Please Share

This Butter Cake is my definite pick for the easiest cake recipe! If you're a butter lover like I am, then you'll enjoy this buttery, not too sweet cake. Plus, fresh berries slices give it an even more delicious twist!

What’s not to love about a butter cake? It’s perfect for teatime, a little something after dinner, or even as breakfast on a beautiful weekend morning! It’s definitely the perfect dessert for all occasions. Watch the video!

strawberry butter cake with milk on the side

This recipe calls for ingredients that are probably in your pantry already, which makes it the perfect go-to recipe when anyone in your family is craving some cake.

It melts in your mouth and tastes perfect every single time. Sometimes it’s the simple cakes that taste the best! You have got to give this one a try!

What is Butter Cake?

Butter cake is a cake with simple, staple-pantry ingredients where one of the main ingredients that are used is butter. It’s a classic American cake and its variations are usually served at birthdays and weddings.

The creaming method is usually used to make this cake, which involves beating (creaming) butter and sugar together. It results in a light, moist cake that is irresistible! However, we won’t be spending much time on creaming the butter and sugar, yet get the same result of tender crumb cake.

What is the Difference between Butter Cake and Pound Cake?

Many people use the terms butter cake and pound cake interchangeably, but there’s a difference between these two types of cake.

Butter cake uses the creaming method to make a lighter cake that has a greater volume. Pound cake, on the other hand, is usually much denser. It is so named because originally the recipe for pound cake called for a pound each of butter, sugar, and flour (meaning a ratio of 1:1:1).

Baking is all about ratios, so even if you’re using the same ingredients, a difference in ratios can change the cake. That’s the case with butter cake since it doesn’t use the 1:1:1 ratio that pound cake is known for.

The crumb texture of the two cakes is also different, with pound cakes being much denser.

What Butter is Best for Cakes?

Butter is the star ingredient of a butter cake, so try to find high-quality butter. It’ll add a better flavor and richness to the cake.

Also, unsalted butter is the way to go as always with baking! This is because you can control the salt level by using unsalted butter. No one wants a salty cake, so do make sure of this!

What You Need to Make This Cake

Like I said above, you need super simple ingredients to make this cake. I bet you have them in your pantry already! So, let’s take a look at what they are:

All-purpose flour: Simple plain ol’ all-purpose flour is what you need for this butter cake.
Baking powder: This is the leavening agent that we’ll use for the cake.
Butter: Our star ingredient! Try to use good quality butter to ensure the best flavor!
Oil: This will help avoid a dry cake, as it sometimes happens with other butter cake recipes you might have tried before.
Sugar: We’ll use this along with butter for the quick creaming method.
Egg: An essential when it comes to baking a butter cake.
Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract or essence will work. As always, the better the quality of your ingredients, the better the result will be.
Milk: This will make your cake even more moist.
Fresh berries – strawberries and blueberries in our case.

How to Make Butter Cake?

Preheat: Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius. Line an 8” pan with parchment paper, or you can grease and flour it instead. Keep aside.
Cream butter and sugar: Next, add butter and sugar to a bowl and beat on a medium speed until combined; add the oil and beat for two minutes.
Add egg and vanilla: Now add the egg and vanilla and beat until it’s combined.
Sift dry ingredients: Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt and add to the wet mixture.
Gently mix milk: Mix gently and then add the milk and mix for a few seconds. Make sure to not overmix your cake batter by using a low speed on your mixer.
Pour into the baking pan: Pour the batter into the previously prepared baking pan. Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the batter evenly.
Place berries: Place the strawberries and berries over the batter. You can even place them in a pretty pattern if you like, or go for a more rustic, random approach – it’ll look beautiful either way!
Bake: Next, bake the cake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees F/165 degrees C and continue baking until the cake turns golden in color and a toothpick when inserted in the middle of the cake come out clean. Since the batter is thick, it will take some time to bake; reducing the heat after 10 minutes ensures moist butter cake.
Rest and cool: When the cake is ready, remove it from the oven and place it over a cooling rack while still in the baking pan. After 6 minutes, remove the cake from the pan and place it over a wire rack to cool completely. Your cake is now ready to be served!

Tips to Make the Perfect Butter Cake

Preheat the oven 20 minutes before using.
Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before you start making this recipe. It will help the batter come together better and bake evenly, especially during the creaming process.
If you don’t have a large egg, use one medium or two small eggs.
You can use any kind of electric mixer you have, that is a hand mixer or stand mixer for this recipe; just make sure not to overmix the batter!
Bake the cake on the middle shelf.
Every oven is different and has different heat spots; if the cake is turning brown too quickly, cover the top loosely with aluminum foil to prevent it from browning further.
If you want, you can make two cakes and layer them on top of each other, with some buttercream in the middle of the two layers. For this you have to double the recipe.
In case you want to cut the cake into layers, make sure to use a bread knife so you don’t end up squishing your cake. This is a tip for any cake you ever make!
You can also sprinkle it with some powdered sugar before serving.

Strawberry butter cake served with milk.

How to Store and Freeze

Store the cake in an airtight container in a cool place for a day and refrigerate for up to two days.

You can also pop it in the freezer and freeze it for up to 3 months! To do that, wrap it with plastic wrap and then place it in an airtight container before popping it in the freezer. Just thaw on the counter before having it.

Other Cake Recipes You'll Love

Authentic Pound Cake: Talking about a pound cake in this post might have gotten you wanting some. Here’s the perfect recipe to try for an authentic, rich flavor!
The Best Orange Cake Ever: A moist and mouth-watering orange cake that will make you reach for the second slice in seconds!
Pistachio Cake: This cake has a light texture and a delicious pistachio flavor. You definitely want to try this one!
Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting: Who doesn’t love a classic red velvet cake? This recipe will become your go-to recipe, I promise you that!

📖 Recipe

This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart's Strawberry Cake Recipe, with a slight change.

Save