This is the PERFECT white cake with a soft texture, moist crumb, and wonderful vanilla flavor; plus, it tastes incredible with creamy vanilla buttercream. Cake flour, egg whites, and sour cream are the secrets to the best texture. The cake batter is my gold standard and I use it as the base for many other cake flavors including strawberry cake, coconut cake, pistachio cake, burnt sugar caramel cake, and more.
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
One reader, Shandra, commented: “This. Cake. Is. Excellent! Thank you, Sally, for such a delicious recipe. For my preference, this hit the spot on tenderness, fluffiness, and taste (which to me means non-eggy). And the frosting is excellent as well! Archived as my #1 white cake recipe. Yum! ★★★★★“
Why This Is My Best White Cake Recipe
This white cake recipe is adapted from my perfect vanilla cupcakes, a longtime reader favorite. The cake is my definition of *cake perfection* and has become one of the most popular cake recipes on my website. This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find it printed in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101 (which is now a New York Times Best Seller!). Here’s why:
- Soft & airy crumb
- Fluffy, but not eggy
- Pure sweet flavor
- Stick-to-your-fork moist & tender
- Completely from scratch
- Easy & approachable dessert recipe
I love this cake so much that I used it as the base for several other cake recipes I have published including espresso chocolate chip cake, pineapple coconut cake, cookies and cream cake, chocolate chip cake, plus more listed below. I even reduced the quantity of cake batter down to make the perfect 1-layer pineapple upside down cake.
It’s my flagship cake recipe, and I crown it with the smoothest, creamiest vanilla buttercream. Rainbow sprinkles add a little glitz and glamour because… what’s cake without sprinkles?
In the past 7 years, I’ve made this cake so frequently that I have the recipe memorized. I’m talking birthday parties, baby showers, summer parties, anniversaries, and even a couple bake sales. There are several success tips I’ve picked up along the way, and I’m thrilled to share them with you so you can enjoy cake perfection on your 1st try.
White Cake Success Tips
- Cream the Butter: To achieve a good rise, properly cream the butter and sugar together. You have the crutch of baking powder and baking soda, but the cake’s crumb truly sings when that creaming process steps in. If you’re new to this technique, this quick tutorial and video walk you through how to cream butter and sugar.
- Use Only Egg Whites: Do not use egg yolks. Using only egg whites not only gives you a pristine white cake, but also it ensures that the crumb is not weighed down by the fat in egg yolks. Think about it: lighter confections such as marshmallows and angel food cake require only the egg whites. It’s the same story here. You need 5 large egg whites in this cake.
- Use Pure Vanilla: You need pure vanilla extract for this cake, and a full Tablespoon in the cake batter. You’ll really taste it, so don’t skimp on the amount. If you have a vanilla bean, go ahead and scrape the beans from half of it into the batter for extra flavor, or you can swap the extract for the same amount of vanilla bean paste.
- Sour Cream Instead of Egg Yolks: Sour cream is the cake’s security blanket. While it contains fat like the egg yolks would, it doesn’t really weigh down the crumb. It’s pure moisture and adds the most creamy, tender texture to every bite. It plays the same important role in coffee cake, too.
- You Need Cake Flour: Cake flour is almost 30x finer than all-purpose flour. Using it is a surefire way to achieve a delicate, soft-as-a-pillow 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 including my popular confetti cake.
- 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.
Room-Temperature Ingredients
If a recipe calls for room-temperature eggs or any other ingredient such as milk or sour cream, make sure you follow suit. Recipes don’t do that for fun—room-temperature ingredients emulsify much easier into batter, which creates a uniform texture throughout your baked good. Think of cold, hard butter. It’s impossible to cream cold butter into a soft consistency. Same goes for eggs—they add much more volume to the batter when they’re at room temperature. Place your eggs in a glass of warm water for 10 minutes, and you can briefly warm the milk and sour cream (separately) on the stove or in the microwave to bring up the temperature. Here’s my trick for bringing butter to room temperature quickly.
This Is a 2-Layer 9-Inch Cake
You need two 9-inch round cake pans for this batter. This batter does not fit into two 8-inch cake pans (it’s too much). Three 8-inch pans work, as seen here in my fresh berry cream cake, but the layers are thin. If you want to make a 6-inch cake, use this 6-inch cake recipe, which is scaled down from today’s batter. Feel free to visit my cake pans & conversions page if you have any questions about changing the pan size.
Make sure you line your cake pans with parchment paper rounds, to help the cakes seamlessly release from the pan. If you need recommendations for round cake pans, I really like Fat Daddio’s pans and these Wilton cake pans.
White Cake Decoration
While the ingredients in the cake batter don’t leave any room for substitutions, we can have some fun with a variety of frostings. I prefer vanilla frosting, which I include in the recipe below. But I encourage you to play around with chocolate buttercream, rainbow chip frosting, or chocolate cream cheese frosting (also delicious on this zebra cake!). For a lighter, less sweet option, I love pairing this cake with whipped frosting. Each of these frostings are absolutely remarkable on this lovely cake. The vanilla frosting makes a lot, so expect a thick layer between the cakes.
*Crumb Coat Details*
To ensure the layer cake is stable, it’s important to apply a crumb coat. A crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting on the exterior of the cake that locks in any loose crumbs and helps stabilize the layers. After you stack the 2 layers with frosting in between, cover the top and sides of the layered cake with a very thin layer of frosting (about 1 cup). If desired, run a bench scraper around the cake to help smooth out the frosting. Refrigerate the uncovered cake for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour to “set” the crumb coat. Then cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting. This detailed how to assemble and decorate a layer cake post is a great guide!
Here Are All the Cake Flavors Made From This Perfect Batter
It’s impressive that this combination of ingredients can produce so many cakes. I will ALWAYS turn to this recipe.
- Elmo Cake & Cookie Monster Cake
- Chocolate Chip Cake with Ganache Drip
- Cookies & Cream Sheet Cake
- Espresso Chocolate Chip Cake
- Pineapple Coconut Cake
- Fresh Berry Cream Cake
- Burnt Sugar Caramel Cake
- Coconut Cake
- Pistachio Cake
- Strawberry Cake (very popular recipe)
- Reduced batter for 1 layer: Pineapple Upside Down Cake & 1-Layer Sprinkle Cake
To Change the Cake Pan Size:
This batter does not fit into two 8-inch cake pans (it’s too much). Three 8-inch pans work at the same oven temperature, as seen here in my fresh berry cream cake, but the layers are thin.
If you want to make a 6-inch cake, use this 6-inch cake recipe, which is scaled down from this batter.
Yes. Same oven temperature. This batter will fit into a 10 to 12-inch Bundt pan. I’m unsure of the exact bake time, so use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Yes. Same oven temperature. Simply pour the batter into a greased and lightly floured 9×13-inch pan and bake for 38 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
I recommend following my Homemade Wedding Cake recipe as a guide for a tiered cake, and it will be best to use cake dowels and boards for support. The bottom tier of that cake is sturdier than this white cake, though the flavor is pretty identical.
My vanilla cupcakes recipe is essentially this same recipe, only halved. If you want more cupcakes, you can follow this white cake batter recipe and use the baking instructions for the cupcakes.
The Perfect White Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 24 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is the PERFECT white cake with a soft texture, moist crumb, and wonderful vanilla flavor; plus, it tastes incredible with creamy vanilla buttercream. See various flavors above and all of my recipe Notes below. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (295g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature*
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (yes, Tbsp!)
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 and 1/4 cups (282g) 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 for stark white frosting)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt, as needed
- optional: sprinkles, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg whites and beat on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract, and beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients and then, with the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the milk and beat just 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 the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
- Bake for 24–25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the sides, remove the cakes from the pan, peel off the parchment, and place on the rack to finish cooling. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Sift in the confectioners’ sugar and then add the cream and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then gradually increase to medium-high speed and beat for 2 full minutes. Taste; beat in the salt if the frosting is too sweet. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more cream if frosting is too thick, or a pinch more salt if frosting is too sweet.
- Assemble and frost: (For additional help with this step, see this how to assemble a layer cake video & post.) First, using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place one cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Spread 3/4 to 1 cup 3/4–1 cup (180–240g) of vanilla buttercream in an even layer on top. Top with the second cake layer, upside down, and spread the top and sides with 1 cup of buttercream (240g) in a very thin layer to make the crumb coat. If desired, run a bench scraper around the cake to help smooth out the frosting on the sides. Refrigerate the cake until the crumb coat has set, about 20 minutes. Finish by spreading the top and sides with the remaining buttercream. Decorate the cake with sprinkles, if desired.
- Slice and serve immediately or keep at room temperature for a few hours before serving. Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared and then covered and refrigerated overnight. Assemble and frost the cake the next day when you are ready to serve. See this post & video on how to freeze cakes for information on freezing.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Round Fat Daddio’s Cake Pans or Wilton Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack | Cake Turntable | Straight Spatula and Bench Scraper (for frosting) | Round Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Amount of Batter: If it’s helpful for using different size cake pan sizes and conversions, this recipe yields about 7 cups (about 1680g) of cake batter.
- Cake Flour: If you can’t find cake flour, here is a DIY homemade cake flour substitute you can use instead.
- Carton Egg Whites: You can use carton egg whites. The carton should give measurements for substituting for fresh egg whites.
- Milk, Sour Cream, Substituting Buttermilk: Whole milk and sour cream are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full-fat plain yogurt would work instead, though the cake may not be as light. Same goes for a lower-fat milk. If you want to use buttermilk, the best way to do so is to have it replace both the sour cream AND milk in this recipe. Use 1 and 1/2 cups of buttermilk, then leave out the sour cream and whole milk.
- Other Cake Sizes (6-inch, 8-inch, 9×13-inch, tiered cake, Bundt cake, cupcakes): Please see FAQ above the recipe.
- Almond Cake: If you want to add almond flavoring, I recommend using 1.5 teaspoons almond extract and 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract for an almond cake. I usually just do this to the cake, but you could certainly swap some of the vanilla extract in the frosting for almond extract for an even deeper almond flavor. Decorate the cake with sliced almonds, if desired.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Would I be able to use this for a marble cake, following the chocolate instructions from your marble cake recipe? It’s for a wedding, so I’m trying to avoid yellow cake but love your recipes!
Hi Carrie, you could use our recipe for zebra cake instead–that uses a vanilla cake batter, turning a portion of it into chocolate cake batter. Hope it’s a hit!
Absolutely the best cake I have ever made! I made it in our little cottage kitchen with minimal equipment, and I had to use AP flour. As my sister said, magic happens in that little kitchen. This will now be my go-to recipe!
Baking 10, 8 and 6″ layers. Should I make 1.5 recipe for 10″ rounds? I would love to know by weight the amounts for equal height layers. This recipe sounds perfect . Thanks for the recipes and any advice
Hi Patricia, we haven’t tested this recipe in 10-inch rounds, so we’re unsure of the exact weight needed for those pans. This recipe as written makes about 7 cups of batter, and then you can use this cake pan sizes and conversions guide to help scale it for your needs. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi Sally! I love your recipes and use them all the time. Question- I am planning to make a Barbie cake with several layers that will need to be roughly 8” tall when assembled, and then will be carved into a simple skirt shape. Do you think this cake would be too delicate? Would your answer be any different for the strawberry version- pink would probably be better! Thanks so much.
Hi Nikki, both cakes should work just fine – let us know how it goes!
So I made the Barbie cake using the strawberry version of this recipe- it was PHENOMENAL! I used All-Purpose flour, because that’s what I had, and your strawberry buttercream. I also added fresh, sliced strawberries along with the frosting between the layers. The layers baked up to a beautiful, lofty height of nearly 1-1/2 inches each, and though I had made six, I ended up using only four. Still served about 40 people, and everyone raved. Honestly, this is one of the tastiest cakes I’ve ever eaten!
ETA:Note- I used 8” round pans
I’ve made this cake on several occasions, it’s always good but today it came out amazing. I always use my items at room temp but today I let them get *slightly* warmer than room temp around 78 degrees, by letting everything sit covered in my garage for about an hour. The ingredients blended so perfectly this time and the cake came out so pillowy soft! In the past I don’t think I was letting all of it get quite warm enough and it makes a huge difference. I definitely recommend this recipe!
Can I substitute pastry flour for any of your cake recipes that call for cake flour? I have a large bag that needs to be used up. Thank you!
Hi Karen, we don’t recommend it. Pastry flour has a higher protein content than cake flour, so the result would be different if you used pastry flour in this cake.
Hi sally!
I absolutely love this recipe and plan on using it for a sheet cake, making two layers in two different pans. How much batter do I need or how many times should I make the recipe. Thank you so much!
Hi Antonietta! It really depends on the size of your sheet cake pan. This batter (as written) works well in a 9×13 pan. See recipe Notes for baking details. Or, here is everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions. So glad this one is a favorite for you!
Hi Sally! I probably won’t get this question answered in time, but is it ok to double the recipe with this batter? I’m baking two 9×13 cakes and will make two separate recipes just to be safe…but just in case you read this before 10:00 pacific time lol!
Thank you for all the great recipes!
Hi Dana, it’s best to make two separate batches rather than doubling. Enjoy!
Hi Sally! I love your Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes recipe and my brother requested a Strawberry Shortcake cake for his birthday next week. The cupcake recipe calls for vanilla paste and I’d like to use it in this recipe. I love the little specks of vanilla! Would it be 1.5 tsp of paste as a replacement for 1 tbs extract? Thanks so much!
Hi Sarah, delicious! You can use 1-1.5 teaspoons in addition to the extract.
Thank you! I got your message in time!
Happy 4th!
Hello, do you think I can make a lemon white cake? Thank you!
Hi Jack, we recommend following our lemon cake recipe instead – enjoy!
I am new to baking layer cakes. Would this recipe work for 2 x 8 inch pans? I’m planning to ice the cake with your not so sweet whipped frosting.
Hi Jenny, you can use two 8 inch pans instead of 9 inch pans. Bake time may be a minute or two longer as the layers will be thicker — use a toothpick to test for doneness. Enjoy!
Could I put a layer of store jam in between?
Hi Meredith, absolutely. We’d recommend creating a frosting dam (like we do for this chocolate raspberry cake) to prevent the jam from seeping out between the layers.
I have tried many of your recipes and have always need great. My go to when I want to make something special. I’d like to make your white cake in a 9×13 glass pan. I want to make a 4th of July cake topped with blueberries and strawberries so I’m thinking about serving the cake directly from the glass pan. Would this cake turn out okay in a glass pan? If so, how long and what temperature for glass pan? Which one of your icing recipes would be most suitable for the white cake topped with fruit? I’d really appreciate your input. Thank you for all of your great recipes!
Hi Dawn, To make this cake in a 9×13 inch Pan, simply pour the batter into a greased and lightly floured 9×13 pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
My grandaughter wants a white and chocolate BD cake. Can’t find a swirl recipe that looks good? So how would a three layer work with top and bottom being your white cake recipe and center your chocolate cake recipe halved?
Will this combination hold up as three layer?
Hi Lucia, that should work well since the white cake is quite light, so it should hold up well atop the middle chocolate layer. Or, you might enjoy this zebra cake recipe instead!
Thank you Lexi! I’ll try the zebra cake and report back!
I am making this cake for a birthday and would like to make it with key lime flavor. Can you give any recommendations?
Hi Alicia! You can certainly experiment with adding key lime to this cake. You can add zest with no other changes. You can also try replacing a bit of the milk with key lime juice – fresh or bottled (but we have not tested this) or add key lime extract with no other changes. Let us know what you try!
I was given a box of cake flour and decided to give it a shot with this recipe. i’m so glad i did. cake turned out great. used almond extract instead of vanilla because it’s my favorite. will definitely be making this again.
I have been baking your recipes for years! We love all of them. This was the first cake I have ever encountered a problem with. It tastes amazing. But it fell flat as a pancake after baking and has an odd texture, almost like the ingredients started to seperate. I weighed every ingredient, everything was room temp, and fresh. Any thoughts? Did I over mix, or possibly my leavening?
Hi Liz, thanks so much for giving this one a try! Over mixing could certainly be the culprit. It can often cause cakes to become squat and dense as you mention. Are your baking powder and baking soda fresh, too? We often find they start to lose their potency after about three months, even if not yet expired. Hope this helps for next time!
This is the BEST cake! The cake is moist and delicious, and the frosting…oh my! I have a Julie Child quote in my kitchen, “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream”. I tell people this frosting has both! The frosting is also perfect for piping. My granddaughter recently requested this cake for her 12th birthday party, and, of course, I made it for her. I have been baking it for several years, and it always receives rave reviews.
So glad this is a favorite for you, Linda!
Hi, this is my favorite cake but I want 3 layers but white only. Could I 1.5x the recipe to produce 3 layers? I’m kind of scared to because I follow your recipes precisely and wondering if anyone has tried 1.5ing this recipe. Thanks!
I ended up 1.5X this recipe and it turned out wonderful! Just be careful to 1.5X the math, I used a scale!
I love this cake!!! Made it many times. If I was to make a 12 x 18 cake, would I 1.5 x the recipe? Would I still bake at 350 degrees? What are your thoughts? Thank you!!!
Hi Teresa, we haven’t tested this recipe in that size pan, so we aren’t sure what the bake time would be. As for 1.5x the recipe, I think that would depend on how deep your 12×18 pan is. Is it shallow like a 12×17 jelly roll pan, or deep like a 9×13 sheet cake pan? If it’s shallow, you probably don’t need to 1.5x the recipe, and the bake time would be shorter, as the cake will be thin. If you’re going for the same depth as a sheet cake, but your baking pan is 12×18 instead of 9×13, then you would probably need to 1.5x the recipe. Keep the bake temperature the same. Hope this helps and your cake turns out wonderfully!
Hi, would it work to mix in some fresh berries in the cake batter? Or would they just sink?
Hi Abbie! You can, yes. We recommend 1 cup of fresh blueberries. Frozen blueberries can be pretty heavy. Toss them in a little flour before stirring into the batter. Other berries should work as well.
If I use whole eggs, will the cake still come ok ok? A little denser?
Hi Patti! The egg whites are key to this cake’s fluffy texture. We don’t recommend using whole eggs. You can use egg whites from a carton if needed.
What can I substitute for sour cream? Is the standard 3/4c buttermilk ok?
Hi Miche, A full fat plain yogurt would work instead, though the cake may not be as light. If you wanted to use buttermilk, the best way to do so is to have it replace both the sour cream AND milk in this recipe. Use 1 and 1/2 cups of buttermilk, then leave out the sour cream and whole milk.
My daughter is gluten free so I was wondering if I can substitute gluten free flour for the cake flour. I currently use the Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour
Hi Stacey! We haven’t tested gluten free flour in this recipe so are unsure of the results. Let us know if you give it a try.
I made the cake using the gluten free flour and it was a hit! Everyone said the flavor was so good. I do believe that the GF flour made the cake taste a little heavy, it wasn’t light and fluffy, and I also had to increase the baking time by about 8 minutes. I’m ready for another occasion so I can make it again and try the cake flour!
Hi Rachael, the weight is correct. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients!
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday and it was a hit! I already gave out this recipe and the triple chocolate to a few people. Everyone was so impressed!
I loved this cake and will definitely try using this base to make the coconut cake as stated above. I did not change one thing and made exactly as directed. If you’re looking for a white cake you can’t go wrong!
Best white cake I’ve ever made! THANK YOU!
Can this cake, unfrosted, be frozen for for three months? The freezing instructions mentioned frosted cake only.
Yes, absolutely. Here’s our best tips for freezing cake layers!
Will this recipe stay moist in the refrigerator. I typically stick with chiffon for that reason.
Cakes will dry out when stored in the fridge. See recipe notes for our recommended make-ahead instructions!