Butter cakes are the heart of classic baking — rich, moist, and made with a simple ratio of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. Think pound cake, yellow cake, and many birthday cakes — all fall under the butter cake family.
Here’s a classic butter cake recipe, plus some variations and pro tips:
🧈 Classic Butter Cake Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 30–35 minutes
Serves: 8–10
Yields: Two 8-inch round layers or one 9×13 sheet cake
📝 Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (or almond extract for variation)
👩🍳 Instructions:
🔸 Step 1: Preheat and Prep
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease and flour your cake pans or line with parchment.
🔸 Step 2: Cream Butter and Sugar
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3–5 minutes). This step is key — it builds the cake’s structure.
🔸 Step 3: Add Eggs
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Scrape the bowl to make sure everything’s well incorporated.
🔸 Step 4: Combine Dry and Wet
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with flour. Do this in 3 additions of flour and 2 of milk.
- Stir in the vanilla extract at the end.
🔸 Step 5: Bake
- Pour batter into prepared pans and smooth the tops.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
🎂 Serving Ideas:
- Frost it with vanilla buttercream, chocolate ganache, or cream cheese frosting.
- Layer it with lemon curd, fruit jam, or whipped cream.
- Dust it with powdered sugar for a simple finish.
🧁 Variations:
- Pound Cake Version: Use equal weights of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour (classic 1:1:1:1 ratio).
- Marble Cake: Swirl in melted chocolate or cocoa paste before baking.
- Lemon Butter Cake: Add zest of 1–2 lemons and 1 tbsp lemon juice to the batter.
- Buttermilk Butter Cake: Replace milk with buttermilk for a tangier, tender crumb.
✅ Tips for Success:
- Room temp ingredients are essential for even mixing.
- Don’t overmix once flour is added — just mix until combined.
- Use real butter — flavor and texture depend on it!