Brilliant White Cake Recipe/ Cream Cheese- Buttercream Icing -

When you’re looking to really satisfy your cravings for sweets, there is nothing like a light, fluffy, white cake. This brilliant white cake recipe topped off with some cream cheese buttercream icing, WOW…you won’t have to eat another cake all year! Ok, so that isn’t true, but at least let’s start the year off with good intentions!

What gives this cake a delicious bakery taste? It’s the almond flavoring. Please don’t be tempted to swap it with vanilla, it’s just not the same. I’m not saying the cake won’t still taste good, but it won’t have that special bakery-style flavor.

It’s New Year’s Eve, so go ahead have your cake….and eat it too!!

Brilliant White Cake

2 ½ cups quality cake flour
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
6 egg whites at room temperature
1 cup of milk at room temperature
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon of butter vanilla extract or plain vanilla
1 ½ sticks of softened butter

Cream Cheese Buttercream Icing

8 oz of softened cream cheese
1 stick of softened butter
1 lb icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Let’s make the cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F
In a small bowl, add milk, egg whites and extracts and stir. Set aside.
Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix on low speed for 1 minute.
Add softened butter, mix on medium speed until well incorporated with the flour mixture.
Add in half of the milk mixture and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Add remaining milk mixture and mix on medium speed for an additional 2 minutes.

Pour batter into 2 greased 8″ or 9″cake pans

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted

*I used cake pan insulators for a perfect evenly baked cake. This also prevents the sides from turning brown and getting crunchy

Remove cake from pan and let cool completely before icing.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Icing:

Cream together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer or whisk attachment if using a stand mixer.
Add icing sugar and mix on low speed until combined.
Mix on high speed until it is light and fluffy, about 7 minutes.