How to Make a Moist White Cake Recipe

This is the best moist white cake recipe from scratch I’ve ever had. What makes it super soft is the cake flour and its amazing flavor comes from the blend of sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract. It’s perfect for birthday cakes, wedding cakes, or anytime snack cakes!

Moist White Cake Recipe

This Moist White Cake recipe makes a pure white vanilla cake with a bare note of sweet almond that’s light and airy. The recipe below makes one 9-inch layer cake with two layers or four layers if you split the cakes. Use your favorite buttercream filling and icing to make it your own special creation for any special occasion.

Homemade White Cake Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups Cake flour (250 g)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil (70 ml)
• 1 3/4 cup sugar (350 g)
• 5 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup sour cream (120 g)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1 cup whole milk (240 ml)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350℉ (177℃).
2. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans. For extra insurance line them with parchment paper as well and lightly spray them with non-stick cooking spray.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, salt, egg whites, sour cream, almond extract, and vanilla extract until completely combined.
5. Slowly stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Do not over-mix.
6. Carefully pour milk in and mix well.
7. Divide the cake batter evenly into the 2 cake pans.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes until they are baked through. If you have an instant-read thermometer it will read 210℉ (99℃)
9. Cool completely on wire racks.

Notes

To get the best results for your cakes follow these tips:

• Make sure the oven shelves are level.
• Do not let the pans touch each other.
• Bake at the correct temperature. Ovens should be calibrated if new and once a year.
• Do not open the oven while baking.

Common Cake Questions and Troubleshooting Tips

How do I know when my cake is done?

1. When a cake is done, it will shrink away from the pan slightly.
2. The top of the cake will spring back when lightly touched.
3. A toothpick will come out clean when poked in the middle.

Why are White Cakes so dry?

White cakes have much less wiggle room than other flavored cakes, like chocolate cakes, because they don’t have additional flavor ingredients that add moisture. It’s critical to get the measurement correct when making a white cake.

To ensure you get a moist white cake use a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups.

Storing your cake in the refrigerator long-term will dry it out unless it is already filled and topped with a buttercream that must be kept cold. If you must chill it, wrap it in plastic wrap. Then fill it and apply a crumb coat until you are ready for the final icing.

Why is my white cake tough?

Cakes become tough when the flour is overworked. Stirring flour too much stimulates gluten formation resulting in a tough cake.

Choosing the wrong flour can also result in a tough cake. Cake flour is the best choice. All-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and bread flour will all produce a tougher cake.

Using all butter rather than vegetable oil decreases the amount of fat (moisture) by 20%. More moisture equals a softer cake. To get the best of both (flavor and moisture) use a combo of butter and oil.

How to get the whitest moist white cake possible

Butter vs. Oil

Vegetable oil has 20% more fat (ergo increased moisture) than butter and it’s colorless. That makes it a far superior choice for a pristine white cake. If you are missing a hint of butter flavor in your cake, try adding 2 teaspoons of a high-quality butter extract.

Extracts

The most common vanilla extract is dark brown. However, the best vanilla for making a super moist white cake is clear vanilla. It has just as strong of a vanilla taste as the dark brown variety, but won’t add any additional color to the cake batter.

Eggs

Bright yellow-orange egg yolks give yellow cakes their beautiful golden color. That’s why you only use egg whites when making the whitest of white cakes.

Flour

Cake flour is lighter, softer, and finer than other flours. It’s also been bleached for extra whiteness.

Altitude Adjustments for Cake Baking

Atmospheric pressure is substantially lower at sea level than it is at high altitudes. Baking recipes must be adjusted when baking at altitudes over 2500 feet above sea level. Even 2000 feet elevations can be tricky when it comes to baking.

Below are some general guidelines for baking at higher altitudes (over 2000 feet or 610 meters). Your best results will come from your own experience but hopefully, this will give you a good direction to start with.

Leavening

Baking powder and baking sodas are the two main leveners used in baking. When baking at higher altitudes they must be decreased. Foaming and creaming methods should also be reduced so less air is incorporated in the batter.

Tougheners: Flour & Eggs

Cakes need more structure at high altitudes. Both flour and eggs must be increased to give the baked goods more protein to strengthen their structure.

Tenderizers: Fat and Sugar

Sugar and Shortening such as butter, lard, oil, margarine, and shortening (Crisco) should be decreased so the cake is firmer.

Liquids

Water boils at a lower temperature in higher altitudes and evaporates more easily. Therefore, liquids should be increased to keep the cake from drying out during and after baking. This also offsets the decrease in fat and sugar (moisturizers) and the increase in flour which absorbs moisture.

Baking Temperatures

When baking above 3500 feet (1050 meters) increase baking temperatures by 25℉ (14℃).

Pan Greasing

Cakes have a tendency to stick at higher altitudes. Remove baked cakes from pans as soon as you can and grease the pans more heavily prior to baking.

Moist White Cake Recipe Variations

Play with Flavor Extracts

I love the real flavor of a high-quality almond extract. A little goes a long way. However, if you’d like to play some other flavor replace the 2 teaspoons of almond extract in the recipe with 2 teaspoons of one of the items below.

• lemon extract, plus 1 tablespoon of lemon zest.
• rum or bourbon extract
• vanilla paste, plus 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla seeds
• butter essence (high-quality butter extract)
• rose water
• orange flower water

Playful Sprinkles!

Mixing in multi-colored sprinkles or sprinkles of just one color to your white vanilla cake can add a fun bit of drama! Mix them in at the last minute, right before the cake batter goes into the cake pans.

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