Butter Cake

Butter cake is the foundation of American home baking. Birthday cakes, anniversary cakes, county fair entries: they all start with this kind of recipe. Two layers of tender, moderately rich crumb, frosted with buttercream, sliced clean. The technique here is old-school but still the gold standard.

The egg-separation trick is what gives this cake its tall, light texture. Yolks go into the creamed butter for richness. Whites get whipped to stiff peaks and folded in last to lift the batter into something almost chiffon-like in lightness. Skip this step and you’ll get a denser pound-cake-style result.

The alternating addition of flour and milk is a baker’s classic. Adding it all at once shocks the batter and the gluten activates too aggressively, leading to a tough cake. Three additions of flour with two of milk in between gives the smoothest, most uniform crumb.

The frosting is closer to a glaze than a fluffy buttercream. Lemon juice cuts through the sweetness and keeps the powdered sugar from feeling cloying. The optional chocolate variation drops in melted unsweetened baking chocolate for a bitter-rich frosting that pairs beautifully with the buttery base.

Pro Tips

• All ingredients at room temperature is the rule. Cold butter resists creaming and cold milk curdles the batter.
• Beat the egg whites in a metal or glass bowl. Plastic holds residual fat that prevents stiff peaks.
• Tap the cake pans on the counter once before baking to release any large air pockets.
• Cool the cake completely before frosting. Even slightly warm cake melts buttercream into a runny mess.

Variations

• Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract along with the vanilla for a wedding-cake flavor profile.
• Layer with raspberry jam and dust with powdered sugar instead of frosting for a Victoria sponge style.
• Tint the frosting with food coloring for celebration cakes.