How to Make a Moist Butter Cake | With Top Tips

Learn to Make a Moist Butter Cake? This classic Butter Cake is a buttery, rich, and moist cake. I have baked it many times. I will bake it many more times in the future too. There were a lot of things I did wrong until I made the best-taste butter cake. I have learned so much through failure and success. I am happy to share the top tips & tricks that I have learned.

My Love Affair with Butter Cake

One of the things I love about this butter cake is just how plain and simple it is. It’s a delicious butter cake perfect for all occasions. Be it a birthday, anniversary, home party, or simply when you want a tea-time snack. It is a perfect accompaniment to a nice hot cup of tea or coffee.

Butter cakes are one of the most popular cakes in Sri Lanka. It is one of those nostalgic cakes that takes me right back to my childhood. It was my childhood favorite cake, so it has a special place in my heart.

As a little girl, I dreamed of baking a butter cake on my own someday when I grew up. So, when I started baking later in my life, the first cake I made was this butter cake. Since that day, I have baked this butter cake many times. I will bake it many more times in the future too.

There were a lot of things I did wrong until I could make a best-taste butter cake. I have learned so much through failure and success. I am happy to share the tips & tricks that I have learned.

About This Recipe

It is easy to make and the preparation is very straightforward. But it requires some patience and practice to make a perfect butter cake. When made well, it should be moist, soft, and melt-in-your-mouth, as this one is!

A butter cake is a cake that uses butter as a main ingredient and flavor. The batter is made with basic ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, flour, milk, and baking powder. Adding salt, and vanilla extract is optional but highly recommended.

Butter cakes are typically made by creaming butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy. This creates a light, moist, and soft crumb cake. The next step is beating in the eggs and alternately adding the dry and wet ingredients.

As the name implies, it is a butter cake. Nonetheless, in Sri Lanka, it is very common to use margarine instead of butter. This is probably because margarine is cheaper and readily available. In my experience, using half and half of butter and margarine gives the perfect flavor and texture.

In this recipe, I used a bundt cake pan. Feel free to use other types of pans (round, square, tube, or loaf pans) as you like.

Ingredients

• Unsalted Butter: Butter adds delightful buttery flavor as well as tenderness and richness to this butter cake. You can also use good-quality margarine instead of butter. Alternatively, use half butter and half margarine if you like.
• Sugar: Use fine granulated sugar. Sugar sweetens the cake and also helps to create air pockets when beaten together with butter which is called “creaming”. And sugar also helps to get a nicely browned crust.
• Eggs: Use large eggs, each weighing between 60 to 65 gm. Eggs serve several purposes in a cake. The main one is to bind the structure together. They also help leaven the cake and add to the tenderness and richness.
• Flour: I used cake Flour as it keeps the cake tender and moist. You can also use plain or all-purpose flour if that’s what you like.
• Baking powder: Baking powder is a chemical leaven that helps make the cake rise.
• Salt: Salt balances out the sweetness and the flavors of the cake and ensures that it does not taste flat.
• Flavors: Adding flavors is optional. You can use vanilla extract or replace it with almond extract if preferred. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest to the batter for a lemony flavor. If you use lemon juice you will need to adjust the amount of milk you use.

Steps to make MoiST Butter cake

• Prep Your Ingredients and Equipment
• Preheat the Oven
• Cream the Butter and Sugar
• Add the Eggs and Beat
• Alternate Adding Dry Flour and Milk
• Bake the Cake
• Cool the Cake

Tips, Tricks, and Techniques
for Making the Best MOIST butter Cake

The most important thing to remember when making this butter cake is to have all the ingredients at room temperature. Make sure you follow the instructions on mixing.

Part 1-Preparation

Do the Preparation before you start making the cake

Read through the recipe fully, measure out all of your ingredients, and gather any equipment you might need before starting.

About the Cake Pan

If you use a Bundt cake pan, grease it with softened butter. Dust lightly with flour and shake off the excess. You can also use a round, loaf, or square pan. Line it with baking paper after lightly greasing it. This way, you can easily pull the cake out of the pan once it is done baking.

Measure the ingredients

Use an electronic measuring machine to measure dry and wet ingredients for accuracy and convenience.

Allow the ingredients to come to room temperature

All the ingredients must be at room temperature for this recipe. around 21° C (70° F), before starting your recipe. If the ingredients are too cold, they won’t cream easily and won’t become the light fluffy texture you’re looking for.

Use softened butter

Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. When you press a finger into it, it leaves an indention. When using soft butter, it can mix well with the rest of the ingredients. If it is cold it will be lumpy and very difficult to mix in.

This cake relies on the air that is mixed into the batter during the creaming process for its rise. Soft butter is more efficient in trapping small air bubbles when it is beaten with sugar. This helps the cake rise.

Cut the butter into small cubes and place them in the mixing bowl. Make sure that your butter is soft but still solid. If your butter is too soft and starting to melt, it can greatly affect the end product. You will not get the right texture.

Prep the baking pan

Make sure to prepare the baking pan before you start making the batter. This will allow you to bake the cake without any delay.

Sieve the dry ingredients

Sieve the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) together 3 times. Sieving can remove lumps and impurities. It also aerates the flour and also shortens the time of mixing and even the distribution of the dry ingredients.

Part 2-Making the Batter

Use the Proper Creaming Technique

Creaming the butter and sugar until light and fluffy is crucial. It is one of the most important steps in making a perfect butter cake. It is not difficult but requires some patience and practice.

It takes around 10 minutes with a hand mixer. Be patient and avoid rushing. The purpose of this process is to force air into the mixture. The tiny air bubbles expand during baking to form the light, airy, fluffy, and soft texture of the cake.

Start with softened butter at room temperature. Beat at medium-high speed until the mixture is very light in color and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to ensure even mixing whenever needed.

Add the Eggs a little at a time

First, whisk briefly the whole eggs in a small bowl. Then add the egg mixture a little at a time and beat at medium-high speed. Make sure it is well combined before adding the next part. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to ensure even mixing as needed.

Can I Fix Curdled Batter?

If the mixture curdles or goes a little lumpy after you beat in the eggs, you can fix it. Stir in a tablespoon of flour to the mixture. Stir just until the batter is emulsified once again. Stirring too long will cause excess gluten to form, which will toughen up your cake.

Do Not Over-Mix or Under-Mix Your Batter

Make sure to gently fold the flour in until no more visible lumps in the batter. Stop mixing as soon as the flour is incorporated. You want to limit the gluten formation as much as possible. This will keep your cake very tender.

Part 3-Baking

Baking time and temperature

Make sure to preheat the oven until the internal temperature becomes stable. The temperature and time for baking this butter cake can vary from oven to oven. This depends on the weight of the batter as well as the shape of the pan. So, the baking temperature and time suggested in this recipe are only a rough guide.

Do not over-bake or Under-Bake

To keep this cake moist, make sure you don’t over-bake your cake. The longer the cake bakes the drier it becomes. If the cake is underbaked, give the cake a little extra baking time and check every few minutes.

Check the Doneness

When the tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, then the cake is done. But, If you bake it too long, the cake will be dry. The result will be a dry butter cake.

Part 4-Cooling

Allow to Cool Properly

The residual heat in the cake will continue the cooking even after it is out of the oven. So, once you have pulled it from the oven, let it cool for about 5 minutes. Then remove it from the pan. Place it on a baking rack to cool completely.

Serving Suggestions

This cake is best served on the day it is made at room temperature. One of the most classic ways to enjoy a fresh slice of butter cake is to serve it with a hot cup of coffee or tea.

Here are a few other ways you can serve this moist butter cake. Try it dusted with powdered sugar. You can also top it with whipped cream. Consider adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You might also like it with jam.

Storing Suggestion

At Room Temperature:

When it comes to storing a butter cake, from my experience, storing it at room temperature is better. It helps to keep moisture and keep it from getting too hard. Wrap in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for 2 to 3 days. Cool completely before storing.

In the Refrigerator:

You can store it in the refrigerator for one week or so. Place it in an airtight container after wrapping it in plastic wrap. However, the cake will become somewhat dense and hard in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature before serving.

In the Freezer:

You can freeze the whole cake or individual slices for about 3 months. Wrap the whole cake (or individual slices separately) with plastic wrap and then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag.

Thawing:

Let it thaw at room temperature before serving. Do not thaw frozen cake in the microwave or oven as it will dry out and the taste will change.

The Best Moist Butter Cake
Recipe with Step-By-Step Photos

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 40 minutes

Equipment

18 or 20 cm Bundt cake pan

Ingredients

200 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
180 g granulated sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
180 g cake flour
2 tablespoon milk, at room temperature

Preparation  

• Gather and measure the ingredients.
• Cut butter into small pieces and place in a bowl; let stand at room temperature (21°C) to soften.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C and position an oven rack in the lower half of the oven.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together three times.

Grease the pan with softened butter. Dust lightly with flour and shake off the excess. Set aside.

Make the Batter

Slightly beat the softened butter with a wooden spoon before beating it with the hand mixer.

Next, start beating with a hand mixer when the butter is soft enough. Beat on high speed for about 2 minutes.

Start adding the sugar after the butter becomes a bit creamy. Gradually add sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Beat at high speed until the mixture becomes pale yellow, light, and fluffy for about 5 minutes. And then continue beating at medium-high for about 3 minutes.

Mix until it is light, fluffy, creamy, and become pale yellow. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Lightly whisk the whole eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract (if using) together in a small bowl.

Then add the egg mixture a little at a time and beat at medium-high speed. Make sure it is well combined before adding the next part. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to ensure even mixing as needed.

A small portion (one tablespoon) of the dry ingredients can be added at this stage. This ensures that a proper emulsion is formed. It also prevents the batter from splitting.

Beat until thick and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes in total, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed.

Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk. Fold gently with a rubber spatula after each addition. Start with 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix. Add 1/2 of the milk and mix. Then add the second 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix. Pour in the remaining milk and mix. Finish by adding the last 1/3 of the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.

Make sure you keep folding until the batter appears homogeneous without white dots.

Do not over-mix. Stop mixing once the flour is incorporated and homogenous.

Baking

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and level the surface evenly with a spatula. Give the cake pan a few taps on the counter to get rid of any large trapped air bubbles.

Bake for 25 minutes at 180°C, then reduce oven temp to 170°C. Continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Insert a wooden skewer into the middle of the cake. It should come out with a clean crumb.

Cooling

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 5 minutes.

Remove the cake from the pan and place it on a cooling rack to cool.

Serve & Enjoy!

It is a perfect accompaniment to a nice hot cup of tea or coffee.

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