This delicious cake recipe comes to me via my sister, who took a cake decorating class back in college. The talented woman teaching ran a successful wedding cake business and this was her go-to cake recipe. Though it includes a boxed cake mix, you’ll actually also add more bulk and flavor with additional flour, sugar, salt and extracts. This creates a tender, yet sturdy cake that feels home made, but still has a little bit of that classic box flavor that people know and love. The texture is much denser than a standard box mix- in a good way. It holds up well to decorating and is incredibly moist! This recipe makes two 8″ round layers (or 36 cupcakes.) While the basic recipe is for white cake, this recipe will work for any flavor with a few minor adjustments.
Ingredient Notes
- One boxed cake mix – While any brand will do, Duncan Hines Super Moist was preferred in the original recipe and it’s still my go-to. I’ve tried it with other brands and it hasn’t been as good. I’m using a white funfetti mix in these photos!
- Flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Egg whites – This recipe calls for egg whites to keep the cake white. If you don’t care about the color, or you’re making a different flavor, use two whole eggs instead. (I used whole eggs in these photos and it’s usually what I do!)
- Water
- Vegetable Oil
- Sour cream – Use full fat sour cream for best results.
- Vanilla extract – If you are making a true white cake, consider getting clear vanilla from a cake supply store. If you don’t mind the color, regular vanilla works great.
- Almond extract – Almond extract elevates the flavor of white cake. It is also great in chocolate. If experimenting with other flavors, feel free to replace the almond with something else or leave it out completely.
How to Make Easy White Cake
- The prep is about as easy as it comes. With a standard from-scratch cake it’s important to do things like alternate wet and dry ingredients, but not with our half-home-made cake. Just whisk all of the dry ingredients together (I just use the whisk attachment on my Kitchenaid and give it a whirl) and then add in all of the wet stuff. Beat it all up and you’re set!
- If making cupcakes, fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and then pop them in the oven. For cake, grease and flour two 8″ (9 inch cake pans will work as well but your layers will be slightly thinner than my photos here) and divide batter evenly between them (a food scale is helpful here).
- Bake the cake, cool, and decorate!
One thing I really like is that you get really uniform raised tops on them. Perfectly smooth and round. Try our favorite White Vanilla Frosting or this amazing Chocolate one.
Flavor Options
- Chocolate – Use a chocolate cake mix and add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to your dry ingredients. Feel free to use two whole eggs instead of two egg whites. Chocolate is still super yummy with almond extract, but you can always swap it out with flavoring oils such as peppermint or orange.
- Spice Cake – Use a spice cake mix. Use two whole eggs and omit almond extract. You can sprinkle in some extra cinnamon, cloves, or other spices if desired, but it’s delicious even without adding extra. A little orange flavoring oil works great here as well!
- Lemon Cake – You know the drill: use a lemon cake mix and two whole eggs. Add some additional lemon flavoring oil if desired. This one is super yummy with blueberry filling and lemon frosting!
Frequently Asked Questions
My round cakes always get stuck in the pan. How do I prevent this?
Spray your pan with nonstick spray (or use butter or shortening) then cut a circle of parchment to cover the bottom. Grease the top of the parchment as well. Bake your cakes and then run a knife around the outside edge. Your cake should pop out beautifully and you can then peel the parchment paper off the bottom.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Absolutely! This cake works great made a day ahead of time, or you can easily freeze the layers.
Storing and Other Tips
- One great thing about this cake is that you have options after it’s baked. My sister wraps the cakes (removed from pans) in plastic wrap as soon as they are cool enough to handle in order to hold in that moisture. Once completely cooled, she pops them in the freezer overnight for easy decorating the next day (or later in the week).
- No need to freeze your cupcakes unless you made them several days early. If you aren’t ready to frost yet, simply cover and store on the counter.
- If you’d rather, go ahead and frost cakes or cupcakes as soon as they are completely cool. Cover and store on counter or refrigerator (depending on what type of frosting you use) until ready to serve.
Easy White Cake
No one will ever guess this impressive cake starts with a cake mix! A few additional ingredients and bulk and flavor, resulting in a sturdy yet tender cake perfect for decorating.
Servings Slices
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix I recommend Duncan Hines Super Moist
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 130g
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- ¾ tsp salt
- 4 egg whites Egg whites keep the cake white. If you don't care, or you are making a different flavor, feel free to replace with 2 whole eggs.
- 1 ⅓ cups water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup full fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract use clear vanilla if you want a pure white cake
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325℉ Prepare two 8" round cake pans by spraying with non-stick spray. Then cut a circle of parchment paper to fit in the bottom. Place parchment in bottom to stick to the nonstick spray and then spray again to coat the top of the parchment.
- To make cake, mix all dry ingredients with a whisk, then add wet ingredients. Beat for two minutes until fluffy.
- Pour into prepared cake pans. I've found the recommended baking time on the box to be a good starting point. Use that as a guide but keep and eye on your cakes, they will most likely take a little longer than the recommended time as all cake mix brands are different. Remove them when a skewer through the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.
- Cool cakes in pans for 10-15 minutes on wire rack. While cakes are still slightly warm, carefully remove from pans. I like to take a few paper towels to cover the pans and invert. TIP: Once cakes are out of the pans, lay two sheets of plastic wrap (in a “+” sign) and place a cake in the center and wrap up sides. Repeat with other cake. Allow to cool all wrapped up (it keeps the moisture from evaporating out). Once cooled completely you can also pop in the freezer on a cutting board to keep them flat. Once they are frozen, they are super easy to frost and defrost in about a half an hour.
- For cupcakes: fill paper liners 3/4 full and bake according to box directions.
Notes
- Chocolate – Use a chocolate cake mix and add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to your dry ingredients. Feel free to use two whole eggs instead of two egg whites. Chocolate is still super yummy with almond extract, but you can always swap it out with flavoring oils such as peppermint or orange.
- Spice Cake – Use a spice cake mix. Use two whole eggs and omit almond extract. You can sprinkle in some extra cinnamon, cloves, or other spices if desired, but it’s delicious even without adding extra. A little orange flavoring oil works great here as well!
- Lemon Cake – You know the drill: use a lemon cake mix and two whole eggs. Add some additional lemon flavoring oil if desired. This one is super yummy with blueberry filling and lemon frosting!
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcake, Calories: 109kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Sodium: 156mg, Potassium: 26mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 40IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 39mg, Iron: 0.5mg
Calories: 109kcal
Cost: $12
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!
Questions & Reviews
Do you just add sprinkles to the cake mix before baking?
For the sprinkle version, I’m just using a funfetti cake mix instead of white!
I really appreciated that you give the flour and sugar with grams! Any recipe in grams is my favorite ever since I started making sourdough. So nice to be able to weigh the ingredients instead of dealing with cups and teaspoons! Bring me more! 🙂
I made this cake for my son’s birthday, and following this recipe and tips I produced the best cake I’ve ever made – which is saying something because I used to think cake wasn’t worth eating if it wasn’t chocolate. Turns out white cake CAN be good! It was so moist and yummy and kept well for days! Combined with your Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling recipe, it was seriously amazing. Can’t wait to make the chocolate version soon.
Does this work for high altitude? I am in Utah at about 5000 ft above sea level.
I’ve never tried so I’m not sure- sorry!
This is my go-to recipe when I do any kind of cake or cupcake. However, I want to do a batch of chocolate and white cake but I don’t to make more than one recipe. Do you just add 1/4 cup or so of cocoa to half of the batter or have you tried this before? Please help. Thank you!!!!
Is this recipe updated to the smaller box cake size? I don’t know if I read that on your insta or a recent recipe, but I wanted to check before making it tomorrow. ?
I haven’t made any changes from the original recipe, but that being said, people are still making it with good results so I think it still works just as well!
This recipe sounds perfect. Have you made it in a fluted/Bundt pan? If so, how long did you bake it?
This was perfect!!! It took 10 – 15 minutes longer to bake than stated on the cake box for a Bundt cake. Nobody could believe it was a cake mix! The taste and texture were delightful:)
Can you make this cake in a 9 x 13 cake pan?
I’m curious about this too! 🙂
Umm, what was the recipe?
Thanks for this recipe! Will it make 2 or 3 8-9″ round cakes? I usually use a mix for two 8 or 9″ pans – wondering if the extra ingredients make it so I can get three out of it? Need to feed 16 people. Thoughts?