This super moist white cake recipe from scratch is the best white cake I’ve ever had. It’s made with sour cream and has a deliciously soft texture. No more looking around for a homemade white cake that’s actually moist. It’s the perfect recipe for a wedding cake or a birthday cake.
Hey there! Before you scroll, there’s lot’s of important stuff in the post!…including the FAQ section, which may answer any questions you might have about this recipe. Enjoy!
It’s an age old problem. How to get a moist white cake. You try recipe after recipe and either they taste like cornbread, the texture isn’t good, or it just isn’t moist enough. So, you end up just going for a box when you really wanted to make something with that ‘scratch wedding cake taste’.
You may have seen my Favorite Vanilla Bean Cake recipe on the blog. If not, go and check it out…it’s so moist and really tasty. It’s my favorite vanilla cake, hence the name, but I wanted to see if I could get a truly ‘white’ cake that I loved just as much and I wanted to get that wedding cake flavor.
Well I think I’ve done it. This cake is actually a white cake (I’d also consider it a vanilla cake) that is actually moist, AND it’s got that wedding cake taste.
LET’S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE CAKE INGREDIENTS:
Egg whites: So, when trying to get a cake as white as possible, I wanted to use only egg whites. Generally, using only egg whites can tend to dry out a cake a bit, so you have to add a bit more moisture, which I’ve done as well.
Butter & Shortening: Now, I like a buttery taste to my cake, but in the effort to try and get a ‘whiter’ cake, I lessened the amount of butter and substituted the rest with shortening. If you want an all butter cake recipe (using no shortening), you’ll want to check out my vanilla cake recipe.
All purpose flour or cake flour: Another thing to note is that you can use either all purpose flour or cake flour for this recipe. The amounts will differ and that’s noted on the printable recipe below.
Here’s the deal though: Using cake flour will give you a whiter cake. I’m not a scientist or anything, but I think it’s because the cake flour seems to be more bleached than the all purpose. I could be wrong, but regardless, you’ll get a whiter cake using cake flour.
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Vanilla Extract: First it’s the vanilla. You can always use clear extract to make sure it’s not adding any additional color to the batter, but I tend to use regular vanilla because honestly, it’s just better. If you can get it, try to use vanilla paste/emulsion.
Almond emulsion: Second, I added in my favorite flavor booster…almond emulsion. You’re using just a touch of it, so you won’t really get an ‘almond taste’. It just adds to the flavor. Seriously most people won’t even know you’ve added it in there…they’ll just know it tastes amazing.
Ok, if you just can’t stand the thought of adding it, or you don’t have any handy, then don’t worry, it’ll still taste good. Oh and the emulsion is much better than the extract. The extract just does not taste good to me.
Butter Extract: Lastly I added in a bit of butter flavoring. Since I’d replaced some of the butter with shortening, I wanted to add back in some flavor. Now, that part is optional, but it really seems to give it that wedding cake flavor.
The butter flavoring you can get at the grocery store is gross to me…now that’s just my opinion. I feel like Lorann’s Butter Emulsion tastes much better.
You’ll also want to check out my vanilla bean buttercream recipe…it goes perfectly with this cake, but if you’re looking for a bright white buttercream, you’ll want to check out that recipe here: Bright White Heat Stable Buttercream.
MIXING METHOD FOR THE WHITE CAKE:
You’ll be using the reverse creaming method when mixing this cake. I like using that because it helps preven over-mixing the cake batter (which can cause problems with the texture).
The reverse creaming method is just mixing the dry ingredients in one bowl and the liquid in another. Then you’ll slowly mix in the butter and shortening to the dry mixture and let it coat the flour.
You’ll then add the liquid in two parts, mixing in between. It’s really an easier way to mix a cake in my opinion.
TIPS AND FAQS FOR THE WHITE CAKE RECIPE:
No, you don’t want to do that. These do two different things.
It’s basically just fat. I use vegetable shortening like Crisco, not lard which is animal fat. This helps get the cake moist and I use this in place of most of the butter to keep the color as white as possible.
Because I like the taste of butter. You just can’t beat butter in a cake.
I don’t recommend doing that. It could get too warm and will heat up unevenly. That could mess with the texture of your cake. Just set the butter out on your counter and let it warm up to almost room temp. It’s ok if it’s a little cooler than room temp…you just don’t want it warm.
You can, but the cake won’t be as moist and the texture and taste may be a little different than the original recipe. If you can’t find sour cream, try using full fat yogurt (not the low fat kind).
No not really. Actually regular vanilla extract or vanilla bean emulsion (or paste) tastes better, but clear will help keep the cake white if that’s really an important factor for you.
No. Some people just don’t like almond taste, but I will tell you that if you haven’t tried it, you might actually like the small hint of it. A lot of people assume they won’t like it, but honestly I think it tastes different than what most people think it would taste like. And you’ll just be adding a touch of it, just enough to add a little flavor.
No, but I think it adds a little more butter flavor and that in combination with the vanilla and almond emulsion are what gives it that classic wedding cake taste.
I’ve got links just below the recipe card for the ones that I like to use.
Anymore questions? Just let me know. I’m happy to help.
Items & Tools Used for this cake:
Ok, I won’t talk your head off anymore…let’s get straight to the recipe!
**By the way, this recipe was developed and tested using volume measurements (cups etc.). I do this because most people are used to measuring, instead of weighing. You may use the metric converter button to see the weight (gram) measurements. Those numbers are estimates on weight. Your results may vary a bit if you use the weight measurements.
Moist White Cake
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or 2 3/4 cups cake flour – for an even whiter cake)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup shortening
- 1/4 cup butter (unsalted, room temp.)
- 1 cup sour cream (full fat)
- 1/2 cup milk (whole milk if you can get it)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (can use clear extract)
- 1/2 tsp almond emulsion (optional)
- 1 tsp butter extract (or emulsion) (optional)
- 6 egg whites (large eggs)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Grease and flour two 8 inch round (2 inch deep) cake pans. You could also use three 6 inch round pans.
- In a bowl, mix together the sour cream, milk, vanilla extract, almond emulsion, butter extract and egg whites.Whisk until smooth and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.Whisk together.
- Add the shortening and butter in chunks to the flour mixture.
- Mix until the flour is coated with the shortening and butter. The mixture will be crumbly.
- Add in half the liquid mixture and mix just until combined.
- Add in the last half of the liquid mixture and mix just until combined.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then mix again, only for 10-15 seconds.You want to be careful not to over-beat the batter.
- Pour into the greased and floured cake pans and bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack then cover with buttercream.
Video
Notes
This cake can be frozen for up to a month if wrapped well in plastic wrap and foil. Nutritional values are an estimate. Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the blog post, which may answer questions about substitutions. *This recipe card may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Buttercream Recipe Links: Vanilla Bean Buttercream Recipe Bright White Heat Stable Buttercream Recipe
Nutrition
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Hi Kara,
I just used this recipe,
The cake is so good. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Question: can I take off the baking powder if I want it denser?
Hi Mo, I’m so glad you liked the cake! You don’t want to take out the baking powder though because the cake may not rise properly. To make it more dense, you could add a whole egg, or you could try using 1 1/2 cups of sour cream instead of 1 cup of sour cream and the 1/2 cup of milk. I haven’t tried that out, but it might make it more dense.
Thank you, Kara.
I will try it and update this forum of the result.
Hi Kara,
I tried the recipe using 1 1/2 of the sour cream.
I also used 3 eggs instead of 6 egg whites.
So moist , dense and taste sooo good!
I don’t care about the cake being white.
Mo
That’s great to know! I’m really glad it turned out! 🙂
Hi Kara! I want to say this recipe was an hit on the cupcakes. Thank you! Also I want to make a 3 layer 6 inch cake my pans are 6×4. Would I need to double this recipe?
Hey Amanda, I’m so glad you liked the cake! Yes I’d probably double the recipe because the cake pans are taller (4 inches and not 2 inches). You might have a bit left over, but maybe not. Thanks again for the great review and comment! 🙂
Outstanding!!! I didn’t have the almond emulsion or the butter flavoring and simply excluded those but it turned out amazing! I made mine into cupcake, which made about 30.
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it! 😊
Hello,
I just tried your cake today and it turned out really dense. Any idea what went wrong? I live in Colorado, nearly a mile above sea level, could that be the problem?
Thanks!
Mel
Hi Mel, hmmm, it could be caused by a couple things. Mixing the batter too long is usually the number one cause. Using baking powder or baking soda that isn’t fresh will do it too. In your case though, I kind of have a feeling it’s altitude and probably not anything you did wrong. I’ve never baked at a high altitude before, so I don’t have much experience with that, but I’ve read things about it and I think you have to adjust the ingredients and the temperature. King Arthur Flour has a good article on how to adjust the ingredients and temperature. Here’s the link to that article: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking I wish I could help more, but being down here in Texas, I’ve no way to really test out whether different adjustments will work. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll try my best to help!
Can I use butter flavored shortening instead of the butter flavoring?
Hi Lori, you can try it although I haven’t tested that out, so I don’t know what the end result would be.
Hi, I want to make this in a 12″ cake pan would this one recipe be ok for it? I need to make a doubled layer cake so I am hoping I can make two batches one for each layer. I am excited to try this recipe for my daughters birthday coming up next week!
Hey Alicia, yes I think you’re exactly right. One batch will be enough for each 12″ cake layer, so you’ll end up making two batches. (You might have a bit of batter leftover after each layer, but you can make cupcakes out of that.) Anyway I hope your daughter’s birthday is a great success and that she has fun! I’d love to know how the cake turns out!
Thank you so much for your reply! Extra batter means mini cupcakes to help decorate her table ☺️ I’ll definitely update you with how it turns out!
The cake turned out absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Oh good! I’m so glad! 😊
This cake is the bomb!! So very moist! Loved it!!
That’s great to hear! I’m so glad you loved it! 😊
Can this recipe be made into a sheet cake
I have not made this in a sheet cake pan. It may be okay, but I just haven’t tried it. Depending on how thin the sheet pan is, you’ll want to at least double the recipe, maybe even triple it or more…just depends on how deep your pan is. Essentially this one recipe will make enough for a 13×9 inch pan which is a quarter sheet cake. If the sheet cake pan you’re using is very thin, you’ll need to watch your baking time very closely as it will bake quickly.
Hi!! I have 9 in pans but am dying to make this cake- what modifications do you think I could make to make it work out?! Thank you!
Corinne, it should bake just fine in 2, 9 inch pans. The layers will be a little thinner, but it’ll be okay. I would start checking for doneness about 10 minutes earlier, just to make sure you don’t over bake it though.
I am going to use this for cupcakes….is there any alteration you would make?
Hi Beth, yes… fill the cupcake wrappers just slightly over half full. Bake at 350 degrees, not 325. Start checking them at about 20-25 minutes although you might need a bit more baking time than that.