We just had a birthday here! A delicious white cake filled with strawberries and iced in whipped cream – basically the birthday cake version of strawberry shortcake! Seems like white cake is an elusive creature. Some are more yellow (made with butter), some look an unnatural ghostly white (Crisco), and still others are dry and crumbly or dense and grainy. No more! This white cake is moist, a lovely creamy color, and simple to produce. The texture is between sponge cake and pound cake – light enough to melt in your mouth and firm enough to stand up to slicing, filling, and icing. I have used this delicious cake for years and it never lets me down – especially on important occasions!
The Recipe
by volume by weight
2¾ cups all purpose flour 330 grams all purpose flour
1½ cups sugar 297 grams sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder 16 grams baking powder
1 teaspoon salt 4 grams salt
1½ cups milk 360 grams milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil 75 grams vegetable oil
4 large egg whites 200 grams egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla 12 grams vanilla
Directions
Heat the oven to 350F. Line the bottom of an 8 inch cake pan with a circle of parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
Add the milk and oil and mix to thoroughly combine. The batter will be very thick at this point.
Gradually whisk in the egg whites and vanilla until the batter is smooth and the whites are incorporated.
Pour the batter into the pan and rap firmly on the counter two or three times to get rid of any large air bubbles.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is golden and the center of the cake springs back lightly when touched.
Let the cake cool for 15 minutes and then carefully remove from the pan to continue cooling completely. Decorate as desired.
Alternatives
This cake can be easily adapted with the addition of an extract. Use almond or coconut extract to add a lovely flavor and then complement by decorating the outside of the cake with a coordinating garnish. Also be sure to substitute coconut milk or almond milk for the regular milk in the recipe for added flavor.
As I said in the introduction, the texture of this cake allows it to be very adaptable. I used whipped cream in the pictures above but this cake works extremely well with firmer icings. Chocolate fudge icing would be my next choice!
