Little White (Wedding) Cake

Because Who Says We Can't Eat White Wedding Cake Whenever We Choose To?

A perfect, little, white (wedding) cake. Photo by the author.

Estimated prep time: 1.5 hours

Serves: 4-5 people

Ingredients for cake batter (9):

• 3/4 cups (79g) sifted cake flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

• 1 large egg, room temperature

• 2 Tbsp (30g) sour cream, room temperature

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk, room temperature

Ingredients for vanilla buttercream:

• 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 1/2 cups (180g) powdered sugar

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1 Tbsp heavy whipping cream

• Decorative edible sugar pearls or sugar “glitter”

• pinch of salt

Tool that you’ll need (10):

• Kitchen Aid or hand-held mixer

• Spatula

• 2, 4-inch, non-stick cake pans

• Wax paper, cut for the cake pans

• 2 cooling racks

• Cake turntable

• Bread knife

• Icing spatula

Directions for cake batter

1. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and prepare two 4-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting the bottoms with wax paper.

2. Using the paddle, in the bowl of your stand mixer (or using your handheld mixer), cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high until it’s light and fluffy for about 3 minutes. Next, turn the mixer to low and add the egg, mixing until just combined and scraping the bowl and paddle as needed. Add the vanilla extract and sour cream, turn the mixer to high, and beat for 1 full minute. The concoction may look a bit curdled, but that’s okay—it will become smooth cake batter once it’s done.

3. Turn the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients all at once. Mix until combined, then slowly pour in the milk. Continue to mix on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few more stirs with a whisk to ensure there are no lumps. The batter will be slightly thin.

4. Pour the batter evenly between the two 4-inch cake pans. It won’t look a lot, but it will rise when it bakes. Bake for around 20 minutes. Once the cake is done, it will spring back to the touch, and a toothpick inserted will come out clean. Cool completely before assembling and decorating.

Directions for vanilla buttercream frosting

1. With the paddle attachment again on your stand mixer, cream the butter at medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until it’s light in color and creamy. It will turn white.

2. With the mixer in the off position, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and a pinch of salt. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix until fully combined and uniform, scraping down the bowl as needed for 2-3 minutes. If the frosting still tastes “grainy,” continue mixing on low speed for another 1-2 minutes.

Assembly

1. Once the cakes are completely cooled, use a bread knife to trim off the crusty edges evenly, maintaining each cake’s circular shape. Next, place the first cake on the turntable and dob frosting in its center, evenly spreading it to cover its top. Then place the other cake on top of it and frost it entirely but sparingly, covering it up smoothly with a thin layer of frosting. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes with the crumb coat to let the buttercream set firmly.

2. Once the cake has been in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, use the remaining frosting to create a smooth buttercream finish. Finally, add decoration (when I made this cake, I made it twice; I used edible pearls and also “sugar glitter”). Enjoy!

Further Reading