Fluffy White Cake
Moist and fluffy white cake with Swiss meringue buttercream using the reverse creaming method
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Fluffy White Cake
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- ½ cup egg whites from about 3 to 4 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter at room temperature, cubed
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ vanilla bean optional, seeds scraped out
Instructions
Fluffy White Cake
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans and set aside
- In a small mixing bowl or liquid measuring cup, stir together the egg whites, vanilla, and ¼ cup milk and set aside.
- Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. With the paddles attachment, mix on low until combined. Add the butter and remaining ½ cup milk and mix on low until the dry ingredients are moistened. Turn the mixer to medium-high and mix until combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.
- With the mix running on medium-low, gradually stream in the egg white mixture. Work in about 3 batches, making sure everything is incorporated before adding in more liquids, scraping the bowl in between additions. Each addition of egg whites should take about 10 to 15 seconds to stream in in order to emulsify properly, but do not over-mix or the cake may become dry.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the prepared pans. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, add the egg whites and granulated sugar. Whisk them together briefly by hand, just until they are combined so that the egg whites don’t begin cooking by themselves.
- Fill a sauce pan with a few inches of water and bring to a simmer. Place the mixer bowl with the egg white mixture on top to create a double-boiler. The water should be kept at a simmer but should not touch the bottom of the bowl. The double-boiler acts as indirect heat for the egg white mixture.
- Occasionally stirring, heat the egg white mixture until it reaches 155 to 160 degrees F on a candy thermometer. The mixture should be very hot to the touch and the sugar should have dissolved.
- Once the egg white mixture is hot, carefully return the bowl to the stand mixer. Fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the mixture on high speed for about 8 minutes. When done, the meringue should hold shiny, medium-stiff peaks and be cooled to room temperature. Stop the mixer and swap out the whisk for the paddle attachment.
- With the mixer on low, begin adding in the butter a couple tablespoons at a time. Use the paddle attachment to mix it in. The butter must be room temperature in order to incorporate properly with the meringue.
- Once the butter has been mixed in, add the vanilla bean seeds (if using) and the vanilla extract.
- Turn the mixer up to medium speed and mix until silky smooth. This may take a few minutes, but centime to mix until light, creamy, and free from most air bubbles.