White Layer Cake
By America's Test KitchenPublished on September 10, 2013
Time
1 hour, plus 2 hours cooling
Yield
Serves 10 to 12 (Makes three 8-inch layers or two 9-inch layers)
Ingredients
Before You Begin
If you’ve forgotten to bring the milk and egg white mixture to room temperature, set the bottom of the measuring cup containing it in a sink of hot water and stir until the mixture feels cool rather than cold, around 65 degrees. For the best results, we recommend weighing your ingredients. We developed this recipe using Pillsbury Softasilk bleached cake flour; we do not recommend using an unbleached cake flour such as King Arthur brand.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch or three 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pans.
- Mix milk, egg whites, and vanilla together in 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until only pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute.
- Add half of milk mixture, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Reduce speed to medium-low, add remaining milk mixture, and beat until incorporated, about 15 seconds (batter may look slightly curdled). Give batter final stir by hand; do not overmix.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and smooth tops with rubber spatula. Bake until tops are light golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes (for 8-inch pans) or 23 to 25 minutes (for 9-inch pans), switching and rotating pans halfway through baking. Let cakes cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, discarding parchment, and let cool completely on rack, about 2 hours. (Once cooled, cake layers can be wrapped and stored for one day.)
Time
1 hour, plus 2 hours coolingYield
Serves 10 to 12 (Makes three 8-inch layers or two 9-inch layers)Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
UPDATE: This recipe has been slightly reformulated to be more foolproof since its initial publication. The revision you see here was published in April 2022. We developed a recipe for White Layer Cake that bakes up moist, tender, and flavorful, rather than dry and bland. We used a reverse creaming method for a sturdy cake with a tender crumb. Plenty of butter and vanilla extract add moisture and flavor to our White Layer Cake.
Before You Begin
If you’ve forgotten to bring the milk and egg white mixture to room temperature, set the bottom of the measuring cup containing it in a sink of hot water and stir until the mixture feels cool rather than cold, around 65 degrees. For the best results, we recommend weighing your ingredients. We developed this recipe using Pillsbury Softasilk bleached cake flour; we do not recommend using an unbleached cake flour such as King Arthur brand.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch or three 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pans.
- Mix milk, egg whites, and vanilla together in 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until only pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute.
- Add half of milk mixture, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Reduce speed to medium-low, add remaining milk mixture, and beat until incorporated, about 15 seconds (batter may look slightly curdled). Give batter final stir by hand; do not overmix.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and smooth tops with rubber spatula. Bake until tops are light golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes (for 8-inch pans) or 23 to 25 minutes (for 9-inch pans), switching and rotating pans halfway through baking. Let cakes cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, discarding parchment, and let cool completely on rack, about 2 hours. (Once cooled, cake layers can be wrapped and stored for one day.)
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