White Sheet Cake
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A perfectly moist and simple white cake that pairs with any frosting you prefer.
I don’t know about you but I am all sugared out, y’all!
Ok, well, maybe not completely… We still have 2 weeks left of the holiday season and I’ll gladly continue to eat cookies and candy and chocolate covered pretzels until my eyes fall out.
But what I definitely am is completely whooped from 10 straight days of recipes. SERIOUSLY.
Since I only recently took the blog full time, I had to cram a lot of baking into November to prepare for this shindig. SO MUCH BAKING! But it was fun, our neighbors were happy, and I’m so glad to have finally been able to share some of my fav recipes with you.
So did you follow along with our baking adventure? For those of you who may have just arrived or found yourself here accidentally, this simple white sheet cake recipe is the 10th and final recipe in my 10 straight days of basic/simple recipes to kick off December.
In the lineup, we had:
•chocolate bundt cake
•gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
•butterscotch cookies
•funfetti rugelach
•how to make a rainbow cake
•pie crust cookies
•Almond Joy coconut cookies
•salted caramel chocolate chip cookies
•sugar cookie bars
Did you have a favorite??
Today’s simple white sheet cake is no different from the other recipes in the lineup. In fact, it’s the same base as the cake we used for the rainbow cake.
Originally seen in my white layer cake recipe, it’s a perfect base, so I use it a lot. It’s easy, it doesn’t require any weird ingredients, and we turn to cornstarch + flour instead of going with cake flour right off the bat.
The result is a soft and fluffy cake that can stand up to just about any buttercream you’d like to use. Keep it vanilla, go for chocolate, or maybe even do something fruity like strawberry buttercream.
If you’re really interested in the hows and whys of this batter, that post about white cake is where I lay it all out for you. Lots of pictures of what the batter should look like in progress, if you like that kind of thing. Check it out!
HOW TO MAKE A SHEET CAKE
To be totally honest, a sheet cake is a whole lot simpler than a layer cake, and it truly is as easy as pouring the batter into a larger pan and serving it right in that pan.
You can, of course, take it out of the pan and put it on some sort of serving plate, but it’s not totally necessary.
You may have seen my Texas sheet cake or ice cream sheet cake from years ago. Both of these are served right out of the pan they’re baked in, which makes for super easy topping with frosting and transporting.
This particular white sheet cake is baked in a 9×13 pan, and it uses exactly the same amount of batter that two 8″ round cake pans does. Fancy, eh?
TOP WITH MY EASY VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
To top this white sheet cake, I opted for half of my usual buttercream recipe, but if you’re really into frosting or looking to make it extra billowy and fluffy, go for the full batch. Notes in the recipe for doing this!
So, really and truly, I would love to hear from you. Which was your favorite recipe from our 10 days of basics? Try anything? Looking forward to trying something you’ve never had before? Add a cookie to your Christmas cookie trays?
It’s been a joy sharing these recipes with you, and I’m looking forward to sharing more of my basics and staples with you in 2020.
White Sheet Cake
Ingredients
CAKE
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- 2 Tablespoons (15g) cornstarch
- 1 and ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 Tablespoons (171g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature1
- 1 cup (240mL) heavy cream room temperature1,2
- 6 large egg whites room temperature1
- 2 and ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
BUTTERCREAM
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons (15-30mL) milk or cream
- pinch of salt
Instructions
CAKE
- Place oven rack on the middle setting and preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Grease and flour (or use homemade cake release) a 9" x 13" baking pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend ingredients together on low until completely combined, about 1 minute. Add the room temperature butter and beat mixture on low speed until it resembles sand. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula and mix again on low for a few seconds until thoroughly combined.
- Combine the heavy cream, egg whites, and vanilla extract in a large container with a spout (like a 2-cup glass measuring cup) and mix gently with a fork until blended. With the mixer speed on medium-low, add half of the milk mixture (about 1 cup) to the crumb mixture and mix until blended. Add the remaining milk mixture to the batter and beat again on medium-low until everything is incorporated. Turn the mixer off, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, and increase mixer speed to medium. Beat the batter for about 30 seconds until batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake cake for about 32-34 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow cake to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
BUTTERCREAM
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Add the cream and continue to mix until everything starts to come together.
- Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until completely combined, scraping down sides as needed. Add salt to taste. Spread evenly over cooled cake and decorate as desired. Store leftovers covered tightly at room temperature up to 4 days or in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Cake freezes well, up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Notes
- Room temperature ingredients: it is imperative to use room temperature ingredients in this recipe. Allow ingredients to sit out at room temperature at least 45 minutes before beginning.
- Cream: I strongly encourage using cream in this recipe. It keeps the crumb moist and dense and adds a creaminess to the overall texture of the cake.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Great recipe! Easy to make and delicious. I love to make homemade custard based ice cream, and this was a fantastic way to use up some of the leftover egg whites. I’d love to see more recipes that use egg whites!
Hey, Hannah! I have a few cake recipes that use egg whites, and are based off of the same base recipe as this one: white layer cake, funfetti bundt cake, champagne layer cake, berry cake, and red, white, and blue swirl bundt cake. Enjoy!
Had some leftover frosting to use up. This was the perfect cake for the job. I love that it’s not expected to frost the whole thing. Super flavorful and moist.
Right? Super simple! I’m glad you found a good use for that leftover frosting 🙂
This turned out wonderfully well! I’m not a very experienced baker, so I really appreciate the way this recipe is written – very clear step-by-step and easy to follow! Both the cake and frosting were a big hit! Thank you!
Thank you so much, Grace! I love hearing that 🙂
So delicious and the recipe is easy enough for my over-thinking brain to follow 🙂
Thanks so much, Cici!
Instead of using soured cream in a recipe, could it be substituted for buttermilk or yogurt?
Thank you
Hi, Sharon– that can work, yes.