Crunchy White Cake Recipe

The perfect celebration cake! Three layers of soft white cake covered in a silky buttercream frosting flavored with vanilla and a hint of fresh lemon. Options to add raspberry jam filling and garnish with fresh raspberries and shredded coconut.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour*
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 generous teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• ⅔ cup full fat sour cream
• ¾ cup milk , preferably whole or 2%, room temperature

Frosting:

• 2 cups unsalted butter, softened, but still cool to the touch
• 6-7 cups powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy, plus more, if needed
• 2+ tablespoons milk
• 2½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, or more, to taste

Assembly:

• ½ cup raspberry jam, optional
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, optional garnish
• fresh raspberries, optional garnish

Instructions

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and grease the pans. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt until combined. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (preferred) or a hand mixer, beat sugar, oil, eggs, egg whites, vanilla, and lemon zest until combined. Add the sour cream and beat until combined. Add half of the flour mixture, beating until just combined. While still beating, slowly add milk, then the remaining flour mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Be careful not to overmix it.

Divide the batter evenly between the three pans. Tap/gently drop the pan on the countertop a couple times to remove any air bubbles.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If necessary, rotate the pans once during bake time to ensure even browning. Place the pans on wire racks to cool completely.

Frosting:

Using a hand mixer, or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and half of the powdered sugar until well-combined (starting out the mixer low and increasing to medium-high). Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar, followed by vanilla, lemon zest and 2 tablespoons milk.

Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat well for 1-2 minutes. If necessary, add more milk to thin it out or more powdered sugar to thicken. Taste the frosting and add more lemon zest, if desired.