“I’d like the world to slow down and eat cake together- the slowing down bit is less important.” – Charlie Mackesy
Oh, how I love British illustrator and artist Charlie Mackesy’s book The Boy, the Mole the Fox and the Horse. His book is filled with thoughtful wisdom and the delightful adventures of four unlikely friends. One of the friends is a sweet mole whose enthusiasm for cake seems to match my own. Like mole, I believe that there is power in the immeasurable joy of cake.
It’s been a while but I am back to share the cake of the summer in our house. The story of this butter cake began the first week of summer break my youngest daughter wanted to bake something together. So, I pulled out an old recipe for a buttermilk cake that I hadn’t made in years. The original recipe called for shortening but I wondered what it might be like with butter instead.
The result was an irresistibly buttery cake, but the cake was so soft that it stuck to the bundt pan no matter how well greased the pan was. This led us to try baking it in a parchment paper lined springform pan. The springform pan worked perfectly for this soft cake. It’s a simple cake that shines without elaborate fillings or frostings. It has a poured icing that adds just the right touch. Add a berry or two or a few sprinkles for a festive finish.
Butter Cake
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups flours
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixer on medium for about 4 minutes. Then beat in the eggs one at a time on low speed. Then in a large measuring cup or small bowl mix together theory ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Add half the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk mix together on low speed. then scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining dry ingredients, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix until well incorporated.
Pour the batter into an 8 inch springform pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray and lined with parchment paper. Cut one circle for the bottom and a strip for the side.
Bake for 1 hour. Cover the top of the cake with aluminum foil 30 minutes into baking to ensure a golden colored top and prevent browning.
Let the cake cool 10 minutes before loosening the sides of cake.
While the cake is still warm make the vanilla drizzle.
Vanilla Drizzle
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
In a small sauce pan mix together all the ingredients. Heat and whisk the mixture together over medium heat as the sugar melts. Continue to stir until the mixture comes to a boil.
Slowly pour or spoon the drizzle over the cake. Decorate with fresh berries or sprinkles.
This velvety butter cake is just right for an afternoon where you want to bake something simple.
I think mole would agree, there’s no kindness quite like sharing a homemade cake.
