This is my favorite white cake recipe.
Favorite White Cake Recipe
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.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.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..
Equipment
- 2 9 inch cake pans grease and lightly flour pans. If want to use 9 x 13 pan, bake 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature 1 1/2 sticks
- 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 5 large egg whites at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract Yes, tablespoon!
- 1 cup whole milk at room temperature
Instructions
- Instructions Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch cake pans.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 rubber 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.
Vanilla Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups 2.5 sticks; 287g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 5 cups 600g confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup 80ml heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or use clear imitation vanilla extract for stark white frosting
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make the frosting:
- In a large bowl using a hand-held 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.
Notes
This makes enough for a thick frosting layer in the middle.