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Butter Cake

List of Ingredients

Butter Cake

A basic recipe that serves as the basis for many desserts.
Cooking spray (optional)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour, sifted, or 3 cups cake flour (omit the cornstarch if using cake flour)
1/4 cup cornstarch (if using all-purpose flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray two 8- or 9-inch cake pans, 24 muffin tins, or one 9- x 13-inch cake pan and coat each pan with 1 teaspoon of flour. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and incorporate the sugar, beating slowly for 2 minutes until smooth. Add the eggs and the vanilla extract and beat 2 minutes more. Combine the flour, cornstarch (if using), baking powder, and salt in a 2-quart mixing bowl. Starting and ending with the flour, alternate flour and milk additions, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl two or three times, until the batter is smooth. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared cake pans. Bake about 30 to 35 minutes, until golden on top and springy to the touch; a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean. Don't overbake. Bake cupcakes about 20 minutes. Allow the layers to cool 10 minutes in their pans, then tap along the edges to loosen. Nudge the layers out of their pans onto wax paper so the bottoms cool before you ice them. When you are ready to ice, tear wax paper into strips to tuck under the cake edges to protect the serving plate. Choose any favorite icing; they all go with this cake.

Makes two 8- or 9-inch rounds, 24 cupcakes, or one 9- x 13-inch sheet cake

Note: This cake works in a remarkable number of ways. It happily conforms to different cake pans, loves to become cupcakes, holds up to blueberries, and can become a Boston cream pie or a birthday cake. It can even be mixed in a food processor. It freezes well, it's sweet enough to be served without icing but adapts well to many flavors of buttercream.

Recipe courtesy Carol Durst, I Knew You Were Coming So I Baked A Cake, (Simon & Schuster), 1997



Recipe