Blue-Ribbon Butter Cake

Name: Blue-Ribbon Butter Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 16 servings.
Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened; 2 cups sugar; 4 large eggs, room temperature; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 cup buttermilk; BUTTER SAUCE:; 1 cup sugar; 1/2 cup butter, cubed; 1/4 cup water; 1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract; 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

I found this buttercake recipe in an old cookbook I bought at a garage sale and couldn’t wait to try it. I knew it had been someone’s favorite because of the well-worn page. —Joan Gertz, Palmetto, Florida

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Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
BUTTER SAUCE:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup water
1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Bake at 350° until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 55-70 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges and center tube of pan. Invert cake onto a wire rack over waxed paper.
For sauce, combine the sugar, butter and water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat just until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat; stir in extracts.
Poke holes in the top of the warm cake; spoon 1/4 cup sauce over cake. Let stand until sauce is absorbed. Repeat twice. Poke holes into sides of cake; brush remaining sauce over sides. Cool completely.

Blue-Ribbon Butter Cake Tips

Are butter cake and pound cake the same?

While both cakes are known for being deliciously buttery and rich with a fine, moist crumb, there is a difference between the two. Butter cakes (also referred to as creamed cakes) have a lighter texture and greater volume than pound cakes. Pound cakes (named because they originally contained one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour) tend to be denser. Learn how to make old-fashioned pound cake by following this step-by-step guide.

What ingredient makes cake moist?

In this recipe, buttermilk is the key ingredient to keeping this cake nice and moist. Buttermilk is a somewhat magical ingredient in cakes, sparking an acidic reaction with the baking soda and countering the development of gluten in the flour. This produces a tender and moist cake. No cake mistakes being made here! Be sure to use a long serrated knife to slice each piece to avoid squishing or tearing this delicate cake.

What butter is best for cakes?

Unsalted butter is traditionally recommended for baking, as it allows you to control how much salt goes into your baked goods. It also has a light, fresh and smooth flavor that is the perfect template upon which to build your cake. If you do use salted butter, simply adjust the salt in your recipe accordingly, keeping in mind that most butter brands add about ¼ teaspoon salt per ½ cup butter. Read this butter guide to understand the differences of each type.

Nutrition Facts

1 slice: 410 calories, 19g fat (11g saturated fat), 100mg cholesterol, 344mg sodium, 56g carbohydrate (38g sugars, 1g fiber), 5g protein.

Reviews

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Average Rating:

Kimberly

May 26, 2020

Also note do not ise 80 grams of bitter you are safer using 2 tbsp of butter 80 geams is about 1/4 cip of butter which may give a a slighrlfy flat and burnt, gunmy and textureless cake
stormyc1

May 9, 2020

This is an amazing butter cake recipe! I love the flavor. I added a 1/4 C. Of brandy to the sauce mixture and it was so delicious!
Nicole

Apr 20, 2020

OMG! This cake was great! I made it last night and followed directions exactly except that I used heavy whipping cream instead of buttermilk (bcz that’s what I had) I also did not use almond extract, Only vanilla extract. It was sweet but not too sweet, perfectly moist and SO soft with crunchy edges (my fave).
Dana

Apr 3, 2020

Love this cake
Sharon

Mar 30, 2020

Can you replace the sugar with Splenda to make this sugar free for diabetics.
JoJo

Mar 4, 2020

This cake is excellent. I was a little leery about the amount of butter sauce, but it does soak into the cake, if you patiently keep applying it with a pastry brush. Made this cake for friends and they all raved about it. A keeper!!
nanmckay

Mar 4, 2020

This is a great cake. Easy to make and tastes delicious, very moist. My mother made this all the time and we called it a 1-2-3-4 cake because of the ingredients-1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, 4 eggs
GsGram

Mar 4, 2020

I haven't made this recipe, but I make a very similar recipe (excluding the almond extract) called Kentucky Butter Cake, that is a 5 star recipe.
Annette

Feb 23, 2020

After my neighbor told me about a butter cake she ate up in Mass I had to find the difference between the butter cake and pound cake. She is my taste tester. I used the almond flavoring in the sauce in the first one I baked, she liked OK but when she asked me to make it for it again she asked for it without the almond. Also, the second time I baked it I left it in the pan to apply the sauce. It seem to soak into the cake much better. My oven is semi professional gas so the cook time was 50 minutes. I just delivered the second cake so waiting for her review. I love baking, I eat low carb.
Emma

Dec 19, 2019

It was rlly good even though I made it in a hotel with a wonky tiny oven, a steel mixing bowl as a cake pan, beer replacing the vinegar for buttermilk substitute, and most notably, no unit of measurement, so I ended up eyeballing everything in approximation. I also halfed the recipe, and also ate like a quarter of the cake (it goes rlly well with strawberries, wished I had some whipped cream and more milk.) Needless to say, I'm lying on the couch and dying rn. Make sure to make the drizzle AFTER the cake comes out from the oven—if you make it too early, it sets and it's a whole process reheating which takes just as long as the initial making, so you might as well save it. Also, use a bundt pan or a rectangular mold. with the round ones, the middle took forever to bake, while the edges were done like thirty min in. I was at risk of overcooking, so I took it out when the middle was JUST barely done, and I also scooped some batter out from the middle as it went, to make it a little bit more even. It didn't end up affecting the texture noticeably, but it might've if I was a little less watchful.