Perfect White Cake with Vanilla Buttercream
Fluffy, perfectly moist White Cake with Vanilla Buttercream. Perfect for a crowd & so much better than the bakery! Make it for your next birthday, anniversary or family celebration!
Servings: 12 pieces
Equipment
- two 8-inch round cake pans with high sides
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375 grams) sifted
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (198 grams) softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cup granulated sugar (350 grams) use 2 cups (400 grams) for a slightly sweeter cake
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (30 ml) or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract use clear for a brighter white cake
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 6 large egg whites room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream (60 ml) room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk (240 ml) 2% works too, room temperature
For the Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter (340 grams) softened to room temperature, but not starting to melt
- 5-6 cups powdered sugar (550-660 grams) sifted
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup whipping cream (60-80 ml) or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt to taste
Instructions
White Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) degrees. Line the bottom of two 8x2 inch round cake pans (do not use 2 sandwich tins with 1.5 inch sides) and lightly grease the sides. See recipe notes for additional pan sizes.
- In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Then whisk for about 30 seconds.
- In a large bowl using a stand or hand-held electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add in the oil, vanilla extract and almond extract and mix until incorporated.
- Beat the egg whites into the butter mixture 1 at a time. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times during this process to ensure that there aren't lumps of butter.
- Stir the sour cream into the butter mixture.
- With the mixer on low, beat in about 1/3 of the flour mixture followed by about 1/2 of the milk. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl using a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Turn the mixer back onto low and beat in an additional 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by the rest of the milk. Then beat in the rest of the flour mixture. Stop mixing as soon as everything is incorporated. I recommend whisking in the last flour addition by hand to avoid overmixing.
- Carefully pour the batter into your prepared pans and bake in the middle of the preheated oven for about 28-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few cake crumbs and the cakes are pulling away from the sides of the pans.
- Cool the cakes in the cake pans for about 10 minutes, then gently invert and continue cooling on a wire rack. You can also wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and pop in the freezer to chill them more quickly.
Vanilla Frosting
- To make the buttercream, in a large bowl using a stand or hand-held electric mixer beat the butter on medium speed until fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). For brighter white frosting - keep beating for at least 10 minutes. Read this post here for tips of making white American-style buttercream.
- Add in 3 cups powdered sugar along with the vanilla extract, almond extract and salt. Start with the mixer on a low speed and gradually increase to medium speed until all the powdered sugar is incorporated.
- Beat in the rest of the powdered sugar about 1/2 to 1 cup at a time, alternating with 1 tablespoon of cream/milk until the desired sweetness and thickness is reached.
Assembling the Cake
- If cake layers have been frozen, be sure to thaw in the fridge overnight. Be sure that the cake is fully cooled before frosting.
- If your cake layers are domed, carefully saw off the domed cake tops either using a serrated knife or a cake leveler.
- Place one cake layer on the plate/stand that you plan to serve the cake on. Frost the top of the layer with about 3/4 to 1 cup of frosting. Place the second cake layer on top.
- I recommend doing a thin layer of frosting around the sides (a crumb coat) to seal any cake crumbs in. Then frost the sides and top with swirls of buttercream.
Notes
- Pan Sizes: For the photos, I used two 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pans with 2-inch (5 cm) sides. You can also use:
- Three 8-inch (20 cm) round sandwich tins - bake time about 20-25 minutes
- Two 9-inch (23 cm) round cake tins - bake time about 25-30 minutes
- One 9x13 inch (22x33 cm) rectangle pan - only fill about 3/4 full (you may have a little extra cake batter - bake time about 35-40 minutes. For a 9x13 inch cake - simple grease and flour the pan (you don't need to line it with parchment paper).
- Flour: Be sure to measure the flour properly, otherwise the cake can become dry. Use a scale and measure in grams. Or if using measuring cups, whisk the flour first. Then spoon into a dry measuring cup and level off the top.
- Almond Extract: This can be found in the baking aisle, typically near the vanilla extract.
- Frosting: This recipe makes enough for:
- a two layer 8-inch round cake with a generous amount of frosting and a little leftover for decorating. Feel free to use 1 1/4 cup butter and 4-5 cups powdered sugar (plus the other ingredients) if you don't want leftover frosting
- a three layer 8-inch round cake
- a two layer 9-inch round cake with a generous amount of frosting
- for a 9x13 inch rectangular cake - half the frosting recipe if you just want to frosting the top, or use 1 cup butter and 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar (plus the other ingredients) if you plan to frost the top and sides
Nutrition
Calories: 797kcal | Carbohydrates: 105g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 239mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 80g | Vitamin A: 1199IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 2mg