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
- 2Â 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:Â 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:Â 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.
Sally, OMG. I’ve been hunting for the best vanilla cake recipe for a while now. It was not easy to source cake flour in Merida Mexico where I live but I found it, just to try this recipe! I made it precisely as you instructed and this may well be the best cake I’ve ever had and it is certainly the very best vanilla cake I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for your hard work developing this recipe! It’ll be my go-to white cake from here on out.
Very good cake. Best made from scratch one yet.
Hi sally,
Long time follower here, and another recipe hit out of the park! I used this cake recipe as you had described it as a tighter crumb and my husband loves a more dense cake, requested a pound cake for his birthday, but later agreed this cake was better. I made your giant sugar cookie pizza in a cake pan and layered that between two layers of this cake and it was a huge hit!! Thanks again.
Not the best white cake I have eaten yet. Usually, I love you recipe but this one is a little bit disappointing… I guess I will search another one.
This is truly the best cake I have ever eaten in my whole life!!!!! I am ten years old and I made this with my mom. It melts in your mouth and is perfect in every way!
I have never baked a cake from scratch before (eek!) but I’m determined to make one for my son’s upcoming first birthday! This recipe sounds like it would come out nice and moist and not too dense which I like. Could sprinkles be added to this batter for a funfetti cake? How many cupcakes do you think this recipe would yield? Could I simply double the recipe to get a two layer cake (9″) plus cupcakes?
I’m so excited for you to bake your first cake from scratch, Sara! You can fold in 1/2 cup of sprinkles (jimmies, not nonpareils) to this batter. For the best texture I do not recommend doubling this recipe. Depending on how many cupcakes you need you can make my Funfetti Layer Cake and bake two layers as a cake and use the rest of the batter as cupcakes. Or make this cake and then make my Confetti Cupcakes.
This recipe is amazing! Makes delicious cupcakes as well.
This cake is AMAZING! Will never need another recipe.
Hi there- could you please share where you found your sprinkles for this cake?
Rosie from Sweetapolita has an online sprinkle shop full of beautiful sprinkles: https://sweetapolitashop.com/
A friend asked me to bake her a cake and wanted a white cake with white icing. Checked my tablet for a moist white cake and chose your recipe (especially since you don’t have to whip egg whites. Baked in 2 – 9″ pans. Removed in exactly 30min. My problem is that I won’t get to taste it unless I ask her for a piece!! Maybe she will offer me a piece and then I will respond with my taste test. 5 stars for recipe and baking instructions.
Nancy (been baking 71 years already
My daughter and niece are taking cake decorating for 4H and the first activity is to make a single layer cake. We used this so each of them could make a layer and decorate it. The cake came out AMAZING. It will definitely be the one we make for future projects.
Hello! I am making my nieces birthday cake and she asked for rainbow cake. Could you add food coloring to this cake to change the color or would that ruin the consistency? Thank you!
Yes, you can add food coloring. Enjoy!
My family said this was the best white cake they have ever had. Making this recipe again today.
Can I use fondant on this cake?
Sure can!
I want to use this recipe for a half sheet cake (12×18). Should i double the recipe or just 1.5x? Thanks!
Hi Alex, The exact amount needed is actually between the two. You can see my post on Cake Pan Sizes and Conversions to find out exactly how to calculate the square inches for a pan and then adjust the recipe. Although the easiest thing to do would be to make the recipe twice (for best texture don’t double it) and then fill your pan 2/3 full and use the leftover batter to make some extra cupcakes 🙂
So good! My eight year old was asking for a vanilla cake and happy I found this one! Husband and both sons loved it, husband who is not a huge cake eater, said a few time it is so good, and my one son said it is the best cake ever. Everyone went back for seconds. Followed the recipe, made with the cake flour substitute, flour and cornstarch. Made in a 9 x13 for 40 min. Very easy recipe. Delicious!
Wonderful white cake. I filled it with a homemade strawberry coulis and fresh strawberries. I topped and filled it with homemade whipped cream frosting.
Hi, could I use buttermilk instead of the heavy cream or whole milk?
Hi Crystal, the best way to use buttermilk is to have it replace both the sour cream AND milk in this recipe. Use 1 and 1/2 cups of buttermilk, then leave out the sour cream and whole milk. I don’t recommend buttermilk in the frosting. Stick with heavy cream or even half-and-half.
Hi Sally! I want to attempt to decorate this cake with rosettes similar to your 6 inch cake. I don’t have 6 in pans or I would definitely downsize. How much more frosting do you think I would need? Double the recipe? Thank you so much. Love your recipes.
Hi, Lorrie! This recipe will make plenty to cover the cake plus some (it makes a lot!), but if you need a bit more to make the rosettes, I would recommend 1.5x rather than 2x the recipe. Let me know how it turns out and thank you for making my recipes!
This cake turned out beautifully! I’ve tested multiple white cake recipes, seeing as my son hates chocolate (so odd, I know!), and they’re typically bland, dry, and flaky. The cake and frosting were delicious! Question – I’m considering using this recipe for my son’s Avengers birthday cake. I’m planning to use 3 6″ cake pans (2″ deep). Do you think this recipe will make enough batter, or should I go with the 3-layer white cake recipe? Thanks!
Hi, Allison – yes! This should be enough for 6 inch cake pans. Let me know how they turn out!
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I just made it for my granddaughter’s 9th birthday. I actually made 2 because she wanted a soccer field; I made a 9 ×13 and a soccer ball. It took me much longer than 24 min to mix, but it was worth it. I also used the buttercream recipe but used almond instead of vanilla. It was nice and fluffy, but not as moist as my usual recipe, but I liked it and will make it again.
So delicious!! This will be my go-to white cake going forward; the whole family went nuts for it. Close crumbs and moist while still having a light mouthfeel. I accidentally used 8″ pans instead of 9″ but whacked the temp down to 325 and baked another 15 min and it turned out great!
Hi Sally! Can I reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe without changing the texture too much? If so, how much would you recommend reducing it by? I’d like to make this for my daughter’s first birthday and would like it to be less sugar.
Hi Meghan! A slight reduction in sugar is just fine, but reducing a lot of the sugar (more than half) will alter the texture of the cake. I recommend reducing to 1 and 1/4 cups.
This by far the best vanilla cake recipe. Very easy to make and taste like it’s fresh from a bakery, except better. I was able to get three six inch rounds with a little left over. Paired with your vanilla icing, it’s amazing! Definitely a recipe you print and put in the recipe box.
Will this cake recipe taste all right with Italian merengue buttercream? I know this cake calls for more of a classic American buttercream but I’ve always found that too sweet however I wasn’t sure if IMBC is not sweet enough for the cake. Thanks!
Hi Julianna, It’s 100% personal preference which frosting you use! This cake will work with American buttercream as written, or Italian or Swiss meringue as well as a whipped ganache – really anything you can imagine!
HI Sally, i have a couple of questions – I am reading through the recipe and it says it serves 10 – 12 but it says to use 2x 9-inch pans which offers 24-32 approximate number of servings? I am very new at baking so just want to make sure. Unless is serves 10 – 12 lovely healthy servings? 🙂
Also do all same size pans e.g. 9 inch pans (round, square, rectangular etc) required the approximate same baking time when using recipes?
Last Question – If i use the batch in 1 pan as opposed to 2 or 3, how does the baking time work? Does it touble/triple in baking time?
I
Hi Chantelle! Happy to help. I don’t think a 2 layer 9-inch cake could feed 24-32 people unless the cake slices were incredibly small. I usually get 12 generous servings from a 2 layer 9 inch cake, but feel free to cut the slices as small as you’d like. It’s not the size of the pan that determines the bake time– it’s how much batter is inside/how thick the cake is. This batter will not fit into 1 9-inch pan, but it fits nicely into a 9×13 inch pan, see recipe note. Hope all of this helps!
Hi Sally. Why do you recommend cooling the cakes in pan? Thanks
Hi Basia! It’s simply how I prefer to cool my round cakes. If you prefer cooling the cakes outside of the pan, you can remove them from the pans after about 15-20 minutes and cool on a wire rack.
Hi Sally,
If I wanted to use buttermilk instead of sour cream, would that work? If so, how much should I use?
Hi Becky! The best way to use buttermilk is to have it replace both the sour cream AND milk in this recipe. Use 1 and 1/2 cups of buttermilk, then leave out the sour cream and whole milk.
Hi Sally! I might have a silly question with an easy answer. I tried making a half batch of this recipe and put it in a 6 inch round pan. I ended up using 3 egg whites, and I put in for about 40ish minutes to compensate for the smaller but deeper pan. The edges, and bottom were a lovely color at that point and the top was getting dark. When I inserted the toothpick in the center it seemed to come clean, but when I cut the top off to even it and ice it the middle seemed wet. It was chewy and stickier in the center down to the bottom. I’m trying to figure out if I didn’t bake it long enough or if it was too much egg. I’m wondering if you have any advice on what may have caused that issue and how to fix it. Thank you very much!
Hi Devon, It was probably a combination of both! Eggs make cutting recipes in half tricky – next time you can try using two egg whites and only half of the third white. Also with deeper pans it’s more difficult to get your layers to bake evenly. Try tenting a piece of aluminum foil over the top about half way through the bake time so that the top doesn’t get so brown as the center bakes.
Hi Sally, I’d like to make this a 3 layer cake in my 8inch pans, do you think I should double the recipe or would the one you have here work ok?
Hi Emily! The cake batter recipe, as written, can be split between 3 8-inch cake pans. The bake time will be about the same. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.