Whiteout Cake: White Cake With Whipped Vanilla Almond Buttercream
I’ve been craving white cake lately. Plain white cake with white frosting—the kind you have at weddings, office parties, kids’ birthdays…you get the idea. Normally I’m a chocolate cake fan (if I have to choose), but occasionally I just need something lighter, preferably topped with fruit. Thus, this white cake with whipped vanilla almond buttercream was born!
The Classic White Cake
I know that a plain white cake seems a little…boring. But if it’s done right, it’s anything but.
First of all, you could keep your white cake just plain-old-vanilla (no judgement—vanilla can be delicious), but I like to add a smidge of almond to mine. It gives the cake a little something extra that really brings the flavor over the top, without being overwhelming.
This cake is the perfect backdrop for your favorite fruit, or whatever else you want to top or fill it with. I opted for cherries—their slight tartness balances out all the sugar—but any kind of berries would be great, as would peaches, plums, mangoes…you get the idea.
Or go extra sweet with chocolate or caramel sauce, chopped up candy bars, crushed oreos (ooh, I just thought of that as I wrote it and now I have to try it…). You could also add some jam or chocolate ganache between the layers if you want.
The idea is that this is a classic white cake you can take in nearly any direction you want. Keep it simple or go all out—you decide.
The Whipped Vanilla Almond Buttercream
For the frosting, I really wanted something simple. A good old American buttercream is definitely the simplest option, but it’s always way too sweet for me. I wanted something less sweet, creamy, and, above all, FLUFFY.
So I cut back on the powdered sugar, added some heavy whipping cream, and whipped it to death. Ok, not to death, just until it looked like whipped cream. (In fact, make sure you DON’T whip it to death…the cream will curdle.) And the result is a creamy, fluffy, dream of a frosting. I love it. And I think you will too!
I decided to keep the frosting to a thin layer—a “naked” look, as they say. If you like more frosting, feel free to double the batch for more. It’ll give you plenty to frost the cake in a nice thick layer, plus do some decorating.
Tips for Making Your Best White Cake With Whipped Vanilla Almond Buttercream
- Soften the butter and allow the eggs and milk to come to room temperature. This will help create the light, fluffy batter you’re looking for.
- Before you start mixing, gather and measure out your ingredients. I like to get everything ready to go ahead of time so mixing up the cake is quick and easy. The French call this mise en place (and you know the French know what they’re talking about when it comes to food).
- Don’t skip preparing your cake pans. Grease and flour them, line the bottoms with parchment paper, then grease and flour the parchment. I know it’s a lot, but trust me—if you do this your cakes will come out perfectly every time.
- Bake the cakes just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (or mostly clean with a few moist crumbs). This will make sure you have a moist, fluffy cake.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then remove them from the pans and let them cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- Once you add the whipping cream to the frosting, make sure not to whip it for too long. You want it the texture of thick whipped cream…whip too much past that point, and it’ll curdle.
That’s it, you’re ready to bake! Give this delish cake a try and let me know what you think in the comments below.
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Whiteout Cake: White Cake With Whipped Vanilla Almond Buttercream
Equipment
- Two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans
- parchment paper
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
White Cake
- 2 c granulated sugar
- 1 c butter, softened
- 6 egg whites
- 3 c all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 c milk
- 1 T + 1 tsp vanilla extract, preferably clear
- 1 tsp almond extract
Whipped Vanilla Almond Buttercream
- 1 c butter, softened
- 3 c powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, preferably clear
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 c heavy whipping cream, at room temperature
- pinch salt
Instructions
White Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, then grease and flour the parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer), cream butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add egg whites one at a time, mixing until combined and scraping bowl in between additions.
- Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, mixing until combined. Then add 1/2 of the wet ingredients, mixing until combined. Repeat. Then add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl and make sure everything is uniformly mixed (but don't over-mix).
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Set cake pans on a cooling rack to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove cakes from pans and allow to cool completely on cooling racks (about 2 hours total).
Whipped Vanilla Almond Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter until creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and mix until combined. Then whip on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla and almond extracts and heavy whipping cream. Whip on medium-high speed for a minute or so, until light and fluffy like whipped cream.
- To frost the cake, spread about 1/3 of the frosting onto the first layer, smoothing until evenly spread. Use remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake as desired. This makes enough frosting for a thin layer of frosting on the sides—a "naked"-looking cake.
- Top cake with berries or another fruit of your choice, if desired. Slice, serve, and enjoy! Store any leftovers in the fridge, but allow it sit at room temperature for 10 min or so before serving.
