Best Basic White Cake Recipes

BASIC WHITE LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition., Spread evenly into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Spread frosting between layers and over the top and sides of cake.

BASIC ONE LAYER WHITE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease and dust with flour a single 9-inch round cake pan for a single layer cake. Dust two if you are doubling the recipe for a layer cake.
• 2. 1. Cream the sugar, salt, and shortening together. Add the egg and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla.
• 3. 2. In another bowl, mix the flour and baking powder together.
• 4. 3. Add about one-third of the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix briefly. Add about one-third of the milk and mix. Continue twice more with the remaining flour and milk. Do not over mix. Scrape the batter into the pan.
• 5. 4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Let the cake rest in the pan for about five minutes and then remove it to a wire rack to continue cooling.

BASIC WHITE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper; butter paper, and dust with flour, tapping out any excess. Set aside.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl, and set aside. Combine milk and vanilla in another bowl, and set aside. Beat butter in the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment until pale and creamy. Add sugar in a steady stream, and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the milk mixture and starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Be careful to avoid overbeating. Set aside.
• In a clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold a third of the whites into batter until combined. Fold in remaining whites in 2 batches.
• Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with a metal spatula. Bake until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to wire rack; cool 15 minutes before unmolding. Butter wire rack. Loosen cake sides with a paring knife, and invert cake onto greased rack. Reinvert to prevent it from splitting. Cool completely before using or storing in the freezer.

BASIC SOUR CREAM WHITE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Generously grease and flour a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
• Place cake mix, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla in mixing bowl.
• Blend with mixer on low speed for 1 minute.
• Stop machine, scrape down sides of bowl.
• Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more.
• Scrape down sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined and thickened.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Place pan in oven.
• Bake the cake until it is light brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 35-40 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven and place on wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.
• Run a dinner knife around edge of cake and invert it onto wire rack.
• Allow cake to cool completely, 30 minutes.
• Frost as desired.

BASIC WHITE SHEET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 17-by-12-by-1-inch rimmed sheet pan. Line bottom with parchment, butter parchment, and dust pan with flour, tapping out any excess; set aside.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl, and set aside. Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment until it is creamy. Add the sugar to the butter in a steady stream, and continue beating until the butter is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add dry ingredients alternately with the milk and vanilla in three additions, starting and finishing with the dry ingredients; be careful not to overmix. Set batter aside.
• In a medium metal bowl or clean bowl of an electric mixer, whisk egg whites just until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter until combined. Fold in remaining whites in two batches. Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with a metal spatula. Bake until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center, about 30 minutes. Let pan cool 15 minutes on a wire rack before unmolding. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula or paring knife, and invert onto greased wire rack. To prevent the layer from splitting, invert again so that the top is up. Cool completely before assembling cake or wrapping airtight to freeze cake for later. While this layer cools, repeat steps with a second batch of ingredients for a second cake layer.
• To assemble, trim tops of each layer so they are flat. Place one layer of cake on serving platter. Set aside, covered, 1 cup of the icing for coloring. Spread top of cake layer with 1/4-inch layer of the icing, and cover with second cake layer. Frost cake, using remaining icing. Chill cake.
• Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir, using a plastic spatula, until melted. Remove bowl from heat, and set aside to cool for about 15 minutes, until no longer warm but still liquid. Roll a parchment triangle into a tight cone. Fill halfway with melted chocolate. Roll down the top of the cone like you are rolling a tube of toothpaste. Avoid overfilling, because it will be harder to pipe decorations. Remove cake from refrigerator; using sharp kitchen shears, cut a very small hole in tip of filled cone. Pipe desired decoration with chocolate; set aside for 10 minutes to set. Color remaining cup of icing, if desired; pipe designs on cake.

BASIC WHITE CAKE - TWO 12

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease two 12-inch x 1 1/2 (or 2) inch cake plans line bottoms with parchment paper grease bottom and flour entire pan.
• Prepare magic cake strips if using.
• In a medium bowl lightly combine the egg whites, 1/4 of the milk, and vanilla, beat lightly with a fork to combine In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend.
• Add the butter and remaining milk.
• Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.
• Beat for 90 seconds at medium speed to develop cake structure.
• Stop mixer, scrape down the sides.
• Gradually add the egg/milk/vanilla mixture in 3 batches, beating 20 seconds after each addition.
• Stop mixer, scrape down the sides and give it a final mix by hand.
• Pour the batter in the prepared pans and smooth surface.
• Bake 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in center.
• (The cakes should start to shrink from the sides of pans after taking them out of the oven.) Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a buttered rack.
• Reinvert cakes so that tops are right side up.
• Cool to room temperature and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

BASIC WHITE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease two 9-inch x 1 1/2 inch cake plans line bottoms with parchment paper grease bottom and flour entire pan.
• Prepare magic cake strips if using.
• In a medium bowl lightly combine the egg whites, 1/4 cup milk, and vanilla, beat lightly with a fork to combine In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend.
• Add the butter and remaining 3/4 cup milk.
• Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.
• Beat for 90 seconds at medium speed to develop cake structure.
• Stop mixer, scrape down the sides.
• Gradually add the egg/milk/vanilla mixture in 3 batches, beating 20 seconds after each addition.
• Stop mixer, scrape down the sides and give it a final mix by hand.
• Pour the batter in the prepared pans and smooth surface.
• (Pans will be half full.) Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in center.
• (The cakes should start to shrink from the sides of pans after taking them out of the oven.) Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a buttered rack.
• Reinvert cakes so that tops are right side up.
• Cool to room temperature and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

BASIC WHITE CAKE (VEGAN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place cashews and water into blender and blend until very smooth.
• Add sugar, salt, vanilla, egg replacer and lemon juice and blend again.
• Pour blended ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add flour and baking powder and mix until well combined.
• Pour batter into a 8"x8" cake pan that has been lightly sprayed with vegetable oil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until done.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• Frost or decorate as desired and serve.
• APPLE CAKE VARIATION:.
• Same directions as above except once patter is in the cake pan peel, quarter and core two large apples. Cut part way through the top of each apple quarter so that it fans out. Place the apple fans evenly across the top of the batter.
• Put in the oven and follow same baking instructions.
• Cool and sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.