Satisfy your sweet tooth with this easy, single serving White Cake recipe. Indulge in a moist, tender, and vanilla flavored treat just for you!
Indulging in a little treat just for yourself is always a delightful experience. Whether it's a quiet evening at home or a celebration of a personal milestone, this delightful White Cake for One is the perfect way to treat yourself. With a tender crumb and a hint of vanilla, this single-serving cake is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth without leaving you with leftovers for days.
What Is A White Cake?
A white cake is a delicate, moist, and tender cake made with simple ingredients like flour, sugar, egg whites, and butter. It's often flavored with vanilla and has a light, fluffy texture. White cakes are known for their pale, almost white appearance, which comes from using only egg whites and clear extracts in the batter.
Why This Is My Best White Cake Recipe
- No leftovers: This single-serving white cake recipe is perfect for when you're craving something sweet but don't want to make an entire cake. The recipe is specially designed for one or two servings, so you won't have to worry about leftovers or overindulging.
- Easy to make: The cake is made with pantry staples and baked in a ramekin.
- Recipe doubles well: We bake this mini white cake in a 10-ounce ramekin. If you'd like to make a larger cake just double the ingredient amounts and bake it in a 5x5-inch baking dish or in two 10-ounce ramekins.
- Perfect for celebrating: This simple white cake is anything but simple! It's the perfect birthday cake for a small birthday celebration.
Classic White Cake Ingredients & Frosting Ingredients
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
- Butter: Use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. I use salted butter because this is the type of butter I always have on hand. Since you will be using such a small amount of butter, salted or unsalted butter won't make much of a difference in this recipe. Use what you have or what you prefer. If you are on a low-sodium diet, by all means, use unsalted butter. Melted butter is used in the cake batter and softened butter is used in the frosting. Softened butter should still be cool to the touch but when you press your finger into the butter, your finger will leave an indentation. Just leave the butter out on the counter for about 30 minutes before you are ready to use it and it should be softened enough for this recipe.
- Flour: I use self-rising flour in this small white cake recipe. If you would like to use all-purpose flour, add ¾ teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch (less than ⅛ teaspoon) of salt to ½ cup of all-purpose flour. Stir the mixture together in a small bowl and use in place of packaged self-rising flour.
- Egg whites: Use 2 large egg whites. This recipe is great when you have egg whites leftover from another recipe. If not, be sure to save the egg yolks and use them in any of our recipes listed below.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. Clear vanilla extract can also be used for a whiter cake.
- Heavy cream: I recommend using heavy cream (double cream) or heavy whipping cream. Both of these ingredients are essentially the same - they both have over 36% milk fat, and the name often depends on the brand. In a pinch, you can use whole milk instead but heavy cream gives the cake a soft texture and adds a much richer flavor.
- For the frosting: Use powdered sugar, softened butter, vanilla, and heavy cream.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why I used them. For the full recipe please scroll down to the recipe box at the bottom of the post.
How To Make A White Cake For One Or Two
These step-by-step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make a small white cake and white cake frosting. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Heat the oven to 350° F (177° C). Lightly butter a 10-ounce ramekin and set it aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, egg white, and vanilla until smooth.
- Stir in the self-rising flour.
- Add the cream and stir until smooth.
- Pour the cake batter into the lightly buttered ramekin and place the ramekin on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any possible spills.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Place the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the sifted powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and cream by hand with a spoon or with an electric mixer until smooth.
- After the cake has cooled, either frost the top of the cake while still inside the ramekin, or remove the cake from the ramekin and frost it. To remove the cake, loosen the edges by running a thin, sharp knife along the edge of the cake to loosen it. Place a plate on top of the cake and turn the cake over so that the cake slides right out.
- Spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cake and top with sprinkles, if you'd like.
Expert Tips
- Read through the entire recipe and the Ingredient Notes section of the post and gather your ingredients. We provide a lot of information within the body of this recipe post to ensure that your small white cake comes out perfectly every time. This cake comes together quickly so it's a good idea to fully understand the recipe and have everything ready before beginning.
- Measure ingredients correctly. This is so important. To measure flour correctly, stir the flour in its container with a spoon. Then, use a spoon to scoop flour into a dry measuring cup and slightly overfill. Then, use the back of a knife or other straight-edged utensil to level the flour across the cup. Do not scoop the flour. When you scoop, the flour gets packed too tightly and you will end up with more flour than the recipe calls for.
- Don't overmix: Mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing can develop gluten in the flour, resulting in a tough cake.
- Preheat your oven: Make sure your oven is properly preheated to 350° F (177° C) before baking. An oven thermometer can be helpful to verify accuracy.
- Use the right pan: When making a small white cake use a 10-ounce ramekin for best results.
- To make a white layer cake, double the ingredient amounts and use two 10-ounce ramekins.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm mentioning it again because it is so important. The success of this recipe depends on using the correct baking dish. We recommend using a 10-ounce ramekin.
Yes. If you'd like to make a larger white cake simply double the ingredient amounts and bake the cake in two 10-ounce ramekins or use a 5.5-inch square baking dish. This dish can be found on our Store page.
The primary difference is the use of egg whites in a white cake, while a vanilla cake typically uses whole eggs. This gives the white cake its signature light color and delicate texture.
Make sure to measure ingredients accurately, especially the flour, and avoid overbaking.
Store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
White Cake Decoration
Feel free to have some fun decorating your homemade white cake with sprinkles, chopped nuts, candies, or berries. Although I prefer vanilla frosting, which is included in the recipe below, you might like to use our chocolate frosting or our cream cheese frosting instead. For a lighter, less sweet option, pair this cake with homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this moist white cake recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Self-rising flour: Boston Cream Pie, Vanilla Cupcakes, Chocolate Cupcakes, Beer Bread
- Heavy cream: French Silk Pie, Banana Pudding, Icebox Cake, Crustless Quiche, Smothered Pork Chops
- Egg yolk: Chocolate Pie, Banana Bread, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Scones, Oatmeal Cookies
- Powdered sugar: Puppy Chow (Muddy Buddies), Buckeyes, Peanut Butter Fudge, Pumpkin Bars, Texas Sheet Cake
- Sprinkles (optional): Frozen Chocolate Banana, Strawberry Milkshake, Shamrock Shake, Sugar Cookies
More Small Cake Recipes
- Carrot Cake
- Tres Leches Cake
- Devil's Food Cake
- "Quarter" Pound Cake
- Spice Cake
- Hummingbird Cake
- Red Velvet Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
A word about calories...
The nutrition information calculated in the recipe box is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator.
Keep in mind that this recipe yields one very generous serving. It is substantially larger than a typical "slice" of cake and two people could very easily enjoy it.
The cake is baked in a 10-ounce ramekin and can be enjoyed in one sitting or over a couple of days.
For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
If you’ve tried this "White Cake For One" or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Recipe
White Cake For One
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cake
- 4 tablespoons salted butter , melted
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract (or use clear imitation vanilla extract for a stark white cake and frosting)
- ½ cup self-rising flour
- ¼ cup heavy cream
For the frosting
- ½ cup powdered sugar , sifted
- 2 tablespoons salted butter , softened
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon heavy cream
- Optional for topping: candied sprinkles
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350° F (177° C). Lightly butter a 10-ounce ramekin and set it aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, egg white, and vanilla until smooth.
- Stir in the self-rising flour.
- Add the cream and stir until smooth.
- Pour the cake batter into the lightly buttered ramekin and place the ramekin on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any possible spills.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Place the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the sifted powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and cream by hand with a spoon or with an electric mixer until smooth.
- After the cake has cooled, either frost the top of the cake while still inside the ramekin, or remove the cake from the ramekin and frost it. To remove the cake, loosen the edges by running a thin, sharp knife along the edge of the cake to loosen it. Place a plate on top of the cake and turn the cake over so that the cake slides right out.
- Spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cake and enjoy!
Notes
- Read through the entire recipe and the Ingredient Notes section of the post and gather your ingredients. We provide a lot of information within the body of this recipe post to ensure that your small white cake comes out perfectly every time. This cake comes together quickly so it's a good idea to fully understand the recipe and have everything ready before beginning.
- Measure ingredients correctly. This is so important. To measure flour correctly, stir the flour in its container with a spoon. Then, use a spoon to scoop flour into a dry measuring cup and slightly overfill. Then, use the back of a knife or other straight-edged utensil to level the flour across the cup. Do not scoop the flour. When you scoop, the flour gets packed too tightly and you will end up with more flour than the recipe calls for.
- Don't overmix: Mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing can develop gluten in the flour, resulting in a tough cake.
- Preheat your oven: Make sure your oven is properly preheated to 350° F (177° C) before baking. An oven thermometer can be helpful to verify accuracy.
- Use the right pan: When making a small white cake use a 10-ounce ramekin for best results.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Elizabeth Barnett says
What do you do with the two leftover egg YOLKS??
Joanie Zisk says
Take a look in the section of the recipe post entitled, "What To Do With Leftover Ingredients". There we list several recipes that can be made with egg YOLKS.
J. Hegyi says
Terrific recipe!
Joanie Zisk says
Thank you!