High-Altitude White Cake

Name: High-Altitude White Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 27 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 ½ cups sifted (250g) cake flour; 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder; ¼ teaspoon salt; 4 large egg whites; ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar; ⅓ cup (65g) sugar; 1 stick (4 oz or 115g) unsalted butter, softened; 1 cup (200g) sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla; (1 teaspoon almond or other extract); 1 ¼ cups (295g) milk

Cuisine:American

Course:Dessert

30m prep 27m cook 1h 0m ready

Two 8- or 9-inch round layers The batter rises higher in 8-inch pans than in 9-inch pans, but the latter is fine if you don’t mind a cake with 1-inch-high layers. Please read About High-Altitude Cake Baking and About Butter Cakes. This recipe is designed for baking at 5,000 feet. If baking at 7,000 feet, preheat the oven to 350°F. Reduce the baking powder by ¼ teaspoon and the sugar creamed with the butter by 2 tablespoons (30g). Add ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar and replace the milk with buttermilk and increase by 1 ½ tablespoons (25g). Bake about 25 minutes. If baking at 10,000 feet, bake at 375°F. Use a blend of 1 ¼ cups plus 1 tablespoon sifted (130g) cake flour and 1 ¼ cups plus 1 tablespoon sifted (160g) all-purpose flour. Reduce the baking powder by ¼ teaspoon, the butter by 1 tablespoon (15g), and the sugar creamed with butter by ¼ cup (50g). Add ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar, and ½ teaspoon each vanilla and almond extract. Replace the milk with buttermilk and increase by ¼ cup (60g). Bake about 27 minutes. Have all ingredients at room temperature, about 70°F. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Thoroughly grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans and line with rounds of parchment paper.

Step 1.

Whisk together thoroughly in a medium bowl: 2 ½ cups sifted (250g) cake flour; 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder; ¼ teaspoon salt
Step 2.

Beat in a large bowl, or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, until foamy: 4 large egg whites; ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Step 3.

Gradually add and beat on high speed until soft, slightly droopy peaks form: ⅓ cup (65g) sugar
Step 4.

Beat in another large bowl (or transfer the egg whites to another bowl and reuse the stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment) until well blended: 1 stick (4 oz or 115g) unsalted butter, softened; 1 cup (200g) sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla; (1 teaspoon almond or other extract)
Step 5.

On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with: 1 ¼ cups (295g) milk
Step 6.

in 2 parts, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Beat on high about 30 seconds, until smooth and creamy. Gently fold the whites into the batter in 3 additions with a silicone spatula. Divide the batter between the pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 27 minutes.
Step 7.

Let cool in the pans on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert the cakes out of the pans, remove the paper liners, and set right side up on the rack to cool completely.