• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Free Instant Pot Recipe Guide! download now!

FREE 5 Instant Pot Meals in 5 Minutes E Course!


Thank you for subscribing!


Your Homebased Mom

  • About
  • Latest
  • Contact
NEW! Watch on youtube!

Your Homebased Mom

Leigh Anne Wilkes

  • Recipes
    • Course
      • Appetizers
      • Beverages
      • Bread
      • Breakfast and Brunch
      • Dessert
        • Bars and Brownies
        • Cake
        • Candy and Treats
        • Cookies
        • Ice Cream
        • Pie
      • Main Dishes
      • Salads
      • Sandwiches and Burgers
      • Sauces and Dressings
      • Side Dishes
      • Soup
    • Cooking Method
      • Crock Pot
      • Grilling
      • Instant Pot
      • One Pan
      • Oven
      • Quick and Easy
      • Recipes for Two
    • Ingredients
      • Beef
      • Eggs
      • Pasta
      • Pork
      • Poultry
        • Chicken
        • Turkey
      • Seafood
      • Vegetarian
      • Gluten Free
    • Cuisine
      • American
      • Asian
      • European
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
    • Holiday
      • New Year’s Eve
      • Valentine’s Day
      • St. Patrick’s Day
      • Easter
      • 4th of July
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
      • Christmas
  • Travel
    • Europe
    • United States
      • New York City
      • Portland
    • What To Wear
  • Life
    • Home
    • Party Ideas
    • Empty Nesters
    • Church
      • Activity Day
      • Relief Society
    • Organizational Tips
    • Recommended Reads
  • New? Start Here
  • Subscribe for weekly recipes

    FREE 5 Instant Pot Meals in 5 Minutes E Course!


    Thank you for subscribing!


Recipe Finder

  • Course
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Breakfast and Brunch
    • Dessert
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches and Burgers
    • Sauces and Dressings
    • Side Dishes
    • Soup
  • Cooking Method
    • Oven
    • Crock Pot
    • Grilling
    • Instant Pot
    • One Pan
    • Quick and Easy
  • Ingredients
    • Beef
    • Eggs
    • Pasta
    • Pork
    • Poultry
    • Seafood
    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten Free
  • Cuisine
    • American
    • Asian
    • European
    • Indian
    • Italian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican
  • Holiday
    • New Year’s Eve
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
Home / Latest Posts / Recipes / Course / Dessert / Cake / Buttermilk Cake

Buttermilk Cake

Jump to Recipe Share
Share on:
By: Leigh Anne WilkesPosted: 5/06/22Updated: 8/15/23

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure policy here.

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.

slice of buttermilk cake

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.

side view of a slice of buttermilk cake

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.

overhead shot of sliced buttermilk cake

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

  1. 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!
  2. One tip to prevent a cake from falling is DO NOT open the oven door during baking.
Buttermilk cake with whipped cream and strawberries

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.whipped cream on buttermilk 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. 
cake with a bite out of it

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will buttermilk cake last?

The cake is best eaten immediately after adding the whipped cream but it will keep in the refrigerator for several hours to overnight.

What other kind of pan can I use?

If you don’t have a 9 inch springform pan you can use a regular 9 inch cake pan.

What can I use instead of buttermilk?

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.

Other delicious recipes include:

  • The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
  • Buttermilk Biscuits
  • Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Bread
  • Buttermilk Syrup
  • Small Batch Pancakes

Be sure and follow me over on You Tube for weekly cooking demos.

4.67 from 9 votes

Buttermilk Cake Recipe

Recipe From: Leigh Anne Wilkes
Buttermilk cake is light and moist and delicious when topped with fresh berries and whipped cream frosting.
serves: 12 servings
Prep:15 minutes minutes
Cook:40 minutes minutes
Total:1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
Rate 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:

Calories: 420kcal (21%) Carbohydrates: 47g (16%) Protein: 5g (10%) Fat: 24g (37%) Saturated Fat: 15g (94%) Cholesterol: 104mg (35%) Sodium: 366mg (16%) Potassium: 130mg (4%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 31g (34%) Vitamin A: 892IU (18%) Vitamin C: 1mg (1%) Calcium: 76mg (8%) Iron: 1mg (6%)
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.
Course:Dessert
Cuisine:American
Did you make this?I love seeing what you made. Be sure to share a picture and tag @yourhomebasedmom on social media!
Tag on Insta! Leave a Rating

 

Previous Post
The Best Hot Fudge Sauce
Next Post
Fried Rice

Reader Interactions

4.67 from 9 votes (8 ratings without comment)

Leave a Review Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Made this? Rate this recipe:




  1. Stuart Andrews says

    Posted on 9/24 at 10:47 pm

    I made this cake for the family yesterday, it was a huge hit… they finished the whole thing in minutes!

    Reply
  2. Sonal Uban says

    Posted on 5/12 at 11:20 pm

    I am vegan . What can I substitute for eggs?

    Reply
    • Leigh Anne says

      Posted on 8/25 at 3:26 pm

      I would use whatever you normally use as a substitute in baking

      Reply
  3. Linda says

    Posted on 5/7 at 11:55 am

    Do you ever do it gluten free? With what flour?

    Reply
  4. Nancy says

    Posted on 3/26 at 6:41 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Leigh Anne says

      Posted on 3/27 at 8:19 am

      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.

      Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Seasonal Posts

dish of lemon meringue ice cream

Lemon Meringue Ice Cream

creamsicle ice cream in a hand

Creamsicle Ice Cream

two cones with malted milk ice cream on them

Malted Milk Ice Cream

dish of blueberry ice cream

Fresh Blueberry Ice Cream

Most Popular Posts

Herb Rice

crock pot tri tip roast

Slow Cooker Tri Tip

texas sheet cake for two in a baking pan

Chocolate Sheet Cake for Two {Texas Sheet Cake}

baked riblets

Easy Oven Baked Riblets

Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window

Trending Now

overhead shot of cinnamon rolls

One Hour Cinnamon Rolls

plate of smashed potatoes and a fork

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

overhead shot of bowl of almond chicken

Almond Chicken

baked riblets

Easy Oven Baked Riblets

No knead bread in a pan

Instant Pot Bread

Tomato tart pieces

Easy Tomato Tart

spoon full of mac and cheese

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

Almond Torte

  • Crock Pot
  • Instant Pot
  • Chicken
  • Breakfast
  • Appetizers
  • Bread
  • Salad
  • Dessert

Order my Cookbook, Holiday Slow Cooker!

Buy Now!
Back to Top
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • Contact
© 2013–2025 Leigh Anne Wilkes Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.