The Best Moist & Fluffy White Cake Recipe
There are some cake recipes every baker should have tucked away, and a classic white cake is one of them. This moist white cake recipe is light, fluffy, tender, and delicately flavored with vanilla—the kind of dependable recipe you can return to for birthdays, weddings, celebrations, or simply because you feel like baking a beautiful cake from scratch.
The secret to the soft texture is a combination of cake flour, buttermilk, sour cream, and egg whites. The egg whites keep the cake beautifully pale while creating a light crumb, and the sour cream adds richness and moisture without making the cake feel heavy.
Clear vanilla extract keeps the cake bright white while still giving it plenty of vanilla flavor, but regular vanilla extract works beautifully if that’s what you have in your pantry.
Best of all, this is the kind of cake that can become a blank canvas. Pair the layers with classic vanilla buttercream, lemon curd, raspberry filling, strawberry buttercream, whipped cream, or your favorite seasonal filling.
Whether you’re learning how to make a layer cake for the first time or looking for a reliable white cake recipe for decorating, this is one worth keeping in your recipe box.
Tips for success:
- Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
- A single batch of this cake recipe makes three 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. Double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter for three 8-inch cake layers.
- In this cake recipe, you need 1 cup buttermilk; if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own.
- To make cake flour at home, mix 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch. Sift or whisk together to get rid of any lumps.
- Be careful not to overmix this cake batter, or else the cake will come out dense. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in two layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to one month.
What Tools You May Need:
- 5-quart, Stand Mixer with mixing bowl & paddle attachment
- 3, 6-inch cake pans or 2, 8-inch cake pans
- Offset spatula
- 8-inch or 10-inch white cake board
- Whisk or sifter
- Rubber Spatula
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray and Parchment Paper
- Ice Cream Scooper with Trigger Release (for dividing cake batter evenly)
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and measuring spoons
- Cake Stand, optional
Here’s the step-by-step tutorial on how to make this delicious white cake recipe!
Let’s Get Baking!
How to Make White Cake Layers
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
- In a medium-size bowl, whisk and stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes.
- Add the egg whites, one at a time, to the stand mixer bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated.
- Turn the mixer on low and add sour cream. The mixture may look broken, and that’s okay. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Next, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until fully incorporated.
- Pour in the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Mix on medium for another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely. Wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place them into the freezer to chill for 1 hour to 2 hours or overnight.
You May Also Enjoy:
This light and fluffy white cake recipe is easy to make and decorate. This cake tutorial is simple and perfect for a last-minute sweet treat. With this cake recipe in your back pocket, you’ll always have a tasty and beautiful cake that’s a winner!
I’m so excited to see your cake creations. Please feel free to email me here at thymeharvestblog@gmail.com with any questions you may have; I’ll be happy to help!
Happy Decorating!
Watch The How-to Video Below:
White Cake Recipe
Ingredients
White Cake
- 1 cup (or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 cups cake flour (or 2 ¾ cup ap flour & ¼ cup cornstarch)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
Instructions
White Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
- In a medium-size bowl, whisk and stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes.
- Add the egg whites, one at a time, to the stand mixer bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated.
- Turn the mixer on low and add sour cream. The mixture may look broken, and that's okay. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Next, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until fully incorporated.
- Pour in the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Mix on medium for another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely. Wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place them into the freezer to chill for 1 hour to 2 hours or overnight.
Notes
- Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
- A single batch of this cake recipe makes three 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. Double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter for three 8-inch cake layers.
- In this cake recipe, you need 1 cup buttermilk; if you don't have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own.
- To make cake flour at home, mix 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch. Sift or whisk together to get rid of any lumps.
- Be careful not to overmix this cake batter, or else the cake will come out dense. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in two layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to one month.
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