Moist White Cake Recipe
The best homemade white cake recipe! Tips on how to make a moist white cake from scratch. This cake holds up well to layering and frosting for birthday cakes and fruit cakes.
Servings: 15
Calories: 549kcal
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3/4 cup egg whites plus 3 tablespoons This is about 6-7 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or almond extract
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 3/4 cups cake flour*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup whole milk
For the buttercream:
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment until they are stiff and form peaks. This may take a minute or two. Pour the egg whites into another bowl and place them in the refrigerator until you're ready to add them to the batter.
- Place the softened butter in a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer) and cream or about 2 minutes until it is white in appearance. 1/2 cup salted butter
- Add the sugar to the butter and beat with the paddle attachment until fluffy (about another 1-2 minutes). 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- Add the vegetable oil, vanilla and sour cream. Mix well. 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup sour cream
- Add 2 cups of the flour, plus the salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix just until barely combined. 2 3/4 cups cake flour*, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Add in half the milk and mix until combined. Then mix in the remaining flour, then the last of the milk. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. 1 cup whole milk
- Add the stiffly beaten eggs to the cake batter. Fold the egg whites in gently. Do not over mix at this point.
- Grease and flour 2 8" round cake pans. Line with parchment paper to ensure the cakes come out cleanly. Pour the cake batter equally into the prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes at 350ºF for 27-30 minutes or until the top bounces back when you touch it.
- Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges and remove them from the pans to a cooling rack, allowing them to cool completely.
- In a stand mixer bowl, using the paddle attachment and on medium speed, whip the butter for 2 minutes until it is almost white in color. 1 cup salted butter
- Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk. Beat on low speed for 3-5 minutes, adding in the last tablespoon of milk if the buttercream needs to be thinner. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during the mixing to ensure no clumps 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 4 cups powdered sugar, 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- Place one cake layer on a cake plate. Spread with vanilla frosting. Then place the second layer on top. Frost the top and outsides of the cake with frosting. Decorate with sprinkles if desired.
Notes
This was originally the same as our almond cream cake recipe (except with vanilla), but was updated on February 17, 2026 to be more user friendly and moist! The original recipe called for 1 cup of butter, no oil and no sour cream. The rest was is the same.
Store covered at room temperature. Freeze any leftover cake in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.
*The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of unfrosted cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 549kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 292mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 666IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 0.3mg
