The Cake Merchant

Fluffy White Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Cake, glorious cake!

Purple Vanilla Birthday Cake-3

It’s hard to believe that until recently, I rarely made vanilla cakes from scratch. In fact, I rarely made them at all. I found them to be too tempermental, bland in taste, and not worth the effort. All I can say in my defense is, what was I thinking?! It’s true, when not done right, vanilla cakes can be dull and dry, but they can also be magnificent! The recipe I’m sharing today is my favorite so far. It’s light, fluffy, and full of vanilla flavor.

I think that the turning point came for me when I got a kitchen scale. If you bake often, it’s worth the investment. Your cakes will turn out so much better if the measurements are accurate. I do everything by weight when I bake now, especially cakes. The results are so much more consistent. Oh, and if you don’t want your cake to be dry, don’t over bake this cake. Dry cakes are a sad, sad thing.

Vanilla Cake

The original recipe, from The Cake Bible, makes two 9-inch layers, but I scaled it down to fit two 7-inch round pans. I love my 7-inch pans. They’re just the right size to make a cake for a small gathering. They’re also just big enough to make a proper looking birthday cake that’s not too diminutive (although I have nothing against diminutive desserts). This recipe will also work in 8-inch pans, but it won’t be as tall, and you may need to adjust the baking time by a few minutes.

I also added a healthy dose of vanilla bean paste to the batter, since I love flecks of vanilla bean in my cake. It just makes it feel more…vanilla-y. If you want a whiter cake, you can use clear vanilla extract, but if you’re going for taste, use the good stuff.

Vanilla Cake

While I love a good vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream, my friends prefer the American variety. I was only 1/5 of the equation eating this cake, so I compromised and went with a not to sweet American Buttercream. However, I had to have my way when it came to the color, and in true Cake Merchant fashion, it had to be purple.

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Fluffy White Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Yield: One 2 layer 7-inch cake

Ingredients

    For the cake:
  • 3 large egg whites (90 grams), at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup (160 ml) milk
  • 2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (200 grams) sifted cake flour
  • 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (13 grams) baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
    • For the frosting:
  • 3 1/2 sticks (28 tablespoons or 396 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups (313 grams)  powdered sugar, sifted
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
  • 3-4 tablespoons (15-20 ml) heavy cream (or milk)
  • food coloring of your choice (optional)

Instructions

    For the cake:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Line 2 7-inch round
  2. In a bowl, combine the egg whites, 1/4 cup of the milk, and the vanilla bean paste.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using the paddle attachment, beat on low for 30 seconds to combine.
  4. Add the butter and remaining milk and beat on low until moistened. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and for 90 seconds.
  5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the egg mixture in 3 separate additions, beating on medium after each addition.
  6. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans (I used a scale to do this). Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  7. Cool the cakes on wire racks for 10-15 minutes. After they are slightly cooled, run a knife around the edge of the pan, and invert the cakes onto the wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.
    8. For the frosting:
  8. With an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it becomes pale and creamy (2-3 minutes).
  9. Add the powdered sugar and salt and beat on low until combined. Turn up to medium and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes.
  10. Add the vanilla extract and beat on medium, about 3 minutes.
  11. Add the cream 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Add the food coloring, one drop at a time until you reach the desired color. Beat until the food coloring is fully incorporated.
    12. Assembly
  12. Place one layer of the cake on an 8-inch cake board. Place 1 cup of the frosting on top, and spread evenly with a palette knife. Place the second layer on top of the first.
  13. Place a generous scoop of frosting on the top of the cake, and spread evenly across the top of the cake. Work your way around the sides until the entire cake is covered with a thin layer of frosting. I find that a turntable is helpful when frosting a layer cake. Let the crumb coat set in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
  14. Once the crumb coat has set, spread a thicker layer of frosting on the top and sides of the crumb coat to create a smooth finish. Use the leftover frosting to pipe onto the cake and top with sprinkles.
https://cakemerchant.com/2013/02/26/fluffy-white-cake-with-vanilla-buttercream-frosting/

Notes:
Cake recipe adapted from The Cake Bible
Don’t open the oven too early. If you want to open the oven to check on the cake while it is baking, wait at least 20 minutes before you do, or the cake may fall.
A kitchen scale and an oven thermometer are invaluable tools when it comes to baking cakes.
My favorite video tutorials on crumb coating and smoothing a cake are from Zoe Bakes.
I use a turntable and an offset spatula for frosting the cake.
I used two of these 7-inch pans for making this cake.

Comments

  2. LOVE! Can you please teach me your cake assembly/decorating/photographing secrets? I just made a cake for my friend’s birthday that was butt-ugly. But actually. Your frosting looks so perfect I thought it was fondant! Good to know that you love your 7″ cake pans–I feel like I should invest in some because my 9-inchers always feel too big for occasions other than a giant bday party. And I got a kitchen scale for Christmas so I really should start using it! The only problem is a lot of the recipes I use don’t use weight measurements…would you recommend the Cake Bible as a cake cookbook?

    Reply

    • Thanks, Erika! What tools do you use to frost your cake? I’ve added some links to the ones I use at the bottom. I took some cake decorating classes, and each cake I made got a little bit better, but the tutorials I linked to are super helpful as well. To be honest, this cake was not perfectly smooth. I just didn’t take a picture of the side that looked messy!
      My favorite cakes have come from the Cake Bible and Baking Illustrated. Both use weight measurements, and both have explanations that go with each cake. Hope that helps!

      Reply

      • Haha um well…to be completely honest, I use butter knives, spatulas, and whatever else happens to be lying around. I just don’t understand how to use offset spatulas even though everyone raves about them! Thanks for pointing out your links–I missed them the first time but I will definitely check them out! And super helpful book recommendations, thanks! 🙂

        Reply

  5. This has to be the most beautiful cake I’ve ever seen Natasha! It’s like a piece of art! I’m glad you added extra vanilla. I always tend to do so when I’m baking white cakes or cupcakes. I am now drooling all over my keyboard. I want a huge fat slice for dessert right now!!

    Reply

  7. Um, HELLO?! You absolutely are not allowed to dangle such scrumptious, amazing looking cakes in front of us when we have no chance to partake in scarfing said cakes down!!! Otherwise…awesome! I love the hue of the buttercream, and the decadent swirls and sprinkles on top. The inside looks so fluffy and moist too. Just, UGH. Fedex me some, please. <3

    Reply

  8. Hi Natasha! Thanks for visiting my blog! Nice to meet you! I came to your blog and the first thing I saw was this amazing cake! WOW…so gorgeous! It does look fluffy and delicious. One day I hope to make a cake like this. 🙂

    Reply

  9. Oh, I love white cake, but haven’t made or eaten it in forever, as it’s quite hard to find unless baking it yourself. I need to get to work. It looks delightful – the purple frosting doesn’t hurt either! I love Italian buttercream and almost never make American buttercream anymore, particularly for a cake as lovely as this.

    Reply

  12. Loved the recipe, my cake came out perfect using the weight measures!

    I kept mine plain old white and added skor bits to the sides and some coloured sugar to the top. Thank you very much for posting.

    Reply

  13. I baked this ‘fluffy white cake’ and I followed it exactly to the recipe and it was hard, thin and not fluffy at all!! I’m very disappointed:(

    Reply

    • I’m sorry it didn’t turn out well for you. This recipe is from The Cake Bible, and I’ve made it many times with great results. Did you weigh your ingredients, and were all your ingredients at room temperature? Oven temperature or over mixing also may have something to do with your results. If you want help troubleshooting, send me an email.

      Reply

  14. I just made this recipe into cupcakes and it is honestly the best vanilla cake recipe I have ever used. it’s now in my personal recipe journal and will be the only one I use when wanting a white cake. thank you thank you thank you

    Reply

  15. Hello,
    thank you for sharing this recipie. It looks lovely but i just have one question.
    Is the flour measurement before or after sifting?
    I have made this for a friends wedding and I hope I’ve got it right!

    Reply

  16. The best vanilla cake ever. I’ve just baked & decorated it. The softest ever.
    I just added alil more milk & an extra egg white because the batter wasn’t runny

    Reply

  17. Your recipes & ideas are so similar to the ones I see on Rosie’s blog which is called sweetapolita. Your cakes even look like hers and the recipes are very similar. Ill let her know about your blog & let her decide for herself.

    Reply

    • Your comment probably wasn’t intended this way, but I’ll take it as a compliment. I’m a big fan of Rosie’s blog, and I don’t think my cakes look nearly as good as hers. However, she did not invent the reverse creaming method. This recipe is from the Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum.

      Reply

    • Double cream in the UK has a higher fat content than heavy cream. It’s not available here in the US (although I wish it were) and I’ve never tried it in frosting before. You can substitute milk for the cream.

      Reply

  19. Hi! I just tried your cake recipe a couple days ago for some cupcakes and they turned out really well! I was just wondering if you had measurements or any suggestions as to how to convert the recipe to make two 9 inch cakes since those are the only size pans I have. Thank you!!

    Reply

    • If you multiply the ingredients by 1.5, you will have enough for 2 9-inch round cakes. Ex. instead of 2 cups of flour, you will need 3, etc.

      Reply

  21. Hello, would it also be possible to bake the cake as a whole and then cut it into two, or is that not advisable?

    Reply

  22. Hi. The cake is beautiful! My question is (and I am currently measuring out ingredients to bake this for my son’s 1st birthday party tomorrow…) how much flour am I actually using? Because 200 grams is not equal to 2 cups…it’s 400 grams. I don’t want to end up with a dense cake. Thanks so much!

    Reply

  23. I baked this cake for a birthday and filled it with pastry cream and strawberries, with a white chocolate swiss meringue. It was fantastic! I am always so nervous about trying new cake recipes, and with working 20 hours in two days I had little room for error. But this cake held up so nicely and had lovely flavour, not too sweet or not oily or crumbly. I didn’t have 7 inch pans so I had used 8, as mentioned in the post, the layers were a bit thin so next time I think I will double the recipe. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  25. you should put the note that says to keep the cakes in the oven for 20 minutes more in the directions, my cakes have now completely sunk to flat circles because I did not see the note!

    Reply

  27. This cake was amazing!!! I loved how fluffy and tender it was with just 3 egg whites instead of other recipes that called for more! The only suggestion I would make would be to decrease the amount of sugar, as I found it a bit sweet. I almost always prefer less sweet desserts though so that’s just my taste. Thanks for the recipe!!

    Reply

  29. Hi there,
    I made this cake for my friend and we really find your cake wonderful, light and just exactly what I was looking for. And for the 1st time I was able to please my husband with it. I usually use all purpose flour before and it is yummy but not light so when I found your recipe, I was really happy. So in 2 weeks, I decided I will use this recipe for 3 more cakes for my friends and my son’s birthday but ended up having a very dry cake, hard, and crumbly. I feel very disappointed to myself that the 3 other cakes are bad while my first try was perfect and cannot figure out where was I going wrong.. Please help.. 🙁 When you say not to overbeat, will all the butter be totally gone or will there be little pieces still visible? I’m trying to see why it happened…all 3 cakes were 6 batches of this recipe.. and all are bad.

    Reply

  30. I so badly wanted to like this cake. I made it with the intention of using 2 6″ rounds. I divided the batter as instructed and the tins were only half full, telling me I would not get a 2″ high cake. I’m curious as to the 7″ rounds used in the demo. Anyway, the cake cut great. No crumbs, felt kind of moist to the fingertips. Unfortunately, it tasted dry. No one wanted to finish it. I threw away a lot of cake.

    Reply

  31. Hi there! Thank you so much for the fabulous recipe. I just made it and it tasted heavenly (I think I’ve fallen in love with a cake). I had my dad try it and we both liked it as is (without the frosting). It’s perfect because it’s light, fluffy, and not too sweet. Thanks again for the amazing recipe. A keeper.

    Reply

  32. I didn’t really like how the cake part turned out, it was really eggy and not the consitancey I wanted out of a cake. And my frosting came out to buttery so it just tasted like salty-butter icing, I tyres to make it taste better but I ended up over wipping it. So sorry I give it a 3/10 in this recipe, thank you

    Reply

  33. Hi! I’m glad I stumbled upon your site! There’s too many tasty recipes to chose from. I love fluffy cakes so settled on this one. Im just wondering for the milk, do you use skim or whole or…?

    Reply

  34. Hello!

    The recipe states:
    2 cups (200 grams) sifted cake flour
    1 cup (200 grams) sugar

    i.e. 200 grams flour (2 cups) and 200 grams sugar (1 cup). Is it supposed to be 2 cups sugar?

    Thanks, can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

  35. Hi!
    I’m curious to know how many cupcakes this recipe will yield? I absolutely loved this cake recipe when I tried it for the first time and don’t want to divert from it!

    Reply

    • I know I have used this recipe for cupcakes. I remember reducing the baking time, but I don’t remember how many it makes.

      Reply

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