The ultimate classic butter cake recipe with buttercream frosting… the perfect cake for birthdays, school lunch box treats, cake stall fundraisers, or delicious morning teas.
How to start this post? YUMMMM…we loved this cake…we couldn’t stay away from it…we ate it for dessert and then we ate it for breakfast… This beautiful cake recipe is a 100-year-old treasure and a keeper! Reeni of Cinnamon Girl discovered this recipe in an old McCall’s cookbook published in 1910, and she too fell in love with this fluffy, moist, easy-to-prepare cake and was good enough to share it with the rest of us so that we could enjoy it as well. Thank you, Reeni! If you are not familiar with Reeni’s blog, please take a few minutes to go and visit her. Her food is fabulous, and her photography makes you want more!
At first, I was skeptical that a cake recipe made with all-purpose flour could be both fluffy and moist; in the past, I’ve only achieved that kind of result when using cake flour. Also, I pretty consistently only have King Arthur Flour in the pantry, which tends to make a denser (but still delicious!) cake. Imagine my surprise when my first bite revealed a cake that surpassed all expectations. I don’t know if it’s the one tablespoon of baking powder or the four minutes total of beating, but whatever, the secret, this recipe works!
This will be a recipe that I will turn to again and again.
Ingredients:
3 cups of all-purpose flour.
1 tsp of baking powder.
1 tsp of salt.
1/2 tsp of baking soda.
1 cup of butter.
2 cups of sugar.
4 eggs.
1 cup of buttermilk or cream.
2 tsp of vanilla extract.
You’ll Need ( for the buttercream frosting):
1 cup of softened butter.
1/2 cup of milk or cream.
2 tsp of vanilla extract.
5 cups of powdered sugar.
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 9×13 baking or bundt pan.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. Cream together butter, and sugar; mix in eggs and vanilla. Blend in buttermilk alternately with flour mixture into creamed mixture. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about an hour. Removed from oven…let cool.
Butter Cream Frosting
1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup milk or cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar
Cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Add sugar, alternating with milk a little at a time; blend well until desired consistency.
Variation: Use ½ cup butter and ½ cup shortening in place of 1 cup of butter.
