This white velvet cake is perhaps my favorite cake on my blog. Usually, I’m pretty partial to chocolate cake, but this white cake is really something special. This cake has a classic “birthday cake flavor”, and is terrific with any flavor of buttercream and filling. It has a subtle buttermilk flavor that’s perfectly sweet, with real vanilla bean, and a buttery, velvety soft cake crumb. It’s so, so good, and it’s the only high altitude white cake recipe I need anymore. If you don’t live at high altitude, though, don’t go anywhere! I’ve included low altitude / sea level adjustments for the recipe as well, so you can make this cake no matter where you live.
I’ve tested this particular white velvet cake recipe of mine dozens of times, and I’m so proud of it. It’s a butter based cake, with a light but rich texture and a beautiful crumb. The flavor of the cake is exquisite, and an excellent foundation for so many different flavors of buttercreams and fillings. You can fill it with fruit compotes or shaved chocolate, creamy ganache or lemon curd. Frost with a fresh strawberry buttercream, fluffy toasted coconut or a rich chocolate buttercream. There’s really nothing you couldn’t do with this cake.
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Ingredients
Butter.
Use unsalted, softened butter so you can control the amount of salt in the cake. The butter adds moisture and richness, and when creamed with the sugar, produces a very light, tender cake crumb.
Sugar.
Granulated sugar sweetens the cake and adds moisture. Too little sugar, and your cake will be dry and tasteless; too much sugar will make a sticky gummy cake.
Vanilla Bean.
I used real vanilla bean for the best flavor. You can also use vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract. I’ve been buying vanilla beans on Amazon, and they’re surprisingly inexpensive right now!
Egg Whites.
The egg whites contain protein and add structure to the cake batter. Using only the whites, rather than the whole egg, helps to keep the cake nice and white. The egg whites do not need to be whipped separately. They are simply beaten into the butter and sugar.
Cake Flour.
Cake flour has a lower percentage of protein than all-purpose flour, and makes an incredibly light and fluffy cake. Cake flour is a must for white velvet cake.
Baking Powder.
Leavens the cake and makes it rise.
Salt.
Adds flavor and balances the sweetness.
Buttermilk.
Buttermilk is a fantastic ingredient for cakes, and I love to use it in my cake recipes. It adds a slight tang, and creates a really beautiful soft and tender cake crumb in white velvet cake.
Instructions
Since white velvet cake is a butter-based cake using softened butter, you’ll use the traditional creaming method to mix the cake batter. Beating the butter and sugar incorporates air, making a very light cake, but also lightens the color of the butter for a very white cake. Then, the egg whites are added to the butter/sugar mixture, one at a time, so they properly emulsify into the batter. Lastly, you’ll add the dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk, for a smooth, luxurious batter that bakes up beautifully light, soft and white.
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and spray the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla bean on medium speed for 10 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally.
- Beat in the egg whites, one at a time, beating each for 10 seconds before adding the next. Scrape the bowl down and beat for 10 more seconds.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour. Use a spatula to scrape the bowl well and incorporate any stray bits of flour.
- Divide the batter between the pans. Bake on the center oven rack for about 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a wire rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt and mix until combined.
- Add the vanilla and milk, increase the speed to medium high and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, until very light and fluffy.
- Remove the cooled cakes from the pans. Fill, stack and frost the cake with the buttercream.
Troubleshooting Common Cake Making Issues
I get so much feedback on my cake recipes. Most of it is positive, but inevitably, there are those that have some trouble getting perfect results. Now, there are so many factors that can affect how a recipe, especially a cake recipe, works for one person and not for another. And since I’m not in your kitchen with you, I can’t know for certain what went wrong. But I will share my best tips with you to help you become a better baker and achieve wonderful results in your home kitchen.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading my comprehensive post on making Perfect American Buttercream.
Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
Will this cake recipe work as cupcakes?
Not all cake recipes work well as cupcakes, and vice versa. So unless a cake recipe has been tested as cupcakes, there are no guarantees that it will turn out. I have not personally tried baking this recipe as cupcakes.
What about ingredients substitutions?
Once you start making changes, all bets are off. Some changes are minor, and won’t affect a recipe much, such as substituting Greek yogurt for sour cream, or adjusting the spices. But swapping oil for butter, substituting gluten free flour for cake flour, reducing the sugar, adjusting leavening, etc – these are major changes that will affect your cake. You could end up with a dry, dense rubbery cake that falls flat or has an odd texture.
If you want to make changes to the ingredients, I’d suggest starting small. Don’t try to change too many things at once, or it’s unlikely that you’ll be perfectly happy with the results.
Can I add sprinkles to this cake to make a Funfetti cake?
I don’t recommend it. I tried it with this recipe once, and the sprinkles caused the cakes to fall. I’d suggest you use my tested Funfetti cake recipe instead.
Where can I buy vanilla beans?
I used real vanilla bean for the best flavor in this cake. You can also use vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract. I’ve been buying vanilla beans on Amazon, and they’re surprisingly inexpensive right now!
What can I use instead of the buttermilk?
If you’re not able to get buttermilk, you can make your own sour milk. For every 1 cup of buttermilk, combine 1 cup whole milk with 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar, and let sit for a few minutes to curdle.
Can I cut this recipe in half to make a smaller 6-inch cake?
Even something like cutting a recipe in half could have unintended results. For a batter that needs nothing more than whisking together dry and wet ingredients, I’d say go for it. But for today’s white velvet cake recipe, I’ve experimented with making just half the batter, and the problem is this: since you use the creaming method of beating the butter and sugar, smaller amounts of the ingredients don’t fill the bowl sufficiently to allow the paddle to beat everything together. With only half the butter and sugar, the ingredients have the tendency to just stick to the sides of the bowl. So if I want to just make a smaller 6-inch cake, I make the full recipe, but divide the batter between six 6-inch pans, and freeze three of the cake layers for another cake.
Why did my cake take longer to bake, or baked too quickly and burned?
Your oven is probably not calibrated correctly, and you should use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is preheating to the correct temperature. My old gas oven ran low, and I had to set it to about 60 degrees hotter than what I was aiming for, something that I quickly discovered after we bought our house and suddenly everything was taking twice as long as it should have to bake. And speaking of ovens – you’re not in the bad habit of frequently opening the door to check on things, right? Good. Don’t open the oven door until your cake is nearly ready, and then, just briefly to check for doneness.
What should I do with the leftover egg yolks?
Since this recipe uses only egg whites, you’ll have 6 leftover yolks, which is perfect for a batch of homemade ice cream. There’s also spaghetti carbonara, Caesar salad dressing, hollandaise sauce, chocolate pudding or a banana cream pie.
Can egg whites be frozen?
They absolutely can be frozen. Whenever I make one of the above recipes that uses just egg yolks, I put the extra whites in a freezer bag, labeled with the quantity and date, and freeze them until needed for this white cake, an angel food cake, or French macarons.
TIP: Be in the habit of reading a recipe through, from start to finish, and then reading it again, before you get started. Follow the instructions. Don’t change things to “try to make it your own”, and then get frustrated that it didn’t turn out.
Should I use room temperature ingredients?
Yes, cakes like room temperature ingredients. If your dairy products (eggs, milk, butter) are cold, they won’t emulsify correctly in the cake batter, which will affect the texture of your baked cake.
Why doesn’t my cake look as white as yours?
Did you cream your butter and sugar for the full 10 minutes? Creaming the butter and sugar for a long time lightens the color of the butter for a nice white cake. Different brands of butter, especially European butter, can also be more yellow, which affects the color of baked goods.
Why did my cake fall or sink in the middle?
You might have opened the oven door too early / too frequently. If you’re at a higher altitude than Denver, then you’ll need to make a few more adjustments, like reducing the leavening, to make the recipe work at your altitude.
Why didn’t my cake rise?
If you don’t bake often, it’s possible that you have expired ingredients in your pantry. In particular, check the expiration dates on your baking powder and baking soda. Replace them if they’re no longer fresh, or they may not leaven your cake correctly, resulting in a cake that doesn’t rise.
Why is my cake dense and rubbery instead of fluffy like yours?
Be sure you used cake flour, not all-purpose flour. Be sure you’re measuring your flour correctly by fluffing the flour in the canister first, lightly spooning it into the measuring cup, and sweeping the excess flour off the top with a knife. If you use a measuring cup to scoop flour out of the bag, you’ll pack too much flour into the cup, resulting in a dry, dense cake.
Do you have the weights measurements for the ingredients instead of volume measurements?
Yes, I do, see the notes section on the recipe card below.
Can I bake this cake in advance and freeze it?
You sure can! You can wrap the baked cake layers separately in plastic wrap and freeze for 3-6 months until you’re ready to assemble and frost your cake. Let the cake layers thaw at room temperature before frosting.
Other questions?
There’s always the human error factor, because everyone makes mistakes! You might have measured something wrong, or forgot an ingredient. It happens. I once grabbed a bottle of Worcestershire sauce instead of vanilla extract and added it to chocolate chip cookie dough – you can imagine the result.
Maybe you packed too much flour into your measuring cups. It could be that you over-mixed or under-mixed the batter. Perhaps you over-baked or under-baked the cake. It could have been a very humid day when you made your cake, which can also affect baking.
High Altitude Baking
I live in Denver, Colorado, which typically has a very dry climate. We’re also over 5,000 feet above sea level, so all of my recipes on my blog are tested at high altitude. If you live at a lower altitude, or at sea level, you may need to experiment with some adjustments in order to achieve your own perfect results. Generally speaking, for high altitude baking, we use a little more flour and liquid, and a little less sugar and leavening agents, so at low altitude, you would do the opposite. This is a great article on making adjustments for altitude.
Low Altitude or Sea Level Adjustments
I’ve received feedback from a baker in Ohio who successfully made the following adjustments for baking this cake at low altitude.
“I live in Ohio and these are the alterations I made to the recipe to make up for the altitude. It turned out SO AMAZINGLY PERFECT. Tender and velvety and fluffy. Definitely a new go-to recipe for me!”
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 6 egg whites, room temperature
- 2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cups cake flour (if using all-purpose, remove 6 T of flour; add 6 T of cornstarch)
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Buttercream Flavors to Use
Honestly, the sky is the limit when it comes to frosting this cake! I’ve included a recipe for a silky, fluffy vanilla buttercream below. If you want to mix it up, then please read through my comprehensive post on How to Make American Buttercream. You’ll find recipe variations, and so many tips, for making perfect buttercream.
Chocolate buttercream would be fantastic. Or you could fill the cake with fresh fruit compote, and frost with a whipped mascarpone frosting. Strawberry buttercream would be delicious. Or cream cheese.
You Might Also Like
Caramel Cake 
Fluffy Vanilla Cake 
Mint Chocolate Chip Cake 
Pink Champagne Cake
Favorite Products
Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
White Velvet Cake
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste)
- 6 egg whites, room temperature
- 3 ¼ cups cake flour, spooned and leveled, then sifted
- 3 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 2 ½ cups whole buttermilk, room temperature
Buttercream
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp meringue powder (optional)
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 2-4 tbsp milk or cream, if needed
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and spray the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla bean on medium speed for 10 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally.
- Beat in the egg whites, one at a time, beating each for 10 seconds before adding the next. Scrape the bowl down and beat for 10 more seconds.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour. Use a spatula to scrape the bowl well and incorporate any stray bits of flour.
- Divide the batter between the pans. Bake on the center oven rack for about 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a wire rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt and mix until combined.
- Add the vanilla and milk, increase the speed to medium high and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, until very light and fluffy.
- Remove the cooled cakes from the pans. Fill, stack and frost the cake with the buttercream.
Notes
- Leftover cake should be stored in an airtight container or cake carrier for up to 3 days.
- If you don’t have three 8-inch pans, you’ll either need to bake part of the batter at a time, or use two 9-inch pans instead. This is too much cake batter to only use two 8-inch pans.
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 6 egg whites, room temperature
- 2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cups cake flour (if using all-purpose, remove 6 T of flour; add 6 T of cornstarch)
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter = 8 oz / 227 g
- 2 cups granulated sugar = 15 oz / 425 g
- 6 large egg whites = 6.6 oz / 190 g
- 3 1/4 cups cake flour = 13 oz / 368 g
- 3 1/2 tsp baking powder = 13 g
- 2 1/2 cups buttermilk = 20 oz / 567 g
I am pretty much obsessed with your recipes. Does this one stay moist forever in the fridge, too?
If you make it a few days ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator, uncut, and it will stay very moist. Once cut, I would say 2-3 days. 🙂
Can I add food color to this recipe
I haven’t, but I don’t imagine it would be a problem.
Excelente
Has anyone tried this with gf flour? Looks so good!
Can't seem to find pin button.
Hmm, I'll have to look into why that's not showing up on my images. In the meantime, you can use install and use the Pin It Button from Pinterest, which you can add to your Bookmarks toolbar on a web browser, or on an iPhone, just press and hold the image, then click Share to find the option to save to Pinterest.
I can't wait to try this. for EASTER!
I hope you love it!
This cake looks amazing! I’m looking for a nice light and fluffy white chocolate cake recipe. Do you think I could add melted white chocolate to this recipe and achieve a similar result?
I'm not sure how that would turn out.
I would like to make this cake… but using 6 in pans….how long would you recommend I bake it for?
How many pans? This is probably too much batter for three 6-inch pans, but you could halve the recipe to make three 6-inch layers, unless you're going for an extra tall cake with 6 layers. Bake until done in the center, probably somewhere around 25 minutes.
To Heather Smoke: The author states that it is NOT a good idea to halve the recipe and that it is too much batter for 3-6″ pans.
OB: The author says to either use 6-6″ pans, or to bake the cakes, three at a time with 3 pans. She suggests freezing the others. If you only have 2 pans, then you will be baking them off 3 times. 😃
Have fun!
Hi there 🙂 I’m just wondering – what are your conversions of cups to grams? I know they differ in UK vs USA. Also do you know how many 6 egg whites would be in grams? I wanna make sure I am being as precise as possible! I’m looking to try this recipe in a few days 🙂
Angela, I typically don’t provide conversions on my recipes, since most American home bakers measure their ingredients using US cups/tablespoons/teaspoons for baking, rather than baking by weight, although occasionally we’ll reference ounces. When cake flour is measured accurately, it weighs 4 ounces. I use large egg whites, which weigh 1.1 ounces each. I’ve gone ahead and updated this recipe with both ounces and grams for you. I hope that helps, and happy baking!
Do you know how many cupcakes this recipe will make and how many the frosting recipe will cover?
I haven't made it as cupcakes, but the recipe yields about 10 cups of batter, and generally I scoop about 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake, so that would be 40 cupcakes. Because of the volume, I'd probably halve the recipe if I were making cupcakes. The frosting recipe should generously frost 2 dozen cupcakes.
How much vanilla extract would you use instead of the paste or the bean???
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
I live in Estpoder? like take a 1/4 tsp awau from baking powder, less sugar etc?es, 7522 ft., should I adjust sugar and liquid and baking
sorry, my hand is in a cast. live in EStes, how should I adjust the baking powder, sugar and liquid?
Do you mean Estes Park? No adjustments needed – I live in Denver.
Just in case anyone wants this, I live in Ohio and these are the alterations I made to the recipe to make up for the altitude. It turned out SO AMAZINGLY PERFECT. Tender and velvety and fluffy. Definitely a new go-to recipe for me 🙂
Cake
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
6 egg whites, room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups cake flour (if using all-purpose, remove 6 T of flour; add 6 T of cornstarch)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Thanks so much for sharing this, Tara! That's so helpful for others at sea level to know. I never want anyone to hesitate trying my recipes just because they're written for high altitude, and I'm so glad you loved it!
Thank you Tara. I was wondering what I could sub for cake flour as I can’t find it in the UK.
You can try this.
Measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Remove 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and place it back in your flour canister. Replace the removed all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
Sift flour 5 times.
Hello…i was wondering whether there is a substitute for meringue powder since its difficult to find in my local stores…is cream of tartar suitable or should I just not add the powder?
Do you have Hobby Lobby, Michaels or Joanne’s? It’s available at all of those stores, as well as in the cake decorating/party aisle at Walmart. And there’s always Amazon! But if you’re not able to get your hands on some, you can still make the buttercream without it, it just adds extra stability and improves the texture. I haven’t tried cream of tartar as a replacement, but I’d be interested to know if it works for you – I’d suggest maybe just 1/4 teaspoon?
Just wondering if you scrape a vanilla bean to use wouldn’t you see black specks?
Yes, there are tiny black vanilla bean specks all throughout the cake. They look so pretty up close!
What would you consider high altitude? I’m around Ellettsville Indiana, and the elevation is around 700 so I wasn’t sure if that was considered high altitude
From a baking standpoint, anything over 1,000 feet is probably going to need some modifications for recipes created for sea level baking, but you’re probably not high enough to need to worry about it. I’m at over 5,000 feet, and people who are at 7,000 feet need to adjust my recipes even more for their altitude. The higher the elevation, the lower the air pressure, and the more baking challenges.
If you’re looking at this recipe, there’s a comment by someone in Ohio who adjusted it successfully for lower altitudes, and they noted how they changed the ingredients.
Thank you! I used this and had awesome results. Thanks for sharing!
Hello Heather. I love your instagram page. It is visually stunning and one of the reasons I was drawn to your baking. In reference to this recipe, what brand of unsalted butter do you use? I noticed in the FAQs, that for some bakers, the cake does not turn out as white. You attributed this to maybe because of the brand of butter used. I would like my cake to be as white as yours if possible. Thank you.
I always just use the store brand (Kroger)! European butters, which have less water and more butterfat, will tend to be more yellow than American butters.
Buttermilk = full fat buttermilk, not lowfat or nonfat. Milk=whole milk, no 2% or acidophilus or skim
Butter=not oleo
Few recipes specify whole buttermilk yet the amount of fat plays a big part in cakes. Ditto 'sweet' milk and butter. Use the real thing.
I've used both whole and lowfat buttermilk with equal success in this recipe, which is why I don't specify which to use. Sometimes, only one is available at the grocery store, and we just have to use what's available. 🙂
I would like to make this in to a Christmas cake by using coconut in between layers and covering the outside will it make the cake to` sweet
I think coconut would be wonderful! If you're worried about the coconut making it too sweet, though, I'd suggest using "natural" coconut flakes, which isn't sweetened like the bags of sweetened shredded coconut. The natural coconut also looks just beautiful covering a cake and has such a nice crunch, especially if you lightly toast it first. At my grocery store, it's on the baking aisle near the specialty flours and baking mixes.
Hi what size cake pans did you use for this recipie to make the 3 layes with the cake batter
I use 8-inch pans.
Hi Heather. Sorry if this question has been answered but I didn’t see it in the comments, can I use 9 inch cake pans but only use 2 or would that be too much batter? Appreciate your hard work with the recipes
I’m based in the UK and can’t easily find meringue powder, especially at the moment is there anything else I could use instead?
You might be able to find it on Amazon, but if not, you can just leave it out. I'm not sure of a suitable replacement since it's dried egg white powder, and there's nothing similar to it. It adds a nice texture to the buttercream, but it's not absolutely essential. I hope that helps!
Hi Heather! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe. My little sister loves white cake with white frosting so I am looking forward to making her this, however, I do not have a nice kitchen stand mixer (someday 🙂 )so I have to use a handheld mixer. Is that doable with this recipe and if so, do you still mix the first ingredients for 10 min?
Thank you,
-Heidi
Heidi, I hope you can get a stand mixer some day! They’re the best. 🙂
So, a hand held mixer is doable, but it’ll be a little more challenging. With a stand mixer, the paddle beats the entire contents of the bowl all at once, but with a hand held mixer, you have to constantly move your hand around to get to all the butter and sugar. That will be tiring, but if you’re up for it, then I say go for it! Just make sure you scrape the bowl down frequently so that everything is evenly whipped. I like to do the full 10 minutes to really lighten the color of the butter for the whitest cake, but I’ve also stopped after 5 minutes, and the cake has still been delicious and beautiful.
Hello do you have this recipe in metrics?
Thank you
Could I make this cake and have two tiers if I have cake dowels to give it support or is it too fluffy of a cake for two tiers?
It is fluffy, but it’s sturdy, too. You can certainly make a tiered cake with dowel supports. I’ve had people tell me that they made this recipe for a wedding cake, and loved it!
So I just took this out of the oven and it is shrinking before my eyes. Any idea what I did wrong to cause this?
Tammy,
It’s normal for a cake to pull away from the sides a little as the ingredients settle and cool, but if it’s shrinking significantly, then something probably went wrong. Honestly, it could be a dozen different things, including altitude, the wrong oven temperature, the cake not being cooked through, expired baking powder, too little flour, over mixing the batter, etc. I have a page of FAQs here that I’d encourage you to read through: https://curlygirlkitchen.com/baking-faqs/
Could this be made in a bundt pan?
I haven’t tried it, but I would imagine it would bake just fine. Since bundt cakes need to be baked for a much longer time, though, I’d expect quite a bit more browning around the sides of the cake.
DISASTER. IT SAID TO SPLIT THE BATTER IN 2 8 INCH PANS! It is all over my oven. It looks like a science experiment. Sooooooo disappointed
Nicki,
I’m sorry the cake batter overflowed, but the recipe does state to use three 8-inch pans, not two.
Very soft and moist cake… One of the best recipes
I apologize, attention to detail. It clearly says 3!!! Unbelievable. 😔
What would the measurements be if I was to make just two layers instead of 3 layers
You should make the same amount of batter but divide it between two 9-inch pans. It’s difficult to cream the butter and sugar properly if you scale the ingredients down.
Okay thank you !
Could the buttermilk in the recipe be substituted for whole milk or is the buttermilk essential to get that nice white colour
The reason I use buttermilk is the acidity – it makes the cake so tender, and helps with the rise of the cake. You can use whole milk, but you’ll have to add some vinegar to make up for the loss of acidity in the buttermilk. To use whole milk, measure 2 1/2 tbsp distilled white vinegar into a liquid measuring cup, then add the milk, filling up to the 2 1/2 cup mark. Let it sit for 15 minutes to curdle. You can also use lemon juice instead of vinegar, although the vinegar is tasteless, and the lemon juice will add a subtle lemon flavor to your cake.
We tested about a dozen white cake recipes for the wedding cake at my daughter’s upcoming wedding, and this recipe was the hands down winner! Can’t wait to hear the guests rave about how good the cake is 🙂
Oh, I’m so happy to hear that! Congratulations to your daughter, and I hope everyone loves the cake!
The cake looks gorgeous and can’t wait to make it, but I’m just wondering if these can be made into cupcakes?
Thanks
I haven’t personally tried this recipe as cupcakes, but I’ve had feedback from someone who did and said it worked out well for them!
Hey! I really wonder that what’s that 1 cup measur for butter? How can I use the butter as a gram?
Beyza, check the notes section of the recipe card, and you’ll find the weights for the ingredients. 🙂
Does this make a 3 pound cake?
This is not a pound cake recipe.
I don’t have a stand mixer. Would it be ok to use a hand mixer instead? Thanks.
I think it would be extremely difficult to properly cream the butter and sugar for the full 10 minutes with a hand mixer. A stand mixer moves around the bowl all at once, so it’s very efficient at creaming a large volume of butter and sugar. But with a hand mixer, it only concentrates on a small area at a time, with you having to move your arm around constantly to get all the ingredients equally creamed. I’m just not sure the final results will be quite what they should be with using a hand mixer.
This is the best cake! My family loves this cake and says it is the best white cake they have ever had!
I wanted to let you know I made this cake last week for my family and it was AMAZING! We all just loved it and it only lasted two days!!! It was like eating a professional wedding cake! I used the low altitude version. So good! Thank you for your work in creating and sharing such a wonderful recipe.
That’s such a nice compliment, thank you, Lisa!
I made this last night with great results! I used the sea level proportions. The texture was soft and delicate. I tuned it into rainbow cake layers and the batter withstood a) the extra whisking motion to incorporate the colors b) parking the last 24 oz of the batter in the fridge as I baked my first 3 layers. It yielded 5 layers of 6-in cake at 12 oz of batter per cake pan. I also used cake strips so the layers baked flat and even. I read through so many white cake recipes and I’m glad I went with this one! Thanks!
Such helpful feedback for everyone, thank you!
Oh my im sorry I didn’t see those notes!
I found your recipe on pintrest, used the sea level instructions making 3, 8″ cakes. Wonderful white cake, moist, not quite sponge, not to sweet do to the tangy buttermilk. All rose and baked perfectly in time suggested without crowning. Cakes pulled away from sides when done so no need to open oven repeatedly to test doneness. I used a 6″ cutter to make perfect 6″ 3 tier cake using swiss buttercream frosting with raspberry jam filling. thanks for sharing this will be my go to white cake. Very elegant.
Will this work as a 9×13?
I haven’t tried it, but it would probably be fine.
It worked great! as a 9×13. Just extended the bake time to 40 min. Used the sea level version.
I’m glad to hear it! 🙂
Has anyone used carton (pasteurized) egg whites in this recipe with success??
How would an ermine frosting be on this cake?
I’m sure it would taste great!
Hi Heather, I hope you are well
How much batter would I have to make to create a 3 layered, 6 inch cake? And what would the cooking time be? (So basically, how much should I make for 3x 6inch pans?) Thank you!
Half of the batter is enough for a 6-inch cake, but please take a look at the FAQs on this post, where I talk about why I don’t recommend cutting this recipe in half.
Hi!! I want to make this cake for my daughter’s engagement? Can I use as a-tiered cake with cream cheese frosting? Or should I make white chocolate buttecream.
Can I make fill and do the icing three days before the engagement as I won’t be able to make it a day before
Thanks
Hi there! This recipe definitely works as a tiered cake – you can see it in this DIY wedding cake post.
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/white-almond-wedding-cake-for-a-diy-wedding/
Cream cheese frosting makes me nervous for tiered cakes, since it’s trickier to work with, so just make sure you’re using a stable cream cheese buttercream recipe that’s won’t let the cakes slip and slide everywhere. I have a white chocolate buttercream recipe here if you want to check it out: https://curlygirlkitchen.com/white-chocolate-cake-ganache-drip-truffles/
After 3 days, the cake won’t be as fresh and could start to get a little dry, so if you need to make it that far in advance, I’d probably put the assembled and frosted cake in the freezer to keep it as fresh as possible. The day before, let it thaw in the refrigerator, then the day of, let it come to room temperature for 4-5 hours before serving.