Here is my favorite white cake. It's easy if you have a kitchen scale - so easy in fact you'll never go back to a mix. I will double check the weights when I get home because I'm doing this from memory - but I make them so often I should remember. It's basically CI's white layer cake made without the almond extract and using the Rose Levy Berenbaum reverse-creaming method. I also sub out part of the butter for oil - it seems to be softer that way. It works well as cupcakes too.
White Layer Cake
Makes 2 9-inch layers (I have used 8 x 2 pans and it works but they get pretty full)
9 ounces cake flour, plus more for dusting the pans**
12 ounces granulated sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
4 ounces (1 stick butter), cool room temp, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 1 tsp. lemon, or whatever suits your fancy)
Grease and flour the cake pans. (I use parchment and only grease/flour the sides. YMMV.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Measure flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into bowl of a stand mixer. Mix for 30 seconds or until well combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg whites, and vanilla extract.
Add butter and all but 1/2 cup of liquid mixture to flour mixture. Mix on high speed for 1 minute 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl and add remaining liquid mixture. Return to high speed and beat for an additional 20-30 seconds.
Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 25-30 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly.
**I have subsituted all-purpose flour for the cake flour in a pinch. The crumb isn't as fine but it's not bad.
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