This White Wedding Cake recipe is the perfect, easy solution for making your own wedding cake. It turns out perfect every time, and it’s delicious frosted with White Buttercream Frosting. Watch the video showing you how to make this recipe, then scroll to the bottom of this post and print out the recipe so you can bake this cake at home!
Bake Your Own Wedding Cake!
If you’re having a small wedding, or if you are on a strict budget, you might consider making your own White Wedding Cake (or having a family member do it for you. This is a very simple recipe, and I have suggestions for you on how you can make a smaller cake like this and still feed all of your guests with the same cake. Read on!
You don’t have to be a professional cake decorator to bake your own wedding cake. I’ve always had an interest in baking, but I wouldn’t say I have any kind of special talent that is above any other avid baker. When my son was in Kindergarten, his teacher was getting married and asked if I might be interested in baking a cake for her small wedding. I was terrified to take on the responsibility, but I agreed to do it!
What makes this cake special?
I made a few different kinds of cakes, and then I did a tasting session with the kindergarten teacher. This is the recipe she chose. She and her mother agreed that this White Wedding Cake had the best flavor, and it was so tender too. Let’s just say they were surprised when I told them that this recipe starts with a cake mix. Yep, it’s a doctored-up cake mix recipe. I’ve been baking this cake for all kinds of celebrations for so many years now, and it’s a big hit at every single event. People love this White Wedding Cake!
Now I know I’ve probably lost a few people at this point who are saying, “OMG, how could you serve a cake mix cake at a wedding??” And, “Why on earth wouldn’t you make it from scratch?” Well… like I said, when I did the tasting with the K-teacher, I presented several cakes for tasting (scratch cakes and then this one), and this White Wedding Cake was the hands-down favorite. And now it has been a favorite with so many people ever since. No one who eats it can tell that it began with a cake mix. It doesn’t taste like a boxed cake mix cake because it has been doctored-up to improve upon the taste.
What kind of frosting is best for a wedding cake?
Part of the appeal of this cake is the frosting recipe that is paired with it. I call it, “Wedding Cupcake Buttercream.” It has wonderful flavor, and it’s perfect for piping if you want to make a few decorations here and there. I wrote a post devoted to Wedding Cupcake Buttercream with a ton of details about how to pipe decorations, as well as a video that shows you how to make it. Check it out HERE.
In the recipe below, I’ve included the buttercream frosting recipe. It makes enough to frost your three layer cake and have some leftover for piping decorations.
How to bake a cake for your own wedding:
This recipe makes a three layer cake. You’ll use three 9-inch pans. And you’ll frost it just as you would frost a two-layer cake, with frosting in between layers. If you’d like, you can put the remaining frosting in a piping bag and use it to create a simple border around the top and bottom edges. I like to grate some white chocolate shavings onto the top of the cake because that helps make it look a little more fancy. I’ve also used this recipe to make a 14-inch round cake too for other kinds of celebrations.
Obviously this recipe won’t be enough to feed everyone at your wedding. You’ll get 14 servings out of it. So what I suggest is baking this cake for display and tasting. Then use this same recipe to make White Wedding Cake Cupcakes for your guests. That’s what I did for my son’s Kindergarten teacher, and it made for very pretty display at her small wedding. I wrote a long post about How to Make Wedding Cupcakes, so that’s worth reading too!
Good luck!
If you’re looking for more recipes that are great for homemade weddings, consider these:
- White Wedding Cake Cupcakes
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Cream Cheese Mints
- Chocolate Wedding Cupcakes
- Vintage Wedding Dessert Table
- Sugar Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Sugar Free Chocolate Frosting
White Wedding Cake
Ingredients
CAKE:
- One 15.25-ounce box white cake mix (NOTE: make sure the cake mix you buy is 15.25 ounces-- companies have been reducing the size)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1⅓ cups water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 large egg whites
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
- 4½ cups powdered sugar
- 1½ cups (3 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract (use clear extract, if you really want it white)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
BAKE THE CAKE:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour three 8-inch round pans. 8-inch pans are important as the layers will be thicker. It's easiest to get the cake out of the pans if you line them with rounds of parchment paper too.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, flour, sugar and salt. Add the remaining ingredients and beat with hand mixer for 2 minutes, or until well blended.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Be sure to fill them ¾ to 1-inch below the top of the pan. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Watch closely- check after 35 minutes and then every 5 minutes until they test done. Time will vary based on which pans you choose to use. Let the cakes cool in the pans for a few minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.
FROST THE CAKE:
- In a large bowl, with a hand or stand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter on low speed. Mix until well blended. Increase the speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and 3 tablespoons of cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more. Add more cream if needed for desired spreading/piping consistency.
- You may find that the layers are a bit moist on the surface, so just be careful when handling and frosting. Place one layer of the cake on a serving plate. Spoon a dollop of the frosting on the first layer and spread to cover. Place the second layer of cake on the first. Spread another thin layer of frosting on the second layer. Add the third layer of cake. Spread frosting on the top and then down the sides of the cake to cover. You should have enough frosting left over to add some decorations. Scoop the remaining frosting into a piping bag and pipe decoratively onto the cake, as desired. I like to refrigerate the cake until ready to serve (or at least until the day of serving (can make one day ahead).
Notes
- *Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract (in addition to the vanilla) if you wish to have a different flavor.
- *You can also use this mix to make cupcakes. Pour into cupcake liners and bake for about 18 minutes. It will make about 36 cupcakes.
- *I've made this into a large 14-inch round cake too!
- *If you want a bigger cake and thicker layers, use 9-inch pans and double the recipe. You won't use all of the batter, but you will be able to get thicker layers.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Used 8” pans. Very flat cakes ?
I tried this recipe with white cake and followed the exact instructions. The cake did not rise and it was extremely sticky. Every time I touched it, it stuck to my spreading knife. The taste was to sweet and undercooked. I left the second pan in longer and got the same turnout. I will not be making this cake again. Wasted an entire afternoon mixing and baking or a stick batter tasting outcome.
It does remain moist on the surface of the cake, so you just need to make sure you get a good dollop of frosting on there and spread it across the cake. Another option is to turn the cake layer upside down and put the sticky side on the bottom. Sounds like it just didn’t work for you- sorry!
Definitely not enough batter to fill 3, 9 inch pans. I only got 2 pans out of it. Disappointing, I guess I should have tested it myself before actually just using the recipe. I bake pretty often and use professional grade 9 inch rounds. Guess I’m off to the store to buy another box mix to finish the cake
Very thin, no rise at all. It doesn’t look anything like the photo above. Taste was good and it is moist
I would like to use this recipe to make two 12X18 single layer cakes. How many batches of the recipe should I use?
Thanks
I’m not sure!
I have made this cake four times in the last two months. I follow the cake recipe exactly, and it turns out perfect every time!
For the frosting: I use a whipped cream frosting instead because I prefer less sweet frosting than buttercream. Roughly 1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 package of dry vanilla pudding mix, and a splash of vanilla. Beat it with electric mixer until fluffy. Delicious! Thank you for a spectacular 5 star recipe!
I am only giving a 4 star for now. I am sure I will be changing it. I have just made this cake recipe. All seemed to go as it should. I do make a lot of cakes and like to see them rise to perfection. I am not by any means a professional cake baker tho. I may be ok, but my question is about how high this will rise. My layers are not very fluffy and high like you see with plain old cake mixes. I know this is a more dense cake but just how dense is it supposed to be? I double checked twice to make sure it was done, just seems a little more thin than I expected. I did sneak a tiny little bit out of the middle of one layer to make sure it seemed ok and it did. Maybe I am just overthinking. This is for a graduation party so of course I want it to be perfect. I also used the baking strips and maybe on this cake I shouldn’t have done that. ??
I think it bakes pretty even and does not rise tall.
I made this cake using a Betty Crocker strawberry cake mix because it was what I had on hand. It is for a Mother’s Day cake, so the strawberry works well. This recipe is fantastic! I think it would be much better with the white cake mix that the recipe calls for. The strawberry cake mix has an artificial flavoring / taste that is hard to conceal. I will add fresh strawberries and buttercream frosting tomorrow on Mother’s Day. I made two layers, and 12 cupcakes. I reduced the temperature to 310 degrees because our oven tends to run hot and bake fast. All baked up beautifully! I used shortening, flour and wax paper in the bottom of the cake pans and the layers released from the pan beautifully. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
This cake is excellent! The first time i made it, i used the 2 tablespoons of oil, as instructed in recipe. Cake was good but, found it not moist enough. The next time i made it, i used a half of a cup of oil. It was perfect! Also…i have ALWAYS used 4 whole eggs, and the cake still came out white. The 2nd time i made it…i used 7up instead of water or milk. Came out great. Made my own adjustments for BUTTERCREAM frosting.
I only have 8” cake pans. How long would I bake in the oven for? I can not WAIT to make this!! Thank you in advance for your time in answering and the recipe
I would guess 25 to 30 minutes? You’ll just have to watch and see when they are done!