I use this white cake as the base for many other cake flavors. It’s the PERFECT cake with a soft texture, wonderful vanilla flavor, and tastes incredible with creamy vanilla buttercream on top. Cake flour, egg whites, and sour cream are the secrets to the best texture. This cake recipe is the base for my burnt sugar caramel cake, coconut cake, strawberry cake and pistachio cake, too!
Let’s start the day the only way we know how: with a buttery white cake.
Why This is my Best White Cake Recipe
This white cake recipe is adapted from my perfect vanilla cupcakes, a reader favorite. The cake is my definition of *cake perfection* and has become one of the most popular cake recipes on my website. Here’s why:
- Soft & airy crumb
- Moist, but not eggy
- Pure sweet flavor
- Stick-to-your-fork tender
- Completely from scratch
- Easy & approachable recipe
I love this cake so much that I used it as the base for several other cake recipes I have published including espresso chocolate chip cake, pineapple coconut cake, cookies and cream cake, and the others mentioned above. I even reduced the quantity of cake batter down to make the perfect 1 layer pineapple upside down cake.
White Cake Success Tips
- Cream the Butter: To achieve a good rise, properly cream the butter and sugar together. We have a crutch of baking powder and soda, but the recipe begins with that very first and imperative step: beating the butter and sugar together until creamy.
- Egg Whites: Use ONLY egg whites. No yolks. Not only will using only egg whites give us a pristine white cake, it will ensure that the crumb is not weighed down by the fat in egg yolks. Think about it: lighter confections such as marshmallows and angel food cakes only require egg whites. Same story here.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream is the cake’s security blanket; it keeps everything moist. It plays the same important role in coffee cake, too.
- Cake Flour: Cake flour is almost 30x finer than all-purpose flour. Using it is a surefire way to achieve a delicate and delicious texture. It’s sold in the baking aisle and you can use the rest of the box in any of these recipes that use cake flour including this popular confetti cake.
- Room Temperature: Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. When ingredients are the same temperature, they bind together more readily than if you had some cold and some warmer ingredients. Colder ingredients, especially egg whites, will produce a thicker batter and, since it’s cold, will take longer to bake. This changes everything.
To summarize, make sure you’re creaming the butter and sugar together properly, all your ingredients are the same temperature and you use egg whites, sour cream, and cake flour. The result is an ultra-light cake with buttery vanilla flavor, just like the kind you find at a bakery or from a box mix. But it’s all made from scratch in your very own kitchen. ♥
White Cake Decoration
While the ingredients in the cake batter don’t leave any room for substitutions, we can have some fun with a variety of frostings and cake pans. I prefer vanilla frosting, which I include in the recipe below. But I encourage you to play around with chocolate buttercream, rainbow chip frosting, or chocolate cream cheese frosting. For a lighter, less sweet option, I love pairing this cake with whipped frosting (pictured below). Each of these frostings are absolutely remarkable on this lovely cake. The vanilla frosting makes a lot, so expect a thick layer between the cakes.
9×13-inch pan: Want to bake a sheet cake instead? Follow my recipe note. A single layer white cake is easier to prepare, decorate, and serve!
I even used this exact cake recipe for Elmo cake and added chocolate chips for Cookie Monster cake! It’s such a versatile cake and always receives compliments from taste testers and party goers.
You can also frost this cake with whipped frosting:
PrintFavorite White Layer Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 24 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This white cake recipe is buttery and moist with the fluffiest crumb and creamiest vanilla buttercream. The tricks are to use cake flour, egg whites, and sour cream.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (295g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, at room temperature*
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (yes, Tbsp!)
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
Vanilla Frosting
- 1 and 1/4 cups (282g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 5 cups (600g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (or use clear imitation vanilla extract for stark white frosting)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- sprinkles for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy—about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the egg whites. Beat on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not overmix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 24-25 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy—about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, cream, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more cream if frosting is too thick, or a pinch more of salt if frosting is way too sweet.
- Assemble and frost: First, using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer and spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. Decorate top of cake with sprinkles, if desired. Slice, serve, enjoy!
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared then covered and refrigerated overnight. Assemble and frost the cake the next day when you are ready to serve. Frosted cake can be frozen up to 2 months if you have room in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-Inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack | Cake Turntable | Straight Spatula (for frosting) | Round Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Amount of Batter: If it’s helpful for using different size cake pan sizes and conversions, this recipe yields about 7 cups of cake batter.
- Whole milk and sour cream are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full fat plain yogurt would work instead, though the cake may not be as light. Same goes with a lower fat milk.
- 9×13-inch Pan: Simply pour the batter into a greased and lightly floured 9×13-inch pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cupcakes: My vanilla cupcakes recipe is essentially this same recipe, only halved. If you want more cupcakes, you can follow this white cake batter recipe and use the baking instructions for the cupcakes.
Here are my perfect vanilla cupcakes. Today’s white cake is just as soft & fluffy.
This cake is INCREDIBLE. Perfectly moist, perfectly sweet, perfectly tender, perfect vanilla flavor. I did find I had to use the paddle attachment to really get the butter and sugar creamed and light, but otherwise followed as written. Used liquid egg whites since I have those on hand–worked out completely fine. Cake tastes like a store bought/boxed vanilla cake in the best possible way.
Hi Sally….does this cake HAVE to be refrigerated? Thank you!
Hi Margaret, After decorating anything with buttercream or cream cheese frosting, it’s fine for 1 day at room temperature. After that, I would definitely refrigerate it. But, use your best judgment and whatever you are comfortable with- I’ve never had any problems leaving frosted desserts at room temperature for a day
Hi, I was thinking about making this for my friend’s birthday. She wants a marble cake, so could I make another batch of the same cake, but chocolate? Also, I want to make it in a 17×13 sheet pan. How can I adjust?
Hi Sharkey, I recommend using my recipe for marble cake. You can follow the recipe notes for a 9×13 inch pan but I have not tested this in a larger sheet pan.
I made this cake with the favorite chocolate buttercream frosting (and added sprinkles for funfetti). It was AMAZING!!! I followed the cake recipe exactly, even made my own cake flour per your recommendation and instructions. For the frosting, I under-measured the confectioners sugar a little – and it was perfection. It was for my 4 year old’s birthday. My family all raved how it was the best cake I’ve ever made, better than a bakery! (their words, not mine) Thank you!!
This cake is amazingly moist, tastes wonderful and looks beautiful. So, so good it’s unreal.
Thanks for this perfect recipe! This turned out great and my cake was super soft. The buttercream icing was great too but I put in half the sugar as we do not like it super sweet.
I would now like to make an 8 inch layer cake, using 8 inch cake pans.
Will the cooking temperature and the cooking time change?
Awesome recipe, can’t wait to try, if I want to color the layers ( with food coloring) which stage would I add the coloring?
Hi Kayla, If you are coloring the whole cake the same color then you can add the food coloring to the wet ingredients and then mix in the dry ingredients. This will help you not over mix the batter.
HI Sally, thank you for this recipe, and all your other countless delicious recipes. You are my absolute go to for baking, and, your recipes never fail me!!! Question, I will be making this for my daughters birthday next week, but, am adding sprinkles for a funfetti version. I read on your funfetti cake, you suggested making this and adding sprinkles for a 2 layer version. Should I omit any of the sugar to the batter if I’ll be adding 1/2 cup of sprinkles? If yes, how much? Thank you again!
Hi Adriana, No need to adjust the sugar if adding sprinkles. Enjoy!
Amazing recipe! Made it n loved it!! Cake flour and sour cream took the recipe to another level. Just wondering if I could add lemon rind to the batter. Anything else? I love lemon flavour in cakes.
I made this for a friends birthday. My cake turned out a little dense but tasted wonderful. The frosting was perfect, sweet but not sickeningly sweet as most buttercreams are. Everyone complimented me on it and it disappeared quickly as most went back for seconds.
Made this in 2 8” round pans and they turned out perfect!! took 38min in my oven cakes will level to 1.5” after the mound is cut off. Can’t wait to taste them! They smell amazing but I have to wait for them to cool before I can taste the leveling off-cuts
I love this cake. Made it the 1st time about 2 yrs ago then made it yesterday. I don’t know if this has happened to anyone else but my cakes stuck to the bottom of my pans. That did not happen the 1st time. I followed the pan instructions but I kept saying to myself… “use some parchment paper too”. I didn’t. As I said they got stuck. Thankfully I was able to get them out without breaking them. I plan to make them again today. This go around I will be using parchment paper. This cake is super white and yummy. Instead of a full tablespoon of vanilla I used 1 tsp and 2 tsps of almond extract. Omgee. It was amazing. Sally any ideas as to why they got stuck?
I made this for my son’s 18th birthday. He and I both love traditional birthday cakes. This is among the best cakes I’ve ever had. The cake was moist (for some reason it took longer to bake than indicated and didn’t rise that much, remained a bit wet, but it was great). The frosting was heaven (I balked at the amount of butter, and made only half the recipe but it was enough). It reminded me of my own wedding cake — now I know how it’s done!
Hi I want to try this recipe can I use this for a 3 layers 8” pans? Or I need to add half the batter to the full mixture?
Hi Ariana, you can divide this batter between 3 8 inch cake pans. I’m unsure of the best bake time. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
I just finished frosting this cake. I love your cake recipes. This is #6, in about as many weeks. I follow recipe to the letter. I’m a lazy froster though. I only frost the tops – not the sides. A bit more rustic looking, and every bit as delicious.
I made this cake and it was delicious but a little dense. Is it supposed to be? I can’t find cake flour so I made my own using the instructions and sifted twice. It was still REALLT good but I expected it to be a little lighter. Any tips?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake, Michele! You can see my post on How to Prevent a Dry or Dense Cake for more tips.
I made your lemon curd recipe with the left over yolks and made it a later filling!
Is it ok if I use strawberry extract instead of Vanilla? Thank you
You can replace half of the vanilla with strawberry extract if desired.
Do you have a recommendation on the brand of cake flour? I have King Richards, which is unbleached and unenriched? Will that affect the taste?
Hi Sean, that cake flour should be just fine in this recipe though I’ve never personally used it before. I usually use enriched Swans Down or Softasilk.
A great cake, and a great way to use egg whites! Thanks!
I made this for a birthday and it was delicious! You can’t go wrong with this cake and it sure beats box mixes! Thank you!
Will this recipe work if I do not include the sour cream? This will be my first time trying out this recipe!
Hi Holly, plain yogurt is the best substitute for the sour cream.
I made this cake for my ‘gender reveal’ party. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly and the cake turned out great! The only difference was adding some blue food coloring to the icing. 🙂
Will definitely be saving this recipe!
This cake is utterly delicious! Just made it for my daughters birthday and it came out perfect. The frosting was too thick so I ended up adding 1/2 cup of whole milk and it came out just right. Used 2 sticks of unsalted and a half stick of salted so there was no need for extra salt. 5 stars!!
I just made this with my son and the cake base is delicious, we will be frosting it tomorrow! I just added the egg whites slowly so it would not curl. BTW I used a black and a grey pan, grey pan needed 5 more minutes of baking 🙂
Hi Sally, I want to use your recipe but unfortunately live at 8600′. Any chance you could give me tips for how to make your white cake (I want to use it for a burnt sugar caramel cake requested by a good friend for his birthday) turn out at this altitude? Thanks so much for any help you can provide!
Hi Danette, I wish I could help, but I have no experience baking at high altitude. I know some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Really good tasting cake, but a little dense. I have attempted the recipe twice and followed the instructions exactly. Got the same results. I guess I was expecting a lighter textured cake. Thanks for sharing the recipe! Terrific buttercream frosting!!!
Made this as a last minute addition to quarantine Easter dinner. Cut the two layers and shaped into a one-layer Easter bunny cake. I only had 2% milk and low fat sour cream on hand with quick trips to the grocery store not very convenient these days- it still turned out great.
Made this on a whim tonight! Literally said to my roommate, love when you already have all the ingredients to make something! Cake flour is a must!!!! I split this recipe in half & made one cake round. For the eggs I used 1 egg + 1 white, yolk separated. I whipped the egg whites separately to firm-ish peaks then folded the egg whites into the wet mixture, and folded the dry ingredients, then milk into that. Obviously you need to have a close relationship with your oven because making the batter is only half the battle! Luckily, I had a perrrrfect bake & the result was the fluffiest most moist and buttery crumby cake I have EVER had, I put the halved measurements in my notes & labeled “best white cake I’ve ever had from sally”. Don’t skip out on the sour cream!!! & ready sally’s reasonings for things before the recipe! This is the only baking blog I dont cross reference these recipes have never failed me!
I made this yesterday for someone’s birthday and they loved it! Added 1/2 cup of sprinkles to make it funfetti-style, and bore out the center to make it spill sprinkles when he pulled out the first slice. Tasted absolutely fantastic! Pro tip: it makes a good amount to fill three 6″ round pans pretty full.