The Best White Cake Recipe
My perfect white cake recipe yields pure white cake layers that are moist, fluffy, and flavorful! This is a great birthday cake, wedding cake for small ceremonies, or a fun alternative to vanilla cake. I use cream cheese frosting, but feel free to use whatever frosting you prefer. Full recipe and baking time in recipe card below!
Ingredients
- 2 and 3/4 cups (330g) all-purpose flour (be sure not to pack your flour into the measuring cup)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (298g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract OR 1/2 teaspoon almond extract see notes
- 6 large egg whites beaten until foamy
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated
- 3/4 cup (171ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (113g) sour cream
- 1 Tablespoon CLEAR vanilla (regular vanilla will taint the batter lightly brown) or use 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 cup (57ml) neutral oil canola or vegetable
- This cake goes great with ANY frosting! I used this cream cheese frosting for the one you see in my photos!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Generously grease the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans; set aside until needed.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add in the sugar. Once all of the sugar has been added, beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
- Reduce the speed to low and add in the lightly beaten egg whites, a little bit at a time, beating well after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the lemon zest, if using.
- Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating it with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour, mixing until just combined. Fold in the sour cream, vanilla, and oil and mix on low until the oil is incorporated into the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until lightly brown around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans places on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then invert the cake layers onto cooling racks and cool completely.
- Once cool, frost with your icing of choice and serve!
Notes
*Separate egg yolks and egg whites. Place the yolks in a small bowl and save for another use, or discard them. Place the egg whites in a large bowl. Using a whisk, lightly beat the whites until they look frothy and small bubbles appear on the surface. They are now ready to be added to the batter.
*Clear vanilla will not tint the cake batter. Regular vanilla extract will tint the cake batter brown. If you don't have clear vanilla and want flavor, use almond extract instead. Or lemon extract would also work for a lemon flavor.
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