This is the butter cake recipe that I cannot stop making. A soft, tender butter cake, made with sour cream for moisture, with an impossibly light and fluffy crumb. I finish mine with sugar for a crunchy finish, but this cake is the perfect base recipe you will find yourself turning to again and again.
Hi hi! I am just popping into share this super easy butter cake recipe with you! This Butter Cake is high up on the list of recipes I've been making over and over the last year and have finally stopped gatekeeping to share with you (ahem, vanilla pound cake).
While I know there are a lot of butter cakes on the internet, I think that this one is a little bit special. It has a slightly different method which gives it the most amazing fluffy texture, and a hit of moisture from the sour cream also adds the most amazing delicate tang to the cake.
We are OBSESSED with this butter cake - I have given up on making a single of it because it just disappears so quickly in my house, so I always double the recipe. It is perfect as is, (AMAZING slightly warm from the oven), and makes a beautiful dessert paired with some fruit or whipped cream.
This Butter Cake is, to me, the perfect dessert: Great to make ahead, and just so, so versatile. I hope you love it as much as we do! For a cinnamon sugar version check out my Donut Cake, and for a spiced version, my spice cake recipe is so good!
This Cake was meant to be a Pound Cake
This cake also came from my friend Chelsea who I gave me the pound cake recipe. She knew we had been making the pound cake for about a year and were totally obsessed with it, then texted me saying 'Try this, I think it might even be better than the last one'.
We tried it and while it was amazing, I wanted to see what would happen if I adapted it to be a flatter cake, more of a snacking style cake. A bit lighter and fluffier than the pound cake recipe, but still with an amazing texture, and something that you find yourself cutting a piece of every time that you walk past the kitchen.
I ended up tweaking it just a bit and playing around with the baking time - 330°f / 165°c seems to be the sweet spot, a longer, slower bake than other cake recipes. The result is magic. You can see my recipe testing notes below!
A few sneaky secrets for the fluffiest cake
This cake uses a slightly different method to give it that beautiful light and fluffy texture - you whip it HARD once you add the eggs. What this does it it beats up the eggs to make them super thick and the batter really light, so that it can take a fair amount of sour cream added for moisture and flavour without it being too weighed down.
This also starts to dissolve the sugar, which helps to give you that perfect crackly, almost meringue-like top to the cake. This is a similar technique used in brownie recipes ( I really nerd out about it over there if you're interested) to give that nice crackly top.
Granulated Sugar for the perfect crackly top to your butter cake
Another thing that I love doing when I am baking is adding a crunchy sugar top. I do this for muffins, banana bread, cookie bars, and cookies, so it only made sense to also do it for this butter cake!
Just a little sprinkling of granulated sugar on the top of this butter cake before going in the oven gives it the most amazing crinkly finish that is so delightful to bite through.
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
The Butter Cake That I Can't Stop Making
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 Servings 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is the butter cake that I cannot stop making. A soft, tender butter cake, made with sour cream for moisture, with an impossibly light and fluffy crumb. I finish mine with sugar for a crunchy finish, but this cake is the perfect base recipe you will find yourself turning to again and again.
Ingredients
- 150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 320g granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 2 large eggs (about 110g, not including the shell), at room temperature
- 165g sour cream, at room temperature
- 250g all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt (use less if you are using table salt or salted butter)
- Extra granulated sugar for sprinkling on top of the cake (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 330°f / 165°c. Grease and line a 9" (23cm) square baking pan, extending the parchment paper over the edges of the pan so that you can use them as a sling later to remove the cake. I like to clip down the edges with little binder clips.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium to high speed until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing to combine between each, then beat the mix for a further 2-3 minutes on high speed until it has thickened up, and is very light.
- Measure out the sour cream into a small bowl. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream, starting and ending with the flour - add the flour in three additions and the sour cream in two, and briefly mix between additions. Switch to a spatula and give the mixture a few turns to ensure that it is evenly mixed.
- Transfer the mix to the prepared pan and smooth down with a spatula or the back of a spoon, making sure that there are no large air bubbles in the mixture.
- Sprinkle the top with extra granulated sugar if using.
- Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes, until the middle springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes, then use the parchment paper sling to remove it from the pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Store the cake at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
To make a peach and passionfruit version: I baked mine in a 10" (25cm) pan, and topped with sliced canned peaches (I used 4 large halves) which I patted dry with a paper towel before slicing. The cake took about 55 min to bake to account for the extra moisture / weight from the peaches. When it was hot from the oven I added passionfruit ice cream topping (I used the Delmaine one), but covering it with a jam of your choice would also work perfectly, or it is very delicious just with a sprinkle of powdered sugar!
Comments
Hazel says
Thank you, I will havecit try it put
Can I use orange juice and zest of orange to the batter
Thanks Hazel
Erin Clarkson says
Hi, yes you can add zest but not juice as it will mess up the recipe 🙂
Tina K says
Hi Erin , can I use plain yogurt instead of sour cream?
Judy says
I would like to make this cake, but don’t know these amounts and measurements. Could you also put in the cups, teaspoons etc?
Erin Clarkson says
Hi, I don't have the measurements sorry as I don't test my recipes in cups. You are very welcome to google the equivalents 🙂
BC says
You cannot bake without a scale, it simply won't turn out right bc people don't measure things the same especially flour. It's 10.00 for a scale. Get one. I live in the US and have been using one for over 35 years. Again, you cannot bake without a scale and expect it to turn out right.
Sally says
For how long do you cream butter, vanilla, and sugar? Thanks!
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! Just until light and fluffy, should be around 2-3 minutes but it depends on the mixer that you use!
BC says
You cannot bake without a scale, it simply won't turn out right bc people don't measure things the same especially flour. It's 10.00 for a scale. Get one. I live in the US and have been using one for over 35 years. Again, you cannot bake without a scale and expect it to turn out right.
Johanna says
This looks like a wonderful cake for summer to serve with fruit, either fresh berries or something like a rhubarb compote. Thank you from Canada!
BC says
You cannot bake without a scale, it simply won't turn out right bc people don't measure things the same especially flour. It's 10.00 for a scale. Get one. I live in the US and have been using one for over 35 years. Again, you cannot bake without a scale and expect it to turn out right.
Alicia says
Would this cake hold up if fresh fruit was added to baking (blueberries, strawberry slices, etc)?
Erin Clarkson says
Yes! I've done it a ton with peach slices on the top, and also with cherries and plums. Strawberries might be a tiny bit wet but blueberries should work!
Vicky says
Hey! Do you think I could use yogurt instead of sour cream?
Erin Clarkson says
I haven't tested it but it should work - make sure that it is full fat
Caribou says
My new fave!
Julie says
Absolutely delicious! Very easy to follow recipe with the usual clear directions
I made 1/2 the recipe for a trial in an 8” round tin and cooked it for 35 mins. Perfect, served with mascarpone cream, strawberry and rhubarb compote.
This might become my new birthday cake staple. Delicious and excellent texture. Thank you!
Michelle says
Thank you, Erin, for this perfect cake recipe! My friends said it tasted like shortbread in a cake form, and I had no leftovers to take home after sharing it at the park.
Would it work out if I added fresh chopped strawberries to the batter next time? Or will this spoil the consistency?
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! I haven't tried sorry - strawberries are quite wet, so you could try roasting them first? I've done it with plums and peaches and cherries before
Rob says
This is the recipe I’ve been looking for for years (decades): Just a simple cake but absolutely perfect in every way. Seems like it should be an easy get, but this is the first time I’ve had a recipe like this truly hit the mark. Wouldn’t change a thing. Might add some lemon zest every now and then.
Thank you!
Kat says
This recipe is excellent! We made it last night and it was so good!
Kathryn says
OK this cake is insane! First, its really good, REALLY good - dense but light - lovely crumb, moist, delicious (maybe a little too sweet), I added a half teaspoon of fiore di Sicilia, and the sugar crust is delightful. A true stand alone - needs nothing else. But holy cow, I made this a week ago and just had the last piece this morning and its as moist as it was on day one! A definite go to.
Riya says
Hello,
Can this cake be frozen (if I cling wrap)?
Erin Clarkson says
Yes! I would leave the sugar off the top if you're freezing it
Korie says
This is the best cake I have EVER made.
I made the cake according to directions. I also made a homemade berry compote with some frozen berries I had (berries, lemon juice, sugar and salt to taste) and homemade whipped cream (heavy cream and a bit of sugar). I served each slice of cake with a dollop of whipped cream and a big scoop of berries. I did feel like it benefitted from the moisture in the berries, and I appreciated that the cake was sturdy enough for the toppings yet still super fluffy and not dense at all.
This was the perfect combo, and will be my go-to cake for our Spring birthdays!
Lydia says
Perfect and delicious, a new standard for butter based cakes!
Julia says
The name says it all. I also cannot stop making this. A simple but absolutely delicious cake. The Crunchy top just takes it to that extra level of goodness.
Megan Sephton says
Holy shit balls!
This is the most delicious cake I've ever tasted. The batter tastes like vanilla ice cream.
Using it as a base for a cheeky Vikki Spunge.
Thanks Erin -top class as per usual ❤️
Alison Morgan says
I made this yesterday and it was absolutely delicious. So quick and easy to make, and makes such a light fluffy sponge. I think I sprinkled too much sugar on top, as it came out with a papery crust like you get on brownies, but I’m not mad about that. I’ll be making it regularly for years to come. Do you think mixing a bit of cinnamon into the sugar for the topping would work? I was thinking that might be nice for the autumn & winter months. Thanks for yet another perfect recipe!
Erin Clarkson says
So happy you loved! Yes a little cinnamon in there will work great!
Markell says
This cake was amazing!! I made a double batch, baking half in a 9x9 as instructed, and the other half in a 7x12 pyrex (still with a parchment sling). Recipe was straightforward and turned out amazing. I took it to our block party and everyone LOVED it. Another hit!
Lana says
Would I be able to make this in a toaster oven? What would I need to change to make that work?
Erin Clarkson says
Hi, if your toaster oven has a bake setting then it should be fine to use!
Christi says
I’ve made this recipe theee times now! It just gets better each time. This third time I added lemon zest to the batter. I also made a glaze using powdered sugar, fresh squeezed lemon juice (2tbsp) and more lemon zest. We loved it! This is tasty, refreshing, and easy to make. Delightfully fresh and not too heavy or sweet.