I remember back in elementary school science my teacher showed us the chemical reaction when you mix baking soda & vinegar, and basically that is what happens with this recipe you need it as a chemical reaction and in turn that reaction produces a more tender spongy cake.

If you don't feel like using this recipe anymore try mine.

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=17817.0

(Oh and it's easily modifiable... You know if you don't like certain aspects of it)

this cake is so amazing when you add about 2 tbsp of naturall yogurt and a splash of lemon juice!!! 5 stars!! i put some frosting on too made from powdered sugar, oil and soy milk and top with raspberries sometimes too =)

Yeah, so...I dunno. I've tried SO many white/yellow cake recipes....and it's just not what I hope it to be. I even tried some of the tips that others mentioned. I did use whole wheat pastry flour...but I've used AP before..and it didn't make a difference. I also added 1 tsp baking powder...and did 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk. I added the vinegar in the pan (like someone mentioned), and briefly stirred it around....that didn't seem to make a difference. I've never added almond extract..so maybe that makes a big difference in the flavor?

Mine just come out a bit dense (not light and fluffy), and are lacking in flavor a bit. It's really the texture thing..it's just not quite right. I don't know what I'm missing...

I wasn't thrilled with this cake. It was a bit oily and more muffiny in texture and flavor than cakey. I'll let it sit for another day and try it again, but I'm not convinced yet.

I doubled this recipe, greased and floured two round pans and made a layer cake.  Its so good! I love this white cake!  With a vanilla frosting, it tastes just like the birthday cakes I had when I was a little kid!

I make this cake for my brother's birthday and it turned out great. I think this is the best white cake recipe on here, as most others end up tasting like a pancake.

I didn't change much, just added 3/4 cup sugar rather than a whole cup, used margarine in place of oil, and soy milk in place of water.
And when mixing the wet ingredients, I whipped the sugar and margarine together first then added the rest.

Since I made a 7 layer cake I was able to experiment with adding the vinegar at different times (since someone said it would go flat unless you added it last) and it didn't make a difference.

This will be the recipe I use for my extravagant cakes.