White almond wedding cake is the classic bakery-style white cake: soft, fine-crumbed and pure white, flavored with almond extract and clear vanilla, and finished with a fluffy almond buttercream. The recipe starts with a box of white cake mix and builds it up with extra flour, sugar, sour cream and egg whites, so it tastes and slices like a scratch wedding cake. It makes a two-layer 8-inch cake, about 12 slices.
How to make it: Stir the cake mix with the flour, sugar and salt, beat in the water, sour cream, oil and flavorings, then beat in the egg whites for 4 minutes. Bake in two greased and floured pans at 325°F until a toothpick comes out clean, cool, and frost with an almond-vanilla buttercream, using a thin crumb coat first.
Why You’ll Love It
- The wedding cake flavor: almond and vanilla, the taste most people know from bakery white cakes.
- Moist, sturdy crumb: sour cream keeps it tender, and the added flour makes it firm enough to stack and decorate.
- Bright white: egg whites and clear vanilla keep the cake and frosting snowy.
- Starts with a mix: professional results with a short ingredient list.
What Is White Almond Sour Cream Cake?
This style of cake is often called WASC, short for white almond sour cream. It’s a doctored cake mix: a box of white cake mix plus extra flour, sugar, sour cream and egg whites. The extra flour and sugar give it a denser, bakery texture that holds up under frosting, and the sour cream keeps it moist for days of decorating. The almond extract is what makes it taste like a wedding cake.
Ingredient Notes
White cake mix: one 18.25-ounce package. If your box is smaller, the cake will be slightly denser.
Flour, sugar and salt: 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 3/4 teaspoon salt build the mix into a sturdier cake.
Sour cream: 1 cup. Full-fat gives the most tender, moist crumb.
Egg whites: 4, for a white cake. Separate them carefully so no yolk gets in.
Almond extract and clear vanilla: 1 teaspoon of each in the cake. Clear vanilla keeps the cake white; regular vanilla tints it slightly beige.
Buttercream: 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, 1/3 cup room-temperature unsalted butter, clear vanilla, almond extract and a little whole milk.
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Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 package white cake mix (18.25 oz)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp clear vanilla flavoring
- 4 egg whites
For the almond buttercream
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp clear vanilla flavoring
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1-2 tbsp whole milk
How to Make White Almond Wedding Cake
1. Prepare the pans. Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the white cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt. Stir to mix.
3. Add the wet ingredients. Add water, sour cream, vegetable oil, almond extract, and vanilla flavoring. Beat until combined.
4. Beat in the egg whites. Add egg whites and beat on low speed for about 4 minutes.
5. Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Start the frosting. For the frosting, beat together confectioners’ sugar and butter until creamy.
8. Flavor and whip. Add clear vanilla flavoring, almond extract, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Beat for 5 minutes until light and fluffy, adding more milk if needed for consistency.
9. Crumb coat. Level the cooled cakes and apply a crumb coat of frosting. Chill for 15 minutes.
10. Frost and decorate. Apply the final layer of frosting and decorate as desired.
Tips for a Bakery-Style White Cake
- Bake low and slow. 325°F lets the thick layers bake through with flat tops and pale sides.
- Don’t skip the 4-minute beat. It builds structure for a fine, even crumb.
- Check early. Ovens vary, so start checking the layers a little before the shortest bake time.
- Cool completely. Warm layers melt buttercream and tear when you level them.
- Level the tops. A serrated knife gives flat layers that stack straight.
- Use a crumb coat. A thin first layer of frosting traps crumbs so the final coat stays clean and white.
Is Almond Cake the Same as Wedding Cake?
Not always, but they overlap. Wedding cakes come in every flavor. When a bakery sells “wedding cake” as a flavor, though, it usually means a white cake flavored with almond and vanilla, like this one. A traditional almond cake made with ground almonds is a different, denser cake.
Variations
- Cupcakes: fill lined muffin cups two-thirds full; they bake much faster than layers, so check them early.
- Raspberry filling: spread seedless raspberry jam between the layers.
- Sheet cake: bake in a greased 9×13 pan and frost the top only.
- Stronger almond: add a little more almond extract to the buttercream, a drop at a time.
- Decorations: pipe rosettes, add edible pearls or top with fresh flowers that are safe for food.
Storage
Keep the frosted cake covered at cool room temperature. On a warm day, refrigerate it so the buttercream stays firm, then let slices sit out a little before serving for the best texture. Unfrosted layers can be wrapped well and frozen, then thawed before frosting.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with fresh berries, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or coffee and tea.
More cakes for celebrations: white snack cake, lemon cake to die for, salted caramel Kentucky butter cake, chocolate brownie cake and pineapple coconut surprise cake. For a tea party, add old-fashioned Southern tea cakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What flavor is a white wedding cake?
Usually vanilla and almond. This cake uses almond extract and clear vanilla in both the cake and the buttercream.
Why use clear vanilla?
Regular vanilla extract is brown and tints the cake and frosting. Clear vanilla keeps them white.
Can I use whole eggs?
The cake will still taste good, but it won’t be white. Egg whites keep the color pale.
Can I use this cake for a tiered wedding cake?
Yes. The sour cream and added flour make it sturdy enough to stack. Make one batch for each pair of 8-inch layers.
Why did my cake sink?
It was underbaked or the oven door was opened too early. Bake until the center springs back and tests done.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Bake, cool and wrap the layers, then freeze them. Thaw before leveling and frosting.
How do I keep the frosting white?
Use clear vanilla and beat the buttercream the full 5 minutes until it’s pale and fluffy.
Final Notes
Beat the batter the full 4 minutes, bake low and cool the layers completely before frosting. If you try it as cupcakes or with a raspberry filling, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
White Almond Wedding Cake
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Ingredients
- 1 package white cake mix 18.25 oz
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp clear vanilla flavoring
- 4 egg whites
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 tsp clear vanilla flavoring
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1-2 tbsp whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
- In a large bowl, combine the white cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt. Stir to mix.
- Add water, sour cream, vegetable oil, almond extract, and vanilla flavoring. Beat until combined.
- Add egg whites and beat on low speed for about 4 minutes.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the frosting, beat together confectioners' sugar and butter until creamy.
- Add clear vanilla flavoring, almond extract, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Beat for 5 minutes until light and fluffy, adding more milk if needed for consistency.
- Level the cooled cakes and apply a crumb coat of frosting. Chill for 15 minutes.
- Apply the final layer of frosting and decorate as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nutrition values are estimates based on the listed ingredients and serving count. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion sizes.
