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Silver White Cake
Impossibly tender and perfectly pale, this classic silver white cake relies on egg whites for its signature airy crumb. You'll love the delicate vanilla flavor that pairs beautifully with almost any frosting. Whether you're baking a simple sheet cake for a weekend treat or stacking round layers for a birthday, it's a reliable base that won't let you down. Plus, it's incredibly easy to customize with chocolate chips or crushed cookies if you're craving a fun twist.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour or 2 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 ⅔ cups sugar
- 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup shortening
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
- 5 egg whites
Instructions
- 1Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 13x9-inch baking pan, two 9-inch round pans, or three 8-inch round pans with shortening, then dust lightly with flour to prevent the delicate crumb from sticking.
- 2Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, shortening, milk, and vanilla or almond extract in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds while scraping the bowl constantly. Increase the speed to high and beat for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally.
- 3Add the egg whites and beat on high speed for 2 minutes, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pour the batter into your prepared pan or pans.
- 4Bake a 13x9-inch pan for 40 to 45 minutes, 9-inch pans for 30 to 35 minutes, or 8-inch pans for 23 to 28 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center; it's ready when the toothpick comes out clean or the cake springs back when touched lightly.
- 5Cool a 13x9-inch cake in the pan on a wire rack. For round cakes, cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them out onto wire racks to cool completely for about 1 hour before frosting.
Notes
- Room temperature: For the best texture, make sure your milk and egg whites are at room temperature before mixing.
- Flour swap: Cake flour will yield a slightly more tender crumb than all-purpose flour.
- Chocolate Chip Variation: Fold 1/2 cup of miniature or finely chopped semisweet chocolate chips into the batter just before pouring it into the pans.
- Cookies and Cream Variation: Stir 1 cup of crushed chocolate sandwich cookies into the batter after adding the egg whites. Bake as directed and frost with white frosting.
- Marble Variation: Reserve 1 3/4 cups of batter. Stir 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa and 1 1/8 teaspoons of baking soda into the reserved batter. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the white batter in the pan, then swirl with a knife before baking.