Tender White Cake

By Addie

The ultimate tender, moist cake perfect for birthdays and special occasions, yet simple enough for everyday cupcakes. Vanilla and almond flavors combine to give you smooth, mellow flavors reminiscent of your favorite bakery cakes. This recipe uses King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour Blend, which results in a high rising cake with a moist, tender crumb. The cake also uses the paste method, so no need to cream the butter and sugar. We do recommend a stand mixer for this cake, or a sturdy hand mixer.

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour Blend
• 1 2/3 cups sugar; superfine sugar is best
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 large eggs whites plus 1 whole large egg
• 1 cup full-fat vanilla yogurt or 1 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Preparation

Step 1

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two 8" x 2" or 9" x 2" round pans; a 9" x 13" pan; or 2 standard cupcake pans (20 to 24 cupcakes) by greasing and flouring; or lining with parchment, then greasing the parchment. Note: Make sure your 8" round pans are at least 2" deep; if they're not, use one of the other pan options.

2) Mix all of the dry ingredients on slow speed to blend. Add the soft butter and mix until evenly crumbly, like fine damp sand. It may form a paste, depending on the temperature of the butter, how much it's mixed, and granulation of the sugar used.

3) Add the egg whites one at a time, then the whole egg, beating well after each addition to begin building the structure of the cake. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.

4) In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt (or milk) with the vanilla and almond extracts. Add this mixture, 1/3 at a time, to the batter. Beat 1 to 2 minutes after each addition, until fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

5) Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes for 8" or 9" rounds; 36 to 42 minutes for a 9" x 13" x 2" sheet cake; or 18 to 20 minutes for cupcakes. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean when done. Remove from the oven, remove from the pan, if desired (not advisable for a 9" x 13" sheet cake), cool on a rack, and frost.

Yield: Two 8" or 9" round layers; one 9"x 13" x 2" sheet cake, or 20 to 24 cupcakes.


TIPS FROM OUR BAKERS:



Tips from our bakers

To make the raspberry cake pictured above, ice with your favorite butter cream, fill with raspberry jam, and arrange one pint of raspberries on top. You can find complete photos and instructions at our Bakers' Banter blog.

To make a classic yellow cake, use 3 whole eggs and 2 egg whites instead of 4 egg whites and one large egg. Delicious with rich chocolate icing!

This cake is very tender. We advise handling layers with care when turning them out of the pans; and if you've made a 9" x 13" sheet cake, it's best served straight from the pan, to avoid crumbling.
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REVIEWS:

This cake was fantastic. I followed the recipe to a "T". Even though I'm not a fan of almond extract (I find it an overpowering taste), there was only a hint of it in the cake and it was perfect. This recipe, along with the coconut cake recipe, are my favorites. Because of King Arthur cake recipes, I can never go back to box mixes again. There is simply no comparison.

Great! Cupcakes came out fantastic- husband really enjoyed them!

This cake was wonderful. I don't normally like cake, nor do I prefer to bake it, but I had to make something for a birthday party. It baked up beautifully and tasted delicious with the raspberry filling and the buttercream and raspberries on top. I will definitely be making this cake again. 

One word, awesome! I have never had such a tender white cake recipe, almost sponge cake like. I used the recipe to make my Victoria Sponge sandwich, and it produces the lightest, airiest cake I have ever made. Everyone enjoyed the Victoria Sponge Cake using this tender white cake recipe. Possibly the best I have ever assembled.

The first time I made this cake, it came out dense, but still tasted delicious. I made it again last week using buttermilk and it was perfect -- perhaps the best cake I have ever tasted. I made it again today, can't wait to taste it tomorrow!

This was fantastic! I made KA other yellow cake recipe and it turned out horrible for me. went right to the chickens. I was reluctant to try another KA cake recipe after that one flopped but i could not find another good recipe out there. So i came back to KA and decided to try this recipe. I need cupcakes for my daughters cupcake decorating party. I had make chocolate and strawberry cupcakes but needed vanilla ones. I made this the morning of the party and was praying they would work because i was running out of time. I actually didnt even taste them until after the party but they looked good and everyone that ate one loved them. When i tried one after everyone left i was really surprised how delicious they were. I said to myself, wow, i made these. They looked good enough to serve at the party even though they did not have icing on them yet. The kids had a great time decorating their own cupcakes. I did follow the recipe almost exactly, i used buttermilk instead of the milk and only used vanilla extract. I will always use this recipe.

I made this cake for my mom's birthday. I've been baking for 30+ years but have never found a go-to cake recipe...until now. This was THE BEST vanilla cake I have ever tasted. I'm known for my baking but I truly felt like a professional after tasting this. I made a raspberry filling to go with it and a vanilla frosting recipe from KAF (can't remember which). The cake was so tender and with the raspberry filling, the frosting was too much, I could see using a whipped cream frosting just because the cake is THAT tender. I can't say enough about this cake. My mother was so thrilled with her birthday cake and that was a great feeling.

This cake was denser than I thought it was going to be but the crumb is very delicate. It was a very good white cake with a lot of flavor. I know I will be using this recipe again. I cut back on the almond extract by 1/2 teaspoon just because I was trying to match a specific cake. I followed the directions exactly and let all the cold ingredients come to room temperature.

I was so excited to find this recipe. Whipped up a batch -- delicious. I immediately recognized it as the basis for my favorite local cupcake place's vanilla cupcake. They do a few things a little differently, but ooooh so close. I can't believe I can make these at home. I frosted with the Fluffy White Buttercream. How should I store these and about how long will they keep? I predict I will be making a lot of these!

This has become my go-to white cake recipe -- it's tender and moist and it's not too light like boxed mixes. I've used the yogurt and milk and both yield delicious results! I've even made my own cake flour with AP flour and cornstarch when I ran out of the regular kind and still turned out fantastic. I usually make cupcakes out of this, and people say it's the best they've ever had!

I've made the tender white cake recipe a many times already.. I do cottage baking from my home and the cake is always a big hit.. I was trained as a baker. First the ingred. really do have to be a room temp. and very soft. I leave my eggs and butter out over night, and I use buttermilk instead of whole milk or yogurt. The buttermilk works, also I leave it out for a few hours before using. Secondly, I measure the cake flour to be 11 oz. 1 cup light spooned cake flour is 4 oz. so for me, 2-3/4 cups is 11oz.and 2 Tab. of cake enhancer.. The moistness and flavor is really delicious. I'm not telling anyone to do these things, but it works for me. I've made many cakes and this has such flavor, and the superfine sugar is a must. Use the blender and blend sugar for a few minutes, it does make a difference. A really tender soft crumb with a wallop of flavor.

Made this cake again yesterday as cupcakes and used AP flour and regular sugar because it was what I had on hand. The stated ingredients of cake flour and superfine sugar truly make a difference in the end product. I thought they were OK yesterday, if a little coarser and more yellow than white, but this morning they were awful. I planned to take them to a business meeting today, so went to the store and bought more ingredients and made more. When I got home I realized I had no milk or yogurt, so thinking of the somewhat interchangeable properties of yogurt, sour cream and buttermilk, I used the buttermilk I had on hand. If this recipe could get any better than it is as written, it is with the use of buttermilk! Light, tender, great crumb. Love this recipe!