I’ll let you in on my little secret… it’s inexpensive and easy to make your own homemade white wedding cake! I made this simple one-tier wedding cake with pantry staple ingredients and a store-bought buttercream to keep things super easy. This cake is moist and flavorful and keeps its beautiful snow-white color even after baking. Ready in just over an hour, this cake is sure to take one more thing off your wedding planning plate!
My budget-friendly homemade white wedding cake really only requires one special ingredient– cake flour. Everything else is simple, and I’ll even teach you how to pipe beautiful buttercream rosettes with store-bought frosting.
What’s in This White Wedding Cake Recipe?
- Cake Flour: Makes the cake super light and fluffy!
- Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cake.
- Baking Powder: Helps the cake rise in the oven.
- Salt: A little bit of kosher salt enhances the overall flavor of the cake.
- Butter: Unsalted butter makes the cake rich, creamy, and moist.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds warmth and depth to the cake.
- Egg Whites: Bind the cake together and help it rise without changing that beautiful white color.
- Milk: Whole milk makes the cake rich and moist.
- Buttercream Frosting: I used store-bought to make this recipe even easier, but feel free to use your favorite homemade recipe if you prefer.
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How to Store
Store leftover homemade white wedding cake in an airtight container or cake cloche in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To freeze, tightly wrap in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying.
Tips for Success
- Make sure you’re not over-mixing your egg whites. You want them to form stiff peaks.
- You’ll need 2½ cups of buttercream frosting to use for the layers, crumb coating, and the rosettes. It doesn’t hurt to have extra buttercream frosting set off to the side just in case you make a mistake and need to fix something.
- If the buttercream is melting off of the cake as you’re piping it, your cake is likely too warm. Pop the cake in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes, then try again.
- For best results, freeze crumb-coated cake tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 months. Frost after allowing to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Fully frosted cake should be frozen for at least 1 hour before wrapping tightly to allow the buttercream to set.
Homemade White Wedding Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups cake flour 480 grams
- 2 cups granulated sugar 400 grams
- 1 tablespoon baking powder 14 grams
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 grams
- 1 cup unsalted butter 226 grams, softened (2 sticks)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- 8 large egg whites 280 grams, room temperature
- 1½ cups milk 341 grams
- 2½ cups buttercream frosting store bought or homemade
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Stand Mixer
- 3 8-inch Round Cake Pan
- Piping Tip Set
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.4 cups cake flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it’s smooth. Add in the vanilla and eggs.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 8 large egg whites
- Switch to the whisk attachment and continue beating the mixture on medium speed for about 30-60 seconds, incorporating a small amount of air into the egg whites. (Don’t overmix until they are peaks; just add enough air for it to begin to slightly foam.)
- Add the flour mixture and milk, continuously mixing on slow to medium speed. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the dry ingredients.1½ cups milk
- Once the batter is smooth and creamy, evenly divide the batter into three lightly buttered and floured 8-inch round cake pans (about 582 grams per pan).
- Bake for 25-28 minutes, using a toothpick to check for doneness. Let the cakes cool in their pans for about 5 minutes, then remove from the pans to let them cool completely on a wire rack.
- Before assembling, cut the tops off of each layer to have even and flat layers.
- To assemble the cake, pipe an outline of frosting around the top of the cake, and then fill in the center. Lightly add the next cake layer, and gently press it into the bottom layer. Repeat with the next cake until all three layers are stacked with a layer of frosting in between each layer.2½ cups buttercream frosting
- Lightly frost the entire outer cake with a crumb coat. This will make the cake look cleaner and well covered.
- To make the rosettes, begin with the bottom row. Fill a large decorating bag fitted with a large star tip (I used Wilton 2D) with buttercream frosting.
- Starting at the bottom of the cake, hold the bag straight up with the tip just next to the cake, squeeze the bag and complete a full loop. Once you get to the end of the rosette shape, release pressure to the bag so you can pull the bag away.
- Repeat rosettes until you have gone all the way around the cake. Then begin the next row. Continue until the entire cake is covered in rosettes. Any small uncovered areas, gently fill in with small rosettes.
Notes
How to Make White Wedding Cake Step-by-Step
Sift the Dry Ingredients: Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, sift 4 cups of cake flour, 2 cups of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt together. Set aside.
Beat the Butter: In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 1 cup of unsalted butter until it’s smooth. Add in 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and 8 large egg whites.
Whip the Egg Whites: Switch to the whisk attachment and continue beating the mixture on medium speed for about 30-60 seconds, incorporating a small amount of air into the egg whites. (Don’t overmix until they are peaks; just add enough air for it to begin to slightly foam.)
Mix the Batter: Add the flour mixture and 1½ cups of milk, continuously mixing on slow to medium speed. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the dry ingredients.
Portion the Cakes: Once the batter is smooth and creamy, evenly divide the batter into three lightly buttered and floured 8-inch round cake pans (about 582 grams per pan).
Bake the Cakes: Bake for 25-28 minutes, using a toothpick to check for doneness. Let the cakes cool in their pans for about 5 minutes, then remove from the pans to let them cool completely on a wire rack.
Level the Cakes: Before assembling, cut the tops off of each layer to have even and flat layers.
Fill the Cake: To assemble the cake, pipe an outline of frosting around the top of the cake, and then fill in the center. Lightly add the next cake layer, and gently press it into the bottom layer. Repeat with the next cake until all three layers are stacked with a layer of frosting in between each layer.
Crumb Coat the Cake: Lightly frost the entire outer cake with a crumb coat. This will make the cake look cleaner and well covered.
Frost the Cake: To make the rosettes, begin with the bottom row. Fill a large decorating bag fitted with a large star tip (I used Wilton 2D) with buttercream frosting. Starting at the bottom of the cake, hold the bag straight up with the tip just next to the cake, squeeze the bag, and complete a full loop. Once you get to the end of the rosette shape, release pressure to the bag so you can pull the bag away.
Refine the Cake: Repeat rosettes until you have gone all the way around the cake. Then begin the next row. Continue until the entire cake is covered in rosettes. Any small uncovered areas, gently fill in with small rosettes.
No buttercream icing recipe for this for the wedding cake?
Hi, we have not published a buttercream frosting recipe yet, but you can use our lime buttercream recipe as a guideline, leaving out the lime juice and zest!