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
Have you ever done an almond version of this cake?
Hi Jenn, We recommend using 1.5 teaspoons almond extract and 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract for an almond cake. We usually just do this to the cake, but you could certainly swap some of the vanilla in the frosting for almond for an even deeper almond flavor. Enjoy!
I’m sure you’ve answered this, but I’m assuming this will work fine with 3 6-inch layers? Would the cook time be similar to the white chocolate cranberry cake?
Hi Victoria, This will be too much batter for 6 inch pans. We recommend using our 6 inch cake recipe instead!
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Is the frosting included enough for additional decorative piping or should I make a larger batch?
Hi Yesica, we would make extra for decorating.
Can I use creme fraiche instead of the sour cream and if so is it a 1:1 replacement ratio?
Thank you and my family loves all of your recipes!!
Hi Jennifer, We haven’t tested this particular recipe with creme fraiche, so we’re unsure of the exact results. It can sometimes be a bit thinner than sour cream, so it may require some additional tweaks to the dry ingredients. Let us know if you do decide to experiment!
If I have the Fat Daddio’s 8”x3” pans can I use this recipe? If so how much longer on baking time? Any other changes needed? Thank you!
Hi Kelly, 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!
Hi Sally!
Can I make this with brown butter?
Hi Stacy, we’re sure you could! You’ll need to brown extra butter, let it cool and come to proper room temperature before using here. You can read more about the process and how to brown butter here!
Can I use your Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe instead of the suggested one for this cake?
Absolutely, Hanna!
hey there Sally! I am looking to make a almond flavored cake, I really want it to look like this cake, but if i replace the vanilla in the cake ingredients with almond extract do you think it’ll be okay? I want to have almond cake and maybe vanilla frosting?
Hi Mona! We recommend using 1.5 teaspoons almond extract and 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract here for an almond cake. Hope you enjoy it!
I have an egg allergy, are there any ingredients you would recommend instead of the 5 egg whites?
Hi Liz, the egg whites are key to this cakes taste, texture, and structure, so we haven’t tested any egg substitutes. If you’re interested, here are all of our egg-free recipes.
Question before I make this. Is the baking temperature for the anodized aluminum pans? Or am I supposed to take the 25 degrees off and add more time like fat daddios says for most recipes? I know you list their pans in your equipment list, but it isn’t specified.
Hi Ernie, this recipe was tested with Fat Daddio pans so you can follow the baking times and temperatures listed.
Thank you. I really appreciate the fact that you use these pans, many people don’t.
Hi! Me again. I’m using 9inch cake pans. I baked the cake for 25 mins and it was still raw. I had to do another 15 mins. And when I went to cut the top off, if felt like it still wasn’t cooked fully. I feel like I messed up. Does an additional 15 mins sound right?
Heidi, It sounds like your cakes were simply under-baked. Always use the toothpick test to check for doneness as all ovens run slightly differently. We always recommend using an in-oven thermometer for best results.
I couldn’t find liquid egg whites. Can I use 5 eggs and not use the yolk? Sorry I’m new to baking.
Hi Heidi, absolutely!
Do you use bleached or unbleached cake flour for this recipe?
Hi Nicholle, It won’t make a huge difference either way, but we always try to use unbleached flour when we can.
What would happen if Greek yogurt was used instead of sour cream? I often have Greek yogurt but rarely sour cream.
Hi Marion, you can use low fat or full fat Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream.
Hi Sally, can I ask how much grams you consider a large egg white? Most eggs over here are about 50 grams of which 20g yolk and 30g whites. Thanks
Hi Jolien, Egg weights can vary but usually large eggs in the shell are about 57g, and 50g out of the shell. A yolk weighs about 18-20g and a white 30g. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally, is this close to a sponge cake? I’m trying to make a cake inspired by a peanut butter tasty cake (I’ve seen you talk about the Poconos in your post before, so fingers crossed you know what I’m talking bout – the best regional snack cake there is!) and I’m looking for a light sponge that would be the perfect base for a layer of peanut butter and a crunchy chocolate layer. Thank you, you always have the best advice!!!
Hi Becky! This white cake is unique in that it only uses egg whites, whereas traditional “sponge” cakes often use full eggs. While that could work with this cake, you may find the taste and texture of our vanilla cake or even this yellow cake to be closer to those treats—which are delicious, so please do let us know if you do any experimenting!
Hi! This sounds perfect – do you think i could make this in the 9×13 then cut out to make mini layered cakes? About 4in? If not, any suggestions? Thanks Sally! Love your recipes xx
Hi Carl, that should be fine. 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.
Is this the same recipe that used to be called “Favorite White Layer Cake”? It was my go to for years and I’m hoping this is just a new name!
Hi Lindsay, yes! Same great recipe. Enjoy!
Absolutely lovely cake- so moist and flavorful! Easy to follow directions and tips that made baking and assembling the cake a breeze. Only question I have is in regards to the buttercream; surely 1/3 cup heavy cream is not enough for 5 cups confectioners sugar? It took me over half a pint to get a creamy consistency. It was also way too sweet for our taste, so I had to balance it out with quite a bit if salt. Other than that, another great recipe!
Hi Jenny, if you found that you needed quite a bit more heavy cream and the frosting tasted too sweet, there may have been too much confectioners’ sugar in the frosting. Make sure to spoon and level when measuring, or use a kitchen scale!
Very good. Thank you for this recipe
I’ve made this a couple times and every time perfect! Thank you for sharing.
Hi, first of all thank you for all your amazing recipes!
I need to make a bigger cake for a lot of people. Can you suggest any recipe for bigger birthday cake or advise if possible to increase the ingredients dosis and use a bigger cake pan or if the final result wouldn’t be good? Thanks!
Hi Germana, our homemade wedding cake recipe may be similar to what you’re looking for, otherwise here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
I was kind of disappointed in this recipe. I followed directions exactly for baking it in a 9×13 pan for 38 minutes and found it came out a bit too dry. The frosting I found way too buttery and cloying. You only need half the amount of frosting if you do the 9×13 size pan. The frosting ratio of butter to sugar was too high in my opinion. I felt like I was eating heavily sugared butter. It needed some shortening I think to make it more neutral. It didn’t have a lot of vanilla flavor. I would probably try a different recipe and a shortening or cream cheese based frosting next time.
May I ask where you got the rainbow sprinkles that don’t have white in them?
Hi Cindy! The pictured sprinkles are discontinued, I believe. The brand is ChocoMaker. There is a similar mix by Wilton called “Wilton Pearlized Spring Sprinkles” that you can find online and in some retail stores. Give it a quick search!
Hi! Just was curious… I have to make a couple cakes for birthday parties and the parents want the cake colored. Was curious how well this recipe colors without affecting the cake batter. I’ve tried different recipes and the coloring almost always affects it.
Hi Tanya, yes, gel food coloring is recommended so that it doesn’t add more liquid to the batter like liquid food coloring does. Hope you enjoy the cake!
THANK YOU AGAIN! I made your coconut cake with the Not so Sweet Frosting and it was perfection. Now my granddaughter requested a strawberry cake layer cake. Do I follow your Best Vanilla Cake or Perfect White Cake recipe. She would like 3 layers. I plan on using the Not so Sweet Frosting again and cover the sides. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Can you use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour for this recipe?
Hi Danielle, you really do need cake flour and not all purpose flour in this (and any cake recipe calling for it). Cake flour is much lighter. You can read more about it and also how to make your own if you don’t have any in this post on Homemade Cake Flour Substitute.
I love your recipes, including this one!
I’ve been following you since nearly day 1! But this update. I can’t find anything, links are incorrect, videos are not great for my area, even on the print screen now. Bigger isn’t better; see you down the road maybe!
Hi Dee, since the design element update on 2/13, we have been adjusting many different layers of caching, how the page loads, the different features, and the ad placements. Fixes and updates were put in place yesterday, 2/27 and my tech team is still making adjustments. I sincerely appreciate the feedback. We are aware the site wasn’t functioning as it should the past week!
Great flavor, turned out just like the pictures and the recipe was spot on. I will say this cake is more dense/dry than I was expecting. I was thinking it would be more fluffy. Still delicious!
Also, the whipped frosting is the best. I didn’t use this buttercream recipe… trust me, use the whipped frosting one she has. It is the only frosting recipe I use on cake anymore.
Hello Sally,
I have a small doubt that might sound silly, but I just wanted to ask—when baking a cake, which oven setting should I use? Should the fan mode be on or off?
I find this a bit confusing. In my oven, when I place the cake on the lowest rack with only the lower heating rod on, the bottom tends to brown too quickly while the cake itself remains undercooked. So, I have been using both the upper and lower rods with the fan mode on.
Could you please guide me on the correct setting?
Thanks!
Hi Vanya, all of the recipes on this site are written for conventional settings. Convection/fan ovens are fantastic for cooking and roasting. If you have the choice, we recommend conventional settings when baking cakes, breads, etc. The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake. Hope this helps!