This Emergency White Cake recipe is just the thing when you get a hankering for cake and need it fast! It’s a simple from-scratch recipe with all of the important elements: moist, tender white cake and fluffy buttercream frosting.
This white cake recipe is my next installment in my Emergency Cakes installment. What are emergency cakes? They’re cakes that are no-fuss, can me made quickly, and use pantry-ready ingredients. I started this collection of emergency cakes because we love to entertain, and sometimes invite people over for dinner with very little prep time. These emergency cakes are just the things for whipping up for dinner guests, and you can even double the recipe for more servings for things like barbecues, potlucks, etc. Besides this Emergency White Cake recipe, check out my Emergency Carrot Cake, and Emergency Zucchini Cake recipes.
Cook’s Note – Emergency White Cake
- The rich, tender crumb of this white cake relies on 1 thing: the butter. The butter needs to be softened, but still cool. Please do not use room temperature butter!
- This white cake will keep, covered at room temperature, for about 2-3 days.
- I love serving this white cake with fresh berries, I find it balances out the flavors well.
Cook’s Tools – Emergency White Cake
ONE YEAR AGO: Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
TWO YEARS AGO: Bountiful Summer Salad
THREE YEARS AGO: Stove Top Chicken Fajitas
Emergency White Cake
Ingredients
- WHITE CAKE:
- 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons cake flour plus more for dusting the pans
- ½ cup whole milk at room temperature
- 3 large egg whites at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 12 pieces, softened but still cool
- BUTTERCREAM:
- 16 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar sifted
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon cream or milk
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- FOR THE WHITE CAKE:
- Move oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 8x8-inch cake pan with non-stick cooking spray; line bottom of pan with parchment. Spray parchment and dust pan with cake flour, tapping out excess.
- In 2-cup liquid measuring cup add milk, egg whites, and extracts; whisk with fork until blended.
- In bowl of electric mixer blend cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed. Keep mixer running on low and add butter, one piece at a time, and continue to beat until mixture resembles moist crumbs.
- Pour in all but 12 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat on medium for 1 ½ minutes. Add remaining ¼ cup milk and beat 30 more seconds. Stop mixer, scrape down sides of bowl, and beat 20 more seconds on medium.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Use rubber spatula to spread batter evenly into cake pan and smooth top. Bake cake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Let cake rest in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen cake from sides of pan with butter knife, and invert onto wire rack. Reinvert onto additional wire rack. Cool completely, about 90 minutes before icing.
- FOR THE BUTTERCREAM: Using a stand mixer beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 30-60 seconds. Reduce speed to medium-low and slowly add confectioners’ sugar, and beat until smooth, about 2-5 minutes. Add vanilla, cream, and salt and increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4-8 minutes.
- TO FINISH: Carefully move cooled cake onto serving platter or cake stand. Use offset icing spatula to frost cake evenly. To make little peaks on your cake like I did, press back of spoon lightly into buttercream and lift straight up, repeat all over frosted cake. Serve.
Disclosure: This post for Emergency White Cake recipe includes affiliate links, this means I make a few cents if you buy the item after clicking my link. This costs you nothing, but it helps keep this blog running on butter…lots of butter! See the rest of Food Folks and Fun’s disclosure policy here.
Charlotte Moore says
This looks delicious. I am a bit confused with number 5 in the instructions. Is is 1/2 cup? Then it says add 1/4 cup.
Hofterzielbeek says
Sweet, simple and tasty. It is so easy and simple to make. Everyone can start making cakes now with your simple recipe. Thanks for sharing this recipe Jillian. 🙂