White cake is the blank canvas of any cake decorator's arsenal of tools. Right up there with the always scrumptious yellow birthday cake and chocolate buttercream, white cake with white frosting may be the Plain Jane in a world where maple bacon cupcakes are all the rage, but true classics never lose their charm or appeal.

Whether you're a purist baker at heart, or a dreamer with lofty ideas of being your own Cake Boss or Ace of Cakes, this white cake recipe is a must for everyone. It can bring back that wonderful nostalgiac feel of licking the bowl with mom as a kid or it can be the basis for some wild modern creation. I know, I know--I say it all the time--but it truly has become one of my new favorites. Since I first tested it, I've made it into 4th of July Cupcakes, a totally 80s pimped out Goonies cake and a classic frosted cake to celebrate the Saints season opener against the Vikings, and it was everything I dreamed of every single delicious bite.