Ashworth - are you trying to make a WHITE white cake? Or a white/yellow/ivory (however you see it) cake? Egg whites and whole eggs will make a difference in the color of your cake.
If you want a WHITE white cake:
White Layer Cake
2 cups cake flour
3 tsps. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
k 1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt three times. Combine the milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat egg whites until foamy then add 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time only until soft peaks are formed. Mix shortening with sugar until light and fluffy. Alternately beat in dry and liquid mixtures in fourths just until smooth. Next, thoroughly beat in the egg white mixture. Divide into two, greased and floured, 8 inch layer pans. Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 mins. or until done. Let cool in pans 10 mins. before turning out onto cooling racks. Cool completely before Icing.
A basic yellow cake:
Yellow Layer Cake
3 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
2 tsps. vanilla
Sift together; flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine milk with the vanilla. Thoroughly mix shortening with the sugar, then eggs. Alternately (by fourths) beat in the dry and liquid mixtures at low speed, just until smooth. Grease and flour two 9 inch layer pans and divide the batter into them. Bake at 350 for 32 to 38 mins. or until done. Let cool in pan for 10 mins. before turning out onto cooling racks. Cool completely before Icing.
A basic butter cake:
Buttery Yellow Butter Cake
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups butter
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract * or 1 t. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt.
Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Reserve 1 cup of the crumb mixture.
To the remaining crumb mixture, stir in the baking
powder.
Add the eggs, milk, vanilla and almond extracts.
Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined.
Beat on medium speed for 5 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the reserved curmb mixture.
Bake for about 45minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes
out clean. Serve warm or cool.
If you do not have cake flour - you can make your own.
Place 2 tablespoons corn starch in measuring cup and add 3/4 cup SIFTED all-purpose flour for every 1 c. cake flour the recipe calls for.
Remember when measuring flour to scoop the flour into your measuring cup, not to dip it into your flour bin.