Yellow Butter Cake
A butter cake relies on the mechanical aeration of creaming butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. By layering room temperature fats with flour and eggs, you build a stable structure that holds a soft, tight crumb. Bake until the center springs back when pressed lightly and the edges pull away from the pan just a fraction.
Temperature is your primary ingredient.
If your butter is too cold, it won't trap air; if it is melted, the cake will be greasy and dense. Ensure eggs and butter sit on the counter for at least an hour before you begin.
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- two 9-inch round cake pans
- parchment paper
- rubber spatula
- wire cooling rack
What goes in.
- 1 cupunsalted butter, softened
- 2 cupsgranulated sugar
- 4large eggs, room temperature
- 3 cupsall-purpose flour
- 1 tbspbaking powder
- 1/2 tspsalt
- 1 cupwhole milk, room temperature
- 2 tspvanilla extract
Beat until ghostly pale
When you beat the butter and sugar, do not stop at 'combined.' You want the mixture to turn from a yellow, grainy paste into a pale, off-white cloud that has visibly increased in volume.
The method.
Prep
Heat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper circles.
Cream
Beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for at least five minutes. Scrape the bowl down halfway through.
Emulsify
Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each. If the batter looks curdled, add a tablespoon of your measured flour to pull it back together.
Combine
Whisk the dry ingredients together. Add them to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla, starting and ending with the flour.
Bake
Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Test by pressing the center; it should bounce back.
Cool
Let the cakes sit in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a rack to finish cooling completely.
Other turns to take.
Vanilla Bean
Split one vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the butter before creaming.
Citrus Infused
Rub the zest of one lemon or orange into the sugar with your fingers before starting the creaming process.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Use a kitchen scale if possible; scooping flour into cups often results in over-packing.
If you forget to take your eggs out, place them in a bowl of warm tap water for ten minutes.
Do not overmix once the flour is added, or the cake will be tough instead of tender.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my cake sink in the middle?
Usually, this means the oven was opened too early, causing a drop in temperature, or the cake was underbaked.
Can I use salted butter?
Yes, but subtract the 1/2 teaspoon of salt from the recipe. Taste the butter first to see how much salt it actually contributes.
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