A Favorite Classic White Layer Cake

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After a few months of experimenting, I found the perfect and most amazing and Sassy Classic White layer Cake recipe. It’s fine, moist, light and airy cake easily makes it a family favorite white layer cake recipe. 

We’ve covered an easy yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting and a 3 layer chocolate cake. Now it’s time to make a classic favorite, a white layer cake with white buttercream frosting.

I’m really excited to share this recipe with you because white layer cakes are one of my personal favorites! I love being able to add different frosting flavors to a white cake. Try it with a Chocolate Buttercream frosting instead of white buttercream frosting. With or without sprinkles, fresh fruit or nuts. Either way, it’s fantastic! 

This cake is delicious and so easy to make! Want a 3-layer white cake? Just reduce the pan size and spread the cake mixture between 3 pans. 

Classic White Layer Cake Tips

Lining the Cake Pans - I highly recommend lining the cake pan bottoms with parchment paper for two reasons. One, it helps to prevent a thicker crust from forming on the bottom. Two, it makes getting your cake out of the pan in one piece a lot easier. If you don’t want to use parchment paper, you can use butter and flour to grease your pans. 

Ingredients at Room Temperature - You’ll notice that several of the ingredients in this recipe listed as being “room temperature.” When baking cakes, I prefer the ingredients at room temperature because it will give you a better texture to the cake at the end. 

Milk Tricks to bring it to Room Temperature - I don’t like leaving milk sitting out to get to room temperature. The easiest trick with milk is to warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds. This will have the same effect as bringing it to room temperature. 

Vanilla Extract or Almond Extract - To help keep your white cake, white. I like to use clear vanilla extract. Vanilla extract will give you that slightly vanilla taste. However, some people prefer Almond extract. The almost extract is clear, so it will also give you that white cake look. Some people aren’t fond of the almond taste or feel the flavor is too strong. But if you like almonds, then you can use almond extract. You’ll want to reduce the amount of extract in half in this recipe. 

Cake Frostings - The best thing about white cakes are the versatility with different flavored frostings. Do you like white cake and chocolate frosting? Then use my Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Want a true white cake with white frosting? Then use my White Buttercream Frosting. 

Cake Fillings - Just like the frostings for white cake, you can mix and match the fillings. I made this cake using my cake recipe and White Buttercream Frosting recipe in between the layers and the outside of the cake. However, you can mix and match fillings. Want to use a Lemon Curd? Raspberry Jam? There are so many fillings that you can experiment with your own personal taste preferences. 

Is Vanilla Cake and White Cake the same thing? 

You would think they would be the same thing, right? But they are very different in taste. 

The main difference between vanilla and white cakes is that a white cake uses egg whites. A vanilla cake uses the whole egg. A vanilla cake also has a slight yellow tint to the batter and cake.

What Tastes better? Yellow or White Cake? 

Yellow cakes have more of a richer buttery old fashioned pound cake flavor. The yellow color of the batter from adding in whole eggs will lighten up as it bakes.

White cakes are lighter both in texture and taste because these cakes on use egg whites. Combined with a clear vanilla extract or almond extract, these cakes will stay true white. 

Let's Bake

Ingredients

Unsalted Butter - This recipe calls for unsalted butter to be used at room temperature. It can take unsalted butter anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour for the butter to soften to room temperature.

Vegetable Shortening - Vegetable shortening is made from vegetable oil which makes it vegan. Basically you can have your cookies and cakes without worry. Shortening is used to bind the ingredients all together. It's flavorless until the vanilla extract is added into the mix.

Sugar - Let's face it. Sugar is the sweetness of the recipe.

Egg Whites - Using only the egg whites it makes this white layer cake, white! Like the unsalted butter, you'll want to bring the egg whites to room temperature.

The easiest way to bring your eggs to room temperature is to separate them while they are still cold. Cold eggs are easier to separate without breaking). Put the egg whites into a stainless steel bowl and set the bowl into warm water for about 5 minutes.

Clear Vanilla Extract - Clear vanilla extract will give you a white cake. If you prefer a more robust flavor, trying substituting almond extract. When using almond extract cut the amount in half of clear vanilla extract.

All-purpose Flour - Flour brings the cake to the texture you need for most cakes.

Baking Powder - Baking powder is a binder.

Salt - Just a pinch for taste!

Whole Milk - I prefer whole milk over water in my cake mixes. Whole milk will give you cake that airy light taste.

Directions:

1. Cream butter, shortening and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add in egg whites
3. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until smooth.
4. Pour into the cake pans.

Printable White Layer Cake Recipe