I love a good white cake (some call it “plain cake” or “vanilla cake”. But sometimes I just want it for a snack and don’t want to make a layer cake. In those moments, this is my favorite recipe!
There are only 8 ingredients and it can be in front of you in just under an hour! Note that this recipe is made in an 8×8 pan.
What is the frosting?
For the frosting, I used this whipped buttercream recipe and divided it in half (cut the recipe in half)
Do I Have to Use Almond Extract?
You’ll notice that I listed almond extract as optional. I am a HUGE fan of almond extract in white cake and absolutely love the freshness that it adds to this delicate cake. If you would prefer to not use it, simply omit it from the recipe.
Do My Ingredients Need to Be Room Temperature?
Yup! It really does make a difference. (More info on that in my Best Yellow Cupcakes blog post) To quickly warm milk you can pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds. To warm eggs, just let them sit in a cup of warm water for about 5 minutes.
How to Serve White Cake
One thing I love about this cake is how easily adaptable it is. You can serve it with fresh fruit, a dusting a confectioners sugar, chocolate frosting, or even no frosting! You can add raspberry extract, peppermint extract, orange extract, or add some lemon zest and lemon juice. The possibilities are endless!
PREP TIME : 15 MINS
COOK TIME : 38 MINS
TOTAL TIME : 53 MINS
This delicious White Cake Recipe hits the spot when you have a craving for cake!
Ingredients
- ▢½ cup (113g) butter, softened
- ▢1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- ▢½ cup (123g) whole milk, room temperature
- ▢1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢¼ teaspoon pure almond extract, optional
- ▢1½ cups (180g) cake flour
- ▢2 teaspoons baking powder
- ▢4 large (120g or 4 ounces) egg whites, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 8×8 square pan with butter and flour or baking spray.
- Beat butter at medium speed with a hand-held mixer until creamy, roughly 3-4 minutes.
- Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
- Stir together milk and vanilla. (If you are adding almond extract, add it here)
- Sift together flour and baking powder; add to butter mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition.
- Beat egg whites at medium speed until stiff peaks form; gently fold into batter. Pour batter into prepared pans.
- Bake at 350° for 35-38 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Optional: Cover with white frosting.
