This White Cake recipe is easy to make from scratch in under an hour. The cake is soft, fluffy and so delicious! You'll never want to use a box mix again!
If you've ever felt intimidated making a cake from scratch, this recipe is for you!
Unlike recipes that require complex techniques and fancy ingredients, this basic white cake recipe uses just 7 basic pantry staples. It isn't a layer cake, so it comes together much more quickly, too.
It makes a delicious cake for birthdays and holidays, or even a simple potluck dessert.
Why You'll Love This White Cake Recipe
- Better quality than a box mix. Using quality ingredients always means you'll have the best tasting cake.
- Easy to adapt and customize for whatever your occasion is.
- Incredibly moist and fluffy. The key to making a moist cake is using butter instead of oil.
If you're looking for cake with a different flavor, check out my recipes for Red Velvet Cupcakes, Key Lime Cake, or Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes.
Ingredients
See ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️
To make this easy white cake recipe, you'll need:
- salted butter: If you can afford it, I recommend using European butter rather than American-made. The high butterfat content makes it taste so much better.
- white granulated sugar
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder: This leavener (and some whipped egg whites) are the key to the fluffy texture. If you haven't used your baking soda in a while, it's best to test it for freshness.
- egg whites: If separating eggs is a challenge for you, buy a container of liquid egg whites.
- whole milk: The fat in the whole milk helps make this cake moist and tender.
- pure vanilla extract: This is an important ingredient for adding flavor. Use 100% pure extract for the best flavor.
📖 Time-Saving Tip - Testing Baking Powder for Freshness
This simple little test can save you time and money, because if your leavener is expired, whatever you're baking wont rise in the oven. This test works for baking soda and also for baking powder:
- Add about ½ teaspoon of the leavener to a small bowl. Stir in an equal amount of an acidic ingredient, like vinegar or lemon juice.
- If the solution doesn't start to bubble immediately, it's time to replace the baking powder or soda.
Substitutions
- all-purpose flour: If you can afford to buy cake flour, feel free to use it instead; it will increase the fluffiness of the white cake even more. For a gluten-free cake, substitute the AP flour with any cup-for-cup brand of gluten-free all-purpose flour. Two popular brands are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour.
- sugar: Substituting brown sugar for white sugar isn't recommended for this recipe. Brown sugar will completely change the color and flavor of the white cake.
- baking powder: If you happen to be out of baking powder, but you have baking soda and cream of tartar on hand, you can make a baking powder replacement!
To use baking soda as a substitute for baking powder, mix ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar with ¼ teaspoon of baking soda for every 1 teaspoon of baking powder. - butter: If you need or want to use unsalted butter, just add ¼ teaspoon of salt to this recipe.
Although I haven't tested them, plant-based butter substitutes should work fine. - eggs: You'll only need egg whites, but don't toss the yolks! There are lots of uses for them. You can use them to make ice cream, pudding, or a custard pie.
- whole milk: Feel free to use half-and-half. I think heavy cream will be too rich. If you need a dairy-free alternative, you can use light coconut milk.
- vanilla extract: If you need an alcohol-free flavoring, you can use vanilla essence. If you want to make a lemon cake you could use lemon extract. Or I bet it would be delicious with almond extract!
Equipment
- 8-inch square cake pan: I use these 8x8 cake pans.
- 3 medium-sized mixing bowls
- a stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Making the White Cake Recipe Step by Step
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Cream together butter and sugar, and combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Whip the egg whites in a third mixing bowl.
- Combine butter/sugar and flour mixtures with milk and vanilla extract. Gently fold in the egg whites.
- Bake in a greased 8-inch square baking pan. Cool completely, then frost/decorate as desired.
Liz's Helpful Recipe Tips
- Remember to grease your baking pan and/or line it with parchment paper. This isn't a layer cake, so most people just serve it right from the pan. Lining will help you remove nice clean slices, and make clean up easier too.
- If the batter seems dry, stir in a teaspoonful of milk at a time until it you no longer notice any dry clumps of flour.
- Whip the egg whites well. You want to create a lot of air in the egg whites. If they aren't whipped long enough, the cake could end up being dense.
- Perform the toothpick test to determine doneness. A minute or two before the baking time is up, poke a toothpick into the center of the white cake. If the toothpick comes out dry (a few moist crumbs is fine), remove it from the oven.
Decorating Ideas
The homemade cake is a blank canvas, you can decorate it however you like! Just be sure to let it cool completely before adding any frosting! My favorite way to decorate it is with a layer of Homemade Buttercream Frosting and some rainbow sprinkles!
If you aren't a big fan of frosting, serve the cake topped with slices of grilled pineapple and/or some homemade whipped cream.
You can also use the unfrosted cake to make Starbucks Cake Pops, Halloween Cake Pops or one of these Easy Holiday Truffles Recipes.
White Cake Recipe Variations
Bake cupcakes instead. Use this recipe as the base for 12 standard size white cupcakes or 18 mini cupcakes. Simply use a muffin tin and liners instead of a cake pan. You’ll want to reduce the baking time a bit, though. Check for doneness at 15 minutes and bake longer if needed.
Make a yellow cake: If you would like to convert this recipe to make a yellow cake, use 3 eggs instead of 4, and use the entire egg instead of just the whites. You can skip the whipping part for the eggs as well and just incorporate the eggs into the wet ingredients.
Storing and Freezing
Storing: Wrapped tightly in an airtight container, you can store the cake at room temperature for about 4 days. If you keep it in the fridge, it will last a couple of days longer, but the frosting won't be as fluffy.
Freezing: We don't recommend freezing the white cake with frosting. If you are going to freeze it, wrap it unfrosted. Use a double wrap of plastic wrap and aluminum foil. The frozen cake will be fine for a couple of months. Keep it wrapped and let it thaw at room temperature before decorating it and/or serving.
White Cake From Scratch Recipe FAQs
White cake is made with only egg whites, not egg yolks, giving the cake a paler color. Vanilla extract adds flavor to the cake.
The key to a moist and fluffy cake is fat and eggs. Using a strong source of fat like butter, combined with whipped egg whites helps to create a fluffy cake.
While both milk and water will make a cake more moist, milk is a better choice. Milk has fat, which gives cake a better flavor and consistency.
Other Easy Cake Recipes
Here are some of my favorite easy cake recipes:
- Moist Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake
- Cinnamon Bundt Cake
- Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake
- Chocolate Fudge Cake
Easy White Cake Recipe from Scratch
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour or cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 4 egg whites
- ½ cup whole milk or half-and-half
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease a square 8x8-inch pan or one 9-inch round pan. Line with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to cream together the butter and sugar. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour and baking powder to combine.
- To another large mixing bowl, add the egg whites. Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, whip the whites on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the butter/sugar mixture to the flour and baking powder mixture. Mix on low speed to combine. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract and mix again until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Using a silicone spatula, fold in the egg whites until just combined.
- Pour mixture into the greased baking pan and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake.
Video
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
- Be sure to grease the cake pan and line it with parchment. Unlike a layer cake, this type of cake is typically served directly from the pan.
- If the batter seems dry, stir in a teaspoon of milk at a time until there are no dry clumps of flour.
- To prevent a dense cake, whip the egg whites well.
Gina
Just took this out of the oven like a minute ago. Making it for the first time. It looks and smells amazing. Just one question. Do you have the recipe for the frosting that’s on your cake? I’m looking for a small batch of white/vanilla frosting? Thank you 😊
Liz Marino
I'd recommend using the frosting from this recipe for Carrot Cake Cupcakes!
pam allsup
Can I add blackberrries to this mixture?
Liz Marino
I haven't tried it yet, but I think it would work! Without trying I can't be sure! Sorry!
Josephine Browning
was really easy to make, really tasty batter, and it was cool to watch the egg whites rising. I had a great time baking it with my mom. 😊
Chelsea
I made this twice in a week last year! Today I’m trying it as cupcakes because my toddler constantly points to cupcakes in his books - hopefully it works!
n
I made this cake and for some reason the whole outside cooked but the middle was like raw as can be and I have no idea what I did
Liz Marino
Did you make any substitutions? What kind of cake pan did you use? It seems like it needed to bake for longer. I'm so sorry this happened!
Brandy K
Great recipe! Came out amazing! Made this for my husband’s birthday and he kept saying it was a really good cake. Thanks for the recipe! It’ll be a go to for sure.
Liz Marino
I'm so glad you liked it, Brandy! Thank you!
Mekell
I just made your cake recipe and it turned out FANTASTIC!! I'm so proud of myself because this is the very first cake from scratch that I have made. I just want to thank you because after searching forever I found this one and the reason I chose it is because it had all the ingredients that I had at home and it was super easy, and very good to follow.
Pepper Troop
Can't wait to try it
Pepper Troop
Can you double the ingredients to make a 13 x 9. Cake ?
Liz @ Tasty Treats & Eats
I haven't tried this but I think it would work!
Jisela Lopez
Did you use all purpose flour or cake flour because I heard there’s a difference between them and I don’t really know what it is but which one do I use??
lifebeginswithdessert
We used all-purpose flour. If you wanted to try the recipe with cake flour you would want to add an extra 3 tablespoons of cake flour. Enjoy!