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This White Cake recipe is the perfect cake for so many celebrations! This Best White Cake is simple to make and is a moist, tender cake everyone loves.
I got so many emails and comments asking for โThe Best White Cake Recipeโ after I shared myย The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe {Ever}.
I began creating this white cake recipe by taking some ideas from the best of some of my favorite family cake recipes. The final cake recipe is decidedly white and perfect for a birthday cake, anniversaries, and even weddings.
It quickly became a family favorite cake recipe. My son declared it as โperfect,โ and my brother-in-law says this has to be his birthday cake every year!
Itโs definitely the Best White Cake Iโve ever tasted!
I think you’ll agree when you try it, too!
Why This Is The Best White Cake Recipe Ever!
This easy homemade white cake recipe is the perfect combination of fluffy, soft, moist, and flavorful!
- Amazing flavor. Full of buttery, vanilla flavor.
- Sturdy yet tender cake. It is so moist, with a tender stick to your fork crumb. It holds together beautifully, making slicing and serving a breeze.
- Versatile recipe. This cake recipe works well as a layer cake, cupcakes, sheet cake, or even as a bundt cake.
- Favorite cake. Always a favorite recipe! This recipe makes the best cake for special occasions and is easy enough for a weeknight dessert. It is loved for so many special celebrations such as birthdays and anniversaries, and it even makes a delicious wedding cake.
Best White Cake Recipe
Ingredients and Substitutions
To bake this cake, youโll need these ingredients:
- butter – it is important to make sure that your butter is softened before you begin making this cake. You can use unsalted or salted butter in this recipe based on your preference.
- vegetable shortening – adds to the moisture and texture of this incredible cake.
- sugar – You’ll use granulated sugar
- eggs – While many white cake recipes use only egg whites, I decided after numerous rounds of testing that I preferred the flavor that the whole egg, including the egg yolks, lends to the cake. While the cake isnโt stark white, it is still white. Make sure to use large, room-temperature eggs before you begin.
- all-purpose flour – I use soft-winter-wheat-based all-purpose flour. In this instance, you can substitute with cake flour (or make your own cake flour with my easy tips!)
- baking powder
- salt
- whole milk – make sure the milk is at room temperature
- buttermilkย – room temperature
- vanilla extract – I prefer the flavor of vanilla in my cake and use 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. If you like the flavor of almonds in your white cake, you can use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of almond extract. This will reduce the vanilla flavor in the cake, but it is a good balance between the two. Additionally, if you want as white of a cake as possible, use a clear vanilla extract.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven. Begin by preheating the oven to 350ยบ Fahrenheit.
Prepare cake pans. Prepare three 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray or coat well with shortening or butter and flour the pans, taking care to remove all excess flour.
Cream together the butter mixture. In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer), cream together the butter and shortening until light and fluffy with an electric mixer. Slowly add sugar (one cup at a time) making sure to fully incorporate each cup before adding another. Mix together until light, fluffy, and white, about 4 minutes.
Next, add eggs (one at a time), making sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding another.
Whisk together the flour mixture. In another large mixing bowl, whisk together your add your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt).
Combine the milk mixture. Stir together the milk, buttermilk, and vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup or mixing bowl.
Make the cake batter. Add a small amount of the dry ingredients (flour mixture) to the butter and shortening mixture, gently stirring after each addition. Then add a small amount of the milk mixture to the butter mixture and gently stir until just combined. Repeat alternating between adding small amounts of the dry mixture and the milk mixture to the butter mixture, just gently stirring until combined after the addition of each. Begin and end with the addition of the dry ingredients.
Final Stir and Scrape the Bowl. Gently stir all ingredients until well combined. Then, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, making sure that all ingredients are mixed well.
Distribute Cake Batter into Pans. Evenly distribute the cake batter between the three 9-inch cake pans and place the pans into the oven.
Bake the Cake. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Please donโt open and close the oven door a lot while the cake is baking, as the oven temperature drops each time the door is opened. You can follow my tips for how to tell when your cake is done.
Remove from Oven and Cool. Remove the cakes from the oven when done and allow them to cool slightly in cake pans for about 5 minutes. Then gently place the cake layers on a wire rack to finish cooling completely. This is important because cakes left in the cake pans for too long to cool may sweat, making it possible for them to stick to the pans.
Frost the Cake. Frost your cake with your preferred frosting.
White Cake Frosting Options
I used my fluffy whiteย Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, which I doubled when I frosted the cake. Itโs perfect on this cake, but you can use any favorite frosting.
Other Delicious Frostings
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting,
Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Best White Cake Success Tips!
1. Follow the recipe. Follow my recipe instructions exactly for mixing the cake to ensure success and make it as white as possible.
2. Use room temperature ingredients. Butter, eggs, milk, and buttermilk all should be at room temperature to ensure the best mixing into the cake batter. This makes for the best texture and soft crumb of the finished cake.
3. Prepare the cake pans. Prepare your cake pans with nonstick baking spray or coat well with shortening or butter and flour, taking care to remove all excess flour.
4. Mix the cake batter well but not too much. Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Donโt overbeat when adding eggs and other ingredients. Just mix gently until incorporated well into the batter.
5. Cool the cake layers. Make sure you let the cake layers cool slightly for 5 minutes before removing the cake layers to a wire rack to cool completely. Set a timer!
How to Store and Freeze this Cake
To store. Store leftover cake at room temperature under a cake dome or covered with wrap for up to 3 days. Storing in the refrigerator tends to result in a dry cake.
To freeze. Let the cake layers cool completely. Wrap them well with plastic wrap and then with foil. Put each layer into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
To serve from frozen. Allow the cake layers to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, the layers are ready to fill and frost as desired.
The next time you need a white cake recipe, give this one a try. I think you’ll love it!
Here’s my White Cake Recipe. My family calls it the best ever.
The Best White Cake Recipe {ever}
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup whole milk room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350ยบ F. Prepare three 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray or coated well with shortening or butter and floured, taking care to remove all excess flour.
- Cream together butter mixture. Cream together butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy with an electric mixer. Slowly add sugar one cup at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each cup before adding another. Mix together for 4 minutes until light, fluffy and white. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding another.
- Whisk together the flour mixture. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Combine the milk mixture. Stir together the milk, buttermilk, and vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup or bowl.
- Make the cake batter. Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Make sure to mix just until combined to prevent overmixing. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl, making sure to have all ingredietns mixed well into the cake batter.
- Bake and cool the cake. Evenly distribute cake batter between cake pans and place pans into oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and allow to cool slightly in cake pans for about 5 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.
- Frost and serve. Frost the cake as desired.
Notes
Best White Cake Recipe Success Tips!
1. Follow the recipe. Follow my recipe instructions exactly for mixing the cake to ensure success and make it as white as possible. 2. Use room temperature ingredients. Butter, eggs, milk, and buttermilk all should be at room temperature to ensure the best mixing into the cake batter. This makes for the best texture and soft crumb of the finished cake.ย 3. Prepare the cake pans. Prepare your cake pans with nonstick baking spray or coat well with shortening or butter and flour, taking care to remove all excess flour.ย 4. Mix the cake batter well but not too much. Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Donโt overbeat when adding eggs and other ingredients. Just mix gently until incorporated well into the batter. 5. Cool the cake layers. Make sure you let the cake layers cool slightly for 5 minutes before removing the cake layers to a wire rack to cool completely. Set a timer!How to Store and Freeze this Cake
Make Ahead. This cake can easily be made ahead of serving. Bake and frost as desired and store at room temperature (or in the refrigerator based on the frosting used) under a cake dome or covered with wrap for up to 3 days.ย To store. Store leftover cake at room temperature (or in the refrigerator based on the frosting used) under a cake dome or covered with wrap for up to 3 days.ย To freeze. Let the cake layers cool completely. Wrap them well with plastic wrap and then with foil. Put each layer into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Allow the cake layers to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, the layers are ready to fill and frost as desired.General Recipe Notes:
- Cupcakes. This recipe makes approximately 24 cupcakes when the cupcake tin is filled more than ¾ full. When filled ½ full, this recipe makes approximately 36 cupcakes. Bake for approximately 18 minutes.
- Original recipe. If you preferred the original white cake recipe (published in 2013), it used ½ teaspoon baking powder and 1 cup buttermilk with no whole milk.
- High Altitude. If you live in a high-altitude environment, you’ll need to make sure to follow recommended baking adjustments for your altitude.
Nutritional Information
Comment from a Pastry Chef
I shared this comment from The Pastry Life, comment #1062 to this area of the post as it might be helpful to you as you bake this cake.
“Hi there, I am a pastry chef and have lots of knowledge of cakes, and why they do the funny things that they do. Let me start of by saying this cake is delicious, moist and fluffy! This is thanks to the seemingly large amount of sugar and fats, so do not reduce the amounts or make substitutions! If youโre that concerned about the healthiness of this cake, you should probably just avoid it.
This cake does not rise much, but that does not negatively affect its fluffiness. I followed the directions exactly, except for one very important step which I believe is why my cake is so fluffy inside and did not sink. Cream your butter, shortening and sugar altogether until very white and fluffy (about 4 minutes). After that, follow the instructions to a T. If you over beat after adding the eggs, they will produce a tougher cake. Take extra care while rotating pans as to not deflate the cakes, and resist the urge to open your oven door to peek except when you need to rotate.
This cake does form a bit of a crust on top from the high egg and sugar content, which makes it more difficult to tell when it is done. Your best hint is your nose. If you can smell cake, then check it! If its not jiggly, take it out and scoop a little bit out of the middle to see if itโs done (youโre gonna cover it with frosting anyway). Donโt trust the toothpick-test!
Sorry for writing a novel, I just know how hard it is to make a great white cake and this recipe is probably the best Iโve had yet, so it made me sad to see how many people were disappointed by it due to their lack of pastry knowledge and proper method.”
Thanks for your detailed comment, The Pastry Life!
Here’s to good cake! Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Robyn, it is gorgeous!! Stunning!!
I am normally a chocolate girl all the time, but I can do vanilla if it looks anything like this! Your cake looks moist, fluffy and every layer just looks perfect and so good! I can see why it is the best!
Have you baked this bake as a 10×13 birthday cake? if so did it turn out ok?
Ah, this cake looks beautiful. I’d love to sink my teeth into it. So many possibilities.
Thanks, Renee. Yes, once you start with this cake as base recipe, the possibilities are just endless!
A beautiful cake!!!!…wish I had a slice for breakfast instead of my cottage cheese and a Lane peach!
This cake looks beautiful. I am eager to try the recipe. I like that the layer is not a stark white. The color makes it look rich. I love the photo of the milk glass cake stand. I am a collector of milk glass.
Thanks so much, Mrs. Lou. I love milk glass, too! I just can’t pass up milk glass cake stands. I bet your collection is gorgeous!
I’m making this cake tomorrow. I can’t help it. I want to do your vanilla buttercream but I’m sure I will need to at least double the recipe you have posted online. Could you tell me exactly how much I’ll need?
I love that, Jan! Can’t wait to hear how you like it! For the vanilla buttercream recipe, I did double the recipe that I posted with cupcakes. For the three layers, a little more than half of it was used for between the layers and the crumb coating, the remainder to make the frosting thick and well… fluffy. ๐
Thanks. That just what I needed to know. I’ll let you know how it comes out.
The cake looks fabulous but that cake stand really sets it apart from other white cakes! I think I will make it today!
Thanks so much, Casey. That is one of my favorite cake stands, too.
WOW I can’t wait to make this beautiful delicious cake!!! AND please tell me where you got that gorgeous milk glass cake stand!!! The cake and stand are both to die for!!! ๐
Thanks so much, Autumn. The milk glass cake stand is vintage and one of my favorites. Hope you love the cake.
I was afraid you were going to say that ๐ Well that’s for sharing this recipe!
Oh good heavens white cake is my absolute favorite. Growing up with a professional cake decorator I got all the scraps. Mmmmmmm. Yep- even though we just got through the birthday cakes around here- I’m thinking I need to create an excuse to make this ๐ Love the hobnail stand too.
Thanks so much, Gina. I wish I could decorate cakes to at least look presentable, I know you learned a lot growing up with a professional cake decorator. Goodness at all you learned growing up!
This cake is beautiful and looks so delicious. Now I want cake!!! I like that the recipe has very basic ingredients that I always have on hand. Question – have you ever tried freezing your cake layers before frosting them? I’ve heard that it’s a trick used by “pro” bakers that make wedding cakes.
Hey Robyn,
Love how you spell your name ๐ I have frozen cake layers periodically, but (and this may just be me being me) I always felt like they didn’t taste “fresh”. If I’m in a hurry to get a cake perfectly cooled for frosting, then I will wrap it tightly and then pop it into the freezer for a little while, but never longer than an hour or so. Does that make sense?
Looks amazing! Definitely have to try this one.
Be still my heart. Must try this!!
I love me a big ol slice of white cake, and this one sure does look perfect!!! Gorgeous job, lady ๐
Thanks Robyn. Beautiful recipe.
Can I use all butter for this recipe, instead of butter and shortening? We don’t use shortening. ๐
Hi Katelin,
You can use all butter for this cake and it will still turn out just fine. I found that the color of the final cake had a hint of color (not majorly noticeable, but slightly), the cake layers weren’t as tall when baked, and the cake wasn’t as moist. But, the flavor was delicious. Hope that helps!
We don’t use shortening either. I just substituted veggie oil for the shortening instead… It turned out great!
There’s nothing better than a great white cake. Can’t wait to try this recipe -I’ve been craving a great cake like this to return me to childhood and making the ones out of the box mix.
The cake looks wonderful and I too like the fact that it uses basic ingredients. Except, you knew that was coming!, the buttermilk. I keep powdered buttermilk for biscuits but haven’t used it for non quick bread type recipes. Any idea if it will work fine or should I just go for it! Thanks!
Hey Barbara,
I’ve not used powdered buttermilk in this recipe, but I have used a quick buttermilk substitute of adding 1 tablespoon of distilled white vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of whole milk. Then, I let it sit for about five minutes until the milk has changed in consistency. Then, I just use it as if it were regular buttermilk. I hope that helps!
Thanks Robyn,
I’ll give the powdered buttermilk a whirl and see what happens. I may have to make the best ever chocolate cake first though, that’s my husband’s favorite. He’s the best so I like to keep him Happy!
Absolutely! Let me know how the powdered buttermilk works in the recipe when you get a chance to try it.
Best ever chocolate cake done. The name fits it well. I made half the recipe so it shouldn’t take my husband and I too long to finish it! Then, it’s on to the Best Ever White Cake! So much cake, so little time!
Robyn,
Will this recipe make 12 or 24 cupcakes?
Thanks!!
Hi Sarah,
It will make at least 24 cupcakes. I have to make cupcakes this weekend and will test it exactly so that I can let you know the result. Great question!
Looks so beautiful, Robyn!!
I really like that you combine both butter and shortening because the shortening does provide a certain amount of moistness that butter just doesn’t. And, I completely agree with you about using the whole eggs, in terms of flavor and from a practical standpoint ๐ I love layer cakes so I can’t wait to give this one a try!
Thanks so much, Jan. I liked the way the cake baked, looked, and tasted when I combined both the butter and the shortening. And yes, the whole eggs made a huge difference to me, too. But, that could just be me. ๐
Robyn this is SUCH a gorgeous cake! I can see what you and your family call it the best white cake ever. It truly looks like it is! And the wonderfully thick buttercream is the perfect icing on a perfect cake. Pinned!
Also I love the wood backdrop. Is that a posterboard that looks like wood or actual wood? I have some vinyl backdrops that I want to use but they don’t look nearly as pretty as yours if that’s what yours is!
Thanks so much, Averie. The backdrop is wood. My husband made it for me a few years ago.
No wonder – it’s the real deal! It’s beautiful and if he wants to make more, I’m buying$$ ๐ Seriously!
oooooohhhhhhhh…..oh! Oh! I need a slice of this cake, like NOW.
I wish we were neighbors where we could meet for coffee and cake (and cookies). Oh no, wait, that could be dangerous! ๐
SUCH a beauty!!!!
I’ve been on the hunt for a good scratch white cake. Can you tell me what altitude you are? I live at high altitude and would need to know if I need to make adjustments for the altitude.
Hi Tori,
I am in Georgia.
Thank you. I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Hi Tori,
What adjustments did you make for high altitude? I’m new to Denver and would love to try this!
Marcy, I haven’t tried this recipe yet. But I was planning on cutting back a little on the sugar and the baking powder. Check this link out for more info on high altitude baking. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_FQE_2011-01pr.pdf
DEFINITELY trying this next time I need to make a white cake. It looks perfect! And lovelovelove your cake stand ๐
I’m really glad that it is dinner time, cause I am not kidding, my mouth is actually watering…I cannot wait to try this cake, it looks decadent!!
I don’t think I have ever seen a more gorgeous white cake before. OR a more gorgeous cake stand. Love everything about this!
Just made the cake and it’s incredible!!! Anxious to hear how the recipe works as cupcakes? Planning to use this for my son’s birthday.
Hey Michelle,
I made this recipe as cupcakes this weekend. I only needed 24 cupcakes, it made that plus 3 mini loaf pan cakes. GREAT recipe for them. I do suggest you watch them closely. It only took my oven 16 minutes to bake them. I think you could easily get 36 cupcakes out of this recipe.
Hope this helps!
Just made cupcakes with this recipe! Made 33 cupcakes. Might have been 34 if I didn’t love the taste of the batter so much! Liners were 3/4 full. Baked them at 350. One batch 16 mins. Another at 18 mins and then another at 19 mins. Thought the ones at 18 mins came out the best. Cupcakes were dense and delish! Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to trying your best ever chocolate cake recipe.
Love it! Thanks so much for sharing how the recipe worked as cupcakes for you, Dawn. xo
This looks like the perfect white cake!! Can you tell me if the butter you use is salted or undated?
Hi Dawn,
I always just use salted butter when baking, even though I know that isn’t what the professionals recommend. ๐
I cannot wait to try this out!!!!!!!! In the past, I’ve made flavored cakes, mostly guava by using a cake mix and substituting the water for guava juice…..however, I would love to take a quality cake like this and make it guava. If I substitute the buttermilk for guava juice-would that work????
I’ve not baked with guava juice, Renee, so I can’t really answer your question specifically. However, the buttermilk adds a great deal of moisture to the cake. You might want to check to see if guava works similar to buttermilk in baking recipes or if you need to add anything else to compensate for the substitution for it to work in this recipe.
Thanks,
Robyn xo
I read that you can use 1 cup of milk and one Tablespoon of either lemon juice or vinegar to substitue buttermilk. I just tried it with the lemon juice and it worked great.
This is the absolute best white cake ever!!! I have to admit that I only made it into cupcakes and no frosting, but that is saying a lot in by book. I have never had such a luscious homemade-spongy-moist-dense cake ever. Can’t wait to try your chocolate version.
Yum! I just made these into cupcakes-udon my large scoop I got exactly 36-baked for 17 minutes at 330 (convection) and had to taste one for quality control ๐ they are perfect! This has replaced Magnolia’s vanilla vanilla as my go-to cake recipe! I’m using your cream cheese frosting to frost them. Yum and thank you!
i’m not a huge fan of shortening, would it be possible to sub the shortening for butter, or would that completely change the flavor and texture? Cake looks beautiful by the way!
Hi Cathy,
I completely understand. Substituting butter for the shortening will change the texture and rise of the cake, but it will still make for a delicious cake! The color may be a little bit less white as well, but I say if that’s what you prefer – go for it! xo
Hi! This cake looks beautiful and very tasty! It reminds me so much of a cake that my late grandmother used to make for most occasions. I can’t wait to try it, since I have lost the recipe for her cake! Beautiful!!
I made the cake last night. It was the best tasting cake I ever made. I have one small question. My cake layers were very small and dense. They weren’t fluffy and big like your pictures. What could I have done wrong.
Hi there! Would it be alright if I only make 2 cakes instead of three?
Hello!
I plan on using this recipe for my sons birthday cake, it looks delicious and I’m anxious to impress the in laws! My question is, do you know roughly how many cups of batter this recipe will yield? I’m making a massive rainbow cake with 6 smaller layers in a 16″ round and I’m wondering if I should triple or quadruple the recipe? Suggestions?
HI, thank you so much for this recipe. The batter was wonderful so I’m sure the cake will be too haha. I’m wondering something though? My cakes always come out with this crunchy top layer that I have to cut off. Do you know what causes that and what I might be able to do about it?
Thanks!
Have you ever substituted Gluten-Free flour? Curious how it would effect the density of the cake if at all.
I am curious about the gluten free substitution too. Has anyone tried it with this recipe?
Megan, I have not made the Best White Cake Recipe with gluten free flour but I have made my Best Chocolate Cake using Cup 4 Cup Gluten Free Flour successfully. There have been other readers who commented that they had made the Best White Cake using gluten free flour with success. Maybe someone who has made this successfully with gluten free substitution will tell you what they used.
I am getting ready to make this, and I was wondering if there is there a typo on the amount of baking powder? Half a tsp seems less than most recipes. Thanks!
I don’t ordinarily keep shortening or buttermilk on hand, but have used 1/2 C oil in the Best Chocolate Cake recipe on the Hershey’s Cocoa box. The substitute vinegar/milk idea is great. Have you tried oil in lieu of shortening?
I tried this recipe saturday and I must say it turned out GREAT. I was searching for a white/vanilla cake recipe to make cupcakes for a baby shower and I tried 2 other ones last week that were awful. This cake melts in your mouth and it stayed moist!! It is defintely a keeper. One thing though my cupcakes turned out kinda small and didn’t rise to a peak…..I wish I could get them to turn out larger and rise more!! Other than that…I can’t wait to make the recipe as a two layer cake! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
I forgot to rate the recipe..sorry!!
I tried this recipe saturday and I must say it turned out GREAT. I was searching for a white/vanilla cake recipe to make cupcakes for a baby shower and I tried 2 other ones last week that were awful. This cake melts in your mouth and it stayed moist!! It is defintely a keeper. One thing though my cupcakes turned out kinda small and didn’t rise to a peak…..I wish I could get them to turn out larger and rise more!! Other than that…I can’t wait to make the recipe as a two layer cake! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
How do you get away with just 1/2 tsp. of baking powder?
Robyn, any possibility of making this cake in a 9 x 13 pan? Thanks Robin
A couple questions:
1. Shortening, like Crisco?
2. Was flour sifted before/after measuring?
Thanks so much.
Hi Karen,
1. Yes, Crisco.
2. I sift after I measure.
Thanks so much,
Robyn
Three words….LOVE your work!! I decided to face my fear of layer cakes and tackle this beautiful cake. It was a success! Thank you thank you thank you. You are an amazing baker! Having also tried your chocolate cupcakes a while back, to rave reviews, mind you – I do regard you as somewhat of a baking superhero! This is the very first time that my layers were equal in size LOL
Just used this recipe to build a jello pudding cake. The white cake turned out better than anticipated; white, fluffy, moist and delicious. Thank you posting… It’ll be my go-to recipe going forward!
Hello, I’d like to make this cake to use in a rainbow cake this weekend, but after reading the reviews was wondering if you could confirm whether 1/2 tsp of baking powder was the correct amount since a few people had questioned it. Thanks!
Hi,
Could you help me out a little and let me know how many gms would be 1 cup. I always have trouble when the recipees says use cup measurement. I believe my cup is different. Would it be possible to get the measurement in gms. Appreciate it.
This looks wonderful! Do you have any suggestions on how to alter the recipe for high altitude baking? Thanks!
Check out this link (http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_FQE_2011-01pr.pdf) for help with high altitude baking. I live at high altitude and am planning on trying out this recipe today. I will let you know what I do and how it turns out.
I live at about 5,000 feet above sea level and did nothing different to the recipe at all. It turned out amazing and delicious.
hi just wanted to know what did you put on the filling can could you put the recipe on your website I love you cake ideas thank u
from what I read it was the butter frosting from this recipe https://addapinch.com/cooking/2013/02/07/chocolate-cupcakes-recipe/ … ๐ Happy baking
Made this cake for my mother in-law for her 52 birthday and I have to say I will never buy another cake mix in a box! Its was so easy to make and it tasted like heaven! Everyone loved it!
Robyn-
Do you have a recipe for a YELLOW cake? thanks.
I made this cake last week. It was really good! It was dense, but still moist. My husband said, “Can you make this again soon, please?!” ๐ After tasting it, it made me think of pound cake, and I checked the recipes and realized that it is very similar to my mom’s pound cake recipe.
I just made this cake, its very good, but mine had a “crust” on the top like a pound cake. This was a trial run for my granddaughter’s wedding cake. What did I do wrong?
Thanks, any help would be appreciated
Ruth
Hi Ruth,
If your cake developed a “crust” on the top, then I would recommend dropping the temperature for baking to 325ยบ F and baking the cake a bit longer and slower. You’ll want to start checking the cake after about 25 minutes for doneness and not let it overbake. You can also use the baking strips to help the cake bake more evenly. These are the strips that you wrap around the sides of a cake pan to help with baking. Once you remove the cake from the oven, I’ve found that placing a damp kitchen towel over the cakes while cooling in the pan softens any hardness whenever I’ve had that with some recipes. And finally, you can just trim away any “crust” as you are leveling your cake for frosting and decorating for the wedding. Hope that helps!
Robyn xo
OMG!! So good. I can honestly say I’ve never tried to make a cake from scratch and this was not only was this really good but not that hard at all.
A major hit with my family! Will make it again for sure.
This looks wonderful and I can’t wait to try it this week. But I was wondering if I could use coconut oil instead of shortening? If not that’s ok. Just seeing if you knew. Thanks!
I used coconut oil and it turned out great.
This cake was perfect! It has great flavor and texture. I made it with the Cream Cheese Frosting and it was delicious. I’m using this recipe for a wedding cake in two weeks. SO GOOD!
Can this be used for cupcakes as well or do I need to adjust the measurements/ingredients at all? I’m making a wedding cake and cupcakes. I love this for the white cake and would like to use the same for the cupcakes too if I could.
Thanks! Love all of your recipes!!! Happy baking.
Hi, If I wanted to use x2 9″ square pans what temp and how long should I bake them? I have a gas oven that also has a convection setting. It’s new and I’m not that used to it yet. I’m hoping this is the one!!! I’ve made 4 white cakes this week! None have been what I’m looking for. Looking forward to trying this tonight:-)
I am going to try this recipe for my niece’s engagement cake. Any thoughts on separating the eggs and folding in the egg whites?
Thanks!
Hi Mary,
Folding in the egg whites will definitely give the cake more volume! I think you’ll like the texture as well.
Would you fold in the egg whites at the very end? Also, would cake flour be a better?
I can’t get shortening where I live in Europe – any suggestions for a replacement? I saw coconut oil (the solid stuff in a jar?) – could of course use other veggie oils – or just margarine? Would all butter be too overwhelming?
You could use all butter or use coconut oil instead.
I too live in Europe, and I use old-fashioned lard instead of shortening in all my recipes. It works perfectly and is delicious, especially in pie crust. Not sure what country you’re in, but here in Switzerland, it’s called “Sweinefett” and you can get it from the butcher (Metzgerei).
Great recipe! Perhaps a little sweet for my taste, but I know my husband and mom will love it! It also has a beautiful texture.
Hi Robyn,
I’m making this cake for a friend’s wedding. Can you tell me how you measure your flour? Is it spoon and level, sift and level? Or do you know how many oz or grams your 3 cups yields?
Hi Kim,
I go back and forth between spoon and level and scoop and level. ๐
Hi Robyn,
Do I need to adjust this for cupcakes at all?
Thanks!
Just curious, do you know about how many cups of batter a single recipe makes? If it’s as fantastic as the comments above state, and sturdy like you profess, I’d imagine it will become a popular wedding cake recipe! However, I make my batter according cups needed per pan – for regulation and conformity – and knowing how many recipes I’m going to have to prepare, it would be helpful in purchasing my shopping list!
Thank you!
I have a wedding on Sunday that I am making the wedding cake for. The groom is dairy and nut free and it was a challenge finding a recipe that I could use substitutes in and stiff have it taist great. I would like everyone to know that this is a great recipe! I substituted the butter for vegan margarine and the butter milk for rice milk. All of my test cakes came out great. I can’t wait for the real thing!
Will this make a 1/4 & 1/2 sheet cake without altering the amount of ingredients?
Hi what size eggs do you use for your recipe?
Hello again, Robyn. You are AWESOME:) I emailed you previously regarding the Caramel Cake which was out of this world “Super-D-Duper” delicious. I just finished baking the best white cake ever and wanted to tell you that you have got it going on. I absolutely love this cake. It is just on point scrumptious. You share wonderful family stories that lead into your recipes. I really enjoy reading them. The way that you take time to describe what to do really puts me at ease, and makes me feel like I know my way around the kitchen. Because of you, it makes me feel great to know that I can do this, and I love it. With my new found skills in the kitchen, I am looked up to by my family and friends because of you. I am southern and I love that your recipes are the true southern brand. Thank you, once again, for your generosity, and for sharing so many of your, your mother and your grandmother’s special gifts with everyone. Oh, and thanks for making me look good in the kitchen. Until the next time that I take on another of your family recipes, God bless you and your family. Take care:)
Thank you so very much, Andrea! I really appreciate your sweet comment and am so glad that you are having fun in the kitchen and enjoying my recipes. I hope you have a great week!
Love ya,
Robyn xo
Hi there,
What is your frosting recipe that you have in the photo with
this cake? I would like to try both.
Thanks, Erin ๐
in the narrative portion of this post, she says she used the Fluffy White Buttercream Frosting; it’s in green text, in a link right above the last photo ๐ Looks amazing….
Quite a lovely cake! I finally made it over the weekend for our daughter’s 21st birthday. Instead of 3 layers, I did two and 12 smallish cupcakes. I’m not a cake baker so if it turned out good for me it must be easy!! It started to get a little crumbly a couple of days after we first cut into it, but nothing else was compromised. I will definitely make it again!
Hi I have been searching for a decent white cake recipe for months, and yours looks amazing, but I dont think I will be able to make it as I live in Australia and have no idea how to convert this to suit me =(
I live in Australia and used the recipe as is, just using my Australian cup instead of a US one and it worked perfectly. I used Copha for shortening too incidentally.
Did it turn out perfectly? Will have to give it a go, thanks for your help! I’ve never made a white cake that has worked lol so this will be interesting ๐
Just made this cake along with two others in search for the best birthday cake recipe! We are in heaven here in SC and I will be baking this again this weekend. Loved it and am so thankful to have found this recipe! Thank you!
is it ok to use chocolate frosting or would that be silly?
About to make now for the first time ever. But I need measurement for I Lu two 8×2 pans. Can u please help?
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe! As an Aussie I have struggled to find a white cake recipe that doesn’t contain cake flour as we can’t get it here. This cake was so fabulous and is now most definitely my favourite staple cake. I folded in my egg whites separately and used only 3 yolks and it worked like a dream! Thank you so much for sharing! ๐
For those looking to convert US measurements to European measurements, you can try http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/cooking/ which takes into consideration the ingredient as well as the measurement. Then all you need to know is that a stick of butter is .25 pounds.
All I can say is Wow, Wow, Wow!!! This was my first time ever making a homemade cake and it turn out BEAUTIFUL if I must say so myself. My church family loved it. One of the best homemade cake ladies in my town gave it great reviews. Ask me how did I make such a good cake on the first try. I had to alternate a few things because I didn’t have everything so I did some substituting. I didn’t have buttermilk on hand so I used 2% and add some fresh squeezed lemon juice (2 tsp.). I used Swift cake flour instead of all purpose flour. This cake was better than any cake I’ve ever made from a box. It was White as promised with a smooth golden top (not a crust), but it had a lemon taste. I doubled everything and made a large sheet cake instead.
Next time, I will purchase the correct things you requested and see what the difference will be.
Post Soon
Ladiej
Forgot to give it 5 starts would have given it 10 if I could.
Thanks Robyn for such a great recipe!
Ladiej
I was wondering if it was for 1 inch tall or two inch tall pans? I plan on using Two 2in tall 8 inch pans, and wanted to make sure this would be enough.
Thanks!
Hi Robyn I have to say I’m
A huge fan of your recipes, I make the chocolate cake recipe once a week, I need a vanilla cake recipe that’s moist I saw this one but how much is a cup of butter as I’m
In the uk! Also do u have a vanilla cake recipe that uses oil could I substitute the coco powder for vanilla pudding or custard powder? Thanks in advance x
This looks gorgeous–
I have a question for those how subbed the vegetable shortening with either coconut oil or butter: did you use 1/2 cup of each in replacement of the 1/2 cup of shortening?
Also, for those who’ve made it with buttermilk: did the buttermilk make the cake sour at all? Could you detect the sour flavor?
If I don’t use buttermilk, what do you think of straight up milk, i.e., without lemon (one person said they added a bit of lemon to the milk)? I don’t really want the lemon-y flavor, and I’m wondering if you are using the buttermilk for its sour quality or for any other reason?
I’ll be making this for my daughter’s 6th birthday.
Thanks, Tina
Substitute buttermilk is traditionally milk and white vinegar. Use lemon only if you want the lemon flavor. Put 1 tablespoon vinegar in measuring cup, add milk (anything but skim) and let sit for 5 min. You can warm it in the microwave for 30 sec. to bring it to room temp.
Hello, want to confirm the cooking time. On the top of the recipe it says one hour and at the bottom it says 25 to 30 minutes, I’m baking it now and confused.
I started off with the 25 minutes and then checked it. I think it was done about the 30 minute mark.
Robyn, I made your recipe tonight. The flavor was good but my layers came out very dense, not fluffy like yours. What did I do wrong? Thanks!
Hi Robyn, I have tried some of your recipe – delish! :). How did you get your icing to be so white? Also my buttercream icing gets very grainy and dry, what am I doing wrong?
I can’t speak for her buttercream however from my experience make sure your are beating your butter for 4-5 minutes before adding anything. This will lighten the color of natural butter tremendously. As far as the grainy & dry I’ve found that off brand powdered sugars are grainy so I stick with Domino (or C&H if you have it). Sift & add the sugar slowly (on low speed) and then add milk, half n half, or heavy cream (a teaspoon at a time until you find the consistency you’re looking for) to the mixer and allow to mix for at least another 5 minutes on low to medium. The liquid should help with any dry texture. If you use heavy cream you’ll want to beat (or whip) at high speed for it to fluff the buttercream.
Hi Robyn, I’m planing to make this cake for a baby shower. Can I put fondant over it?
hi there, i made this and it was delicious, but my cupcakes ddnt rise and were on the small size. they pulled away from the edges of each muffin cup. Any ideas? i did get the amount of baking powder right at 1/2 tsp, correct?
I have nearly the same recipe of my own, but I use 1 teaspoon of baking powder and it rises nicely. However there are other things you can check other than the amount of baking powder.
~ If you are using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment rather than the whisk to avoid incorporating too much air.
~ Make sure the other ingredients are measured correctly too (I swear I lose count between 1 and 3 and have to start over again!).
~ Beat butter and sugar no more than 3 min. to avoid incorporating too much air.
~ Mix eggs until just incorporated on low speed. Don’t be tempted to over mix!
~ Make sure your oven temp. is exact. Even when the “ready beep” goes off it doesn’t mean that the oven has reached (or may have exceeded) the exact temp. so use an oven thermometer.
This recipe is very similar to my own that, like you, was inspired by a need for that elusive perfect white cake! I use all butter, two whole eggs/four egg whites and a full teaspoon of baking powder but that’s the only difference! The type of vanilla I use depends on the frosting. For the salted cocoa or deep chocolate I use Mexican vanilla and for white frosting a Tahitian vanilla. It also makes a great base for Red Velvet cake.
As a wedding cake this holds up SO nicely! I read a comment about how dense it is but that’s the beauty of a cake made from scratch…not an overly mushy bunch of fluff. My customers love the right amount of density and my kids are thoroughly spoiled at every occasion!
Thanks so much, Christina.
Christina, thank you for addressing my issue and thank you for the other tips i will be sure to follow. I love the flavor of this cake so i want to do it right!!
Hi Robyn, On your white cake it calls for 1/2 cup vegetable shortening is that oil or Crisco shorting I never know if it is oil or Crisco shortening Thank you
Hi Rhonda,
It is not the oil, but the actual shortening.
Thanks,
Robyn
Would this recipe fit in a 9x 13 pan?
This cake was love at first sight. I knew we’d be soulmates! I’ve searched and searched for vanilla cakes over the past two years, but they’ve always ended up too dry for what I was looking for. This cake is fantastic! I made cupcakes (27 with large ice cream scoop for 22 min) and they were exactly the texture I was looking for. Thick batter for scooping and an even rise was another plus. Next time I ‘might’ reduce the sugar a touch and use half n half as I don’t prefer the taste buttermilk tends to lend…but that’s personal preference. Amazing recipe! 5 Star!
So glad you loved this cake, Kay!
I was just wondering I need to make a sugar free cake / Diabetic Cake what do you suggest?
I am wanting to make this cake tomorrow and I was wondering if the measurements are meant for 3 9inch pans or 2 pans. let me know! I’m super excited ๐ THANK YOU!!
Hi, That is a beautiful looking cake. Sure plan on trying this out. When in school we had to make a wedding cake it looked so much like this one and it was awesome. The ingredients are so close to what I remembered but lost the recipe. I am so glad to replace it for this one. Thank You for posting it. When I saw the cake stand it is identical to the one I bought my mother for her 50th birthday over 40 years ago. It is still used for special occasions. She is since gone and I have it now and will pass it down in the family. Only thing I wished I was able to get a lid for it, but it did not come with one. Looking to see how this turns out and if it is like the one from days gone by. Thank you
Hi Ms. Robyn and everyone reading this. ๐
i just would like to ask help, i am going to bake this cake later and i hope someone will respond to my question. I’ve been searching everywhere like in market and in malls for buttermilk but the only buttermilk i found is powder. The recipe tells that it needs 1 cup of buttermilk but it didn’t say powder of liquid as like milk itself. I understood it as a liquid formed into simi-solid or thick because it says “room temperature” but i have powder. is it possible to put 1 cup of powder buttermilk to the recipe or should i dissolve the powder buttermilk then measure 1 cup out of the mixture? I dunno what should i consider (i am not a baker, just a person without experience of baking lesson just trying to bake). Thank you for your responses ๐
Jose Miguel, You can substitute 1 cup regular milk with a tsp. of white vinegar, let stand for 5 minutes and then use in the recipe. Or you can make up your powdered buttermilk according to your package directions to reconstitute to 1 cup of fluid. DO NOT use 1 cup of buttermilk powder! The powder is for convenience (if you don’t have refrigeration or space in the refrigerator for a container of liquid buttermilk) and long shelf life. It is dehydrated and concentrated and needs to be reconstituted (rehydrated/diluted) with water to work in recipes (unless being used in a dry powder recipe like making salad dressing mix). Hope your baking experience is fun and that your cake comes out well!
Thank you for your response Ms. Rachael ๐ i googled on how to make 1 cup of buttermilk liquid from powder and my researched led me to 1/4 powder buttermilk dissolved in 1 cup of water then voila, instant 1 cup of buttermilk :). I finished the baking an hour ago and i frosted it with butter frosting and when i tasted it WOW!!! as in WOW!!! i am excited to present my cake tomorrow to my classmates. The cake is SO SO SO delicious and its like melting in your mouth! all i was able to express when tasting it was “Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm” i can’t believe i made it ^^. thank you so much Ms. Robyn for sharing this recipe ๐ next day i will bake some for my mom and my sister ๐
Thank you Ms. Rachel for educating me about the buttermilk ๐ i hope you’re here to taste my cake..
Hi!
I was wondering if this recipe is enough for ONE 9×13 pan?? Or should I double it??
Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you!
I need To Make A 9X13 cake. Do I Need To Adjust Recipe Amounts?
I would like to bake this cake fir a close friends birthday, but she has ruled out sugar completely from her diet. Would it be possible to substitute the sugar in the recipe for something else and still have a great tasting cake?
Hi Robyn,
I am ready to try this. Just wondering can I also use this for a rainbow cake? Dividing the batter and adding food coloring?
Please advise.
Thanks in advance.
Jacqui
Planning on making this recipe tomorrow. Does it dye well? And can u confirm 1/2 baking powder? Some people have said theirs didn’t rise well. Is that because they over beat the batter and incorporated too much air an made their cake dense? Thanks
Hi
I just attempted to make the white cake and when i took it out of the oven it had deep cracks on the top! Also I greased the baking tin and the edges of the cake look raw however they cant be as the middle is cooked. What do you think went wrong?
Thanks
Megan
I made this cake and i didn’t really like it…sorry… I may have done something wrong top was crusty and it had a strange texture and flavor
Yummy cake!!!!
Hi Robyn! This is the first time I’ve been to your site, and I just have to tell you…we loved this cake!! We used it for my mother-in-law’s birthday and cooked up some lemon pudding to go between the layers with cool whip on the top. I can imagine it good in so many different ways…it’s going to be my new go-to white cake recipe! I’m pinning it in my (CarlaINHouston) Recipes to try and love board. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes–I’m a new fan!
Hi Robyn,
this cake looks amazing! I have a quick question:
what do you recommend as a substitute for vegetable shortening in this recipe? would coconut oil be good?
thank you!!
Some have replaced with equal amount coconut oil or butter with good results. I’ve not substituted so I can’t give you a recommendation of one over the other. Do let me know how you try it though. I’m sure other readers would like to know, too!
Thanks! xo
I used coconut oil and it turned out great. I was concerned that it would be too overpowering. When trying the batter, I did detect the coconut; but for some reason, it was barely noticeable for me once the cake was baked.
This cake was delicious, I used coconut oil and replaced the buttermilk with coconut milk.(as per request of coconut flavor from my love)What a lovely recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve tried a lot of white cake recipes; this one is the best. Made it yesterday for Hallowe’en cupcakes. The colour is as indicated in the photography. Nice sugary crust. Thank you for doing the experimenting and letting us benefit!
My, my, my! I made this cake and the texture was great and moist. Yummy! The top was a little “crusty” however I just cut it off. I think cutting some of the sugar out will prevent the “crustiness”. Now, I’m making cupcakes. Yay!
Really great! Great job vetting. Thank you.
Five stars. Really good flavour. Moist. I added chopped Reese cups, as that is a requirement in any birthday cake I make for my daughter and made a Nutella buttercream frosting for it. She absolutely loves it and says it’s the best cake ever.
Cake tastes great loved it. I could smell 5mins. after I out it in. I’m am your #1 fan.
I have been searching for a white cake recipe with flavor as well as staying moist…Then I found yours! Thank you so much, this is the BEST ever. My 10yr old daughter has food allergies, so I make everything myself. Who would have thought finding a white cake recipe would have been so difficult…But then I found yours. Today is my daughter’s birthday and when I was asked what I was going to make, simple, The Best White Cake Ever! Thanks so much for posting it
My cakes didn’t rise. I’m new to this whole baking thing so I’m sure I probably did something wrong, just not sure what?
Mine didn’t rise as well either, though I did replace a few of the ingredients. I think that it might be due to the baking soda. Though if you add too much it would make the cake bitter, maybe increase the amount if you make it again?
Mine didn’t rise either. And it was very dense- tasted like a sugar cookie. It also took way longer to bake than the instructions stated. I did use gluten free flour, so not sure if that had something to do with it, although I’ve made plenty of recipes with it and never had a problem.
check the expiration date on the baking powder
Hey!
With great love and precision I used your recipe to bake a vanilla cake for hubby’s birthday yesterday. It turned out to be not only too sweet but the cake didn’t rise either. I really don’t understand what went wrong but was highly disappointed with the result and had to throw it all ๐
Made this today for husbands b-day! This is an amazing recipe. The cake is moist and dense. The perfect white cake!! I found that greasing the pans works much better than the spray with this recipe. Everyone enjoyed the cake and they are looking forward to dessert tomorrow! ๐
Hi,
In my quest to make a moist cake I happened upon this lovely cake and your website:) I am eager to try this recipe as it looks amazing. I have baked my whole life but most recently been baking for friends weddings…mainly cupcakes. I dont seem to have a problem turning out a nicely risen, moist chocolate cake but I seem to have trouble achieving a moist white cake. Ive purchased the cake bible, and more recently the science of baking…Im trying so hard and wasting so many good ingredients in my efforts to master this!! I noticed in your recipe you have butter and shortening? It looks as though that may be the key? The only thing I haven’t tried is calibrating my oven, that’s next though. If you have any thoughts/tips Id love to know:) Ill be trying this cake as soon as im off my diet!!
I LOVE this cake. Made a test subject one for my daughter’s birthday in December.. all of my guinea pigs loved it. Also experienced the brown edges and crusty top….but once frosted, both qualities were not only irrelevant…they added to the deliciousness. My question is ….can THIS recipe be made CHOCOLATE????? I greatly admire the study quality of this cake…it barely “crumbed” when I frosted it …it was just so simple to handle….I’d like to make the exact recipe but chocolate if possible!!!??? Thanks ๐
Hi Robyn,
I have tried your Moist Chocolate Cake. It was awesome.
I am thinking of baking this cake but adding colouring for the layers as a Rainbow Cake?
Would this recipe be possible? Or do you have a suitable one?
Thanks for sharing.
I made a rainbow cake with this recipe and it came out fine except it didn’t rise and had a crusty layer on top. I used food gel to dye the batter. Also had to bake it longer than instructed.
Thank you appelbites, Do you have a good white cake recipe for the rainbow cake then?
I make your recipe for my 10 year olds birthday. It was amazing! My husband said that this was the best cake that he had ever eaten. I will make this again and I’ve given the recipe to friends. Thank you for sharing!!
Do you know what adaption I would have to use to make a million mini cupcakes? Thanks.
Hi, I have found a new hobby in baking, I have a question may be it is a stupid one how ever here it is… I have 2 nine inch baking pans and was wondering if I use the same ingredient quantities would it be to much? my idea was to bake 2 instead of 3 and cut the each bake in to 2 along the circumference to get four layers. the second part of my question is will this cake crumble while cutting through it? please help with any advice ASAP, Thanking all in advance
This recipe yields too much for just 2 pans. The cakes are so sturdy you that I highly doubt they will crumb, I didn’t even need to trim the tops before stacking and frosting…I loved the texture.
Thank you Krista, you were right about it being this cake is very firm in deed. I did replace the shortening for sun flower oil and got it nice and moist… it was very impressive and was gone in a jiffy will try it as cupcakes this Christmas. May this Christmas Season be one that will keep this site Favoured, flavored and Blessed
I made this recipe last night with a few modifications and it’s the best cake I’ve ever made!!
I used 1/2 cup of canola oil instead of the vegetable shortening. I think it made it extra moist. Also I substituted 1 cup of flour for 2/3 c of flour PLUS 1/3 cup of cornstarch.
I also got the crusty top as one other person wrote, but it was fine with my family.
Thanks!
I am a baker in Texas. I have recently opened a little bake shop and received my first order for a wedding cake. I make your best chocolate cake all the time and my customers love it so decided to give your white cake a try. I made a practice cake and my family loved it, so I used it for the wedding cake and got excellent comments. The bride loved it and she is who really counts. So, thank you for this excellent recipe. Got any more?
I made this yesterday for my daughter’s birthday party (age 9) and we all loved it! The layers were so pretty and it was deliciously moist! Yea!!!!!!! I made 2-9 inch layers and 6 cupcakes. We had a girl coming to her party who was allergic to food coloring, so I made those cupcakes with just plain white icing and it all worked out!
I have never been to this website before but found this recipe through google. I cannot even describe how good this cake was. I made cupcakes with this recipe and they were absolutely perfect. I had read the comments so I was already expecting the “sugar crust,” but once the frosting went on, it softened that up. My husband actually asked my to save him a few un-iced ones because he loved the texture of the crunchy top. Anyway, they were perfectly moist and the flavor was incredible. I will never, ever use another white cake recipe for anything. Thank you.
THIS IS THE BEST WHITE CAKE RECIPE I HAVE EVER MADE OR TASTED.Its so moist and tastes amazing..The buttermilk makes the cake.. It just tastes so good!! I’ve never had a cake turn out this moist. It’s probably the best cake I’ve ever made!! I recommend making this to anybody that sees this recipes..Don’t think twice about skipping over this recipe to look at another one! You will not find another as good as this!! I’ve searched EVERYWHERE & made so many different cakes! My search has ended!!.. This is a great cake!! Just make it & you’ll see for yourself!!! I promise no one will be disappointed as long as you follow the directions to a “t” & don’t overmix!!!
My sister asked me to bake my niece’s birthday cake for her 20th birthday and this recipe looks perfect. My niece is not a chocolate lover. I will be using Wilton’s butter cream frosting recipe since my niece prefers vanilla. I will also be writing on the cake and decorating it with roses and leaves. This recipe sounds like it it will go perfectly with the white butter cream frosting.
I subbed the shortening with coconut oil and used cake flour because I had it and really, what else am I going to use cake flour for? I used it for cupcakes, and they turned out amazing. They are very sweet, and the top doesn’t look like cupcakes I’ve made with mixes, it was kinda pocked and looked wet but wasn’t. I did have a hard time getting them out of their tin without them separating from their wrappers, which was a bummer. But the recipe is fairly simple, and for me it came out wonderful.
I made this cake for Thanksgiving and topped it off with homemade caramel icing. It was gone within an hour. No one wanted the other desserts, just this one. I cut back on the sugar, only use 2-1/2 cups. Turned out great. I will be using this recipe from now on.
I’m so glad everyone loved it, Sandra!
Great recipe – but I have my doubts about 1/2 tsp of baking powder working very well. I made this cake this morning and actually used 3/4 Tbsp baking powder. It rose nicely. As well I cut back on the sugar and only used two cups. The batter seemed sweet enough with that.
Just made it tonight in a bundt pan, turn out very nice and delicious too. thank you for the recipe.
Hi Robyn! I can’t wait to make this cake! Such lovely & beautiful photos! I have a question-I’m wanting to make cupcakes for Christmas with a boiled frosting with coconut, aka snowballs, would this recipe work well as cupcakes? Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes!
Hi Aimee,
I love this recipe for cakes and cupcakes. This does make a sturdy cake that is great for decorating, and does create a “crust” when baked.
Best white cake recipe I’ve ever tried. I divided into 6 small pans and colored the batter to make a layered rainbow cake. I wrapped each cooled layer (after leveling off the tops) and refrigerated them for several days before assembling. The cake was so dense and moist, and the flavor incredible. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Hi J. Atkins
I am so glad to read your comments. Was thinking of using this recipe for a rainbow cake.
What size pan did you use and how long did you bake it for?
Thank you so much. Christmas Greetings from Singapore.
Jacqui
Three 9″ cake pans?? I only have two. Is there another type of pan I can bake this in?? I am making it right now.
If you don’t have three 9″ cake pans, you can always divide evenly between two 9″ cake pans and a muffin tin for cupcakes.
I made my Mom’s birthday cake using two 10” and two 6” pans and it turned out great. I hope this helps. Maryse
Hi,
I made this cake and really liked it. I am making my Aunt’s wedding cake and I am going to try adding 1/2 a cup of apple sauce just to make it a bit moister. I also have heard that if you may be able to keep the moisture in by putting a pan on top of the pans. I am going to try this with my brother’s birthday cake.
Maryse
I made this cake for a work party. I made 2 10 inch layers and had enough left for 8 cupcakes. I haven’t tried the cake yet (the party is tomorrow) but the cupcakes are amazing!!! I loooooooove the sugary crust on top and this cake is perfect for layers. It doesn’t rise a bunch but that made it so easy to stack, I didn’t even have to level the layers. Delicious, sugary, and buttery! Thank you so much for this recipe!!
People who are commenting that their cake didn’t rise may be half right… It won’t rise a ton, but it does rise enough to have a nice, firm texture.
I know it’s annoying to leave reviews on recipes when you don’t follow the recipe exactly– but my straying from the recipe was unintentional, and my thoughts might be helpful for others.
This cake was well-praised by my family. It was quite beloved! I promised I would leave positive reviews. I needed one and a half times the amount, so I increased the measurements of everything accordingly. However, I did not have enough eggs unexpectedly, so I used what I had (6). I also did not have buttermilk, but had half a can of evaporated milk left over from an earlier bakng project that morning. mixed half evap milk and half regular milk with a tablespoon of vinegar to “sour” it. I also added 2 teaspoons coconut extract as well as vanilla. I was also worried about it drying out, so before icing it, I brushed all sides with a watered-down light corn syrup concoction and a splash of vanilla.
The cake DID end up super dense and heavy, probably due in part to the heavy beating required in the recipe, but also because I didn’t have enough eggs. I should have increased the baking powder by a half tsp or something. Also, I agree with other critics who noted the “shell” on the cake and the sugar cookie taste, but I kind of liked this. Besides, brushing with the syrup (a tip I got from smittenkitchen.com) softened the shell. I would make this again without doubling the recipe. I might also use self-rising flour instead of all purpose. Overall, great cake.
I made this cake for Christmas, and it was delicious. I followed the recipe exactly as written (the only thing I think I did differently was perhaps over mix the batter, I was using my new kitchen aid and I think I let it go too long at times while I checked and double checked each step, lol. Anyway, I used 2 9″ pans and had enough batter to make 8 cupcakes. I had no issues with it rising, and my cake tops did. It get crusty or dark as others have mentioned. I did however have a problem with one of the. Ales sticking to the pan and it broke in half, but I just used the broken one as the top layer, and my buttercream frosting acted like a glue to hold it all together! I will make this cake again, it was very sweet and yummy, way more dense than cake mixes I have used in past.
Forgot to add my stars….
Next time I will read how many cakes the recipe is going to make, because my kitchen is now overflowing with what must be the best cupcakes I’ve ever made! The tops of mine went a bit crusty like a few other people mentioned, but that just added to the taste! Thank you so much for this recipe! It will be perfect for the cake I have in mind!
Simply Amazing!! Too sugary for my taste buds. I used it for a six layer rainbow cake. Everyone flipped over it, next time i’d rather decrese the sugar atleast one cupe. My question is what would me the best way to incoperate chocolate as i wanna try the chess cake?
Hi!
I’ve been reading the reviews and I am considering this recipe to make a rainbow cake as well… I would like to know what size your cake was at the end with six layers and if the measurements given on the recipe were enough or you had to modify it. Also if the cake was a bit crusty as everyone is saying and if this wasn’t a problem for you.
Thanks!
please help give me a fruit cake recipe
Hi Robyn,
As I was searching for a great moist yellow/white cake, I stumbled across your delicious looking cake!! Photos made me run to my kitchen…lol
Well, I had to make a few minor adjustments, not having enough AP flour, and others by NOT paying attention :/ However, the final product turned out amazing!!!!
minor adjustments:
2 1/2 C of AP flour
1/2 C of self rising flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
Surprisingly this cake (and cupcakes)still came out extremely moist!
I made this cake this morning, did not want 3 layers only a single layer so I baked it in a 15 X 10 oblong “glass” pan. It took forever (probably about 45 minutes to finally cook, at 30 minutes it was still soup. By the time the toothpick came out clean that cake was very brown on top and sunken in the middle, very brown on the side, and bottom. I have not tasted it yet but let me tell you it does not look pretty. What can I do next time so it will cook in the alloted time. I see the instructions for cupcakes but nothing for a single layer. I really want to find a great recipe for homemade cake and stay away from boxes. Please advise.
It is hard to rate this recipe as I have not tasted it yet. But if I had to rate it on appearance only I would have to give it a 1 and that is no fault of this site. Probably bakers error. I am new to homemade cake making:)
OKAY, I just could not stand it any longer so I cut into my cake. It is brown almost all the way through BUT it is still VERY moist and VERY tastey. Now I need to know how to get mine to look like the one on this page. See my last post. Now I will give the cake 5 stars!!!
Great!!!!!!!!! Just made it n substituted flour with cake flour …… followed directions exactly as they were written. Cake is superb!
Hi Tara-
Did you use the same amount of cake four as stated in the recipe, or adjust the amount based on what the cake flour box says (e.g., i think mine says something like 1 1/2 cups or cake four for every 1 cup of AP flour) ?
Decided to try this for my daughter’s first birthday, and am getting nervous! Thanks!
I only have two 9 inch pans, but they are good quality and 2 inches deep. Will they overflow if I use this recipe as indicated if I only use the two pans. If they were to, how much of the batter should I withhold from the cake pans? I don’t mind if they rise the full two inches.
Thanks.
Can this cake be baked in a 13×9 glass baking dish?
This was great. I used coconut oil instead of shortening (I won’t ever use that stuff). It turned into this awesome coconut cake. I added a lemon curd filling which goes so well with the coconut and a vanilla buttercream frosting. Yummmmmm!
This cake looks amazing, going to make it today! Did you use salted or unsalted butter?
I found this recipe by searching for a white cake recipe and made it this weekend for my daughter’s birthday. It was absolutely perfect. The cake was so tender and perfect for frosting.
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. My daughter has requested it as her birthday cake forever and ever!
Great cake! I was looking for a white cake that was not too sweet for my Chinese friends. They were thrilled, and so was my family! I was a little surprised that it was so dense and didn’t rise to a more fluffy consistency, but it’s delicious just the same, and looks like the picture, so I believe mine turned out right.
On step 3, the recipe doesn’t say whether I should use an electric beater or mixing spoon when adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk. Can someone tell me what is best?
How long should this be baked… 25-30 minutes or an hour? I saw this question earlier, but not a response. I was shocked that Prep time is 15 minutes. Maybe I over-beat mine, but it took me a lot longer to incorporate the butter, shortening and eggs than 15 minutes! By the way, I used coconut oil which is solid at room temperature and it is perfect.
Is there a quick way to get the buttermilk and eggs at room temperature? My house is kind of cold in the winter, so I was tempted to heat the buttermilk and eggs to get them warmed up. Is that okay?
I been baking for 10 years all homade cakes cookies you name it ..so my niece found this recipe and said for me to make it she is a simple kinda of gal so I did and all I have to say is that it was perfect and so yummy and moist Im going to keep hold on this recipe it was a winner thank you from fresno Cali ๐
I made this recipe at high altitude (8000+ ft) and with a few adjustments it came out perfectly! If anyone would like to know the adjustments I made, I added an additional 3 tablespoons of flour and 3 tablespoons of buttermilk, and I decreased the baking powder from 1/4 teaspoon to 1/8 teaspoon. I didn’t make a cake, I made cupcakes (both mini and regular) and all of them came out great. I increased the temperature to 375 (because of the elevation) and cooked the mini cupcakes for 7 minutes and the regular cupcakes for 14. Thank you!!!
I love your blog, you are doing a great job! I’m dieting now but this cake will be the first thing to do when my diet is done, so I can put the weight back ๐ I “stumbled” and “pinned” it.
I’m planning on using this recipe (cut to 2/3 for two layers) to replace the box white cake mix in this strawberry cake recipe:
http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/view2/simply_delicious_strawberry_cake (using 10 oz package of strawberries, not 15 oz )
can you suggest what kind of liquid reductions or other alterations I would have to make due to the addition of 10 oz of strawberry puree? Thanks!!!
and, well, what step should I incorporate the puree at ? ๐ Thank you so much, I hate using box mixes and this recipe sounds great!!
Just made this cake today for my husbands 50th birthday. Everyone thought it was really good. I don’t usually make cakes from scratch, but this was so easy and it’s the best cake I’ve ever made! Thanks!
Where did you buy your cake stand? Very pretty!
is there any substitute for the vegetable shortening?
I’d use an equal amount of coconut oil as a substitute. You may get a hint of coconut flavor, but it should be delicious.
If I decided to use only one 8 inch baking pan, do I need to change the baking temperature and time? Will it still work?
Also, Wholefoods has a transfat free shortening if that’s your concern. ๐
Hi I was wondering what your icing recipe is???
There is a link for the icing recipe in between the pictures.
Robyn?
Don’t have butter so all shortening should be fine… Rite? And I am gonna ombre the layers for my pastors wife’s SURPRISE birthday meeting! Soooo excited!
Help! Idk what I did wrong. I doubled the recipe and made in 2 twelve inch pans. It was super delicious and moist but it was so dense! I baked till it was turning golden brown but to avoid burning it (I burned the first 2) I removed from oven. But when I finally cut the top off the center looked a little undercooked-had a different color kinda like uncooked but not mushy…otherwise it was delish!
Was thinking of doing the same. Do you remember how long you cooked them for? Thanks.
If using a pan bigger than 10″ try lowering the baking temp to 325 and baking for about 30-45 min depending on your oven. Take a peak every now and again to make sure it looks good. You may also gently lay a piece of foil over the baking cake to prevent over browning, but making sure the cake gets cooked thoroughly.
Hi CC – I had the same trouble! I burned the first batch and the 2nd came out VERY dense.
This is a great cake. Very heavy and dense, but VERY moist. It doesn’t crumble and isn’t overly sweet. I would definately make it again. I did increase the baking powder to 1 tsp instead of 1/2 tsp. I felt 1/2 tsp was too little for the large batch of batter.
Would the extra baking power make it rise more? I found when I baked them they weren’t very thick.
I’m a 22 year old mom and wife, so I’m still a beginner at baking. However, my husbands grandmother is turning 75 years old this weekend! She cooks homemade everything for all of our family holiday get togethers and birthdays. She is an expert cook! So I am very nervous,but I am going to try and make her this cake for her birthday ๐ She is precious to me and I think homemade just means a little more on such a special occasion! Fingers crossed! I’ll tell you how it goes ๐ So far the cake is cooking and the house smells wonderful!
Just made this cake for my boss for his birthday and it was gone within an hour! This cake was absolutely fantastic!!! I made my own raspberry jam, so I cut the cakes in half and did a raspberry layer cake with butter cream cheese frosting w/ a hint of orange (couldn’t make up my mind if I wanted butter cream or cream cheese frosting, so I incorporated both! It tastes awesome!) For the cake, instead of almond extract (since I didn’t have any) I just did vanilla with a half of a tsp of lemon extract to make a mild (citrus) raspberry cake. I had plenty of disasters with other white cake recipes this past weekend – this one is a keeper and I highly recommend it! Thank you Robyn!
can i use this recipe for cupcakes????
Can you recommend or post a good icing recipe for this?!
One would think that 36 years of living in France and eating some of the best pastries in the world have “spoiled” my tastebuds. this is really, really the best white cake I have ever tasted! I can’t wait to try the chocolat. Merci beaucoup!
This recipe is fantastic. I have been searching for recipes for white cupcakes for my son’s birthday party next month. I found a winner on the first try! After 3 days the cupcakes are still moist and melt-in-your mouth delicious.
Hi I was wondering if u used regular butter or unsalted butter? Thanks!
Good question, I’d like to know whether to use salted or unsealed butter as well. I’m planning to make this cake for my son’s 16th birthday.
Thank you Robyn!
hello, I made this cake for my husband remy, he really enjoyed the cake and he insists I make more. have to keep him off cake for a while because he finished all of it hahaha… my 6 children didn’t get any poor kids. but he loved the cake, thank you for sharing ๐
Going to try this recipe ASAP…yum!
With the buttercream frosting, what’s the best way to store after frosting? I’m baking the day before the party. Just covered at room temp or should I put in refrigerator?
You can keep it fine at room temperature, there is no need to refrigerate.
Oh, thank you!!! Wish I had a slice right now!
3 cups of sugar?… I made this recipe and the cake stuck to both pans, had a crunchy top and taste too sugary. Am I missing something. I planned to top it with a strawberry frosting, but I can’t imagine adding more sugar to it. HELP!
Hi Jenn. I had the same problem with this cake. I would also like to know what I did wrong. I like baking from scratch.!1
You can always like your baking pan with parchment paper (NOT wax paper!!). It will not stick if you use parchment paper.
I am making this at this very moment. I am NOT a batter eater, but I licked the spoon and OMG, heaven never tasted so good. It’s for my daughter’s 18th b-day and I can’t wait to serve it!
Good evening. I am looking for a good cake recipe for my son’s upcoming birthday. I need a cake that is moist and delicious but will hold up if more than one tier and using fondant. Can you please tell me if this cake is sturdy enough for that? Thanks so much!
Can I make this in 8 inch pans rather than the 9 inch or will it be too thick?
The baking time may take just a little bit longer, but it should be delicious!
If you are looking for a white cake recipe that will replace a box cake mix, this is it! I refuse to use box cake mixes, and I am always looking for something that has that boxed cake mix texture – THIS IS THE RECIPE! We loved it! It does not have a thick grain like a lot of from scratch recipes! I will definitely be keeping this recipe for use in the future! Thanks for sharing!
PS: I used the coconut oil instead of shortening, and you could not even tell! great substitution suggestion.
So glad you love the cake as much as my family does!! Glad the coconut oil worked for you as well.
Would the Bananas Foster Frosting Recipe that you posted be good for this cake?
Oh yes! I think this cake can take just about any frosting and it will work. But that bananas foster frosting? Absolutely!
Does the bananas foster frosting need to be refrigerated after being made?
I am making this cake for my sons 2nd bday and I was going to use a 12×18 Wilton pan cause we are having a lot of people! Do you think I need to double the recipe? Or 2.5? It’s basically 2 pans that are 9×13. Looking forward to trying it!
I made this yesterday, but it didn’t turn out right at all. The cake was still raw in the middle, but already dark on the edges and it didn’t rise. I followed the recipe exactly and I don’t know what I did wrong. The raw and baked batter taste very good though..
Hi Kris,
It sounds like you should adjust the baking time for your area and bake the cake until a cake tester, skewer or toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake.
Hi Robyn, thanks for your answer. I did just that. I know that my oven is hotter than the chosen temperature, so that’s why I turned down the heat a little and baked about 10 minutes longer and also tested with a skewer. I’ll just try again soon.
Loved this cake! Put in a bundt pan to make a Christmas Wreath cake and used chocolate and white chocolate melts to frost it. I had many compliments. This will be my go to white cake recipe from now on.
Love this cake! I made it for my grandsons birthday party & it was a hit!
1st white cake recipe from scratch that was actually moist.
Robyn thank you for sharing this recipe. I can`t wait to bake it. Thank you again
dear robyn,
could you pls share the recipe also in european metric system (grams & millilitres)? i tried you recipe with conversion rates found on google, but the cake turned out way to liquid..but batter tasted excellent so i would really like to bake this cake. thanks.
Hello,
I just tried your cake,but the batter came out very thick,I mean couldn’t even pour it.And the cake was sticky,what could have gone wrong or is the cake like that?my one pan was aluminium,so it didn’t came out well,feels like something is wrong.could you please help me?thanks in advance.
Forgot to ask you one thing,the cook time in the beginning says 1 hr but in the recipe it’s said 25-30 minutes.which is right?
I would like to try this recipe in the morning. My only question is how this cake is still considered a white cake while it has whole eggs and butter in it. Is it white enough that it will pass as a wedding white cake? I guess I should make it and find out huh… Thanks
has anyone ever added almond extract? i love white cake with a hint of almond in it.
My daughter wanted “blue cake” for her 3rd birthday today. I refused to make the actual cake blue, but tinted the buttercream. As promised, this cake held up great. It transferred and frosted well. And, the best part? All 15 of the kids in her class ate it up. For those concerned about how dense the recipe is, I have learned that dense cakes are the best for decorating. They come from using butter or shortening. If you want fluffy, then you should look for oil based cakes. I prefer lighter cakes, but dense cake is the type that my husbands grandmother used in wedding cakes for 50 years, and all of her recipes use LOTS o’ butter ๐
Help!! I am making a huge cake for a baby shower. I already made another cake using two 12×17 pans. The cakes did not rise and they are dense. I think I did not use enough batter to fill the pans.
It is 2/7/14 and the shower is 2/8/14 (tomorrow) ๐ I am going to remake the cakes today.
Will this recipe yield enough batter for one (1) 12×17 pan? I do not like doubling cake batter recipes and would rather make two separate batches.
Thank you Add a Pinch!
Kate – desperate baker in Texas!
Salted or unsalted butter?
I generally have salted butter on hand and use it for just about everything. You can use whichever you prefer.
Because my grandson has a peanut allergy, I offered to make the cake for his 2nd birthday. I’ve tried a few other recipes but this one tops them all.
This was the most delicious cake I’ve ever made!! I modified the recipe as directed to replace the shortening with coconut oil and…….wow!!!!!!
Everyone raved and enjoyed large slices of this cake. Even the most finicky and slightly anorexic of the group!!
This will be my go to for white/yellow cake.
Hey!! Can you please let me know where you bought your cake stand? I love it and want to buy it for by daughter’s graduation party.
Thanks much!
Hi Ana,
The cake stand was my grandmother’s. You may be able to find one at an antique store or the like. It’s one of my favorites!
I love this recipe! I needed a really good white cake recipe to make gluten free and i found it! This cake is amazing it has a great taste and texture and i plan to make it any time i need a white cake, GF or not.
What kind of gluten free flour did you use to replace the all-purpose with?
I tried out your white cake and vanilla frosting recipes this afternoon. Thank you so much for sharing them. The cake turned out really well. I halved all the ingredients because a cake for 12 was just too big for my needs. Still came out well.
Is the butter cream a must? If not what can I use in place of that?
Very excited to try this recipe. I am planning on making a 12′ square cake
Will I need to double the recipe and adjust baking temp/time?
Hi there, this recipe says 2 cups of butter or 2 sticks. I am from NZ and we don’t have sticks of butter so 1 cup is 250ml so is it fair to say 2 cups is 500g of butter for this recipe? Hope that makes perfect sense. Melissa
Is 1 cup (which I know to be 250ml) equivalent to 250g? Thank you.
I was glad to see that I was not the only one whose cake was super dense. I think I like this for the purpose I am using it for but the first one did not come out of the pan as others had. The second one came out a bit better but was still pretty sticky. Good cake but is very dense compared to most cakes.
5 STARS! WOW is all I can say! I have tried many recipes and all came out kinda hard, but this recipe is much different! I used coconut oil in place of the shortening, and they turned out amazing! So moist and they taste like sugar cookies! I paired it up with some Pillsbury Pink Lemonade frosting and some tiny heart sprinkles for my kids’ school valentine parties tomorrow, and I’m sure they’ll be a hit!
The cake tastes delicious, but it was my first time baking a cake from scratch so I had a hard time. I was trying to make a layer cake and one of the halves came out good, the other half just crumbled to pieces. This also took about an hour and 15 minutes to finish baking. I didn’t have buttermilk so I used a sour cream/water substitute. I don’t know if that had something to do with it. The cake tastes very good though!
For a substitute for buttermilk use one tablespoon of lemon or white vinegar, and then add milk to make one cup. Let it set for at least 5 minutes, without stirring. It will thicken a little, After the 5 minutes, stir and use. Wayyyyyy better than a sour cream/water substitute. The sour cream was the most probable cause of the time it took and the one half crumbling.
* I meant lemon juice or white vinegar! Oops!
I would like to try this recipe but I do not have buttermilk. Would regular milk work?
You could also put 1 tablespoon of vinegar into a cup measure then fill the rest with regular milk if you don’t have buttermilk….it works in a pinch.
Can I say amazing?! I found this by accident (typed wrong thing in on pinterest) and thought I would give it a shot for my daughter’s 2nd birthday party at the end of the month (it’s a chicken theme!). I couldn’t wait any longer and had to make it yesterday for Valentines Day for my family and friends!
I’ve never tasted a more perfect cake in all my life! I put a thin smear of raspberry preserves between the layers and it came out simply divine. It’s easy to follow recipe and pleased everyone! It’s definitely going to be fabulous for her birthday too!
p.s. I never leave reviews and HAD to come back to give it 5 stars!!
Hello! This truly is the best white cake EVER! I consistenly hesitate to make vanilla or white cake recipes due to the poor batter flavor and resulting cake that tastes – well, not yummy like a bakery cake. I have substituted your recommended vegetable shortening with coconut oil and OH MY! Exceptionally delicious. This cake does not in my opinion need icing as the cake is plenty sweet.
I really think the hit is assuring the complete blending of the sugar into the butter and shortening. Thank you!
I am an experienced baker and I was surprised by how this cake did not rise. I used 5 large eggs,assuming that would help because there didn’t seem to be too much leavening in the recipe (1/2 tsp baking powder). I also thought that when you use buttermilk, you often pair it with baking soda, too. Has anyone else had trouble with the rising of the cake? Barely rose at all and each layer is about an inch high (3 layers)
Hi – I had the same problem – the cakes didn’t rise. Very disappointed, as the cake is for my sister’s birthday tomorrow, and don’t have time to make another cake. Well, hope it tastes good, even if it is a short stack.
I followed the recipe exactly. Mine raised just fine. They look beautiful. The batter was delicious. They are in cooling now. Hope they release from the pans and frost up well. I am planning to use a bit of jam between layers as a previous responder suggested. I am frosting with whipped cream and strawberries.
My son asks for white cake with strawberries every year. I will rate and post after the cake is done.
Robyn, my cakes didn’t rise either. The flavor and texture is very nice, but I would really like the cakes to rise. I have searched out reasons why cakes don’t rise, but none of the reasons seem to fit. I was concerned when the directions called for a lot of mixing after the flour addition, but followed it to the letter. Help please!!
Looks great and can’t wait to try it. I would love to be able to read some of the older comments, however whenever I click on the link it just refreshes the page
I’m awaiting to make this as well. My reception is April 5th and decided i’d make my own cake….uh….bad idea?? Maybe!! But this recipe sounds legit and yummy! Can’t wait to try it out, also, I’m not a huge sugar fan when it comes to deserts so I was considering on trying the whipped cream and powdered sugar trick as the icing, and as a bonus make a little decor with fondant (worked at Michael’s arts and they gave me a free cake decorating course ;D)
This was wonderful! I followed the directions exactly, this will be my future stand by cake from now on. Thank you!
Amazing cake! Waaaaaay better than any box cake mix I’ve ever had. Somewhere between a traditional white cake and a pound cake. My only complaint is you have to oil and flower the pan really really well because this cake really tends to stick. I have a tendency to overmix things I bake and this was my first homemade cake so I was nervous but this turned out amazing!!
I love this cake because It is sweet and I’ve bin selling it
Thank you
Try using parchment next time. Grease and flour the pans, parchment paper over. I made the cakes and after years of searching for the perfect white cake, finally found it.
Finally, after years of searching, a perfect white cake. Moist and not crumby, like a cake should be. I was out of vegetable shortening, so substituted coconut oil which lent the most subtle coconut undertones. This cake would also be good with lemon zest in the batter or as part of the icing.
Annie! I’m grossed about by shortening & LOVE the idea of subbing for coconut oil. Did you use 1/2 cup in it’s solid form? Any guidance would be great. I DON’T bake but am on test recipe #3 for my kiddo’s party this upcoming weekend. :/ Thank you in advance.
I try the recipe but instead of a cake I made cupcakes. The texture of the cake itself was amazing. The key is to follow all steps as indicated and also the icing you put into the cake will be key for the final tasting of the whole cake. Im in NYC where everybody loves cupcakes, I have personally tried many cupcakes in the city but Im telling you that if I lose my job I could probably sell this cupcakes with this recipe and make a living out of it, that’s how good it is.
Hi Robyn,
I tried your best ever chocolate cake after trying so many other choc cake recipes and i’m defintely sticking to this one. i love it! and my family cant have enough of my (your) chocolate cake. Thanks a million!!
Now i want to try out the white cake recipe; one question though…
Can you use vegetable oil instead of the vegetable shortening? Or perhaps just use more butter?
If you are concerned with vegetable shortening, I would substitute with coconut oil rather than adding more butter or using vegetable oil. Hope you love it!
This was AMAZING!! I immediately wrote it down in my cookbook in case this website somehow disappeared hehe.
Have you ever tried to freeze it? Does it thaw well? If so, would you freeze it iced? (Buttercream icing). I want to make ahead for my daughters birthday if I could ๐
Hi Sarah,
This cake does freeze well, un-frosted, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and then with aluminum foil. So glad you love it!
Thanks! ๐ I am quite excited! I gave away quite a few cupcakes on the first try of this recipe and everyone was quite impressed ๐ Can’t wait to try the chocolate ๐
Thanks again!
Can I do it without milk? Do you have a suggested replacement? And is it ok to cut the recipe in half?
Hi! I was so excited when I found your website! I was looking for a new vanilla cake recipe to try, and when I read this one, I couldn’t wait to try it! I baked the cake tonight in a 9×13 pan. (It took about 40-45 min.) It smells very yummy, and it has a nice crust. But it fell a bit when cooling. Not too bad…..but a bit that it was definitely noticeable. During cooking, I had to take it out and line the edges with foil because I was afraid they might burn (they were cooking much faster than the rest of the cake). I read online that sometimes over mixing may cause a cake to fall some, too. Should I have just let the edges brown more (and not taken it out of the oven)? Or maybe it was mixed a bit too long (when I was adding the buttermilk/dry ingredients)? I was sure to have room temperature buttermilk and eggs, and I followed the steps carefully like you suggested. I am a cake baking novice, though, as I have only been baking cakes for about a year. I would appreciate any suggestions.
Thank you for sharing this yummy recipe! I know it will taste great, even if I didn’t do it just right. ๐
Hi. I would like to know if this and your best chocolate cake recipes are suitable for a tiered cake? Thanks, Ros
HI Ros,
They both are fairly sturdy cakes that work well for layer cakes. I’ve not personally tried them as tiered cakes (like for a wedding) though so I can’t answer that specifically. Others have mentioned in the comments that they’ve used both of the cakes for weddings and they indicated they worked well for them, but I’m not certain how they were stacked, tiered or decorated.
Hi
I was wondering if you could help- I have been looking for a nice all natural white cake recipe to do an 8″ 5 or 6 layer cake (because I am a glutton for punishment) for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. I am planning to colour the layers ombre style and I saw your recipe. I have to keep it soy free so was planning to sub coconut oil for the shortening but I probably need to make more than the recipe calls for, like 1.25 or 1.5 what this calls for. Any suggestions on that? It would be a tremendous help, thanks!
I always bake cake from scratch and was so excited to see this recipe. However it turned out aweful. The top of the cakes were rock hard and golden brown yet the inside was still almost liquid. I don’t know if it was me or what but this was the worst baking experience of my life. I’m so dissapointed. The batter was delish at least.
I am obsessed with this cake. Made it for a friend’s birthday party and I only got one small slice, so now I want to make another one – it’s taking everything I have not to stay up all night making another one! The cake was perfection, topped with your suggested buttercream recipe. Crispy tops, thick and luscious in the middle, moist, flavor was spot-on. I am a white cake connoisseur and this matches or beats the best white cakes I’ve ever had. Got tons of compliments on it…kids and adults alike absolutely loved it. Thank you so much for working on this recipe and sharing it with us!
Thanks so much, Catherine! I’m so glad you loved it as much as my family does!
Hi,
I live at a little over 6,000 feet above sea level. Do I need to adjust the recipe?
Thanks,
Jai
Just finished making these and they are amazing!!! I made half of them into cupcakes and the other half into a layer cake. We tried the cupcakes right out the oven and they were yummy. I frosted with a vanilla pudding and whipped cream mixture added a splash of rum. Topped them with strawberries, mandarins and toasted coconut. They were soooo good, I love how the cupcakes are so moist and delicious.
I used the same vanilla mixture and fruits for the layer cake, layering the cream and fruit in between. I placed it in the fridge, I can’t wait to try it later on today.
This recipe is definitely a must keep in my book, I’ll be making this again really soon.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Dani
Very very delicious cake! Love vanilla! I used cream cheese frosting between cake layers (4 layers as I cut each cake in half) and vanilla buttercream on top and the sides (as my hubby likes), came out beautifully tasty! Made it twice in 2 weeks time. Love it more than The Best Chocolate Cake (for chocolate – my love is Blackout cake!).
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Sounds yummy, Lilli and I’m so glad you loved it. Would you mind sharing with Jamie (comment #345) on any changes you made for baking in two layers? I know she’d appreciate it!
This is not only the best white cake I’ve ever had; it is the best cake I have ever had. I cannot get enough. It filled one 10″ square cake pan. It did rise correctly, and the color and texture are beautiful.
I’m so glad you love it, Kelley! xo
I’m sure this is obvious to others but do u use egg yolks also? Just says eggs and I didn’t think most white cakes wanted yolks. Thanks.
HI Monica,
Yes, I use whole eggs in this recipe. I discuss it in the post. Thanks!
I am sorry! I did read the post and thought I saw it in there but when I went back I could never find it (I was on my daughter’s kindle and that thing scrolls too quickly at times). My apologies! I do have one more question though, if you have time… I did make it and mine turned out word for word just like Jamie’s (#354). Dense was the exact word my husband used to describe it. Very thick, done inside, just thick, like it was not fluffy. I would like to try it again, but hate to waste my time (mainly ingredients) if I am doing something wrong. Any suggestions on what could’ve happened? I know everything was room temp. Really need to get a cake recipe nailed down for my cousin’s baby shower this weekend! Thanks for sharing the recipe (cause it smelled amazing while baking) and your time to answer these questions!
What temp and time would I bake this cake at as a sheet cake? Also, what size pan would you recommend? I think I am going to try to make a Disney Frozen theme cake for my daughter’s 7th birthday. Thanks!!
Hey Tasha,
I’ve not made this recipe as a sheet cake and can’t give you specific changes you’d need to make for it. If you do make it as a sheet cake, would you mind sharing the changes you made as others may be interested as well!
Thanks and happy birthday wishes to your daughter!
I want to make this for my daughter’s 7th birthday but does this recipe have to make a 3 tier cake? Or can I just put it into two cake pans?
Hi Jamie,
I prefer the cake baked in three layers, but if you only have two cake pans, you could make cupcakes with the amount for the third layer! ๐
Hiya!
I made the cake earlier this week and haven’t tasted it yet but the batter tasted great. The recipe calls for baking for 25-30 minutes while the total time indicated is an hour. I nearly had a heart attack when I checked the oven after 30 minutes! I made the recipe as indicated and was shocked to find that the batter barely made it into to 8″ pans when it says it’ll do 3. Both rose nicely, but I’ve got to wonder what went wrong to result in less batter. Also, both cakes had a sugar crust on top; is this normal? In reading through the comments I noticed that you recommend substituting coconut oil … is this a 1:1 ratio? And lastly, that’s an awful lot of sugar. Someone recommended substituting coconut sugar (coconut appears to be the new fad) because I wanted something natural. What would you recommend? I’m icing the cake tomorrow and I can’t wait to taste it … I’ll post my rating on Sunday.
Will this recipe work as a single round cake without the layers?
Hi Kay,
I’ve never made it that way so I can’t really say that it would or wouldn’t. I’m sorry!
Thanks for your response, I made it in two cake pans and then made cupcakes with the leftover batter. We just finished eating the cake and it turned out REALLY dense, like fudgy and thick(if that makes since)=. It was more like a pound cake or something. It was still good but not at all light and fluffy like a cake should be. What do you think happened? I did use coconut oil instead of shortening like you suggested. I followed the recipe and directions to a t! If this is the texture it is supposed to be then it was not good.
Do you place all 3 cakes in the oven at the same time? 2 on top 1 on bottom ? This doesn’t effect how the cakes bake ?? Or should I do 2 and then do the other after ?
I place two layers in my top oven and one in my bottom. If I’m where there is only one oven, then I place all three pans in the oven in a sort of triangle position, just being sure they do not touch each other. Hope that helps!
This is by far the absolute BEST white cake I’ve ever made or eaten. I have a bakery and have always used the white cake recipe that I purchased along with the bakery when I bought it over 20 years ago. A friend of mine made your white cake and served it for a dinner that I attended. Immediately, I asked her for the recipe for her cake. She told me that she’d actually found it on Google and then emailed me the link to your beautiful recipe the next day.
I have now begun using this white cake recipe in my bakery with amazing results. I wanted to let you know that I used it this past weekend for a small wedding cake, 5 tiers, and it turned out beautifully.
As a long-term professional baker, I want to thank you for taking the time to share your recipes. I know how much work goes into them and this one is definitely a keeper for this baker! Thank you again!
This is the best white cake recipe ever! I have made it twice, both times in round springform pans for layer cakes.
Amazing, they are so sturdy and easy to cut but never get dry. I doubled the recipe this time and I only used butter and everything turned out great. I will try the coconut oil next time but only to try for flavor.
My husband says this is the best cake he has ever eaten and my children thought that it was so delicious. Thank you so much for posting! This is the only recipe I will use from now on.
I LOVE IT, only problem for me is the sugar, i wish i put two cups instead cos too much of it gets to my head otherwise its perfect.
Love this cake. For those who have had trouble with it rising always make sure your baking powder and baking soda has not sat in your cabinets for more than a 4-6months. This recipe calls for baking powder. If you are working with baking powder or baking soda older than 6 months it can prevent your cake from rising.
Mine rose high, tasted great, but also formed a crystallised top which is a little crunchy when bit on. I’m not so sure where I got it wrong.
Hi Kevin,
I’m so sorry the cake gave you difficulty. In digging deeper into why some people had issues with the cake not rising for them properly, I’ve adjusted the recipe to increase the amount of baking powder. You’ll still want to make sure your baking powder is as fresh as possible, but with the increased portion everyone should get a more consistent rise like I have been getting.
Thanks so much for your feedback. I appreciate it!
Robyn
Hi! I made this recipe and everyone loved it! I wanted to know if you have tried making a marble cake with this recipe? Maybe taking some batter and adding cocoa powder? Do you think that would work? Or do you think if I use this recipe with the Best Chocolate Cake Recipe (Ever).. Haven’t tried that recipe yet. Hope to hear from you! ๐ (I give this recipe 5 stars but for some reason it won’t let me) โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
I made this cake last night and it turned out great. I did two larger square cakes for the layers. It took almsot 40 mins per cake. I read the comments about the sugar and it was making some peoples tops of the cake hard, but I did not have that problem. I took a bit of extra time and really beat the batter alot before adding more suger. It turned out great. The cake is a little heavier then I would have like but the taste is awesome. I will be frosting it tonight with a lemon cream cheese frosting. I like to let my cakes sit a day in the freezer before frosting them. They frost alot better and less chances of crumbs. Great cake in my opion.
Also I did use Coconut oil instead of Vegetable oil.
I think this cake is the best ever!!! I love white cake! Someone did say to me it is yellow, too bad! I tried a tiny bit of purple food color and by tiny I mean tiny to sight (instead of to taste), that counteracted the yellow. It was simple color wheel art lol!
Hi
I tried this white cake recipe and it turned out awesome. It’s the best cake I have ever baked. My mom loved the cake as well. It’s an excellent white cake recipe. It was nice and moist. Thank you
Not sure if this was answered but is it with regular butter or usalted butter?
Can you post the original recipe as an option for those of us who liked it that way? (before you increased the baking powder)? I loved it last time I made it but it was different this time. I think last time I used 1/2 tsp baking powder and NO baking soda. Does that sound right for the changes you made?
Hey Christi,
Yes, you are right. It was 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and no baking soda. I looooooved it that way, too but lately there had been emails for the cake not rising. I went back to the kitchen testing. ๐
Ooops! I meant 2 cups of SUGAR. Keep the flour the same.
It’s necessary to use both baking soda and powder when the recipe calls for buttermilk for several reasons: Baking soda (an alkali) neutralizes the acidity of the buttermilk as well as leavens the batter, while baking powder helps it to rise in the oven. Since baking soda is activated by moisture, and baking powder is a double-agent half activated by moisture and half by heat, you need both the get a proper rise. Hope that helps!
My husbands favorite cake is “wedding cake” so I made this white cake for his birthday. I garnished it with fresh strawberries. It was the easiest most delicious cake I have ever made! My family still raves about it! Wonderful recipe!!!
Can you please post the frosting recipe you used ๐
I love this recipe! It’s the only vanilla cake recipe I will probably ever use again, it’s perfect!:)
I love the cake recipe but the picture shows a beautiful (frosted) cake and I think you should have added your frosting recipe, don’t get me wrong the cake was amazing so delicious!
There are a lot of light and fluffy cakes, this recipe won me over with its moist and thick body.
I made this recipe as it was posted a few weeks ago with one cup of buttermilk and 1/2 a teaspoon of baking powder and it was amazing, a picture perfect cake. I have made it one other time since then and again perfect. The buttermilk adds such an amazing flavor to this cake, but what I love the most and everyone else was the thick nature of the cake. This cake had such a dense and moist body it is unforgettable.Although it did not raise much the three cakes went in even in their pans just over half full each and came out with their lip just under the edge of the cake pan. I would not change a thing if you are looking for a thick and full of flavor cake. I will try out this new recipe for my friends and family and see what they think. However, I am skeptical that it will posses the same great thickness that the original recipe has with less baking powder!
Hi Kadi,
I had a REALLY hard time adding that additional baking powder into the recipe and updating it. Really hard. There were so many people that had success with it, like you did, but then it seemed there were others that had a hard time with it. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the change. I have to admit though, the original was my favorite.
I just made this cake a couple days ago and love it, but you have changed it. I’m about to make again right now for my daughter’s birthday. In your notes you have said your original recipe is 1 cup of buttermilk and 1/2 tsp of baking powder. Didn’t you also have some baking soda in it? Plus now it calls for half cup shortening. I thought the other had only 1/4 cup shortening. Please help. I dont want to stray and try your new version. I’m very happy with the other! ๐
Thx so much,
Lisa
Hey Lisa,
I did change it slightly since some people were having issues saying it didn’t rise at all for them. The shortening hasn’t changed in the recipe. The original recipe had 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 cup of buttermilk. The new has 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1/2 cup whole milk. If the cake rose okay for you, I’d personally stick with the original. ๐
I want to try your recipe but I noticed you use vegetable shortening. Have you tried altering your recipe so it uses butter or something that is a better ingredient? Thank you.
Hey Robin,
I have also tried it with coconut oil (equal amount) and it worked fine.
Good to know that coconut oil (equal amount) works. Will give it a try. Thanks!
Ugh. Just spent 2 hours prepping and baking this recipe using coconut oil and it did NOT work, unfortunately. It’s a gooey mess.
Oh No! I’m so sorry it didn’t work for you!
Can I ask why you use vegetable shortening and not just all butter? Vegetable shortening has trans fats, which I like to avoid. The flavor of your recipe is good and I may try to experiment again but need to understand the science behind why certain ingredients versus others. Thank you.
Hi Robin,
The shortening that I use is trans fat free. Shortening in this recipe adds to the texture and tenderness while being in balance with the flour, sugar and liquid. The shortening assists in the rising of the cake and provides more moisture as well. In a nutshell, it produces a sweeter, more moist cake with the addition of shortening to the ingredients. Hope that helps!
May I ask which brand of shortening you use that doesn’t have trans fat? Good to know! Thank you for taking the time to answer all my questions. Obviously your recipe is very popular because you’ve gotten a lot of great feedback. I made the mistake of using an ingredient that I wasn’t familiar with (coconut oil).
I personally use Crisco shortening, but there are a good many trans-fat free shortening brands available. Another one that is organic is by Spectrum and sold at Whole Foods.
Do you think this recipe would work for a tie-dye cake? Would you recommend any changes?
As crazy as it sounds, I’ve never made a tie-dye cake! I would think this recipe would work just fine though! Please share photos of it on our Facebook page! I’d love to see!
Funny I went to bake it and thought I was losing my mind. Did your recipe originally call for just 1/2 tsp. Baking powder and no baking soda at all? Or was it 1/2 tsp. Baking soda and no baking powder? This cake is just outstanding. I bake cakes and my customers are going nuts over this one!
Hi Anita,
The original was 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 cup buttermilk and no whole milk.
Can you tell me what you filled the cake with? Vanilla buttercream frosting?
HI Carol,
I’m so sorry I missed your question until now! Please excuse me! I used the vanilla buttercream frosting between the layers as well as on the outside of the cake. Hope that helps!
My birthday is Friday.I would like to use this recipe. Instead of white, I would like for the xake to be yellow. How can I do that?
Happy birthday, Sonya! You would most likely want to start with a yellow cake rather than this white cake recipe.
I was looking for a white cake that I can somehow incorporate raspberries into. This recipe looks wonderful; if I were to add some purรฉed raspberries, would I adjust any of the other liquid amounts?
Thanks!
Hi Angela,
I’m sorry I can’t be of more assistance with your question. I’ve not made this cake that way, so I’m not any help at all! Hate that I can’t. You could always make a raspberry curd or use raspberry jam and spread between the layers of the cake and then frost with a frosting. Now that, I’ve done and it is amazing! ๐
Hi- I made this recipe today as it is currently posted. Really wishing I had read the comments before I made it. I live at 7000 ft and my usual reduction of the baking powder to prevent falling was wholly insufficient. For any of your readers that live at a high elevation (which in baking is over 3000 ft above sea level) I would recommend using the original amount of baking powder. My first attempt left completely flat/fallen cakes that were raw in the middle. Second attempt, after reading the comments, I still used 3/4 tsp. Still a little falling but cooked all the way through. Next time I make this I will definitely be using only 1/2 tsp baking powder.
Thank you so much for sharing the high-altitude recommendations, Kellie! I know that will be very helpful for others!
Based on Kellie’s comments for high altitude, should I use the original 2 teaspoons baking powder? Or did she really mean to just use 1/2 teaspoon?
Love the original recipe and will use it exclusively for vanilla cakes. Used your recipe for a wedding cake. NEVER have I seen a wedding cake disappear so fast. Most guests had seconds. Never have I received so many compliments. It’s a winner!!!!
I’m so glad you love it, Anna! The original recipe is by far my favorite too. There were so many having issues with the cake not rising for them that I tested and retested to meet those needs. I will say though, like you and your customers, I go for the original.
Thank you for sharing how your bride and her guests enjoyed the cake. That makes me so happy to hear!!! xo
Thank you so much for this recipe! I will be making it this weekend ๐ I just have a quick question, my guest is unable to eat vegetable oils, would this still work if I use additional butter instead of the shortening? thank you again!
Hi Kristen,
Yes, you can use all butter rather than shortening, but you will notice a couple of things that will be different: the cake will take on a bit more yellow than white and the cake will not be as moist and tender. With that said, since she has an allergy, those nuances won’t matter. I hope she loves it! {Or he!}
is there a big difference between shortening and vegetable oil?
Hi Tanya,
Shortening is not a liquid at room temperature where vegetable oil would be. I hope that helps!
Hey! I’m about to try this recipe with cupcakes, I just have a quick question! Is the butter in this recipe salted or unsalted?
Thanks!
Hi Aly,
I just always use salted butter, but you can use either. Hope you love it!
Hi! I’m sorry it didn’t work for you. For the two teaspoons baking powder, you did need to use the 1/2 cup whole milk and 1/2 cup buttermilk as the acid in the buttermilk helps the baking powder. The cake does bake to produce a flat topped cake, which is the kind that works great for layered cakes. It doesn’t produce a mounded top cake or cupcake as a lot of recipes will. Air bubbles in a final cake usually means that the leavener wasn’t mixed fully into the flour mixture. Again, sorry you had problems with it!
oh these are great tips thanks! Yah, I think that this is definitely a better layer cake than cupcake – ok so maybe the buttermilk was the issue here, didn’t even think about that in terms of a reaction with the baking soda. It did taste good it just didn’t look so hot and the cake had the crunchy, quite buttery top. So do you think I didn’t sift the baking soda properly into the flour? Or do you mean I didn’t incorporate it into the wet mixture right? I really appreciate these tips, I’m on the hunt for the perfect white cake for my daughter’s first birthday and this was a test run, so I’ll try again!
I’m glad they help! Just to clarify, this recipe uses baking powder and not baking soda. The 1/2 cup buttermilk makes the cake batter a bit more acidic which does help with flavor and other things. When you remake it, maybe slow the mixer speed to a lower speed, even to the point of stirring, once the eggs are added to the batter. I think what is happening is that it is developing a bit of a meringue type crust on the cake. That should eliminate the problem. You’ll just want to make sure the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet ingredients really well, but gently. Let me know if you have any more questions. Happy first birthday to your baby girl!!!
I want to make this for my husbands birthday Monday, what kind of butter do you use? Regular store brand or something fancier?
Hi Vesta,
I generally use Land O’ Lakes or KerryGold butter, especially for baking. Happy birthday to your husband!!!
Oh yes sorry I meant to say baking powder! Ok, great tip about the mixing I will try that, baking is such a science which is kind of why I love it but so different from cooking where you can just throw in whatever and stir whatever way you like. I’ll let you know how it goes (also going to try and tint part of the batter blue with dye made from red cabbage to swirl into the final cake, haha, I know crazy!)
Hi!
I want to make this cake at the weekend but i’m thinking of adding sprinkles to the mixture to make a funfetti cake? Would this affect the moisture?
Also, why do you use granulated sugar instead of caster sugar?
Thanks!
Robyn: I used the new recipe (with 2 tsp baking powder), but with cake flour, 1/4 C whole milk + 3/4 C buttermilk (seemed to me more buttermilk was better than less for moisture). I don’t much care for the looks of my product–that is, certainly can’t call them “perfect.” They are sort of uneven, and there’s and a little crusty ridge formed and browned around the top edges. They didn’t rise up a whole lot, but they did rise. My batter was pretty thick…it would be a “scoop” batter thickness (which I did, using a 1 C measure to divide)rather than a “pour” batter, which is what I mean by ‘pretty thick.’ Is that the expected batter consistency? I can say I love the flavor of the batter, and of the crumbs I scored from the pan sides. Should I have avoided the cake flour? Try the original version? Would like these layers to come out a little more uniformly…and look better, as these cakes are for a big wedding weekend party. Thanks.
Robyn: Second attempt, I’ve used your original recipe, again using cake flour rather than all purpose. 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 C buttermilk, low speed baking. Yield = 3 flat layers, each measuring exactly 1/2″ thickness. Didn’t really rise at mall. This did eliminate what you’ve labeled the “meringue-like” (I called it crusty) edges and top. In short, my layers look to be about HALF as thick as the lovely layers pictured for this recipe. First attempt rose only slightly more. While I like the looks/feel of this second batch on the surface, I think the only way to use this for a decent layer cake is to bake a second batch and stack six 1/2″ layers.
Sorry it wasn’t to your liking, Pam. I wouldn’t recommend substituting cake flour in place of the all-purpose flour as they have different percentages of protein in them, which will give you a different result.
Always looking for a better white cake recipe! I can tell from your photos that this one is a winner. I cannot wait to give it a try!
Hi! I’m anxious to try your recipe. It sounds great! I saw you said it bakes about 24 cupcakes. Would it bake two 8″ rounds as well then? I have a wedding cake coming up and am trying to figure out the cost of ingredients. My customer also wants everything to be organic (yikes!) I’m not familiar with organic ingredients, but am hoping (and praying) it doesn’t effect the quality. Any experience with this? Thanks for any advice you have!
I was planning on making this as a rainbow cake for my daughters birthday. We can’t get shortening here. Are there any other changes you’d recommend if using entirely butter.
I am planning on going with the original with 1 cup buttermilk and 1/2 or 1 tsp of baking powder.
Thanks!
For those interested this cake turned out very nicely with 1 1/2 cups of butter, 1 cup of buttermilk and approx 2 tsp baking powder. Will be my go to vanilla cake from now on I think. Great recipe.
The ONLY cake recipe I use now after searching and testing many many recipes, however instead of granulated sugar I use caster personal preference ๐ I would like to ask though to get my batter just a bit lighter do you reckon it would be ok to remove some if not all of the egg yolks?
Thanks again for this fab recipe x
Hi Dawn,
When I tested this cake without egg yolks, I personally did not like the flavor as much. Hope that helps!
Sorry I meant whiter not lighter lol
Another commenter mentioned that she added a bit of blue coloring to the batter. You might want to look through previous comments to find the specifics. Hope that helps some!
My brother is turning 16 this upcoming May and I’d love to make him this cake. I’m thinking on applying Skittles all around it… what do you think? Is it a good idea ? Also, I only have two round pans (I think they are 9 inches, just like you ask for). Do I need to change the measurements due to this ?
Hi Catherine,
Happiest of birthday wishes for your brother. What a great sister to make him a special cake! About the Skittles. I would apply them as decoration around the outside of the cake once it has been frosted. I’m not sure if that is what you meant in your question, but that’s how I would use the Skittles if you’d like to include them.
You can use your two 9-inch cake pans and adjust the baking time accordingly or simply store the third pans portion of cake batter until the first two pans have baked and then bake the third layer.
I hope that helps!
Thank you so much for the response! ๐ Yes, sorry for not being clear enough… that is what I meant. ๐ I love cooking and baking so baking him a cake for his birthday is no biggie at all ๐ I can’t wait to start!
Hi. Your cake looks so nice, and I really wanted to try it. Unfortunately I couldn’t find buttercream in local baking shop (shocking, I know). Is there ant substitute or something i can make from scratch? Also, can I have the recipe for the icing/frosting?
Many thanks!
Hi Stephanie,
I would recommend using the whatever flavor buttercream frosting you prefer. All of my buttercream frosting recipes are made from scratch. Here is the classic vanilla version – https://addapinch.com/cooking/2013/10/11/classic-vanilla-buttercream-frosting-recipe/
hello. I live in portugal and I cant find buttermilk. Can I replace it with something else? I wanted to try the recipe for my daughters birthday. Thank you
Hi Rohina,
You can add 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar to 1 cup whole milk to get a homemade substitute for buttermilk. Since this recipe calls for 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1/2 cup whole milk, I’d use 1 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar in 1/2 cup whole milk. Allow it to stand for about 3-5 minutes to allow the acid in the vinegar to begin working.
Hope that helps!
Thanks you so much for posting this recipe Ms, Robyn,
My mother and I made it together tonight because tomorrow is my birthday. Finally 16 :D. It was so much fun cooking with her again and even getting to try a small cupcake with it. Honestly its better than the usual Baskin Robins Cake i always get and it created a memory that i shall always remember.
Happy birthday! I hope your day is the best yet!!! I’m so glad you and your mother made great memories today. You’ll have those long after any other gifts are long gone! Enjoy!
I made this cake with 2 tsp baking powder, 1 cup of buttermilk and used all butter no shortening as we can’t get it here is Australia.
The cake turned out really really nicely. I am very happy with it.
I was wondering how long it keeps Robyn. I made it today (Friday night) for my daughters birthday party on Sunday afternoon. I am currently tossing up whether to freeze it. Ideally I would have made the night before but a long standing arrangement has prevented me from doing so. I’d love your feedback asap if possible.
Hi Hayley,
I too made mine today for Sunday & have wrapped it to freeze. I will thaw & decorate Saturday night. I used copha in mine which you should be able to find in any supermarket in Australia. Hope this helps!
Thanks Deb!
I ended up popping it in the fridge, we got a mini one out (too much batter for our cakes) and tested it out today and it was lovely still, so I’m hoping it will still be good tomorrow. I will update after the event! I used all butter (as per my other comment) and it worked beautifully!
Good luck with your Step Dad’s 60th!
I tried the original recipe today & it worked beautifully. It rose in the oven but upon taking it out it settled into three very even cakes, perfect for a layered cake. I made the best ever chocolate cake too and will layer it in amongst the white cake for my step dads 60th cake. Great recipe that I will definitely use again!
This IS the best cake ever. So good that I had a request at a party to make one for another party. I’m almost certain I used the original recipe (don’t think I added milk, only buttermilk). When did you make the changes?
Also, the next cake I’m making is for a friend’s 50th birthday party. My co-baker and I are going to trying to make two cakes, one a “5” and one a “0.” We think a square pan would be easier to make the 5. What thoughts do you have on adjusting for baking? I’m envisioning the cake about the same size as the 9″ round, just square! Seriously. Best. Cake. Ever.
I’m so glad you love it, Theresa! I made the changes a little over a week ago, so if you’ve used the recipe for a while, you most likely used the original (which is my preferred version, too!!!)
The baking time should be consistent if you are using a 9-inch square baking pan as the 9-inch round. You’ll probably just want to check as normal for doneness though! Can’t wait to see your cake!!!
Thanks for the prompt reply and the suggestions! It was three weeks ago that I made the cake, so that’s the old version — which turned out perfect. My first attempt was for a wedding party, and my friend and I linked two cakes together like wedding rings. Now we’re feeling adventurous.
I just made this with the original recipe. I did use 1 teaspoon instead of the 1/2 teaspoon it called for because I was afraid I would have trouble with it rising. Took the cakes out of the oven about 20 minutes ago. They turned out perfectly! Nice and flat which is just what I need for a layer cake!I took a little sliver off the side and man was it DELICIOUS! I can’t wait to frost and decorate it for a baby shower tomorrow and see how everyone else likes it! Great recipe! I plan to use this recipe from now on for any white cake I make!
Just wondering if this would work as a sheet cake? It’s 12x18x2. The comments and recipe look great , so wanting to try for my sons bday party. Thanks in advance.
OMG!! This receipe is amazing! I wanted to share, that I made this gluten free by subing rice flour instead of regular AP, with an extra bit of coconut flour and I beat the egg whites folding them in at the end. When the cake came out of the oven, I was amazed at the texture, and the cake tasted great! Thank you so much for sharing this
!! Now I can’t wait to make all your other goodies!
Thanks so much for sharing how you converted the recipe to gluten-free. I know many others may be interested in that as well!
Any advice on how best to make your cake in a gluten free version? My best friend is coming for dinner tonight and about to have her baby, so I would like to have some amazing cupcakes for her ( with white cake and coconut cream cheese frosting.) Please give your thoughts on what gluten free flour to use as I have an 8 week old baby and won’t have time to do 3 test runs. Also, we live in Denver, at 5,280 feet. ๐
You may want to see the comment from Jessica where she made the cake gluten-free. I’ve not experimented with making this cake with gluten-free flours or blends, so I can’t really tell you from my own experience.
I want to make this for my daughter tomorrow for her birthday but only have one round cake pan, weird…I know! So I’m wondering if I can do the very un-chic thing and just bake it in a 9X13?? I tried to talk her in to cupcakes but she is insisting on a big ole pan of cake! Thanks for any help!
I plan on making this today, adding some festive green coloring for the holiday. Unfortunately, I only have 8″ round pans. Would this recipe work? How would I adjust the baking time?
Thanks!!
This recipe looks so good! I can’t wait to try it. I’m gonna make a batch of cupcakes with it to see how it turns out.
If all goes well, I want to make a strawberry Bavarian cake: vanilla cake, filled with strawberry Bavarian cream between the layers and covered in delicious butter cream icing.
I’m only 15, but I love to cook and I’m really good at it, so I’m going to use the original recipe with all buttermilk and 1/2 tsp baking powder. I will post a review after I try it.
Thank you Ms. Robin!
Robyn* Sorry for misspelling your name.
I’ve read all the comments and am VERY eager to make this cake but I have 2 questions:
first of all, could I halve the recipe and make it a DOUBLE layer cake? (what would I do about the 5 eggs)…
and MOST IMPORTANTLY: 3 cups of sugar! Could I just use 2 cups, for example? would I have to add something else (more buttermilk/liquid) to balance out the missing cup of sugar?? I am certain this will be way way to sweet for me and even if I can’t taste all that sugar I know its in there and won’t want to serve that to my kids!
thanks!
Okay so my brother’s birthday is coming up and this is by far the best moist cake recipe I have found! The ingredients all make sense. But I was wondering how i can bake it into a 9in square pan AND an 8in round pan. HEEEEELP!!!!!
Luna
Good evening,
I many times use cake flour instead of all purpose flour. Have you used cake flour for this cake and what were the results? Would you discourage using cake flour — even if I added two tablespoons cake flour for each cup of all all purpose four?
My friend wants vanilla frosting on a vanilla cake. I am going back and forth between your butter cream and cream cheese frosting. The cream cheese calls calls for more vanilla and I want to know if it has more of a vanilla flavor? What brand of vanilla do you use?
Thank you,
George
Hi…this recipe sounds sooooo delish! I am planning on making a 6 layer rainbow cake…each layer a different color…I wonder how this batter will accept coloring. personally, I love a cake which utilizes the whole egg, and not just the whites, but I am looking for vibrant color. I will be using Americolor gel colors, both the “electric” and regular colors. I could also add a splash or 2 of Americolor bright white if necessary.
Robyn,
I am making this cake soon and wanted to ask you if you had reduced sugar before. I don’t like overly sweet cakes and I am concern that 3 cups may be a bit much. I am thinking to try the original recipe with 1 tsp baking powder instead of the 1/2 and 2 1/4 cups of sugar instead of the 3. What do you think? Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Vero
Can I use vinegar as one of the ingredients and if so how much??
I would not use vinegar in addition to the buttermilk as it will make the cake too acidic.
Why are there no eggs listed in the ingredients? Yet in the directions there is..
Hi Jen,
Eggs are listed in the ingredients.
Hi, so excited to try this recipe! I’m needing to make a 1/4 sheet cake (due to the decor on top), will this recipe work with a 9×13 pan?
Broken hearted! Cake went flat in middle. Yikes!
Just came across your website and so glad that I did, this recipe is amazing! Can’t wait to try your others!
I was reading through the comments and I just wanted to say that it’s so rude to post negative comments, especially when you alter the recipe! Recipe development is very difficult-it takes a lot of research and an understanding of ingredients/how certain ones react with others; a moist white cake is especially difficult.
Anyway, I really appreciate your hard work and sharing your knowledge!
Hi Robyn
I’m sure this cake will turn out perfect with all the wonderful reviews so I can’t wait to try it. But I just have one question: can I use vegetable oil through out in place of butter and shortening?
Hi Robyn,
I’m going to attempt this recipe for my daughter’s birthday party this Saturday. But instead of the buttercream frosting, I’m hoping to use a stabilized whipped cream (stabilized with white chocolate) frosting and garnish with some fresh strawberries. Will that frosting hold up with your cake as it sounds more dense than other cake recipes I’ve seen. Also, do you think I will be able to bake the cake ahead of time, like on a Thursday and frost it on Friday night for Saturday luncheon? Thanks in advance for your help! Can’t wait to try your cake!
Hi Catherine,
Happy birthday to your daughter!!! Yes, I think that frosting should work beautifully.
Hi Robyn,
I’m going to try this cake for my son’s birthday next weekend. Just wondering if it can be made a ahead of time and put in the freezer until ready to use.
Busy working mom trying to save some time!!
Thank you
Andrea
Hi Andrea,
I’ve made it up to three days ahead, wrapped it tightly and frozen it, but not any longer than that. I feel sure it would be fine made a few days ahead more than that if you wrap it really, really well to prevent it from drying and losing moisture.
Im about to make this cake again! Love the recipe and thinking I’m going to love the changes also! I’ve always had that crust too though its never stopped me from making this lol excited about trying it slow but I have a question. If I make the batter and leave it set while one small one is baking will it change the chem part any?
I have the same question as Haley because I only have two round pans and I want to bake them two at a time but make all the batter at once.
Hi Pamela and Haley,
You should be fine to bake the pans one at a time.
Hi.
Can the buttermilk and whole milk be substituted for something more healthy?
Thank you.
Jessica
The crust that forms is not due to the beating of the eggs. It is from the high sugar content and the sugars carmelizing during baking. To cut down on this “crust” simply turn your oven down to 300. It takes a bit longer to bake but it burns less of the sugar so less crust, and a slightly moister cake. Aside from that it was a really easy recipe, and by dar the best white cake I’ve ever had!
Absolutely amazing recipie! I made this cake for my daughter’s 6th birthday – she wanted a “Frozen” cake, so I thought the white frosting would look great. I made some blue hard candy to add “ice” crystals as decorations to the outside, and also added Frozen movie decorations. It was not only cute but tasted delicious. Thank you so much for sharing your recipies! I also made your best ever chocolate cake recipie and loved it equally as much. Thank you!
Hi,
Just wondering if you used the modified version or the original one? I’ll be making this cake and don’t know which version to go with anymore!! ๐
Thank you.
Made per the directions, came out perfectly
Is it too late to ask you how tall this cake is? I want to make a rainbow 6 layer cake and I’m not sure if I should double the recipe for this /:
Hi,your cake looks divine and I have decided to bake it for a big birthday party I’m having.My questions are:can I ice this cake with fondant icing and if I do this on Thursday does it have to stand in the fridge and for how long can it do so?:Do you use anything else for filling the cake besides the buttermilk icing?:I’m making one 11inch round cake and one 9inch ,how much batter will I need,I thought perhaps double it?Also how long will they each bake for?Thank you very much.
I would triple the recipe. I recently made the rainbow cake and it takes a lot of cake. So try with a double first and if you need more colours for your rainbow make another batch. i’m going to try this recipe tonight. ๐ sounds yummy.
this cake makes three tall layers– about 6 inches tall at least. You could torte it if you wanted more layers.
I want to make this! Do I use salted or unsalted butter?
Hi Monica,
You can use whichever you prefer. I generally have salted on hand and use that.
I LOVE your chocolate cake recipe, I’m about to try this one this weekend for my Grandmas 93rd birthday….. can you tell me if theres any direct purpose for the shortening? Can I just use more butter? I just don’t use it that much, so I hate to buy it and have the rest go to waste ๐ Thank you
Hi Sarah,
The shortening makes the cake more tender and moist. You can buy them in baking sticks at the grocery store.
Oh super! Thank you for the prompt reply ๐ cheers- Sarah
AWESOME recipe thank you so much for sharing!!!
My question was have you or anyone else made this cake so that it looks white in appearance. If I try and use only egg whites will it taste the same. Or if I add white food coloring will it taste the same?
Hello R,
Please tell me where you got your lovely white cake stand?
Thanks!
Hi! It was my Grandmother’s.
I would also like to ask what can I use in the UK as a substitute for vegetable shortening? Would Trex cooking vat be the same?
I need to make a 9 by 13 cake and want to use this recipe. Would the cook time be the same?
I too want to make a sheet cake out of this recipe I would imagine normal bake time for a 9×13 is 50to 60 minutes?
I made this for my daughter’s nineteenth birthday. It is also the first homemade cake that I have ever made. It was very easy and so delicious. Nobody could believe that I made it at first, but they sure were happy that I did. I’ll never use a box or pay someone to bake me a cake, ever again. Thank you for sharing your recipe and taking the time to answer everyone’s questions. You have changed my life. I know that might sound corny, but I now have the confidence to bake. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Did you use the recipe that says 1/2 cup of buttermilk and a 1/2 cup of milk?
Yes, that’s the way I did it.
So I just made this cake, and the batter was delicious!. Unfortunately the finished cake seems to be stuck in the pan. Help! I let the cakes cool in the pans the suggested 5 minutes, I ran a butter knife along the sides of the pans and inverted the cakes on wire racks. The cakes seem to be stuck in the pans with super glue. I sprayed the bottom and sides of the pans with a well know non stick spray before baking. Now what? I hate to have to srap the cakes and would especially hate to attempt this recipe again and have the same thing happen. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Hi CJ,
Did you use a nonstick baking spray or nonstick cooking spray?
Good question. I used a cooking spray. I didn’t realize there was a difference, I knew there must have been something. For what it is worth, I was able to salvage the cakes by cooling them in the pan to room temperature. I then wrapped the cakes, pan and all in plastic wrap and popped them in the freezer overnight for 6 hours. In the morning I just took the frozen pans, ran a knife around the edge of the cakes and started tapping the sides of the pans on my counter to loosen the cakes. To my amazement all three frozen cakes popped out perfectly! We won’t be cutting the cake until tonight, but the crumbs I sampled were well worth chaos. Thank you so much demystifying my mistake and the best cake recipe ever!
I’m so glad we figured out what happened! Nonstick baking spray is formulated with a flour in the spray to prevent baked goods from sticking. If you don’t have that, I recommend preparing the pans with shortening or butter and then lightly flouring to remove any excess flour. Glad the cakes came out for you and that’s a great trick to remember!!!
This just happened to me and i could not figure out why! Now I know. NS cooking spray. UGH! I also know how to remedy it next time w/o throwing away my cakes (because that is what I did). On to a second round of baking and using butter on my cake pans. The cake pieces tasted really good so I can’t wait to get a cake that I can frost. ๐
Hi,
I find that if I spray or grease my pans & then cut wax paper to fit the bottom of the pans, then spray or grease & lightly flour the wax papered bottom before pouring in the batter, my cake layers always come out easily. Once cooled you just peel off the wax paper.
In the event you forget that step……Try holding the cake pan over a hot burner long enough to heat the bottom of the pan which then loosens the cake from the cooled pan.
Good Luck!
I personally find it better to ALWAYS use Crisco or palm oil and then flour the pan for all my cakes, even in the non-stick pans , and wax paper does work wonders too!
The spray sometimes does not work well, especially if your pan has any chips or dings or scratches in it. Even the non- stick pans that get chips or scratches or rough spots
I personally cool my cakes on a rack then put them in the freezer in the pan , and if the cakes does not pop out, I put it on the burner for about 30 seconds or submerge the bottom of the pan in hot water and it will pops right out.
We design a lot of cakes so working with a par to frozen cakes works so much nicer , you do not have to worry about the cake walls breaking, and for super moist cakes they can be very delicate when trying to remove from the pan or frosting or crumb coat.
Hope this helps!
Robyn.. do you know if it works for high altitude as is or are adjustments required?
Thanks.
For information on high alltitude baking…….Check the back of any boxed cake mix next time you are in a grocery store.
It is a long time since I had to know this while living in Colorado. But I remember seeing it listed there.
I’m cooking at roughly 4,300 ft and I made 12 cupcakes and a 9/13. My cupcakes fell! I’m a fairly experienced baker and have not had this problem before. Any tips?
Can I substitute the shortening?
I live in the UK and here it is hard to find.
Thanks.
Hi! I need to bake only one cake. Should I
just redistribute the ingredients proportionally? Thanks!
Hi,can I use fondant icing directly onto the cake and how long can it stand for?Thank you
Hi Linda,
I’ve not used fondant on this cake recipe so I can’t answer that question. I’m sorry. You can check through the comments and see where others have used fondant, if you’d like.
Oh,another question,is veg oil in a frozen block the same as veg shortening?Im not familiar with it at all and I struggled to get it
Hi Robin,this cake looks absolutely deliciou. I would like to know if it is sturdy enough to hold a white chocolate ganache and then topped with fondant as I would like to make a wedding cake with this recipe.
I’ve not used fondant on this cake so I’m no help personally. You may want to read through the other comments as others have mentioned using fondant as well.
Robyn, Can I make this as a 9 x 13″ sheet cake? It sounds delicious .
I have been searching for a moist vanilla cake. Can’t wait to try it.
I first tried to bake this as a 13″ X 9″ sheet cake for a church function, but by the time the center of the cake was baked the crust was too hard and the center dropped. It did taste wonderful. Later that evening I made the recipe into three 9″ layers and it did taste great. This is the best white cake recipe I have ever tasted, but at times I need to bake a 13″ x 9″ layer cake for covered dishes, etc. I worried the entire time I was driving that the layers would slide and ruin my cake. How would I adjust the recipe for a sheet cake?
Hi! I used this recipe to make a cake and cupcakes. The flavour is great but the problem in having is the top of the cupcakes and cake are getting brown and the cake is actually breaking apart. Should I lower the oven temp? I even covered the cake with foil once I noticed it happening.
I want a real moist cake for my daughter birthday. Which recipe would you recommend, this one or the original white cake recipe?
Addie,
Eggs are listed in the ingredient listing of the recipe.
The cake seemed good, but it fell as I cooked it. I did the cup of buttermilk and 2tsp in my first try then, 1/4 the next try. They were really moist and wouldn’t come out of the pan in one piece and both fell. The second not as much as the first. What did I do wrong….. The cake tasted good though.
Looking forward to trying this recipe! One question, does this batter freeze alright or would you not recommend? Thanks:)
Made this for my granddaughter’s birthday today. Delicious. Almost like a pound cake since mine crusted. No complaints. Great flavor.
Hi!
The cake looks gorgeous! And I’m eager to use a recipe that combines butter and shortening, milk and buttermilk.
I’d like to try this one out for a party. I only have 2 8″ cake pans. Can you advise how I might convert the recipe for an 8″ 2-layer cake? :-
Just made this cake…tasty but a tad too sweet. I think the crust that is forming, is due to the high sugar content in this cake. Will make again, but with less sugar.
Just made this batter into cupcakes. I experienced simliar problems as some of the other comments: slightly crispy brown top and very sweet. I will definitely take out at least half a cup of sugar next time as I prefer my sweetness to come from the icing.. But otherwise very light and fluffy!
I made this recipe but with almond milk instead of whole milk and butter milk and I didn’t quite have enough butter so I used extra shortening and I baked my cupcakes but they are sinking in like a bowl shape is it becuase I used different ingredients? How can I stop them from sinking?
I followed the recipe exactly and had the same problem, with the center of the cupcakes sinking. However, about a month ago I made the original recipe (with all buttermilk and no whole milk) and everything turned out great! It might be the baking powder in the original recipe that you need. Anyways, that being said, I cannot find the original recipe anymore. Where is it?
Hi Devon,
The original was my favorite, too! The information on it is in the notes of the recipe. Hope that helps!
Hi Robyn
I am from South Africa so I need to know how many grams a stick of butter is.
Thanks
Bev
Hello, I’m wondering if you have ever used a gluten free all purpose flour with this recipe. If so, which do you recommend.?
Thanks.
Do you think I could make this as a long rectangle cake? Would it fit in a 13×9 or be too much?
I’ve not make it (yet) in a 13×9, but have made it in an 18×26 sheet pan. It fills the sheet pan to the rim when baked and I would recommend halving it to prevent any chance of it from overflowing.
Thank you! I will use a 13 x 9 but then use the excess for cupcakes!! Even better!
Hi Sherri,
I’ve never made this cake in a 12×3 cake pan, so I’m not sure how to give you any advice on making it in one. I have made it in the cake pans specified in the recipe and it has worked just fine. I’ve also made it in a 18×26 sheet pan. Sorry you are having issues.
Hey I was just wondering if you could substitue cake flour for the all purpose flour??
Love the flavor of this white cake recipe. Now if I could just get a handle on the cake sticking and the cake centers sinking I’d have to say it’s the best white cake recipe ever.
Hi,
Im wanting to make a Marble cake using this recipe along with your best chocolate cake, will the cooking times need to be adjusted much? Since the chocolate cake cooks longer?
Thanks Robyn
I’m so sorry it didn’t work for you, Dee.
Seriously is the best white cake recipe ever, thanks so much for posting this….this is sure to be one i’m gonna make again and again!!!
Tried this recipe simply because I saw all the stars it had received, and I must say I agree! This cake was fabulous! I tried it after running out of cake flour and having to find a quick recipe for cupcakes; this one works! I did add another teaspoon of vanilla for a little more sweetness than butter flavor, and final product tasted like sugar cookies! I love a moist cake that you can eat alone without needing frosting, and this is it! I also want to say that I used 2% milk instead of whole milk, (this is what was on hand) and if it tasted delish with that, I can imagine how it will taste with whole milk. This is a keeper for all birthday, wedding, and cupcake orders in the future! Thanks! now to try the chocolate version…
I must have beaten it too much because there was a crispy edge on all the cupcakes. turns out that was the BEST part of the cupcake. we actually put them all back in the oven to get that and then fought over who got to rip it off the edges. not really great for a cupcake, but tasted like an awesome sugar cookie. the rest of the cupcake was really buttery/gooey. definitely tasted too buttery and sugary for me and the tops fell off so they ended up really messy looking. wasn’t bad but will keep looking for the BEST cupcake because I don’t think I found it here.
hello, I’m in Australia and need to know how many grams are 1/2 a cup of vegetable shortening, thanks in advance.
yummy cake and lovely cake stand……
U have very pretty collections of cake stands… Could u pls tell from where did u buy them? I
I have been searching for a white cake stand as yours for a very long time…. But only saw plain white ones with no frills or designs…
Lovely cake; I am making it this week to test the waters for Easter dessert:-) Do you mind sharing where you purchased the cake pedestal? It is fabulous!
This was delicious. I did cut the recipe in half because I did not want to make such big cake :). I never left a comment on recipes before but this one I could not pass by.Thank you for sharing your recipe with us.
Hi Robyn!
This cake looks and sounds stunning, and I’m sure it tastes stunning as well! A family member’s birthday is coming up in like two days, and I really want to make this gorgeous white cake for them. There’s just one problem. Shortening. I don’t mind shortening, but my family doesn’t want to come near it. I was thinking to sub it for butter, but will that change the flavor much? Would vegetable oil act as a better substitution? (Also, I’ve read some articles about this matter, and some say that butter is made of 20% water, while shortening is all fat. It says if I do substitute, I should add 20% more of butter. What do you think of this?). Please RSVP ASAP Robyn! I need your help!
Karen: try Spectrum organic shortening – “Made with organic palm oil, Spectrum Organic Shortening is a healthy, trans-fat free alternative to traditional shortening for flaky crusts and crispy fries”. I have used it before and it works great – and much better for your than Crisco. You should be able to find it in a well stocked grocery store – if you have a Sprouts Market nearby, they should carry it. I order mine from Azurestandard.com – a food coop in Oregon. Here’s the Amazon listing, though I know it’s cheaper in store than listed on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Spectrum-Organic-Shortening—-24/dp/B004WOMWWE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396901889&sr=8-1&keywords=spectrum+shortening+organic
Please explain the pros and cons of using cake flour for this recipe. Are there any changes you need to make to the quantity of flour if you use cake flour?
Thank you
Hi I was wondering if I could use cake flour instead of all purpose?
And with switching does it change the cooking time at all?
Can you use cake flour instead of all purpose
This was incredibly amazing! Made this for my son’s first birthday over the weekend. Used a strawberry filling between the layers and a pudding/whipped cream frosting. It was extremely moist and everybody loved it! Thanks for a great recipe, I will be checking out more from your site! ๐
When you say after 5 min of cooling in cake pans+ then cool completely on wire rack,do you mean remove from pans first,or put pans on rack to cool?
can u tell me Jessica’s recipe for filling = strawberry frosting. { above } It sounds great.Id like to try it. Thank You
DO you have a recipe for Pistachio cake filling + frosting?.I think it would be yummy. Thank You Robyn for all your recipes.Ive learned a lot by following your advice.
will it change the texture much if i used all butter instead of shortening?
What will it taste like if I used 5 egg whites? What about 3 full eggs and two whites?
Thanks!
I only want to make a two layer white cake. Do you have a reciped for a batter that fills two 9″ cake pans?
For anyone experiencing problems with a crust forming, it’s not due to the eggs. It’s because of the high sugar content of the cake. To reduce rusting, set your oven to 300. It takes a bit longer to bake but it is well worth the results. I love this cake…so moist and flavorful! Thanks for sharing!
I had this problem and will try your tip next time I make it. Thanks for the tip!
I had that same issue, way too many crumbs.
The taste was good but it was actually a little dry, maybe overcook it? It needs more moisture.
Can you use more butter instead of the shortening? I would prefer to not use shortening if possible and wondered how the cake would turn out without that particular ingredient. Thank you!!! This cake looks great. ๐
You can use virgin coconut oil….it is solid, unless extremely warm day….no flavor and a very healthy substitution.
Can you use margarine instead of butter? Will it affect the outcome?
No…I’ve tried it with margarine and the cake does not come out well. Just use unsalted sticks of butter and you’ll like the results.
I’m so sorry that happened, Steph. When you say you “sprayed it and floured it” what did you use as spray? I only ask in that some people have used a non-stick cooking spray rather than a non-stick baking spray, which will not work. If you use a non-stick baking spray, like Baker’s Joy, that should be all you need rather than also flouring the pans.
Try using parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, then spray and flour the sides. Once the cake cools in the pan I used a sharp knife to loosen the cake from the pan and turn over to invert. Works like a charm!
Could these be made in to cupcakes? I made this frosting earlier this week for chocolate cupcakes and topped it with a strawberry covered in Nutella and it was perfect! Now I have a friend requesting white cupcakes withblue swirl and thought this batter might work. Thoughts?
HI
I have made your “best chocolate cake recipe ever” many times and it has always been fantastic..
I have to bake two cakes for my cousins 21st birthday.. I wanna make a chocolate cake and a white cake and set them side by side.. since I will be doing this, I will need both cakes to be the same height.. Can I use this recipe for the chocolate cake aswel and just add cocoa powder? What do you recommend?
Thanks
This cake was amazing! I made it for my grandmother’s birthday, frosting it with whipped cream icing and putting sliced strawberries in between each layer. I got so many compliments! I wouldn’t change a single thing about this cake.
fabulous recipee! the first time i tried it it was wonderful but my family complained it was too sweet.
can i use 1.5 cups of sugar instead of 3
robyn pls reply thanks in advance
Why don’t you just try it with 1.5 c sugar and see how you like it? Part of the fun in baking is taking creative freedom to try out new things to better suit your tastes.
hi Robyn. what can i use instead of vegetable shortening? we don’t get that ingredient where i live. thanks.
You could use palm shortening or coconut oil.
Hi.
I luckily found this recipe when searching for a cake to bake about a month ago. I LOVE baking. I’ve baked this twice since then. ABSOLUTELY wonderful. My question is, I’ve been asked to make a gluten free version of this….is that possible?
Kindest Regards.
Grace
Hi Grace,
I’m so glad you love this cake! It is truly a favorite of ours, too. For gluten-free, I would recommend using a gluten-free flour such as Cup 4 Cup.
That’s great thanks! Just wanted top make sure it would work before I bought all the gluten free & dairy free stuff. So glad I don’t have to worry about that and am able to enjoy this cake as it should be hehe. Thanks for the reply! xxx
Kindest Regards.
Grace
Hi Robyn!
shortening isn’t available for us here, so can i use vegetable oil instead?
I would like to try your recipe as I am searching for that perfect white cake. Is it a sturdy cake? Will it hold up under fondant do you think?
I made a tall cake for the holidays with this recipe – white cake with a sturdy, lightly mocha whipped cream filling and a very light whipped cream / cream cheese frosting with a hint of amaretto. Huge, huge hit. I did it a few days in advance and froze the cake layers, then frosted them the day of our party. Totally delicious cake -everyone said it tasted “professional” – and I’m about to make an Easter bunny cake using this same recipe. Thanks so much!
I am wanting to make my son’s birthday cake in advance of his party (which is next week). How would this cake freeze?
I plan to wrap the layers individually, thaw overnight and frost the day of the party. Do you think the flavour and texture would hold up? Thank you!
I changed some ingredients because I didn’t have everything and it still turned out great! I have to try again with the right ingridients to see if it will turn out even better! Thanks a lot!
This looks delicious! I’m wanting to make this for my daughter’s birthday but want to make a sheet cake. Will this recipe yield enough for 1 or 2, 11 x 15 cakes? TIA!
Hi Mia,
When I make it as a sheet cake, I pour it all into one prepared 13 x 18 x 1 sheet pan. It fills it completely once the cake rises so I would recommend either two smaller size sheet pans or being sure to place a larger pan underneath to catch any spills that may occur.
i made a terrible mistake. i used 2 cake pans instead of 3.
i thought the cakes looked tall in the oven, then i checked the recipe and realized what i’d done.
if you happen to get this message i wonder if you could give me some advice on how much longer to bake it.
i guess i was in too much of a hurry when i started it this morning.
thank you for any help you can give me.
(i hope i didn’t ruin it, it looks like such a delicious cake)
Hi Robyn,
Wanted to thank you for posting this recipe. I made it as a birthday cake in lilac and flavoured with violet, covered in lilac buttercream with crushed Parma Violet sweets, covered with a sheet of royal icing in purple and white, with a bunch of flowers and butterflies. Everyone loved it for the decor, but when they tasted it, they adored it. As I prefer the buttermilk to milk, I used all buttermilk.
I did get a sugary crust on the outside, which worried me at first, but once I let it cool and brushed it with violet flavoured peach schnapps, it slowly softened and incorporated beautifully into the cake. I tried to use this batter to create a zebra effect inside too, but this wasn’t quite as successful, although it might have come out if I had used a greater contrast in colours; the light marbling was still visible, mind. So, overall, a great tasting cake which has found its place in the ‘go back to’ recipe section. Love the blog too.
I don’t eat dairy, but this cake looked delicious, so here is my dairy-free version:
For the 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened, I substituted 1 cup of a combination of Earth Balance Buttery Spread and Coconut Oil.
For the ยฝ cup whole milk, room temperature, I used coconut milk.
For the ยฝ cup buttermilk, room temperature, I put 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar into a measuring cup, then filled to the 1/2 cup mark with coconut milk: whisk together. Let stand 5 minutes.
Other changes:
I was worried that 5 egg yolks would give the cake a yellow look, so for the 5 eggs, room temperature, I still used 5 eggs, but omitted 2 of the egg yolks.
The cake still had a yellowish look to itโฆbut not as yellow as yellow-cake box mixes. I will try omitting 3 or 4 of the egg yolks next time, and use a clear vanilla flavoring, instead of the stuff that’s dyed brown.
The taste is excellent! My cakes turned out very well! They took a lot longer to bake than 25 minutes thoughโฆaround 40 actually.
Thanks for the recipe!
Well…my cake was a flop… It went from the oven to the compost bin. It was a cakesaster. I followed the instructions to a tee ( except I used vanilla bean)… Boohoo
Hi. Tried out the cake and it’s super. Everyone loved it!! Was wondering.. If I want to make the same version of cake in chocolate..is it ok if I substitute a few tablespoons of flour for cocoa?? Would it still turn out great? Plz reply soon. Thanks. Tc ๐
Great flavor. I have used other recipes from here and loved them, so while using my IPad I did not scroll down and see the updated information about baking powder , eggs and sugar reference on comments. I was making cupcakes with my granddaughter and could not figure out what we did wrong. They did not rise and had the hard crust which stuck as previously mentioned. Totally my fault for not reading! However, I took them out of cupcake sleeves and made trifle with the pieces and fresh fruit. Added Grand marnier flavored whipping cream-didn’t have time for custard. It was delicious. Lesson learned—read the whole thing before starting!
OMG!!!! I made this cake yesterday bc my daughter came home from college for Easter. It was fabulous, absolutely fabulous. Only thing I added was a teaspoon of lemon extract bc I made a lemon cream frosting. This recipe reminds me of those my mom used to make, that I could never get quite right. Need less to say, my daughter took half of it back with her. Thank u so very much for this recipe.
please help…the cake is great…but, i’d like to convert it to a 12″ x 18″ sheet cake…would someone please convert the recipe to accommodate this larger size? thanks…either answer back here or send it to my email address..i know how to convert the recipe based on the actual square inch area of the round cake, but the sheet cake needs to be somewhat thicker…PLUS i don’t feel comfortable converting the active ingredients on a 1:1 basis…i’d appreciate any help…thanks…
If Ben ever received the conversion of the recipe to the sheet cake, can it be shared. I would like to do the same!
Thanks!!!
I wonder how people got perfect results when there is an ingredient missing in the list? Ms. Robyn, how many eggs did you use (and which part of them)? It says on the ‘Instructions’ that you used eggs but nowhere is it written in the ‘Ingredients’? Cheers
Hi Maria,
Eggs are listed as the fourth ingredient in the ingredients list.
Yes, my cake pans are 9-inch.
Hi Robyn,
Just took my try out of the oven!! Looks divine, nice solid moist cake, just what I wanted.
Used brown sugar 2 1/2 cups, used coconut oil instead of veg, stone ground flour(non GM)
2 round 9″ x 3″. Looks great slightly more golden in colour, but beautiful.
Thanks
Yvonne
Hi Robyn,
Do you think you might be able to put measurements for your recipes in grams rather than cup sizes. I am very particular about getting the measurements in my cakes right and with dry or wet ingredients its not so bad but with butter or shortening its hit and miss. I do remember from a previous thread you mentioned that 1 stick of butter was 113 grams what about the shortening in this recipe how much should that weigh ? I made this cake but it was no where as moist as your chocolate version, can oil be used here instead to achieve that moistness if so how much ?
Kind Regards
Saema
Bakers joy is the best when using this recipe. I tried something differnt on this last batch. I took out the half cup of shortening due to the fat content in the buttermilk. I also prefer just 1/2 tsp. Of baking powder . Its still super moist and did not sink in the middle. Still my favorite recipe for yellow cake!
I forgot the 5 stars! I would hive it more.
Hello, I have a very important question. I plan on making this cake either tonight or early tomorrow, for my dad’s birthday. However, I have no vegetable shortenning, and I am not interested in purchasing any. What could I use to substitute it in the recipe? Could I use 2 cups of butter instead? Suggestions?
Thanks!
Yes..add the butter and you won’t notice a difference.
I am wanting to use this recipe to make cupcakes as I have tried this with a normal cake and it’s FANTASTIC! Has anyone ever made this recipe into cupcakes? Success? And how long do you cook them for?
I made it – they loved it – i shared it.
Thanks Robyn.
You might want to take a look at my Blue Velvet Cake recipe for a few tips on how I get a vibrant blue.
I would love to see this recipe converted to a 15×11 size. I only usually make cakes when we have large family get-togethers, so I typically need a bigger size. It is delicious! Love this recipe!
I made the best chocolate cake last week. First time I have ever made a cake from scratch I’m hooked! Was going to make white cake but forgot to buy a third pan today so tomorrow. Can’t wait the choc. Cake was outstanding with that chocolate coco taste the lingers on bite after bite. Glad I stumble onto your blog! Thank you!
I can not wait to try this recipe as I too am wanting to get further and further away from chemicals. It sounds amazing and have already shared it without trying it out first – I shall keep my fingers crossed!!!
IMO – I also wanted to say that I find it absolutely horrible how some people will voice their opinion of how something turned out that they have tried to repeat when making something regardless of what it is, crocheting, knitting, baking, etc. I do not understand why people have to be so rude and indigent if something doesn’t turn out the way THEY think it should, everyone makes mistakes, yet, immediately try to place the blame on someone else. Maybe it was the weather, maybe the products being used are old, what ever the case may be they DO NOT have to be rude. Disappointed is okay I can appreciate that, but rudeness, please!!! Even seasoned, experienced, professional bakers have bad days and failures, although, to take their frustrations out on others just shows immaturity and lack of consideration of the attempt the author made to give to others for FREE. Shameful!!!
Hello I was just wondered if this recipe needs to be altered for an 8x4in pan. The cooking time would increase right.
I make this cake a minimum of 2 times a week. My customer’s love it. Go yo the original recipe of 1/2 tsp. Baking powder and 1 cup buttermilk. I find it works better. I cut back the shortening as well. Either omit it or just use 1/4 cup. It works better for me. I wanted to ask you why she couldn’t be seventh generation from the south?
I made this cake yesterday along with the frosting recipe for my son’s birthday. We loved it, just what I’ve been looking for. The cake did crust up on top, no big deal because you are turning it upside down to frost the cake and actually I liked it a little crispy. This cake is heavier, similar to a pound cake. The frosting was really good too, I made it using 4 cups of confectioner sugar and I could of used a little more. Thank you for a great recipe, it is delicious !
So I tried making this recipe into cupcakes and I don’t know what happened as I have no problem with the cake (I’ve made this cake 3 times with no issues, but the cupcakes caved in! Any ideas?
I used one cup of Lactaid whole milk instead of whole milk/buttermilk. I added a half teaspoon of cream of tartar to make sure it would rise because of the lack of buttermilk. I also substituted coconut oil for the vegetable shortening. My cupcakes turned out great.
I made rainbow cupcakes out of this recipe and they turned out great. The best cupcakes I’ve baked in a long long time! We’ve been eating the extras without frosting. So Delicious!
Trying this recipe right now!!! It looks so good!! ๐
This is the perfect white cake as per the name, I baked this for my daughters birthday and it was super hit, its definitely a keeper! , thanks for sharing
Have it in the oven right now, can’t wait to try it!
I tried this recipe and the entire cake caved in… I thought it was just a problem with baking time, so I baked it for about 35 minutes before I decided to take it out. It definitely was too dense, and I’m wondering why this happened. I double-checked the measurements and everything was correct. Does anyone know why this happened?
The original recipe called for 1/2 tsp . Baking powder only and all buttermilk. I find it works better that way. I also took out the shortening. Youlcan even cut it back to a 1/4 cup. I think it works better myself
This also happened to me. The flavor tasted amazing, but as soon as it was removed from the pan it broke apart, and did not keep it’s shape at all. Also, the middle caved in quite a bit. It was quite disappointing.
I would like to try making a larger cake, would this recipe work if I used larger pans? Like a 12 or 14 inch pan. Thanks in advance!
I was wondering if you could use cake flour instead of all-purpose to make it lighter? Very excited about this recipe!
You can. I use White Lilyยฎ all-purpose flour, which is a very light and tender flour made of 100% soft winter wheat.
Also how far should you fill the pan with the batter when going into the oven?
You’ll divide evenly between the cake pans. I hope that helps!
I’m sorry it didn’t work for you.
ohhh this is recipe is so good!! I had been searching for the perfect vanilla cupcake and fell in love with this one! I love the taste, texture and simplicity of it, thanks so much for sharing!
Hi,
This cake looks delicious and I’d love to try baking it but I live in france and I cant find any vegetable shortening! Is there anything I can replace it with without changing the cake?
Thanks
Manon
try the same measurement of applesauce
Well, I have this cake in the oven right now. I have no idea how it’ll taste baked.. but oh my word is the batter FABULOUS!!!!!! LOL. If the cake is anything like the batter, this cake is going to be amazing. I doubled the recipe for a larger cake. Boy thats alotta eggs. ๐ Thanks for sharing!!!
I just want to say that the first time I tried this recipe, I beat it on high and like the rest a crust formed, but when I tasted the cake. OMG it is by far my favorite. My client specifically asked for white cake, so this time, I only did 1/2 tsp of baking powder and I folded in the egg whites and It worked! I beat on low and I am on my 5th cake, well I am making a motorcycle cake and a 2-tiered baby-shower cake. They are coming out lovely.
Thank you Robyn!
I made this cake for my daughter’s first birthday it was delicious. Is it suitable as a base for a sugar paste topping?
I tried this recipe today for my mom’s birthday cake. It came out great! I haven’t tried the cake yet but the batter was amazing! it was so simple to make. Mine did form a crust like some of the other reviews but I’m going to cut that part off when i level it to put frosting on it anyway. ๐
thank you for sharing the recipe!
This cake has such a great taste. I didn’t see your footnotes about the beating until after I made it because my crust did something really wierd. It still tastes awesome though!
Mine rose just fine but had a substantial meringue crust. Comparing to other recipes and the egg/sugar nature of the crust, I wonder if there is an excess egg and too much sugar. It’s a shame as the taste was amazing and super moist. I was careful not to overbeat and folded in the last streaks of flour.
So, I tried the recipe again and stopped beating after I added the sugar. I gently stirred in the eggs, liquid and flour and the crust situation was much better–the edges are a bit crunchy but much less so. It’s not the finest-textured cake but has a pleasantly moist, damp crumb and a hearty sort of old-fashioned taste. Will make again!
Rats! My daughters 5th birthday party tomorrow…its now 11:22pm…and my cake flopped…caved…was hoping for a miracle…smells good tho…will have to try again.
So sorry it didn’t work for you, Julie.
Made this today but used my gluten free flour and it was such a wonderful cake! It rose beautifully. Thank you for sharing this with me, it was so delish! I have already given the recipe out to people because they loved it too. Truly moist and yummy, this too will be my “go to” cake recipe.
Jenn, what kind of gluten free flour did you use?
My cupcakes did the same thing…the batter ran and then caved in. But the cake turned out perfectly!!
I’ve made this cake twice. I live at altitude and am wondering if there’s an adjustment for oven temp. and baking time. Both tiimes I’ve had to bake for a lot longer than called for (45-50 min.) the batter rises and falls and the cake is uneven. Please help resolve. The cake tastes wonderful, I’ve used the pieces mixed with fruit and whipped cream (rather than a beautiful cake). Thanks
Like so many other people the center of my cake would NOT bake! And everything was done on the sides. So I lowered (that’s right LOWERED) the temp of the oven to 330 and added at least 30 minutes and it FINALLY cooked! Tasted delicious. To give some insight I am in a very humid environment but do a good job at keeping my house less humid with dehumidifiers and AC. But it still seeps in. So if this is you, or you are having this problem, lower the temp on your oven and keep cooking. You can always level the top if it gets a little burnt. Hope this helps someone!
The taste of the cake is 5 stars. The recipe needs to be edited to reflect the issues people are having and advise them to lower the temp of the oven if they are having this issue. So I’m giving it a 4 star. It’s worth making, just keep an eye on it!
This cake is awesome.I made a few adjustments however: 1) 3 teaspoon double acting baking powder since requires 3 cups flour, 2) 6 eggs, 3) fat free milk
Love this cake. I have made it several times. I tried the new adaption and baked the same to me. I also have tried it with one teaspoon vanilla bean paste and one teaspoon vanilla extract. Yum!!! My husband thinks it taste like a Danish cookie. He is the only one to say something negative about it. Thanks!
I’m very excited to try this recipe, but I wanted to know if this would work for a 9×13 pan? Thanks
I made this cake today, exactly as it was written and it came out great. It had a really good flavor and texture. The only thing I would do differently is use two cake pans, instead of three. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Despite reading the comments that the cupcake version of this recipe wouldn’t work, I decided to try it anyway, and they came out great!! I filled the cupcake tin halfway, because filling it 3/4 made the batter run over the top when baking. I also adjusted the baking time to 22 minutes. The cupcakes didn’t cave in and tasted wonderful! Definitely will be making these again!
All I can say is WOW!!!! I made this recipe into cupcakes and they are the best vanilla cupcakes I have ever made. The taste and texture are perfect. Also it is really hard to make a moist vanilla cake from scratch for some reason, but this one is so moist its amazing. Thanks so much for the recipe. I’ve stopped looking for the perfect vanilla cake recipe because this is it!!!!!
Awesome texture. Very nice flavor, but waaaay too sweet!!! Even the sweet tooths in my family thought it was too much. I will make again but with much less sugar.
I’ve been looking for a nice white cake to make for my son’s graduation. I tried this about a month ago and the flavor is wonderful. It wasn’t super moist but since I’m making this for an outdoor party at the end of June, I think it’s going to hold up really well. I froze a layer to see how well it would freeze and it was just as delicious after a few weeks in the freezer. In fact, that layer was more moist. I think this will work perfectly.
I tried the recipe twice and although the cake is good and has good texture, it was too sweet. This cake reminds me of a pound cake. But other than that, I would make it again with less sugar.
I followed all measurements and this turned out amazing. By far the best vanilla cake recipe I’ve tried. Tonight, I made it into a strawberry-rhubarb upside down cake. Same recipe still worked great.
Have tryed this 3 times first time was with 1/2 t Bp as per original instructions. They were flat. 2nd time was with 2 t bp and 1 c buttermilk. Which was quite dry. 3rd time I added 1 more t Bp and only 2 cups suger with the half n half milk n buttermilk. And put it into 2 tins instead of 3 and it was perfect !!! ๐
I’m making this right now in a 9×13 at 350….
how long should I bake it for? Help!! Thank you!
How long did you bake? Did it turn out?
I made this as cupcakes, whipped them up by hand, and the first time, the cupcakes overflowed, turned out flat, and then got burned to the pan. I had a little bit of batter left, put it in the fridge for the next day, and when I made two cupcakes out of that, they turned out great! Rose and everything! I know my oven has some issues with heat direction (my cookies always turn out awesome, but my cupcakes and cakes sometimes get too dark or burned on the bottom if I don’t put a cookie sheet on the next rack down to ward off some of the heat), but I also made your best chocolate cupcakes ever and they were AMAZING!!!! I tried this recipe again, borrowing a friend’s mixer (I wanted to make some italian buttercream, and really didn’t want to do it again without a standing mixer!), and they did turn out flat again with a slight crust, they were still very tasty, even though they overflowed a bit. I feel like I’m either putting too much in the liners, or it’s something to do with the temperature of the batter when I get them in the oven. I have some more batter left….going to try again with it refrigerated overnight, and see if they don’t overflow. Having them flat isn’t too bad – I think it gives a good, level base for some amazing frosting decorations. ๐ Thank you for the recipe. It’s so tasty, I really hope it works out! I am doing some test runs for a BBQ next month for a friend. The chocolate ones were perfect. It was the best chocolate cupcake I probably have ever had. And I don’t even love cake all that much (I’m a pie girl)!
Thanks again, and for any of you still having rising issues, maybe try putting the batter in the fridge overnight!
P.S. I actually rated this recipe 3 stars because of the issues I’ve had…not sure why the review says I did 5!
Thanks so much for your feedback about the putting the batter in the refrigerator overnight! Such a great tip! I’m not sure about the rating issue as I can’t see or do anything with the ratings. Wish I could be of more help on that!
Hi, this recipe can be made for a funfetti cake???
Thanks for sharing!!! ….
I tried this cake and I just loved it!!!!
Cannot wait to try this cake ! This might seem like an awfully crazy question but where did you get that lovely cake stand? That is not an authentic mil glass is iit? A reproduction? I love it !!!
Thanks! Yes, it is an original milk glass. It has been in my family for years. I hope you love the cake!
I used this recipe because I fell in love with your chocolate cake recipe. I loved that cake so much because the batter was runny, and rose a lot. But this cake, was very very thick. And I’m questioning if I did anything wrong. And it only filled two circle pans. I’m excited to eat the cake, but I was hoping for a more volumous cake that I couldn’t have sculpted into the shape I need. I guess I can turn to your chocolate cake recipe for when I need a bigger cake.
So I baked it even though the batter was thick, and nothing rose. But it resulted in two very thin, dense cakes. They were thick to cut, and broke part easily. But your chocolate recipe is fantastic!
My family loved this cake! This was my first white cake from scratch. It did remind me of a pound cake, but came out great! I did bake at 15 degrees lower temp! Will make cake again! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
Just one quick FYI that might be helpful to those of us who had problems: White Lilly brand AP flour has a significantly lower gluten content than other name brand AP flours, so if you want results like the author,you will need to use cake flour instead.
I’m baking cupcakes using your recipe as I write, and I was overjoyed at how the batter came out. I made regular sized cupcakes using an ice cream scoop (easier to measure) and I was wondering if you had any tips to transform this beautiful cake into a chocolate or spiced cake. I’ve read the replys that some people have had problems, and though I did notice the batter to be slightly heavier than I’m used to, I believe this will be the greatest cake I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and I’d love to hear suggestions on making a chocolate or spiced version of this cake. Thanks again.
Hi! I am about to make this cake this morning for a wedding reception tomorrow and the guests asked if I could make it not as sweet. How could I decrease the sugar but still have a good cake? Help! ๐ it’s a wonderful cake btw.
Hello I have never made a cake from scratch. My daughter wants me to make her a cake for birthday. I need to make enough for a 12 x 18 pan . Would I just double the recipe? Can not wait to try.
I made the cake exactly as directed but with 2 layers… I had to add an extra 15 minutes for bake time… I also used a custard based butter cream… Making it the night before and chilling it was perfect. I took it out of fridge 1 hr before serving and the quote of the night was “the best white cake I’ve ever had”
Thanks for sharing!!
I’ve made cupcakes with this recipe, and they were really tasty and moist. Only thing is they were pretty heavy, in the stomach especially.
Would you recommend using just the egg whites to make them lighter??
Hi,
I tried making this cake and it was amazing! Absolutely loved the taste and the crust of my cake was sugary. Lovely.
However I also tried making your white frosting. But although I had used the paddle attachment, followed your instructions closely, sifted my icing sugar twice, and blended a really long time, my frosting is still grainy upon tasting it. How can I ensure a well blended frosting cos your frosting tastes really good.
Loved the cake… Making another one for my son’s 3rd birthday.. Cake is tender, moist and best of all very very tasty!!!!
am i the only one that cant see the previous comments? i press older comments but it stays on the same page… can anyone help. i always make sure to read all the comments before trying out a recipe.
You are not alone.I don’t see any comments either! Thinking about testing this recipe for my sons 3rd bday today!
I am trying the same thing. I want to make this for the fourth of July but want to make sure it is good before I put the effort in.
I made this the other day and it was amazing! For those who can’t read the previous comments, most were good but some people experienced it falling in the centre after taking it out in the oven. I didn’t have this issue. The cake was perfect and had a great taste. It was moist, fluffy and easy to make. I’m keeping this recipe for the future for sure.
I made this cake today and the middle sank on all 3 cakes?! what did I do wrong?
Hi Emilee,
There are a couple of reasons why a cake will sink in the center that you might want to make sure to avoid:
1. Oven temperature. Make sure that your oven is fully preheated to 350ยบ F before placing your cake into the oven. You may also want to get an oven thermometer just to verify that your oven really is at the temperature you believe it is. I previously had an oven that would change by 10ยบ F throughout baking. It was a mess.
2. Leaveners. You’ll want to make sure that your baking powder is fresh. To test, add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to about 1/3 cup of hot water. If it bubbles, it is fresh enough to use. If not, you’ll need to discard.
3. Over mixing. If a cake batter is over mixed, it can cause the cake to sink in the center while and after baking.
4. Peeking. Don’t open the oven door while the cake is baking as it will cause it to sink.
I hope this helps!
Hello! Gonna try this recipe in a few days but wondered to make it really white, could I just add the egg whites instead of the whole egg? Or would this change the recipe significantly? Also if I just wanted to make a 2 layer 9″ cake – can this recipe be trimmed down a bit to still make a great tasting 2 9″ cake? Thanks for any information ๐
could I adopt this recipe for a strawberry cake? Like adding strawberry puree and stuff. I realize I would have to adjust liquids and whatnot.
I have made this cake before and it really is spectacular.
Do you have to use the shortening because I have just never been a fan of the way it tastes. Could I substitute it for 1 stick of butter?
I would recommend substituting coconut oil if you aren’t wanting to use shortening.
Sorry if this question has been asked before, but can this recipe be made in two 9×11 pans? If so, how long would you bake for?
I’ve used as a half sheet pan for a sheet cake, but I’ve not made it in a 9×11 at this point.
This recipe sounds fantastic! Can I use this recipe in a 9 x 13 pan? It will be the “extra” cake for a bday party.
Hi Amber,
I’ve not made it as a 9×13, but I have baked it in 1/2 sheet pans as a sheet cake and it turned out beautifully.
I LOVELOVELOVE this!!!!! After a few of my own adjustments, it is now my favorite go-to recipe for cake! I love you Robyn!!! Thank you SOSOSO much!
I’m so glad you love it, Kayla!
THIS.CAKE.IS.AWESOME!!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Do you use 8″ or 9″ cake pans? What about rectangular pans? Is this enough batter for a 1/2 sheet?
Thanks!
I use three 9-inch cake pans. It does work well in a 1/2 sheet pan, which I use sometimes in place of my cream cheese pound cake when I make petit fours. Hope you enjoy it!
so I went out on a limb and tried the recipe strawberry. It turned out great. Had to alter a bit. It got lots of compliments. Next time I might add a stitch more buttermilk though.
AMAZING!!!! I used your vanilla icing as well and it was so divine! I seriously would use this for my wedding cake someday! So moist, fluffy, light, and incredibly delicious! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoy it, Ellissa!
Terrible recipe. Save yourself the time, money and trouble – pick a different cake recipe. It won’t turn out right. This is my second time (stupidly) trying this recipe. I paid super close attention this time to every detail of comment 710 from Robyn – oven fully heated and calibrated: check, fresh baking powder: check, no over mixing: check, and of course, no peeking: check. Result. Completely deflated center. It could have been a bundt cake, that’s how bad it was. And really, the texture’s no good. The cake is super crumbly. There will be no “third times a charm” here. Also, Robyn – the star rating doesn’t work – I wanted to give this 1 star, but it only let’s you do 5. HA! Definitely not happening.
Hi Jayne,
So sorry it didn’t work for you.
I made cupcakes using the new recipe and I’ve decided I prefer the old recipe for cupcakes. I see the ingredient changes but can’t remember the changes in directions. Was it just that you whipped it for several minutes after all ingredients had been added? Thanks!!! Great website.
Hi AJ,
Yes, that is correct. So glad you enjoy them!
Wow! I used the best white cake recipe with the perfect chocolate buttercream frosting recipe and my wife swore I had purchased the cake from the Marietta Fish Market! (That’s a huge compliment if you’re not familiar with that restaurant) I’m a man’s man and actually couldn’t believe I had made something that good myself! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes! I have bookmarked your site and will be back very soon! You made me a rock star in my home! Even my 8 year-old son said,”Daddy, you sure know how to make a cake!”
You just made my day, Ryan! Thank you so much for your sweet comment and I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the cake!!!
I’m hoping to make a zebra cake with this recipe… If I were to substitute the 1/2 cup milk with the equivalent in coffee, do you think this will work?
Hi.
I made this cake a few months ago, but i substituted the shortening for more butter, and used organic vanilla bean paste. Here are the results:
*pros: *moist *delicious vanilla flavour *mostly fluffy
*cons: *a bit dense *shorter layers
Right when the cakes came out i put them in the freezer for 30 min, hoping it would be moist. It did turn out very moist, but was a bit dense. I want to make this cake again, but would REALLY like fluffier, lighter, and taller layers. Because shortening is unavailable to me, do you have any other substitutions? Do you think I could put half a cup of vegetable oil? Also, what if I used 3 whole eggs and 2 egg whites, or 2 eggs and 3 egg whites? Or all egg whites? How do you think it would come out?
So sorry for all the questions, Robyn but please answer ASAP
Mine sank in the middle, I didnt spray the pan well enough and it stuck and broke apart. Even with that mess it was still the best tasting recipe! we just dipped the pieces in homemade strawberry rhubarb jelly. Holy cow it was delicious!
This cake is fantastic. I did however use cake flour rather than all purpose.
Can you substitute all purpose flour for cake flour or will this alter recipe?
You can use cake flour in place of the all-purpose flour.
Would I need to alter this at all for a 12″ round cake?
This cake looks delicious. I was just wondering if it really took 3 cups of sugar that seems like more than other recipes with similar flour/butter ratios?
This cake tastes like a sugar cookie. Really good. But even being gentle mixing the dry and wet ingredients I had a huge crust on top. :/ not sure what else to try.
I love the cake, but the outside is right “crunchy”…what did I do wrong. I am baking it in a 12” round for the bottom layer of a tiered cake and for the center to come out clean I have to bake it for 50 minutes.
Hello there. I have been searching for the perfect white cake recipe to tweek a little, and I think this is the one. I am wanting to make an orange poke cake… I am wondering what your thoughts would be about substituting the buttermilk with orange juice, since they are both acidic? Then I plan to poke and pour orange jello….and top with my stabilized whip cream (cream whipped with vanilla pudding mix) I wanted to do an orange cake and the only recipes I find, call for the dreaded “boxed cake mix”. I really think I want to give this one a shot. Wish me luck. Any feedback…is greatly appreciated!
OH MY GOODNESS this is so good! I usually use cake mix (cuz I’m lazy ๐ ) but this was so much better! I bake a LOT of cupcakes and these were amazing. I scented the sugar with lavender and made a cream cheese and honey frosting. It’s a very large batch, and they don’t rise as much as mixes do, but that leaves more room for frosting, right?
What a wonderful recipe! Just made a three layer cake with fresh orange buttercream frosting…for my hubby’s birthday. Lovely texture, super soft, turned out beautiful..Thank you so much Robyn! How do I share picture of my cake with you? ๐ X X
You are welcome to share it on Instagram and just use #addapinch in your description or post it on my facebook page as well.