The Most Amazing White Cake recipe is here! It’s light, and airy, and absolutely gorgeous. This is the white cake you’ve been dreaming of!
Ever since my Most Amazing Chocolate Cake became a viral sensation, people have been begging me to create the Most Amazing White Cake. It took ten rounds of experimentation and testing to perfect the white cake, but I think I’ve finally reached “the one.” I’ll continue with a bunch of tips and trips to give you your best chance at success with this cake. White cakes are more finicky and tricky than chocolate cakes, but when made well, they are absolutely perfect and blow those boxed cake mixes out of the water.
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When making a white cake I highly recommend lining the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper. This prevents a thicker crust forming on the bottom as well as ensures that your cake will come out of the pan in one piece. I used butter to grease my pans for this recipe and I do not flour the pan. Butter only worked best.
This recipe is written for 3 9-inch layers. A three tiered cake produces the ideal cake to frosting ratio. A 9-inch pan is a standard size. 8-inch and 10-inch pans will require adjustments to the recipe.
Several of the ingredients in the recipe are listed as being room temperature. By following this method you’ll have a better texture in the end so it is worth the patience. For the milk, I simply warmed it in the microwave for 30 seconds because the idea of leaving it out on the counter to reach room temperature didn’t sit well with me.
This recipe is developed using salted butter because that is what most people tend to buy and have on hand. I like to keep my recipes convenient for home cooks so salted butter is used whenever possible in my recipes. Unsalted butter certainly works, but you may need to add a pinch more of salt. I used vegetable oil over butter in my chocolate cake because it produced a more result, but I was unable to replicate that in a white cake, as vegetable oil tinted the batter yellow.
Almond extract is used in a white cake. It has been my experience that some people aren’t fond of almond extract or feel the flavor is too strong. Almond extract is clear so it is ideal for a white batter. You can buy clear vanilla extract to use if you prefer that flavor. The almond extract in this recipe can also be reduced by half if desired. I myself prefer the traditional almond flavor.
White cakes are ideal for experimenting with different fillings and frosting. In the photos a traditional white buttercream was used which consists of simply butter, powdered sugar, and almond extract. Lemon curd and raspberry jam make excellent fillings, but feel free to experiment with your own ideas and personal taste preferences.
Watch the video below where I walk you through every step of this recipe and share even more tips and tricks for the perfect white cake. As always, you can find my complete collection of full-length recipe demos on my YouTube Channel.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Can this recipe be made into cupcakes?
A: Why yes it can! They are baked at 325 degrees for 20-22 minutes and this recipe makes about 36 cupcakes.
Q: Can I make this recipe into only two layers?
A: Yes you can, you’ll need to divide the recipe by 2/3rds. But no, I won’t do the math for you. I truly believe that the most amazing chocolate cake must be 3 layers.
Q: Do you have a substitute for eggs?
A: There are numerous options for substituting eggs in baking recipes. You can always try using one of those.
Q: Can I use a different pan size?
A: You are certainly welcome to try, but you’ll need to adjust cooking times and be careful as to how much you fill the pan. This recipe is written for 9-inch round pans, which is a standard size and is meant to be eaten as a 3 layer cake.
Q: Can I use a different frosting?
A: You certainly can! White cake is amazing with things like lemon curd and raspberry fillings.
Q: Can I make this recipe gluten free?
A: Use gluten free flours at your own risk. Not all gluten free flours are equal and most don’t work as a straight forward substitute for all-purpose flour. I have not tested any gluten free flours in this recipe as I do not have Celiac’s disease.
Q: Do you have a chocolate version?
A: Why yes I do. I call it The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake.
Q: Do you have a vanilla version?
A: Why yes I do, I call it The Most Amazing Vanilla Cake
The Most Amazing White Cake Recipe
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 3½ cups cake flour
- 4 teaspoons of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1½ cups milk, room temperature
- Grease three 9-inch pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in almond extract.
- Use a fork to combine the eggs and milk together in a bowl or 2
cup liquid measuring cup. Set aside. - In another mixing bowl stir together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix in until just combined. Add in half of the milk mixture and combine. Add in another ⅓ of the dry ingredients until combined followed by the remainder of the milk mixture. Add
in the remainder of the dry ingredients and mix with the hand mixer until just combined, using a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom to make sure everything is mixed in. - Divide the batter among the three prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit in pans for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before layering and frosting.
1 ½ cups softened butter
2 teaspoons almond extract
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1. Use a hand mixer to whip softened butter and almond extract together. Slowly add in powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time. Thin out with milk if it gets too thick.
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Gems says
Can this be used under fondant? I need a white cake recipe that i can color with red and green and cover with fondant. It will be much appreciated if you have a recipe for that. Thanks!
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes, it should hold up.
Gems says
Can this cake be used under fondant?
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes it should be able to hold up.
Heather Dugan says
Would love to try this receipe in a 9×13 cake pan! Is this possible? What temperature and time frame?
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes, same amounts and it should bake in 35 to 40 minutes.
Patty says
Can’t wait to bake this today-but wanted to pass along a tip regarding the room temp milk. Uht milk is real milk that has a year long shelf life because of how it’s packaged. You can literally toss it in the trunk of your car and a year later it’s good. It is real milk. Sold at the dollar store. Just a buck a quart. I keep them in the pantry so there is always room temp milk that’s safe
Jessy says
So perfect! I’m making a wedding cake & we just did a trial run with this recipe. Excellent! Definitely a keeper.
Kristina says
Can I use clear vanilla instead of almond extract? It’s for a 1st year old bday smash cake, but the birthday boy is sensitive to almonds.
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes you can.
Margie says
Hi! Can I use this WHITE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING to your most chocolate cake?
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes, you can.
Vic says
The sponge is delicious, I love the almond flavour and texture. I made it as a sandwich with buttercream and jam but I found that made it all too sweet, so I personally think a lesser sweet filling would work better, or as simple fairy cakes