Winter Wonderland White Cake

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My Winter Wonderland White Cake is perfect for the upcoming holiday season, no matter how you celebrate it. Light and fluffy with a tender crumb, my vanilla cake is a time-tested recipe that your whole family will love and look forward to every year.

slice of white cake on a spatula being removed from the whole cake

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You can decorate this delicious, moist white cake for the season, birthdays, or any holiday. Imagine my winter cake as a blank canvas. Enjoy making it for any occasion or just to treat your family to a special dessert.

whole winter wonderland white cake on a white platter

What’s on your holiday dessert menu this year? What’s on your holiday dessert menu this year? This is the perfect cake for the holidays, winter season or just to amaze your friends and family; it’s light, fluffy, festive, and delicious!

My Cannoli Cake and Pumpkin Crunch Cake are two of my other holiday favorites!

Ingredients to make a Winter Wonderland Cake

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Winter Wonderland White Cake recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

What type of flour makes the best cakes?

Cake flour is my flour of choice when iI want to bake a light, fluffy cake. Cake flour is very finely milled from soft winter wheat. It also has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, making it finer, lighter, and softer.

How to make a Winter Wonderland Cake

The first step is preparing the pans for the white cake batter and preheating the oven.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease two round 9-inch cake pans.
Place round pieces of parchment paper in the bottom of each cake pan and grease the parchment paper.
Flour the bottom and sides of the cake pans by tapping a spoonful of flour around to coat. Discard any remaining flour.

collage showing the first steps in making recipe

Add the egg whites, ¼ cup of milk, and the vanilla extract to a measuring cup
Whisk the ingredients together to combine, then set aside until needed.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer), combine the dry ingredients on low speed for 30 seconds.

collage showing the next steps in making recipe

Add in the butter and the remaining ½ cup of milk to the dry ingredients.
Mix on low speed just until moistened. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 1 ½ minutes. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
With the mixer on medium speed, add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition.
Divide the batter evenly into the cake pans using an offset spatula to level the batter. You can weigh the cake pans on a kitchen scale to ensure even layers.

collage showing baked cake layers in pans and on wire screen

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Be very careful not to overbake.
Let the layers cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then loosen the sides of the cakes with a small knife or spatula and invert the cakes onto a cooling rack.
Gently re-flip the cakes so that the top of the cakes is facing up. Let the cakes cool completely.

How do I make vanilla frosting?

collage showing how to make vanilla frosting

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the butter on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 8 minutes.
With the mixer on low, add in the remaining ingredients and mix for 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and whip until the frosting is very light and fluffy, about 6 minutes.

How to assemble the Winter Wonderland Cake

collage showing how to assemble the cake

Place the first cake layer flat side up on a cake stand (or any dish that you will be serving it on).
Place about 1 cup of frosting on the top and frost the cake by spreading it evenly with an offset spatula.
Gently place the 2nd cake layer top/rounded side down on top.
Place a small amount of frosting on top of the cake and create a crumb coat by spreading the frosting thinly over the top and sides with a small offset spatula. Place in the refrigerator and chill for about 30 minutes.

finished decorated cake on a white cake pedestal

Remove the cake from the refrigerator, then add the remaining frosting on top of the cake and spread it evenly over the top and sides. You can make the frosting textured to look like freshly fallen snow, as I did, or make it smooth.
Decorate the cake with your choice of holiday sprinkles

My Winter Wonderland cake is one of the most requested cakes I get asked to make during the holiday season. I love that I can decorate it with different sprinkles or toppings depending on the holiday. And did I mention it’s delicious?

Recipe FAQ’s

What makes a white cake white?

A white cake uses egg whites instead of the whole egg. Some bakers will use half shortening and half butter to get a whiter color to the cake layer.

Is white cake the same as vanilla cake?

White and vanilla cake are created from the same ingredients, the only difference is a yellow cake will use the whole egg. The yolk of the egg gives the cake a yellow color.

Do I have to only use egg whites for this cake?

No, you don’t if you don’t mind a yellow cake. If you do use the whole egg, reduce the number of eggs used to 4.

Can I add other ingredients to the white cake?

Yes, you can. Try adding chocolate chips to the cake or sprinkles to make a funfetti cake.

slice of winter wonderland cake on a white plate

Whether you’re looking for a beautiful holiday dessert or just dreaming of a Winter Wonderland, try making this cake to share with your family and friends.

The best part about this cake is that it’s a blank canvas ready for your decorations. It’s the perfect cake for any holiday or occasion!

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