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Buttermilk cake is light, tender and delicious when topped with fresh berries and whipped cream. Serve it with your favorite fruit or just by itself.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
When you think of strawberries and dessert I bet the first thing that comes to mind is strawberry shortcake. A very worthy use of strawberries but may I suggest a strawberry shortcake alternative, buttermilk cake!  Don’t get me wrong, strawberry shortcake can be wonderful if you are using the right recipe, like my brown sugar strawberry shortcake recipe! But this delicious, tender light buttermilk cake is a delicious alternative.
What is Buttermilk Cake?
Buttermilk cake is a nice light, moist cake with a whip cream frosting. Whether eaten just as is or topped with fresh fruit you have a delicious dessert. The addition of buttermilk to this cake makes for a softer texture. The acidic ingredient tenderizes the gluten in the flour and gives your cake more body and a better texture.
Ingredients Needed
- Cake Flour. You will get a more tender cake with cake flour but if you don’t have it you can substitute all purpose flour.
- Baking powder. Be sure your baking powder is fresh for best results.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter. I used salted butter at room temperature. You can also use unsalted butter, just add in a pinch more salt.
- Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Eggs
- Buttermilk. You can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 Tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Buttermilk gives the cake moisture and amazing taste.
Tips from Leigh Anne
- The buttermilk cake recipe calls for cake flour which makes for a nice light tender crumb but it also gives a cake a tendency to fall. I didn’t have that problem with this cake but have had in the past. If the cake does fall just fill in the hole with lots of the whip cream frosting, yum!
- One tip to prevent a cake from falling is DO NOT open the oven door during baking.
How to Make Buttermilk Cake
Make the cake
- Prepare your 9 inch pan by spraying with non stick spray and flouring. Add a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to bottom of pan for easy removal.
- In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside
- In another medium bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk ending with flour.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake until golden, about 40-45 minutes. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes.
- Prepare simple syrup.
What is Simple Syrup?
Simple Syrup is a mixture of sugar and water that has been brought to a boil and then cooled. It is made with one part water and one part sugar. Simple syrup is liquefied sugar.
- Poke Holes. After you remove the cake from the oven you will poke holes in the cake (I used a bamboo skewer), be sure and poke lots of holes. You want the simple syrup to have lots of places to ooze down into, the more the better! The syrup is what makes the cake so nice and moist. Be sure and poke holes around the outside edges too and be sure the cake is warm when you pour the syrup over the holes. Let the cake sit for a few minutes after pouring the liquid before removing from the pan so that it has plenty of time to be absorbed into the cake.
- Add Whipped Cream. After removing the cake from the pan and allowing the cake to cool, top with freshly whipped cream and fresh berries.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cake is best eaten immediately after adding the whipped cream but it will keep in the refrigerator for several hours to overnight.
If you don’t have a 9 inch springform pan you can use a regular 9 inch cake pan.
If you can get buttermilk, use it. It will give you the best results. If you just can get any you can add 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a cup of milk. Let it sit for five minutes before adding to the batter.
You won’t end up with the exact same results if you use this substitute but it will still be a delicious cake.
Freeze the cake before adding the whipped cream and berries. Wrap air tight in plastic wrap and then in foil and you can keep it in the freezer for 2-3 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator. Then top with whipped cream and berries.
Other delicious recipes include:
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Buttermilk Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cups butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
Simple syrup:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Turn oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 9 inch spring form pan or regular cake pan. Spray with non-stick spray.
- Line the bottom with a 9 inch round of parchment paper. Spray the paper.
- In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Set aside. In a another medium bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in vanilla.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk ending with flour.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake until golden, about 40-45 minutes. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes.
- With the cake still in the pan, poke holes all over the top with a toothpick or bamboo skewer. Slowly and evenly pour the simple syrup over the top of the cake.
- Let cake sit for an additional 20 minutes to be sure all the syrup gets soaked in.
- Remove cake from pan and invert onto a cake plate.
- Spread whipped cream all over the top of the cake. Refrigerate until serving time.
For the simple syrup:
- In a small saucepan over high heat, combine water and sugar. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Sugar should be dissolved. Pour clear syrup into a small pitcher and set aside to cool completely.
For the whipped cream:
- In a large bowl, pour in heavy cream. With mixer on medium high, beat cream until frothy.Add in powdered sugar and continue to beat until cream is thickened and holds a stiff peak. Spread whipped cream on top of the cake. Keep refrigerated until serving.
Tips & Notes:
- The recipe calls for cake flour which makes for a nice light cake but it also gives a cake a tendency to fall. I didn’t have that problem with this cake but have had in the past. If the cake does fall just fill in the hole with lots of the whip cream frosting, yum!
- One tip to prevent a cake from falling is DO NOT open the oven door during baking.
Nutrition Facts:
Stuart Andrews says
I made this cake for the family yesterday, it was a huge hit… they finished the whole thing in minutes!
Sonal Uban says
I am vegan . What can I substitute for eggs?
Leigh Anne says
I would use whatever you normally use as a substitute in baking
Linda says
Do you ever do it gluten free? With what flour?
Nancy says
This looks amazing! Can it made in advance and how many days in advance? What’s the best way to keep it moist if I want to make it two days before serving? Thanks! Your recipes are always amazing so can’t wait to try this.
Leigh Anne says
I’ve never made it in advance. It always gets eaten right away! I think if you wrap it up good it should be fine for a few days though.