forward. Thanks!
Hi Sabrina – there is a slideshow showing the cakes in the pan after they come out of the oven. It’s at the bottom of the post. If you moved the cakes while they were still warm that’s probably why they cracked. As I said before, this is a very tender cake and that is on purpose. But moving a very tender cake while it’s even a little warm can cause it to crack. What I do is flip the cake directly onto the cooling rack so I don’t have to move it until it’s completely cooled. Buttercream is our friend and can repair cracks beautifully. Glad you liked the flavor. I did change the recipe instructions for a longer cooling time in the pan. I’m pretty comfortable handling soft cakes since I’ve been doing it forever. But I should allow for more cooling time to prevent cracking. Thanks for the feedback.
How to adjust recipe for 4 layers as shown?
Hi Glenda, no need to adjust the recipe. I trim the tops off both cakes then split each cake into 2 layers for a total of 4 layers. You can watch the video in this post to see how I put together a 4-layer cake.
I just want to say after looking at hours and hours of cake recipes that this is by far the best one that I have seen and actually tried thank you for taking the time out to test different methods you are greatly appreciated
Thank you Crystal.
I had a bit of a problem with the recipe. I’m not sure what I did wrong. I ended up making a second batch cause I was unhappy with the first batch. They came out very flat. An inch thick. When I pulled it from the oven it was fluffy and firm looking. After it cooled all four cakes were flat. I followed everything to the T. 🙁
I can’t say what happened without knowing exactly how you made the recipe. The cakes do settle after they come out of the oven (see photos) but should not collapse to 1″ thick. Honestly, the raw batter is deeper than 1″. What size pans did you use? I just baked this recipe 3x last week with no problems.
Hello ma’am, what’s the difference between cake flour and all-purpose flour cos it’s the latter that’s available where I am, and will a substitution affect the results?
Thanks
Cake flour has a lower protein content than ap flour. You will get a heavier and tougher cake with ap flour. You can read more in these posts about flour and about flour in cake batter. The post about flour in cake batter will explain how to substitute cake flour with ap flour with a few minor adjustments.
OMG. This recipe is SOLID. I can’t tell you how many white cake recipes I have tried that came out awful, either flat or eggy or dense or coarse etc. I found this recipe this afternoon, came home and made it straight away. When I looked through the oven door window and saw it rising I became excited! I crossed my fingers before cutting into it, kind of expecting it to be like all the others. It wasn’t! The texture is amazing. It has a beautiful light and airy crumb and didn’t fall flat. I used vanilla and almond flavorings. I didn’t change the recipe one bit (except for the pan size). The bake time for me in two 9″ pans was 28 minutes. I’ll admit It seemed a little weird to start with the dry mix then add sour cream and butter but I went with it, I had tried everything else and had nothing to lose. I have the most amazing chocolate cake recipe and now I have a white cake recipe too!
Thanks Eileen!!
Thanks so much, Susan. I’m glad you liked the recipe. I like it too.
Hi eileen, I have baked this recipe 6 times without any success. I have read every instruction carefully and still could not get any improvement. After i take the cake out of the oven, they always shrink excessively and the surface broke away from my ungreased pan. The cake is also very wet no matter how long i bake it. But still, the taste is good!
I decided to add another cup of flour since i thought it would dry the cake a little, and it worked!
I wonder if there’s a mistake while you were writing the flour weight? Or maybe we are using a different flour?
I am using cake flour with 9% protein.
Thank you eileen
HI Shiyu, this cake does shrink back as it cools. If you look through my notes and photos at the bottom you’ll see what it looks like. As far as the cake being wet, I’ve never had this problem and I’m not sure what’s going on. If you cut into the cake while it is still warm it will be very gummy since the starch hasn’t had time to set. Otherwise I’m not sure how it is coming out wet if all the ingredients are measured correctly. The flour measurements are correct. I would imagine that adding another cup of flour would make a dense cake. I always use cake flour, Soft as Silk, which I believe is about 7% protein.
Thank you for replying Eileen.
Yeah, when I say shrink, mine shrank about one inch from the pan and broke the crust really badly. I cut into it after it has been cooling for 4 hours.
This is really a headscratcher.
But yesterday I added 1 1/2 cups more flour from the recipe, and it ended up looking like the picture your posted and very very fluffy. I love this cake. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I am so looking forward to your book release! Awesome job girl!
Hi,
Can this recipe be halved successfully, as is? I don’t need four layers.
Thank you!
Yes, you can halve the recipe and either bake two shorter layers in two pans or bake one cake and split into two layers.
I Loved your velvety white cake recipe. You happen to have a recipe that combines cheese and cake layers together? or do you have any advices on making a cake like that?
Hi Vanisha, I have made cakes with cheesecake between the layers. I will post a recipe for my Fruit Tart Cake at some point, which has a cheesecake layer. In the meantime, in my post for Lime Layered Cheesecake you can see how I bake short layers of cheesecake that can be put between cake layers.
Thank you
Can I get the icing recipe or is it just buttercream icing
Hi Rhonda. I used my Italian Meringue Buttercream for this cake. It would also be delicious with Cream Cheese Frosting.
I love this recipe. I have made this.cake many times and its just great. Thank you.for sharing.
You’re very welcome. Glad you like it.
Where do I go to watch the video on how The Velvety Soft White Cake?
If you are using a mobile device the video should be right before the recipe card. If you’re reading on a desktop the video is “sticky”, meaning it’s at the top of the page and then will be on the right side of your screen as you scroll.
I am looking for a great white cake recipe to make my son’s graduation cake… but I need it to be large enough to feed everyone!! I was planning to use two large rectangular pans and then fill with raspberry between the layers. Your buttercream recipe sounds wonderful, also!! But my question is, what are your suggestions on adjusting temp and baking time for larger sized cake pans??
Are the pans 13″x9″ rectangular pans? If so, I would think you’d need one full batch for each pan. Temperature would be the same. As far as time, I always recommend going more by how the cake looks than by the time. Start checking at about 25 minutes and when the center of the cake springs back when pressed, it’s done. If you’re only using the buttercream on the outside of the cake 1 batch will probably be enough. I would suggest putting a “dam” of buttercream around the raspberry filling so it doesn’t leak out.
I looked up your recipe from my iphone and the sugar was not listed in the ingredients (although I could see the video from ther which I cannot see from my laptop). So I went to this page from my laptop and the sugar is in the recipe. Don’t know what happened there! lol I’m glad I had already read through it on my laptop and knew there was something missing!
Wow, that’s weird. I don’t have an Iphone so I can’t check it out. It shows up fine on my android phone. Would you mind checking if any other ingredients don’t show up on the IPhone? thanks! The video should be on your laptop. I’m testing out a new “sticky” video feature which has the recipe video follow you as you scroll through the post. Are you seeing the sticky video?
Will you explain why clear vanilla is mot really vanilla?? . I have been using this clear vanilla from Mexico for yrs and love the tesults!! Thanyou.
Hi Marsha, the vanilla bean and the seeds inside are brown and will color the liquid that they’re soaked in to make vanilla extract. Clear vanilla is made with synthetic vanilla flavoring instead of vanilla beans. But, honestly, if you’re happy with the taste, use what you’ve been using. It always comes down to your own taste. Thanks for reading!
Hi so I am using this recipe to make cupcakes. Do I need to change the baking time?
Yes. The recipe should make about 24 regular sized cupcakes and the baking time will be closer to 12-14 minutes. I would start checking them at 10 minutes.
I am planning to make this cake for Wednesday evening and it it Monday today, could I bake it today and then assemble it Wednesday? Would it still be ok?
Hi Sarah, If you bake it today will you be assembling the cake today or Wednesday? If you are not planning to assembly the cake right away I would double wrap in plastic and freeze until Weds morning. It would be OK for a day or two at room temperature, but the freezer is the best way to keep a cake fresh.
Thank you for responding so quickly.
Yes I did put the cupcakes in the refrigerator, not the cake. I do plan to make another cake in the morning for another birthday, and will try to keep it in a warmer area of the house, we keep our home cool.
Thank you!
Lilian
Any baked good will stale faster in the refrigerator than at room temperature. Unless it has a perishable filling, I never refrigerate a cake (unless I’m delivering a wedding cake, but that’s another whole can of worms!).
Hi I made this cake and some cupcakes to test for a birthday party. The flavor is amazing! The first night we tried the cupcakes they were very light and fluffy, the second night they had become dense like pound cake. My daughters family tried the cake the second night and found the same thing. Can you help me with what might have happened?
Hi Lilian. Did you put the cupcakes in the refrigerator in-between? The refrigerator does change the texture of cake. If possible, it’s best to store them at room temperature.
Oh my goodness!! This is absolutely the best white cake recipe I have come across. I have my own go to white cake recipe I use for my wedding and birthday orders which I always get compliments on, but I was never really happy with the texture. This is what I will be using from now on. I made this yesterday just to test it, the texture is exactly what I’ve been looking for, and my family has already devoured it
Yay!!!
I made this and filled the cake with raspberry filling and iced it with white chocolate ganache. One of my best cakes ever! It was a hit! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Deborah! Those flavors sound amazing together. I bet the slices looked beautiful with the raspberry between the layers.
Can you please give me your recipe for the buttercream. I would love to try this for my granddaughters birthday in 2 weeks. Thanks
Hi Lynette. Sure, I use my vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream to fill and ice the cake.
This is the first time I ever bake a cake. I read the instructions several times for several days, I decided to make it all butter, all whipped. All was going well, smell delicious, they lifted perfectly, I opened the oven after 30 to see if the center would spring back, it didn’t. I left them 5 more minutes they went flat and shrunk, Oh my gosh they taste delicious so fluffy. What did I do wrong?
Hi Gloria, I don’t think you did anything wrong. Because of the whipped egg whites in the cake, it will settle once it comes out of the oven. It will also shrink back a little. I’m in the process of editing this post to include information about how to prep the pan so the cake shrinks a bit less. But, as you can see, even though it settles after it’s baked, the texture is still nice and fluffy. Revisit this post in the next few days and you’ll see an update and more photos showing how the cake looks when it comes out of the oven. Thanks for the feedback. Comments like this help me to clarify the recipe and instructions for future readers.
Tried this recipe and it’s awesome! I have been looking for the perfect white cake recipe and have tried 13 different ones. This is the best! Only problem I faced was that the cake shrinks by an inch in diameter once it’s done baking. Any idea why?
HI Sneha. I’m glad you liked the cake. If you bake the cake a little too long it can shrink back from the sides. I always use the touch test or toothpick test to see if the cake is done. Also, did you grease the pan or just use parchment on the bottom? I just use parchment, but I’m going to do some experimenting with how prepping the pan can change how the cake rises. I’ll post the results soon.
Thank you so much! I have made this recipe three times now I did try using only parchment and greasing and flouring as well. But both times it did shrink :/ I just use a pan one size up now and get the smaller size I actually want. I just love how delicious this cake tastes and I’m not giving up on it!
If having a specific cake size is important, that’s the perfect solution, Sneha. Also, don’t forget that by the time you ice the cake with buttercream the cake will be larger again.
Hi there,
I was wondering if you have a frosting that works well for an Italian Cream wedding cake. I wanted to use your IMB on a white tier and thought I should have a traditional cream cheese frosting on the IC cake. Will they both be white and match? Would you mix the two on the same cake?
Also do you have a raspberry filling recipe you like for the white cake?
One last question…should I use a syrup on the white layers? If so, is it the same as on your yellow cake?
Thanks expert!!
j
Hi Jenny. Sorry for the delayed response, I’ve been out of town. Do you mean you want to frost the outside of the different tiers with different frostings or have different fillings? You can absolutely use different recipes for filling the different tiers, but I would recommend using the same frosting on the outside of all the tiers. I always iced my wedding cakes with IMB on the outside, whatever the flavors were on the inside. Cream cheese frosting would have a different color than IMB. Also, cream cheese frosting is soft so I wouldn’t recommend using it on the outside of a multi-tier cake. I like to use raspberry preserves as a cake filling. But I don’t use a lot, I spread a layer of preservers over each layer (like making a jelly sandwich) and then add a layers of buttercream over the raspberry preserves. You get the raspberry flavor and the stability of the buttercream. You could use syrup on the white layers, and yes, the same recipes as on the vanilla cake.
Hi Eileen! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe and expertise! I’m looking forward to trying this recipe for a wedding cake soon. I noticed in one of the steps it said to sift cake flour, sugar, and leavening. I didn’t see leavening in the ingredient list. Am I supposed to use leavening? If so what kind and how much? Thank you!
Hi Katie, there is both baking soda and baking powder listed in the ingredients. Have fun.
So I made this recipe this morning, Jan 5th for a couple worker at work. I was just short of a cup of sour cream so I used plain yogurt. And if I can get this picture correct I’ll show you how they turned out.
Thanks, Brooklynn. I got your photo, it looks great. How did your co-workers like your cake? Thanks for sending the photos.
Love your site! I think it will be my new favorite!
I am making my sister’s wedding cake for a May wedding. I think the weather in Richmond could be warm and possibly wet. Will your Italian buttercream hold up if I’m transporting from Virginia Beach? Should I frost it then transport? I guess my main concern is if it will melt off the cake. Should I refrigerate it until I absolutely have to put it out on the cake table?
Hi Jenny. For 10 years IMB was the only icing I used for wedding cakes. Believe me, it gets quite hot and humid here in PA in the summer and I never had a cake melt. How long is the drive? I would put the cake in the refrigerator until delivery time (that way it’s nice and firm for transport.) Keep the air blasting in the car to keep the cake cold. IMB tastes best at room temperature, so if you set up the cake on the table when it’s still fairly cold, by the time the cake is cut and served it should be nice and soft. My only warning is if the wedding is outdoors don’t put the cake out until cutting time. It should be kept in an air conditioned room. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Delicious! Thank you! I made cupcakes (made 22) and topped with a champagne buttercream for the adult, and traditional buttercream for the kiddos! Big hit!!
Oooo, Champagne buttercream sounds fabulous! Happy New Year!
Hi Eileen,
I’ve been looking for a white cake recipe to try for my daughter’s 2nd birthday, and stumbled upon your recipe and your wonderful site. (I’m definitely going to keep coming back!). I made a test cake today, and it turned out well!
However, I don’t have a stand mixer, only a hand-held one, and I’m not sure if that makes a difference when adding the butter. I tested each tbsp of butter with an instant-read thermometer to ensure it reached the minimum 65ºF. When I added it to the dry ingredients, the butter didn’t mix too well. It collected in clumps, and I’m not sure if this is something that would happen with a stand mixer as well.
Once I added the sour cream, everything seemed to smooth out. I watched the video again, and it only shows the butter/sour cream mixture once the sour cream was already added, so I want to be sure this is normal.
Like I said, I got great results! But I noticed my cake was a little shorter in height than what you mention yours is, so I wonder if I’m missing something that could make it that much better/even a little lighter.
Thanks so much!
Hi Daniella, yes, the butter may clump up a bit before adding the sour cream. Especially in cold weather when not only the butter, but the mixing bowl, flour, sugar are all cooler. Unfortunately, I thought I had the camera on when I put in the butter and the sour cream, but I had it turned off by mistake so didn’t catch that part for the video. Based on your feedback I changed the recipe to add 1/2 the sour cream with the butter to loosen up the batter a bit. That should make it easier to mix. After adding the butter and sour cream continue beating for a couple of minutes and you should see the batter lighten in color and become aerated. I say 3-4 minutes in the recipe, but you can give it an extra minute or two if you don’t think you’re getting enough volume. Also, just fold in the whipped whites until there are no streaks of white visible. If you keep folding after the whites are mixed in you’ll knock out more of the air. Good luck and let me know how it turns out. Happy New Year!
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly! Everything you said makes sense, and I’ll try adding half the sour cream first. And also not over-folding the egg whites (in my enthusiasm for no streaks, it’s definitely possible I over-folded). I have one additional question for you: I’m making this cake well in advance of the event, so I’ll need to freeze the layers. And I know the idea of freezing layers seems simple–but I’m unsure of a few things… What do you wrap the cake in? Just plastic wrap? Aluminum foil? Do you wrap when the cake has completely cooled or while it’s still warm? Do you let the cake defrost/thaw completely before decorating with icing? Happiest of New Years to you!
Hi Daniella, I always double wrap the cakes in plastic and then a layer of foil. I wrap them once they’re cooled. I defrost them in the plastic wrap before decorating.
Hello Eileen,
I am planning to make this cake using 6”x2.5” pans. Can you please suggest what adjustments I should make to baking temperature or duration?
Thank you,
Kurt
Hi Kurt, I can’t give an exact time since it will depend on your oven and how full the pans are. But I would start checking the cakes after about 20 minutes. Either use the “toothpick” test (a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean) or, as I prefer, lightly press in the middle of the cake. If it springs back (doesn’t leave a dent) it’s done.
Hi Eileen I was wondering what is the icing recipe and if it requires powdered sugar.
Hi Lily, I use my Italian Meringue Buttercream for all my layer cakes. It does not require powdered sugar.
I want to use this recipe tomake six thin layers of cake separately (each layer will be a different color) but I’m trying to figure out if I’ll need to double the recipe; how many people would you say this cake would serve?
Also, any tips for a rookie doing a 6 layer cake lol I’ve got my cake board, I’m going to use firm buttercream frosting to layer and giant straws through it to help stabilize
Hi Eliza, This recipe makes enough batter for two cakes. I split each cake into two layers for a total of 4 layers. Each cake is about 2.5 to 3″ tall when baked. So the layers end up being about 1 to 1 1/2″ tall. I suggest you make 1 1/2 times the recipe for a total of six layers since you want 6 different colors. Do you have 6 cake pans? I’ve made 6-layer cakes plenty of times and never used straws for support. Are you worried about the layers shifting?
Thank you I thought 1 and 1/2 too but wasn’t sure. Yes I am very worried about it shifting as I’ve never made a layer cake before and it’s for my sons birthday party and yes I went out and bought 6 cake pans just for this actually :p
What a good mom you are! What type of buttercream will you use the fill the cake? Will you be transporting it to another location?
Yes I’ll be transporting it
I was going to use a classic American buttercream recipe but halve the butter and add shortening so it’s firmer.
Well, once you have the layers stacked you can decide if you think it’s stable enough to transport without extra support. I think it should be, but use your own judgement.
It turned out perfectly and without straws for support, thank you so much!
I forgot the baking soda. Will the cakes still taste okay?
I think the taste will be fine, it probably just won’t rise as much as it should.
Is there anything I can use as a substitute for sour cream?
The best substitute would be Greek yogurt because it’s thicker like sour cream. You could use regular, thinner yogurt but I would recommend you let it sit in a sieve for a while to drain off excess moisture.
Can I substitute yogurt for the sour cream?
Hi Angela, yes you can use yogurt. I would say Greek yogurt probably is closest in texture to sour cream. If your yogurt is thin you might want to let it sit in a strainer or cheesecloth to get rid of some of the extra liquid.
Hi Eileen,
I was looking for a white cake recipe and found yours. I made the cake but it fell a bit in the middle. I measured the ingredients perfectly and temp was on point. However, I think it may have been during the mixing of the egg whites. I brought them to room temp, then mixed to a soft peak then added the sugar a little at a time. The batter whipped up but never to higher peeks. I’m thinking that’s where the problem occurred. Is that possible?
Thanks.
Hi Linda. The cakes can sometimes puff up in the oven and then settle as they cool down. Mine always end up pretty level without a hump in the middle. Is that what you mean by “fell a bit”. Also, can you tell me how you prepped the pans? The egg whites shouldn’t be a problem. If you watch the video you can see that the whites are not super fluffy since there’s a good amount of sugar in them.
Why did my cake deflated after I took it out of the oven? Plz help
I’ll need more information before I can answer your question. The cakes will always “settle” when they come out of the oven. Did you read through the entire post and look at the photos?
I wanted to double the recipe and make in 2, 9×13 pans for a giant birthday cake for my son this weekend. Would this work? Should I make each layer separately? Adjust baking time? Thoughts?
Hi Victoria. I think that would probably work. Depending on the capacity of your mixer, you might have to mix the batter twice. You’ll need a mixer large enough to whip a dozen egg whites if you double the recipe and mix it once. Otherwise, just watch the cake in the oven. It might need a little longer than the recipe states. Once it’s browned and looks ready, gently press in the middle. If it leaves a dent the cake is not ready. If it springs back the cake is ready. Let me know how it goes!! Happy birthday to your son!
What is the frosting u used on this cake? Thanks.
Hi Shrabani. I filled and frosted the cake with vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream.
Omfgg help !! So I put 2 3/4 of egg white instead of 3/4 … what do I do!!
Hi Bernice…I’m sorry but I’m not sure what you’re asking. Did you put the wrong number of egg whites in the cake?
Is this recipe easily adapted to making cupcakes? If so, do you know about how many cupcakes one recipe would make?
Hi Tessa. I haven’t baked this specific recipe as cupcakes, but I have made cupcakes with the vanilla cake that was the base for this recipe with good results. I would guess you’d get about 18 regular sized cupcakes. I use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake pans about 1/2-2/3 full.
Great! Thank you for getting back to me so quickly!
Hey Tessa,
I just used this recipe to make cupcakes. I got about 28 out of it. At first I had them in for 18 minutes as I do with most of my cupcakes, but then knocked it down to 16.
Thank you so much Eileen for coming up with this wonderful recipe! It came out perfectly this time! I found a brand of butter that was super white too. So my cake ended up nice and white and moist – exactly what I was looking for. I can’t believe all the effort that you put into testing recipes! No wonder they are so good. So who gets to eat all of your experiments? I wish I could be your neighbor! 😀
Hi Ceeny. Thanks for giving me the idea to create the recipe, and I’m glad you liked it. Since our kids are grown and it’s just the two of us at home, we can’t possibly eat all the stuff I bake. My husband brings a lot of the goodies to work and yes, I give lots of stuff to neighbors. Some stuff goes in the freezer for my son when he visits.
Don’t see where in the instructions it says to add vanilla. Is it when you add the sour cream?
Hi Claudia. Thanks for catching that. Yes, add the vanilla with the sour cream. Let me know if you have any other questions.
After much baking, I am sticking to my grandma’s recipe for chocolate cake, and it uses oil, not butter. That leaves me on the hunt for a similarly moist, velvety white cake. I don’t like to use shortening but what about oil in this cake? I’m definitely going to try it with the butter.
Hi! Using oil would require reworking the recipe since it acts very differently in a batter than either butter or shortening. Oil has more liquid that either butter or shortening, so it will change the texture of the cake. I did some testing using oil in a pound cake recipe and, personally, did not like the oily feel of that cake. More changes than a simple swap would be required for a good result. Shortening is vegetable based just like oil and, here in the US at least, shortening no longer contains trans fats. Butter is my favorite fat for a great tasting cake, but shortening is a good second option.
Hello. Can this be made into cupcakes? Please advise. Thank you!
Yes.