This ultimate classic white cake has to be the best I have tasted, and you will agree after one bite. It’s moist, tender and slightly dense texture with a velvety buttercream frosting. It is a favourite traditional dessert in our family during the holidays.
To this day, my sisters and I reminisce how Mom would say to us, “girls we have to make a white cake for Christmas.” You see, some of the Hungarian pastries we would make, only required egg yolks, which meant we had many egg white left sitting in the refrigerator. So Mom being the frugal wonderful mother she was, insisted we make a white cake for the holidays. Honestly, the family would look forward to have a piece, they loved Mom’s white cake, and rightly so, it’s absolutely delicious!
Recipe Ingredients:
- all-purpose flour: I use an organic flour for my baking, however it isn’t necessary
- baking powder
- salt
- egg whites: always chose large eggs if possible for baking
- pure vanilla extract
- organic milk: I used 2% organic milk from a local dairy farmer, Harmony Organic Dairy
- sour cream: the higher the fat content the richer the texture (I added a 14% fat content)
Important tips to know:
- Always follow the recipe closely when it comes to baking.
- Ingredients need to be at room temperature allows the mixing to be consistent, rather then over mixing. For example, if the butter is still too cold, it will require longer beating to get that fluffy texture.
- This recipe calls for all-purpose flour rather then cake flour. I have used both, since cake flour is lighter in texture compared to all-purpose and for this recipe sifting the dry ingredients helps to give it’s fluffiness, and you may notice it will be slightly dense.
- Line the bottom of the baking pans with parchment paper is helpful to remove the cake layers from the baking pans. I find it helpful to add a little grease on the bottoms so the parchment paper stays in place and doesn’t move around when adding the batter. Place the pans on parchment paper and trace with a pencil around the pans.
- Allow the cakes to cool before remove from pans. Then let cool layers cool completely before frosting.
- If you plan to serve this cake on the same day, I suggest to refrigerate and remove the cake an hour or two before serving. This allows the frosting to set. We would often make this cake a week or two before and freeze it. Make sure the cake is completely covered.
Classic White Cake
Equipment
- 2-9 inch round baking pans
- stand mixer or hand-held mixer
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup large egg whites (approx. 4 eggs), room temperature
- 3/4 cup organic 2% milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Frosting:
- 3/4 cup organic 2% milk
- 3 tbsp flour, sifted
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
- raspberries
- fresh rosemary
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the pans, and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper.
- Sift and whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer, or hand held mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add egg whites and vanilla and beat just until well combined. Scrape the sides as needed.
- Stir milk and sour cream together in a bowl until combined. Lower the speed on the mixer, and alternate the dry ingredients and the milk mixture. Starting with the flour mixture and ending with flour.
- Pour into prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. Place on cool racks for 20 minutes, long enough so they have cooled. Using a knife to loosen the edges and carefully remove from pans. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting:
- In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, whisk in milk, sifted flour and salt. Whisking will help to remove any lumps of flour. Cook until the mixture thickens and set aside to cool.
- Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Then add the cooled milk mixture and beat for 10 minutes until the frosting is light, and fluffy.
- Assemble cake and decorate with unsweetened coconut. Add berries and rosemary just before serving. You can always decorate to your liking.
- Refrigerate and remove one-two hours before serving.
Nutrition
When making this cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the pans, and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper. Once the dry ingredients are sifted, then beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg whites and vanilla. Mix together the milk and sour cream. Begin by alternating the dry and wet ingredients, and at low speed combine.
Evenly divide the batter between the two pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on rack for 20 minutes, and remove from pans and cool completely before assembling.
Raspberries and rosemary gave this cake a festive appearance. I kept the decorating simple yet elegant. Feel free to add as much of the berries as you like. Remember save enough to add to each serving.
