Use This Recipe to Make the Best Two-Layer White Cake

By
Danilo Alfaro
Danlio Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
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Updated on 07/20/21
White Cake recipe
The Spruce
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
308 Calories
10g Fat
51g Carbs
5g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 308
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 13%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 2mg 1%
Sodium 246mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 51g 18%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 26g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 126mg 10%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 87mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

A white cake is made with egg whites (no yolks), which gives the cake a beautiful snow-white color. I prefer vegetable oil to shortening or butter for this recipe, since it makes the cake moister, and we lose a bit of moisture without the egg yolks.

Ingredients

  • 2 2/3 cups cake flour

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar

  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 4 large egg whites

  • 1 1/4 cups milk

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    White Cake Recipe
     The Spruce

  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans. It can help to line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper cut to fit pan.

    White Cake Recipe
     The Spruce

  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, oil, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and half the milk and mix until blended.

    White Cake Recipe
     The Spruce

  4. Add egg whites and the rest of the milk and whisk until everything is blended.

  5. Pour batter into prepared pans and transfer them to oven.

    White Cake Recipe
     The Spruce

  6. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, or with a crumb or two attached. You can start testing after 27 minutes because it's better to check too soon than to overbake.

    White Cake Recipe
     The Spruce

  7. Cool cakes for 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack, then loosen edges by running a knife along side. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool for at least another hour before frosting.

    White Cake Recipe
     The Spruce

Tips

  • If it's been more than six months since you bought the baking powder in your pantry, replace it. Baking powder loses its potency quickly, and your cake won't rise properly if it's too old. (The same is true of baking soda, but this white cake recipe doesn't happen to use any.)
  • Don't skip the cooling process for the cakes before you frost them. If you don't wait until they are fully cooled, you run the risk of having the frosting melt off.

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