White Velvet Cake with Cheesecake Filling and Silky Marshmallow Buttercream

Do not be fooled by the demure appearances of this cake. She may not have the tawdry interior of her sister Red but White is full of flavor no small measure of verve.  One bite of this cake and you will wonder how such innocent appearances can put forth something so dynamic.

A-SUweb

I have always been a fan of Red Velvet Cake, but I think my favorite characteristics are its pervasive buttermilk flavor and the light, tender texture. I figured, why mess with a mere tablespoon or two of cocoa (I have strong feelings that a Red Velvet cake is NOT to be a chocolate cake) and loads of food coloring when this cake could be perfectly lovely on its own.

A-white-velweb

A few years ago I was on a quest for my ideal Red Velvet Cake and baked and threw away batch after batch of cake gone wrong.  But I finally reached what I felt was just right. This White Velvet Cake is the daughter of all that experimentation and is in my mind perfect.

A-lie-2web

 Here is what makes this cake work:

  • Buttermilk, sour cream and vinegar join forces to create a cake that is a powerhouse of flavor and has a light and tender crumb.
  • A good dose of baking soda in this cake counters the acidic ingredients (which weaken cake structure) and provides needed lift.
  • Butter and oil together make for a cake that is moist, finely textured, light and long lasting.
  • All-purpose and cake flour help create a light and finely textured crumb.A-velvet-upweb

As if this cake were not enough, I have filled it with the most luscious cheesecake filling.  Now I have seen many a Red Velvet Cake filled with cheesecake but it usually requires long baking times in a springform pan and lengthy chilling periods. In the end you only end up with one layer of filling. This cheesecake has the exact ingredients of a baked cheesecake but is made in a double boiler on the stovetop in 10 minutes! A quick chill in the freezer and you can fill as many layers of cake as you choose with this thick, delicious cheesecake. Yum!

A-flower-topweb

 To top it all off I created a silky buttercream out of marshmallows for those of you who cannot get marshmallow crème to make Simple Silky Buttercream. This is a beautiful buttercream that is stable and pipes with ease and firms up perfectly when chilled.

A-doubleweb

All together this cake is something like the nectar of the gods. I mean truly incredible. Trust me, you want to make this cake! Give it a go and tell me what you think.

Happy Baking!

White Velvet Cake with Cheesecake Filling and Silky Marshmallow Buttercream

Ingredients

  • 12 tablespoons (6 ounces, or 170 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (4 ounces, 113 grams) vegetable oil
  • 14 ounces (397 grams) granulated sugar-2 cups
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup (237 milliliters) buttermilk
  • ½ cup (119 milliliters) sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) vanilla
  • 6 ounces (170 grams) all-purpose flour-1 ¼ cups
  • 5 ½ ounces (156 grams) cake flour- 1 ¼ cups* (see end of recipe for substitute)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons (7 ½ milliliters) baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon (3 ¾ milliliters) salt
  • For the Cheesecake Filling:
  • 5 ounces (142 grams) granulated sugar-3/4 cup
  • 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) all-purpose flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 (8 ounce, or 227 gram) packages cream cheese, softened
  • ½ tablespoon (7 ½ milliliters) vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) sour cream
  • For the Silky Marshmallow Buttercream:
  • 7 ounces (198 grams) large marshmallows
  • 5 ounces (142 grams) corn syrup
  • 3 ounces (85 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) water
  • 2 cups (16 ounces or 454 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup (60 milliliters) cold pasteurized egg whites
  • 1 cup confectioner’s sugar (4 ounces or 114 grams) or to taste up to 3 cups
  • 1 tablespoons (15 milliliters) vanilla extract
  • ½ tablespoon (7 ½ milliliters) vanilla bean paste or more vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F (177 C). Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with Baker’s Joy or grease and flour.
  2. Beat butter, oil and sugar on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated. Add buttermilk, sour cream, vinegar and vanilla and mix to blend.
  3. Sprinkle in flours, baking soda and salt; beat for 1 minute.
  4. Pour into prepared pans and bake for about 25-30 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan and then turn out to a cooling rack. Cool completely if using immediately, or wrap in two layers of plastic wrap if using later. Frost the cooled cake with your buttercream of choice.
  5. *Cake flour substitute: Use 137 grams all-purpose plain flour and 19 grams cornstarch or potato starch in place of cake flour.
  6. For the Cheesecake Filling:
  7. In a small bowl combine sugar, flour and salt and stir to blend. Whisk in eggs.
  8. Place softened cream cheese in a medium bowl and whisk in 1/3 of the egg mixture. Add remaining egg mixture in two batches whisking after each addition. Whisk in vanilla and sour cream.
  9. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the top of a double boiler and place over simmering water. Whisk constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture is very thick. About 10 minutes. Scrape the corners and edges frequently. When it is the consistency of peanut butter remove from the heat.
  10. Pour the cheesecake mixture into an 8-inch cake pan and cover the surface directly with plastic wrap or wax paper. Place in the freezer to cool for 30 minutes or until chilled.
  11. Use to fill cakes, to layer in parfaits or to eat by the spoonful.
  12. For the Silky Marshmallow Buttercream:
  13. Place marshmallows, corn syrup, sugar and water in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for about 1 ½ to 2 minutes until the marshmallows are melted and the sugar is dissolved; stir after one minute and then at 20 second intervals. Scrape into a mixer bowl and place in freezer for about 20 minutes or until cool to the touch.
  14. When cool, add the butter to the mixer bowl and beat on medium-high for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and pour in the cold egg whites; beat on medium-high for 1 minute.
  15. Add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla to the marshmallow-butter mix and beat to combine.
  16. Use immediately or store at room temperature for 2 days, in the refrigerator, tightly sealed, for 2 weeks or in the freezer for 2 months.
  17. Makes about 5 ½ cups
https://www.cakepaperparty.com/2014/05/white-velvet-cake/

 

 

160 thoughts on “White Velvet Cake with Cheesecake Filling and Silky Marshmallow Buttercream”

    1. It firms up when chilled similarly to SMBC so if you are accustomed to working with that type of buttercream under fondant you should be fine. The butter content is equivalent.

        1. Hi Lizeth! Cupcakes are such finicky creatures that I would be wary of trying this batter as cupcakes. It’s always safer to to start with a recipe formulated for cupcakes. It usually takes me 5-10 batch adjustments to get cupcakes right. Although not specifically white velvet, the Essential Vanilla cupcakes have a rich sour cream flavor and are a great cupcake base.

  1. Sounds delicious! Two questions, please. Do you know what temperature the filling should reach to make it safe? And your picture shows 4 luscious layers, not 3 as your recipe states.

    1. Haha! you caught me! When I stacked this cake I was working with only one layer that I cut in half into two half rounds and then torted (not very well too-it’s not easy to split a weird cake like that!), so if you make the recipe as stated you will end up with a taller cake (which I prefer!). You can stack the layers full thickness or could split them into 6 (that’s a lot). So, sorry for the misdirection, I am just trying to eliminate some of the massive amounts of cake traveling through my kitchen (and unfortunately also into my mouth!). Smiles 🙂

  2. Hi Summer, I’m truly enjoying your blog and look forward to your new posts everyday! I can’t wait to try all your recipes out!
    Regarding this recipe I have a couple of questions: I like to use 3″ pans and was wondering if I could use 2 6″x3″ pans to make it or would I need to modify the recipe ( I don’t mind having left over batter, don’t ask me what I’ll do with it though ;)) If so, should I lower the temperature in the oven or just let then chill in there until they are done.
    Finally, I haven’t tried the MM frosting yet but I was wondering if you can recommend a different frosting that can be less sweet?
    Thanks for your willingness to help and share with others!
    Regards,
    Maria

    1. Ah, the great pan question! I think it would work. I would lower the temperature 25 degrees F (15 C). I just can’t predict the results. Every cake acts a little differently and when you alter its environment so drastically it will create a different cake. I like to say that everything and nothing in cake matters, meaning you can generally change things and get decent results but the alterations will yield a different product. So, having said all of that, I would definitely try to modify this recipe to suit your preferences but you may have to change the recipe a tad to get equivalent results.
      As far as the frosting goes, there is superfluous sweetener in it that can be easily removed. Leave the granulated sugar out of the marshmallow mix and skip or reduce the confectioner’s sugar. This buttercream is not very sweet to start (at least to me!) but you can modify it to your taste. Best of luck!

  3. So should this cake be stored in the refrigerator since it has a cheesecake filling, or is it stable enough to be room temp for awhile?

    1. It is firm enough to hold up for a few hours or so but since it is cream cheese based I would not leave it out overnight. Also, like any cheesecake, I feel that the texture of it is better when slightly cool than when warm.

  4. Hi Summer
    Thanks for the great recipes! Can’t wait to try the white velvet cake. We don’t have All Purpose flour here in South Africa, what can I use instead?

    Many thanks
    Warm regards
    Kathy Dean

    1. A multipurpose moderate-protein flour. I’m not sure what your options are. If you have plain pastry flour you can substitute it for the all-purpose and the cake flour both. Let me know if that answers your question 🙂

      1. Hi Summer
        Thanks for taking the time to reply. All we have here is Cake Flour and Bread Flour! Will I have the same result using cake flour only?

        Thanks
        Kathy

        1. I would add some bread flour if you have it on hand. Cake flour creates a cake that is almost too cottony sometimes. Maybe 60 grams bread flour and the rest cake flour. The protein helps give this cake its structure. Let me know how it goes if you try it!

  5. I felt like a Goddess as I savored every bite of this perfect cake this morning over a cup of coffee shared with Summer herself! I really liked the flavor of the cheesecake filling, and that’s coming from someone who can take or leave cheesecake. As a baker who needs to be able to crank out cake orders, I like that this cheesecake filling can be made in just minutes – fail proof! The cake texture is perfect for a velvet cake and compliments the buttercream and filling. This is indeed a perfect combination of goodliness in the form of cake. I didn’t save any for my husband, but shared a few bites with my daughter who also really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing such a great slice of cake and helping me dip today! You did great on this recipe!

  6. I was wondering if this cake would b stable enough to carve I’m making a boat cake and thank u for all these beautiful recipes

    1. I use canola or a general vegetable mix but I think coconut would be really nice. You may just have some coconut flavor show through depending on the type of coconut oil you use.

  7. Thank you for sharing your professional secrets with everyone. How can I replace the pasteurized eggs? Will meringue powder do?

    1. You can use egg whites if you are not afraid of raw eggs. Perhaps meringue powder would work but may affect texture. You could also melt the marshmallows, corn syrup and sugar in a double boiler and add eggs whites with the other ingredients making sure it reaches 160 F. Good luck!

  8. Hi Summer. Just wondering if I can color it red? If I add liquid food coloring, should I cut back on the buttermilk?

  9. Hello there. About the texture of the cheesecake filling; is it like a mousse, a pudding or baked cheesecake?

    1. It is the texture of the creamy middle of a baked cheesecake. Definitely not mousse-like and more dense than pudding 🙂

      1. Awesome! Can’t wait to try it. You’re, like, totally my bcf (best cake friend) now for making cheesecake easier to get to! *happy dance*

          1. I need a dense cheesecake filling to fill a 14″, 12″ and 10″ wedding cake.
            Can this be scooped and spread in between the layers or does it need to be chilled in the pans?

          2. Hi Jessica! This is very thick but scoopable and still gooey. Its thicker than pastry cream or a curd. For a stacked wedding cake I would make a dam of your buttercream around the outer edge and then a spiral swirl of buttercream toward the center from the outer edge. This makes a very stable base. Then fill your cheesecake filling into the gaps. I have done this with lemon curd and got fudge and it works well to create stability with softer fillings that don’t chill hard. I hope that helps with you project. Smiles!

  10. i’m going to make this for mother’s day… totally counting on your trials and errors for this one.. was going to do the vanilla cake or the vanilla bean one BUT this one just sounds too convincing to pass up.. will keep you posted as to how it turned out.. THANKS!!!

    1. Yes, let me know. I love it! But it has a distinct flavor like a Red Velvet cake and I don’t know if that appeals to everyone. Hope you like it 🙂

  11. Is the vinegar only used if you don’t have buttermilk or should I still add it in with the liquid ingredients? Thanks!

    1. Use it! 🙂 It adds an important flavor component and is a part of most “velvet” cakes. It also provides a significant acid that is accounted for in the leavening. If you leave it out you will have to adjust the baking soda or it will taste soda-y.

  12. Just finished putting the cake together tonight and am bringing it to work tomorrow. The Marshmallow Buttercream was very creamy – almost too creamy. I added lots of confectioner sugar. It still didn’t stiffen up too much so smoothing it was near impossible. Any suggestions or insight? Thanks much!

    1. Were your ingredients warm? Because of the high butter content it can be on the soft side at room temperature. I try to keep the ingredients as cool as I can and still allow them to incorporate well. Also, I slathered the buttercream on the cake and then chilled a bit before smoothing so that it would have nice firm body to work with. It should be quite firm when chilled. Make sure you beat enough air in too which will stiffen it as when whipping cream is beaten. Beware of adding too much powdered sugar also. Sometimes the powdered sugar seems to pull the liquid out of emulsion and cause the buttercream to seem more liquid. If you keep adding confectioner’s sugar you will eventually saturate the liquids and it will stiffen but by that point you are dealing with a super sweet gritty frosting. I hope that helps!

    1. I use the paddle attachment almost exclusively and for this entire recipe. I mostly use a beater blade so that it scrapes and mixes and saves the time and mess of scraping down the bowl. 🙂

  13. Hi Summer, I got a few questions. When should I add that 1 tablespoon vinegar? I’ve seen different instruction in which you alternate the flour mixture and milk mixture. Some even say combine the vinegar and baking soda then add at the very last stage. Does it make a difference?

    Thanks for answering.

    1. I don’t think it makes a big difference but I usually add it with the liquids. I included it in the instructions (sorry about that!). I think you will really like this cake. It is one of my favorites 🙂

      1. Yes Summer I love love love this cake! It’s so moist and fluffy! The only thing I changed was I reduced the amount of sugar by about 30% to accommodate a diabetic family member (but I was told that the cake was still too sweet), I had only two bigger cake pans so I made 2/3 of a batch. The cake was only an inch high and one of them broke in half when I flipped it. So I immediately prepared to make it the second time using a full batch. The height was barely 1.25 inch and later I found out my pans were 9 inch and not 8 inch (yikes!). I always bake with my 7 inch pans so I didn’t pay attention to the bigger pan sizes. They still tasted awesome anyways.
        .
        I noticed a few big air bubbles though. Did I do anything wrong? Perhaps mixing speed was too fast? Mixing for too long?

        Once again thank you for this wonderful recipe. This has become my favorite white cake recipe for fondant cakes, My family loves chiffon cakes but they may be too light and airy to go under fondant.

        1. Oh dear, it’s amazing the difference between a 9 and 8″ pan! About the air bubbles, sometimes they are tricky to predict and fix and is somewhat an issue with this high acid/alkaline cake. There is a lot of neutralization chemistry going on. One thing you can try is allowing the batter to sit for 5 minutes after it is mixed and then gently restirring it before you pour it into the pans. This will allow some of the acid/soda to react and eliminate some bubbling. Also, when the batter is in the pans give it a good bang straight down on the counter before you put it in the oven to remove any large embedded air pockets.

          Yes, I love chiffon too but it is a bit squishy for fondant. 🙂 I’m so glad you like this recipe!

          1. Thanks so much for your advice and speedy reply! As per the splitting issue it happened to one of the cake pans only. Both pans were of different brands. With same baking time one gave firmer cake and the other yielded a fragile cake and eventually broke in half when I tried to lift it up from the cooling rack. Same thing happwded with my second trial. One cake was softer than the other and almost broke…phew… I almost had to bake a third time.
            Were the cakes supposed to be firm or fragile? I bet the softer one was slightly underbaked.

          2. This cake is definitely a tad fragile. It’s part of its light tender texture. Yes, different cake pans can have quite an effect on the way a cake bakes. If you know which one yields the softer cake you may want to let that pan bake an extra minute or two. When I am working with fragile cakes I often let them cool a bit longer in the pan to ensure they are set and then flip them directly into plastic wrap, wrap up and chill them before splitting or filling. It makes it so much easier to manipulate. 🙂

  14. Summer this recipe is to die for! Great blog , love all your recipes! I was wondering if I can use this recipe for fondant, I am a little worry about the cream cheese filling spoiling! Thanks for your replay!

    1. I wouldn’t worry too much about the cream cheese, but would keep it chilled as much as possible since cheesecake doesn’t taste very good (to me at least) at room temperature. This cake is a little fluffy/soft, so it may not be super sturdy under fondant. If you used a firm SMBC or ganache to coat it would probably be fine as long as it didn’t get too warm. Best of luck! 🙂

    1. I have not posted a Red Velvet recipe yet but my White Velvet Cake is very close. For Red Velvet Cake reduce cake flour to 5 1/4 ounces, add 2 tablespoons natural cocoa and 2 tablespoons red food coloring. It makes my favorite Red Velvet Cake 🙂

  15. I decided to make this cake for our 4th of July celebration. The cake I decided to do has a flag design on the inside, so I needed to make 2 layers red and one blue. Because I wasn’t sure how much batter/cake I needed, I doubled the recipe, measure out the batter into the amounts I needed for each layer and colored them. I ended up with some of the batter (enough for another 8″layer-I did one of the red layers 6″) left white. When I baked it all of the cakes, each one ended up with some cake stuck to the bottom of the pans, but the one left white ended up completely stuck to the pan when I turned it out. Oddly enough, that was the one that I left for a couple extra minutes in the oven and then cooled for almost 10 minutes in the pan (like the recipe says) in case that was the problem with the cake bits left in the other pans. I use Wilton Bake Easy spray and have in the past had better results with that than other sprays.

    Is there something I did wrong? Do you have any suggestions?

    I do like the way this tastes, though (I just had to try the cake left on the bottom of the pan)! And thank you for the red velvet option. Do you use just the liquid food coloring for the red?

    1. Hmmm, it doesn’t sound like you did anything wrong. The only thing I could imagine is that they were slightly undercooked. But I understand how this happened even with the layer baked longer. This cake is pretty fragile but it should not stick that terribly. I would suggest baking slightly longer and perhaps either use parchment to line your pans or try a thick layer of the baking spray. I use double strength liquid red in my red velvet cake that I get from a restaurant supply store (First Street brand). This food coloring has the lest amount of dye flavor of the ones I have tried. 🙂

  16. Hello Summer. I am very glad to have come across your page. Thank you for the wonderful posts. Please is there any substitute for sour cream? it’s hard to find here in my country.

    1. Hi Shile, You can use 1/4 cup of butter (or 3 tablespoons vegetable oil) and 3/4 cup low-fat or non fat yogurt for sour cream. Good luck! 🙂

  17. Could I halve this recipe and use 6 inch round, 2 inch high pans?
    I’m trying out your recipes and want to make something smaller, a three layer 8″ would be a tad big.
    Also I freeze all my cakes to lock in moisture, before I frost and decorate. Will this freeze well?

    1. Yes, you can halve this in 6 inch pans and it will freeze very well. I too often freeze many of my cakes. I hope you enjoy this! 🙂

  18. Hello, I just discovered your website a few days. I really like this blog alot, you are very creative and I look forward to trying your recipes. This cake looks beautiful and delicious. I just had a question. I read a comment in the comments section where someone said this cake was too sweet. Is it a really sweet cake? I also wanted to make this red velvet. Will it affect the structure and texture of the cake if I reduce the sugar by about a 1/2 cup? About how many cupcakes do you think this would make?

    1. Hi Jessica, Sorry it has taken me a while to get back to you! I wrote a response a while back but technical difficulties occurred and it didn’t post. 🙁 Anyway, you will be fine cutting a half cup of sugar. This cake is moderately sweet to me but it is so much personal preference. If you don’t like cake very sweet go ahead with the sugar reduction from the get go. This recipe should make about 24 cupcakes. I hope you enjoy! 🙂

    1. You can use glucose syrup or make a sucrose syrup. You may need to add a touch of lemon juice to prevent crystallization in sucrose syrup. Good luck!

  19. I tried making the cheesecake filling tonight and just could not get it to thicken. Followed the recipe exactly and it just wouldn’t work 🙁 it will give it a try another day but don’t have time right now. Will have to use a regular filling.

    1. Rats! 🙁 I can’t think of why it would not thicken. Sometimes acids will interfere with the ability of starches to thicken but I can’t imagine there is enough acid in the cream cheese to cause trouble. I will think about it and let you know if I come up with anything.

  20. Hi! I would like to cook this amazing cake for my sun’ s 2nd birthday, actually I am planning to make 2 level cake… For the first time…Today I cooked 1/3 of ingredients just to try so I really liked it. Can you please advise me how to modify the recepie for 10″ pan. And can I cook it in one pan and then cut in 3 or 4 layers? I don’t have 3 pans with the same size… And regarding the cream filling… For 8″ pan you use 2 packages of cream cheese so totally 454g right? I would be very appreciate if you can help me.
    Marina

    1. Hi Marina, For a 10 inch cake I would multiply this recipe 1 1/2 times. For specifics you can see more on changing sizes in the Sizing Up post. I would bake it in the suggested layers. You can make a portion of the batter at a time or make it all and chill the extra portion in the refrigerator while one layer bakes. If it is baked too thick the texture consistency will be different. Good luck!

      1. Hi Summer, the cake turned out well, I baked it in layers. I decorated it with marshmellow frosting and some figures so it was not only nice looking but nice tasting as well. Thank you for the recepie!

  21. Sad! Second time making the cake and all layers sank in the middle. 🙁 I double checked the ingredients. Any clue? First time was an astounding success!

        1. I am glad you were able to get it to work again. It is difficult for me to determine what the factor could be that caused it to sink before. So many things could come into play including oven temperature or the freshness of your leavening agents. Hopefully, the sinking won’t happen again and you will not have to worry about it! 🙂

          1. Thanks, Summer! I bake so often that I knew my baking soda was fresh- I just made 2 batches of your fresh strawberry cake the week before. It was either the tapping on the counter to level the batter (it’s a bit thick, and I had to use an offset spatula to level it anyway) or I did reduce the temp when I put the cakes in as I realized my fat daddio pans call for cooler temp. With the second try I went straight for the offset spatula and left the temp at 350 which made a darker cake than I’d like, but no craters!! I’ll start with a reduced temp next time. 😉

  22. Hi Summer, this looks SO DAMN DELICIOUS I can’t wait to try it!! Was just wondering if I make only 2/3 of the recipe would it be enough to split between 3 6″ pans? I need a deep 6″ cake ideally 4 x 1″ layers! Also I only own two 6″ pans so if I leave it in the fridge whilst the other two are cooking do you think it would be okay or should I just mix up the batter twice? Thank you so much for sharing!! You’re like the angel of cake haha

    1. Yes, Dee the 2/3 should work great for your 6″ pans. I would try making two layers and storing the rest of the batter for the third in the fridge while you bake. Just try not to disturb it much when you pour it into the pan. Good luck!

  23. Hello! I want to make a variation of this cheesecake filling for a cake this weekend. How long does it last for in the fridge (sealed in an airtight container)? Or should it be made fresh? I need it to last for about 2 days before I can fill the cake and I’m just wondering if it will? Love your blog!

  24. Hi Summer,
    I found this site today and I can’t seem to get enough of reading your recipes and eating cakes with my eyes. I have a degree in culinary arts with a concentration in baking/pastries. I also have a degree in food science. Unfortunately, I am a practicing registered nurse. I do get nostalgic at times when looking at cake pictures, reading recipes and learning new techniques either from the internet or books. I am hopeful some day I will have the time to bake the way I would love to.
    I have two simple questions for you:
    1- It looks like you always use a combination of cake and all purpose flour in your cakes, do you have a ratio that you like best?
    2.- My husband complains that my cakes are too soft and crumbly. Do you have any suggestions how I can make a more sturdy yet moist cake?
    Thanks!

  25. I’m excited to make this cake for a wedding in a few days! I made a tester of the cheesecake first because it sounded too good to be true. (My mom used to spend 3 hours making cheesecakes!) It was so good I couldn’t leave it alone. I made two tester cakes for the bride and groom last weekend and the hands-down winner was this exact cake. (I made a half-recipe and it fit perfectly in 2 6-inch pans, torted to 4 layers.) Also, I substituted agave for corn syrup in the cheesecake filling and it worked fine.
    Do you know how many cups of batter the recipe makes? I have to make 14, 12, 10, 8 and 6 inch tiers, with at least 3 layers. (Gotta find a really sturdy support system, too!) I’m not a regular baker, so I’d like to calculate my ingredients so I don’t have a ton left over.
    Finally, do you have any tips if the bride wants to freeze the top tier? I was too chicken to try this for my wedding!

  26. Hi I am very interested in trying this cheesecake filling out for a 3-tiered cake I will be doing. My question is would the recipe for the filling be enough to fill a 6″, 9″, and 12″ cakes or should I double/triple the recipe?

  27. Hi there. This filling and icing sounded so good that I decided to use it on my nephew’s birthday cake. I just put together the icing and when I tasted it, I noticed that it is quite gritty. I’m guessing that I didn’t melt the sugar enough in the first step. Is there something I can do to correct this other than making a whole new batch? Thank you so much Summer!

  28. Hi, Summer! I am looking for a cake for my bridal shower on May 31 and I was hoping to find something with a cream cheese and strawberry filling. Would this cake work with some strawberry puree in the cheesecake layers? The cake sounds delicious!

  29. Today is my first time making this cake. I can already tell that it is going to come out super nice. The batter was light and fluffy which makes for a good cake crumb. We’ll see. Thanks for posting.

  30. I already submitted a comment of the White Velvet Cake recipe on August 17. This cake is absolutely fabulous. It is very moist and delicious. The family ranted and raved about how flavorful and moist the cake was; especially for a white cake.

    I can’t wait to make more velvet cakes from this web-site. I think I will try the Lemon Velvet cake next.

  31. Summer,

    Are there any changes I need to do to convert this recipe into cupcakes? Also, can I use the silky buttercream recipe for frosting with fluff instead of the marshmallow recipe? Thanks!

  32. Hi Summer,
    So far, every recipe of yours that I have made are winners and you Red Velvet is my go to. My clients love it as do I. So, I want to try this one, but not a fan of marshmallow and I want a nice perfectly smooth finish to add design to. Any recommendation ( before I try all of my buttercreams) on frosting. I have a wonderful SMB. With the combo of flavors in the cake/filling, would you suggest to just stay with vanilla or white chocolate ganache ( too sweet?) or white chocolate SMB. I am waiting for my raspberry extract to arrive to try the pinot cake too.:)! BTW- White Mocha Espresso cake – to die for, too. So many great ones.
    Thank you.

    1. Thank you Pam! I would go for a vanilla bean SMBC or even one with a touch of cream cheese added. I think a white chocolate SMBC would be delicious too. The white panache might be a tad too sweet unless you are feeding a crowd with a real sweet tooth! Best of luck, and let me know how it goes!

      1. Hi Summer, quick question please… is this recipe cupcake convertable? Also, can I use the silky buttercream frosting recipe instead of the marshmallow recipe? Thanks

        1. I would add a touch more flour to them as cupcakes. Maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup. And yes you can easily use the Simple Silky buttercream in place of the marshmallow. 🙂

          1. Thank you for your reply. Can I still do the cheesecake filling in the cupcakes? Keep the same temperature and time?

          2. Yes, the cheesecake filling would be great in the cupcakes. The temp will be the same but start checking them at about 18 min to see if they are done. 🙂

  33. Summer,

    Can you give some guidelines on freezing batter and freezing the the silky marshmallow frosting please? Is it safe to freeze batter to use later and for how long? What are the steps to defrost? Thanks so much!

  34. Hello, Summer. I just baked the cake and it is exquisite. I divided the butter in two 9″ pans. One from cake bros darker color and one from fat daddios. I baked for 25 minutes and the one in the darker mold was already too brown, but still needed a little time. But, both came out soft and delicate, only the outside qas different. They baked beautifully. I had to replace sour cream with greek yogurt and part of the oil with more butter. I rexuced the sugar ti 9 oz, per previous comments, and it was perfect. I do not have ingredients for frosting, but it is delicious by itself. Thanks!!!!! 🙂

  35. I made this cake for a wedding exactly a year ago today. It was a gift to the bride and groom, so I made 5 tiers. It was a big hit–even chocaholics were turning down the chocolate groom’s cake once they tasted it. The family kept the extra and would not share, lol.
    I just got an email from the bride. She froze the top tier to eat on her first anniversary. Here is what she said: “We just enjoyed the best frozen wedding cake ever!!! It could have been freshly made, it tastes that good still!!! …best cake I have ever had!”
    I also used the cake for an entry in a cupcake contest (as well as a chocolate recipe from this site and the coconut cake from the Seattle bakery). They were the perfect springboards to creatively fulfill the theme.
    Thanks for all your hard work and dedication!!

    1. Yay! That makes me so happy! Thanks for passing on your success. It gives me joy that I could contribute the smallest piece to someones very important day!

    1. The filling is essentially cheesecake cooked on the stovetop so it doesn’t spread very beautifully. I would opt for another outer coating. Smiles!

  36. Hi Summer,
    What should the filling consistently be? I followed the cheesecake filling instructions but the filling isn’t firm like a cheesecake.
    Thank you

  37. Hi Summer, I tried this silky buttercream recipe on your sour cream vanilla bean cake today and everyone loved it! Several mentioned they liked the buttercream better than the SMBC. My only problem was that I don’t have a microwave. I tried to melt everything on the stove top but it took awhile for the marshmallows to melt. I think it got too warm because it was almost stringy after cooling and I had to add hot water to loosen it up. I’m contemplating using your recipe that includes marshmallow creme instead, but I’m hung up on “from scratch” baking. Any advice on getting this to work in a pan on the stove? Thanks for your lovely recipes!

    1. Hi Ashton! You may try adding a couple of more tablespoons water from the get go. There will be more evaporation on the stovetop. You can also use a double boiler and cover the pan, stirring periodically. That way it will hear from top and bottom for more uniformity and less moisture loss.

      As for the marshmallow creme, it’s very much like a homemade marshmallow. It’s as if they poured marshmallow goo into a jar without cutting and dusting. You should give it a try at least once. I am big on scratch baking too, but mashmallow creme saves a lot of time and creates frostings that I feel have a nice smooth consistency without the work of SMBC. And like you said, many people like it better than European buttercream.

      Best of luck with your buttercream adventures! 😉

  38. Hi Summer,

    How should one torte this cake? Wouldn’t the cheesecake filling be a little too hard to spread as a filling or should it be spread onto the cake first before cooling? please help. thanks.

    1. To torte the cake, be sure it is well chilled so that it is firm and then split it with a serrated knife. I use a turn table and start with a shallow cut while spinning and then get deeper and deeper until I break through in the center.

      Although this is a traditional cheesecake recipe, cooking it on the stovetop while stirring keeps it a bit softer than when it’s baked. It remains spreadable. I hope that helps!

  39. Hi Summer,

    If I was unable to find pasteurized egg whites for the icing and was going to use raw egg whites instead, do I still use the same amount or would the quantity be different?

    Thanks

  40. Hello Summer,
    After 2 weeks of searching for the prefect white wedding cake recipe I just stumbled across your website.
    I have already tested out 5 different cakes as well as 5 different frostings and fillings.
    My nephew/godson is getting married and has asked me to make the cake for just the bridal party.
    The only request is that it is “white” from bride to be.
    -I am considering making the White Velvet cake and instead of using whole eggs would I be able to use just egg whites to maintain the white color, if so should I increase the amount?
    -Will this cake freeze well? I have to bake ahead and then travel to wedding.
    – And lastly, I plan on making three 9 inch rounds, is the cake sturdy enough with the filling?
    By the way I have already made your sour cream vanilla bean cake and loved it. Which do you think would be more appropriate for a wedding????

    Thanks for your help
    Regards, Kristi

  41. Hi Summer, dying to bake. Dying to find awesome White Cake. I think yours is the one. I love Reverse Cream method. I’ve asked if it is OK to use in all of my most recent questions. Having just “re-written” for your approval, how does this sound?

    I love the combination of all-purpose and cake flour re texture, crumb, mouth feel, after taste. Which is your favorite and/or the cake which best fits my preference? … the White Velvet Cake or your White Cake for a delicate vs dense (don’t want dense) cake. Thank you for sharing your expertise, time and fabulous recipes. A Big Fan, Lisa G.

    Instructions

    Preheat oven to 335 F. Spray four 6-inch round cake pans with Baker’s Joy or grease and flour.
    Combine oil, eggs, buttermilk, sour cream, vinegar and vanilla. Set aside.
    Combine flours, sugar, baking soda and salt into bowl of standing mixer. Whisk for at least 30 seconds so the ingredients are well combined.
    With the mixer on LOW speed, add the slices of butter a few pieces at a time to the dry ingredients. Increase the mixer to MEDIUM speed and beat until the dry ingredients look crumbly and moistened by the butter. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
    With the mixer on LOW speed, SLOWLY add 1/2 of the egg mixture, increase to MEDIUM speed and mix for 1 1/2 minutes,
    Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the remaining egg mixture in 2 pourings beating for 20 seconds after each addition.
    Pour into prepared pans and bake for about XXX minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.
    Cool 10 minutes in pan and then turn out to a cooling rack.

  42. I was wondering if this cake can be torted and filled with the cream cheese filling and then frozen until ready to frost and decorate? I am concerned more about the filling than the cakes.

  43. This cake sounds awesome and I would like this cake for our wedding cake. I haven’t attempted to make it yet but I will be soon. In your article I read the Frosting will last two weeks refrigerated. I was curious how long the filing will last refrigerated? We live in Ohio but will be married in Florida , which is where I will be assembling the cake. Also, I plan on torting the cake and was wondering if you thought the cake could withstand that. Thank you for your time.

    1. Hi Brenda, The filling will last for about a week in the fridge but you can freeze it if you need to hold it for longer. This cake can be torted but I highly recommend torting when it’s well chilled or even slightly frozen. It will firm up the cake and make it much sturdier and easier to handle. Best wishes for your wedding!

  44. I love this cake and have baked it several times but have noticed that the bottom part of the cake is always darker/yellower when I cut through it. Am I doing something wrong? Why is there a gradient of yellow in the cake and not all uniform? Am I mixing too much or too little?

    1. Hi Chae! Sorry for the slow response. The darkening of the cake is either chemical or physical. I would start by baking your cakes with the pans placed on a cookie sheet. If you are getting too much heat from the bottom of your oven, this should help. If the issue is chemical, things get more complicated. It could be that your batter is not acidic enough. You could add 1 teaspoon more of vinegar to balance things. Alkaline cakes brown more while acidic cakes brown less. Let me know how things go!

  45. This cake is absolutely delicious! Red velvet cake (RVC) is my favorite and my go to recipe uses oil as the fat. I’ve tried a recipe that uses butter as the fat , but it simply didn’t yield the traditional RVC taste that I love. I’ve always wanted to try a RVC recipe that calls for butter and oil as the fats, so when I came across your recipe I was very excited to give it a try. The photos of this cake are very enticing. It has a beautiful crumb and it just looks soooo velvety. Well, the recipe didn’t disappoint! I was searching for a white cake to pair with a whipped cream pineapple frosting, and the search is over! My cake didn’t turn out white but yellow, which wasn’t surprising being that both the egg yolks and whites are used, and vanilla extract as we’ll. I’ve only been able to achieve a white cake when I use the egg whites only and almond extract, but I digress. The cake was pillowy and moist and deeeelicious! My husband enjoyed it so much that he bought vanilla ice cream to eat with it! It was soooo good that I’ve decided to try your RVC version, of course adding the cocoa and red food coloring. Going to try the RVC version for our next family gathering. If it’s as good as this cake I may have to replace my old go to RVC recipe. I’ll keep you updated. Thanks for sharing this recipe. It’s a definite keeper!

    1. I’m so glad you enjoyed this cake! I tried many recipes and combinations of ingredients before settling on this formula. I hope you enjoy the red velvet. 🙂

    1. I have not made it in a sheet pan, but I do believe it would work. Just make sure it’s fully baked. It is a tender cake and you don’t want it collapsing on you. You could add another egg for extra structure to be safe. Let me know how it goes!

    1. Hi Rossa! Yes, this buttercream colors fairly well with gel colors. Because it is higher in fat than American-style buttercream it is not super easy to get very dark or very bright colors, but it will take a tint well.

      1. Thanks for getting back to me Summer! We really love your recipes & I’m after a buttercream recipe that would take a rich maroon colour (it’s for my son’s Harry Potter party!). Could you point me towards a buttercream recipe you think might work?
        Much appreciated!
        Rossa x

        1. Sorry for the delay! Any American-style buttercream frosting will take color well. They tend to be higher in sugar and lower in fat. I would choose one that uses all butter and no shortening since shortening is very repellant to food coloring. If you want a hybrid between American and European buttercream, Liz Marek’s Easy Buttercream is fabulous. You can do a Google search and easily find it. Best of luck!

    1. I always go with the greater amount off egg. So I would go with two. You can add quite a bit of extra egg to cake recipes without issue. Enjoy!

  46. hi summer!!!
    i’m so excited to try this recipe! i LOVE velvet cakes! can i convert this into cupcakes without any changes to recipe? thanks! 😉

    1. Hi Sonny! I have not made this recipe as cupcakes, but it should work fine. Let me know if you have issues and need help trouble shooting. 🙂

  47. Hi Summer,
    Could you add sprinkles to the batter to make it like a confetti cake? And do you think the buttercream would be able to withstand sprinkles on the sides as decoration too?

    1. Hi Jessica, Because of the light tender texture of this cake, I think it would not be ideal for adding sprinkles. I think the Sour Cream Cake would work better. Just omit the vanilla bean paste and use vanilla extract instead. This buttercream would hold up well to sprinkles though if you wish to mix and match. I hope that helps!

    1. Shelee, Sorry for the delayed response! This question slipped through the cracks and I didn’t see it. I would use the standard oven setting. This cake is delicate and could use the time and still heat to complete it’s metamorphosis. I’m sure convection would work, but I would play it on the safe side.

  48. This is BY FAR the best white cake recipe I’ve ever tried! Perfect level of sweetness, so light and fluffy, the buttercream is the perfect compliment to the light cake and the cheesecake filling is to die for! All the steps seemed a little intimidating for me, being a moderately skilled baker, but they were all pretty easy. WELL worth all the dirty dishes! I finally found a cake recipe that isn’t too sweet. I’m pretty picky about which recipes I file in my recipe box; I will only add them if I have tried them a few times, we like them and I know I get good results. This recipe is going in the front for sure!

  49. Guys, Thanks For sharing this Great Recipe. My Family Loved it. I am definitely sharing this recipe and this website with my friend. Hope they also love it. Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe.

  50. Hello, my name is Shelly. I have never ever baked anything from scratch so some of your instructions confuse me, (not by any fault of yours.) Before I ask you for clarification, first I’d like to ask if you know any stores that sell this cake? I live in Indianapolis, IN. I am not what you would call a cake person. I was at a birthday party and took one bite of this cake and immediately started asking questions about what was it and where did they get it. They said it was white cake with cheesecake filling and they got it at Costco. When I go to their website, no searches bring that up. I mean I would rather buy it, lol. I also searched Kroger and Walmart to no avail. I came across your website and this recipe by finally just doing a search on the name of the cake. And I know it’s a bit of a crazy question and maybe one of your readers may see this and someone would know. If you can’t help me with info on where to find it, the part of the instructions that confused me is where you say to pour the cheesecake mixture into the cakes, layer as parfaits, or eat by the spoonful. I don’t understand when you say pour into the cake, are you meaning pour on top of baked cake, then put next baked cake on top of that? And what do you mean by eat by the spoonful? I’m sorry my comment is so long but I really really want to find this cake! Thank you for your time and patience.

    1. Hi Shelly, Sorry for the delayed response! The pouring instruction was for the raw cheesecake batter and hot cheesecake mixture. Once the cheesecake filling is chilled, you blob it onto the cake layers as a filling.

      I think, since you are looking for an easy option, a cheesecake mousse might work better for you. The Costco filling is more like a mousse anyway. Here is a recipe for a cheesecake mousse that doesn’t use a pudding mix: Cheesecake Mousse. And here is one that uses a pudding mix and may be more stable Cheesecake Mousse (I would reduce the milk to 1 cup to make a thick, stable filling). You could also use a packaged, no-bake cheesecake mix from the baking aisle at your grocery store and use just the filling for your cake. I hope this gives you some viable options!

  51. Hello, this is Shelly Graham again. I did finally find the bakery that has this cake! In future though, I am going to try and make this myself using your recipe so I still have my questions from my last comment that I need answered please. Thank you so much.

    1. I generally use apple cider vinegar because I like the flavor that it adds. White vinegar would work equally well though. 🙂

  52. Hi Summer can I add oreos to the cream cheese filling? What do you think?If possible, How do I go about it? Do I use the cream in the middle or discard it? At what point do I add the oreo crumbs

    1. Hi Kemi! You can definitely add oreos to the filling. I would gently fold them in after the filling has chilled. If you add them sooner, I think they will disintegrate into mush and turn your filling grey. Oreo cheesecake filling sounds delicious!

  53. Hello Summer hope you are well, just wondering Why you stopped blogging did you announced your reason? I just want you to know that I really love your recipes, scientific explanation, humour and all of your style.i still come back here after all this yeears you are truly the best cake creator in my book I haven’t found anyone like you.i truly wish you the best. Hafsah

    1. Hello Hafsah! Despite the fact that I have not posted in ages, my heart is still dedicated to this blog. I have even recently developed recipes ad photographed content to post, but my life is busy with my family’s activities, I am currently going to school full time to study accounting and I have some health issues which require weekly treatments. I am always looking for time to squeeze in writing, photo editing and posting, but unfortunately, it generally gets placed on the backburner. I keep the site running because I want content to be available to readers and I love interacting with all of you and answering questions. I hope and pray that as my life shifts and my son starts to drive himself to his activities and my daughter heads off to college that my time will open up for more cake activity. I bake something almost every day and have lots more to share! All my best to you. With love, Summer

    1. Hi Kemi! Switching the flours will not give you the increase in stability that you are looking for. I would add an egg and 1/4 cup of either all-purpose or cake flour. This will increase the protein and starch building blocks that should shore up the cake structure. The liquid and fat in the egg should prevent the added flour from drying out the cake. Please let me know about your results! 🙂

      1. Thanks Summer for your response. Since I dint hear back before the event I needed the cake for, I baked it just as is and the feedback is everyone loves it. I iced the cake while we’ll chilled so I didn’t have any issue with stability.
        Thank you so much Summer for being present to answer our questions.

Leave a Reply to Summer Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *