White Buttermilk Cake

White cake is a timeless classic. A really great, tried and true recipe will come in handy again and again - much like your go-to little black dress. The simple two-layer cake is pretty enough for a special occasion, but not so fancy or huge that it couldn’t be made, just because.

Cake:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (227 g)
1½ cups granulated sugar (298 g)
1¼ cups buttermilk (284 g)
6 large egg whites (213 g)
1½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. pure almond extract
2¼ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached (271 g)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. fine sea salt

Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (227 g)
4 cups confectioners’ sugar (454 g)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
¾ tsp. pure almond extract
⅓ cup heavy cream (81 g)
sprinkles, as needed

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Grease and flour two 9” cake pans.

Make the Cake:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk the buttermilk, egg whites, vanilla and almond extracts to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt to combine.

Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the mixer and mix to combine. Add half of the buttermilk mixture and mix to combine. Scrape the bowl well.

Repeat this process, alternating dry and wet ingredients until all ingredients are incorporated. Scrape the bowl well to ensure the batter is homogenous.

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth into an even layer. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes.

Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Use a serrated knife to level off the surface of each cake to make a flat surface.

Make the Frosting:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix to combine.

With the mixer running, add the cream in a slow, steady stream until well combined.

Place one of the cake layers on a cake stand. Scoop about 1 cup of frosting onto the cake and spread into an even layer. Top with the second cake layer. Frost the cake all over and garnish as desired with sprinkles.