Simple Yellow Butter Cake
A straightforward butter cake is the best place to start because it teaches you how ingredients transform through temperature. Once you understand the behavior of butter and eggs, you can build almost any cake in your repertoire.
Temperature is your primary ingredient
Your butter and eggs must be at room temperature; if they are cold, they will not emulsify, and your batter will curdle. Take them out of the refrigerator at least an hour before you plan to bake.
- 9-inch round cake pan
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- Rubber spatula
- Wire cooling rack
What goes in.
- 1 1/2 cupsall-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tspbaking powder
- 1/2 tspsalt
- 1/2 cupunsalted butter, softened
- 1 cupgranulated sugar
- 2large eggs
- 1/2 cupwhole milk
- 1 tspvanilla extract
Creating the air pocket
Beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for at least 4 minutes. You are physically forcing air into the fat, which acts as the lift for the cake as it heats in the oven.
The method.
Prep the oven and pan
Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease the cake pan with butter and dust lightly with flour, tapping out the excess.
Combine dry ingredients
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl until thoroughly combined so the leavening is evenly distributed.
Cream the butter and sugar
Beat the softened butter and sugar until the color shifts from yellow to pale ivory and the texture looks fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to ensure the fat doesn't break.
Alternate wet and dry
Add one-third of the flour mixture, then half the milk. Repeat, ending with the final third of the flour. Stop mixing the second the last streak of flour disappears; overworking the batter makes the cake tough.
Bake
Spread into the pan and bake for 30–35 minutes. It is done when a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges pull away from the pan.
Other turns to take.
Lemon Zest
Add the zest of one lemon to the sugar before creaming to infuse the fat with citrus oils.
Chocolate Chip
Fold in a half-cup of semi-sweet mini chocolate chips at the very end of the mixing process.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Use a scale if you have one; measuring flour by volume can vary wildly depending on how packed the cup is.
Don't open the oven door during the first 25 minutes of baking, as the sudden temperature drop can cause the center to collapse.
Let the cake sit in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to prevent it from cracking.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my cake sink in the middle?
Usually, this means the oven was opened too early or the cake was under-baked, meaning the structure hadn't fully set.
Can I use salted butter?
You can, just omit the extra salt listed in the ingredients.
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