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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