This buttermilk cake recipe has the perfect flavor and fluffy texture. It’s a classic buttermilk cake that you will make repeatedly. It’s perfectly paired with a chocolate buttercream frosting or made into a bundt cake with a dusting of powdered sugar. This is a foolproof recipe that works every time!
If you’re looking for a classic cake recipe with the most delicious buttermilk flavor, this is it! The recipe uses oil, butter, buttermilk, and eggs to create a super moist and tender texture.
The baking soda and baking powder give it a beautiful height and make it incredibly fluffy. It’s a versatile cake perfect for birthdays, dinner parties, or simple gatherings.
We made this cake for a simple dinner party and everyone loved it. It’s an easy recipe and we’re confident you will love it as much as we do!
Also, try our lavender cake and coconut loaf recipe too!
Buttermilk Cake Ingredients
Cake Flour – Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour and a finer, lighter texture. If you don’t have cake flour, no worries! You can make your own cake flour.
Baking Powder + Baking Soda – Both are dry leavening agents used to increase the volume and lighten the cake’s texture.
Unsalted Butter – Use good quality, pure butter when baking. Butter creates a light and tender texture, gives the cake a buttery flavor, and also helps it rise. Make sure the butter is at room temperature and soft.
Granulated Sugar – White sugar sweetens the cake. If you want to use a different sweetener, check out these sugar substitutions.
Large Eggs – Eggs add structure and moisture to the cake. Use large, organic eggs when baking this recipe.
Vegetable Oil – We use a little oil in the recipe as it helps create the moistest cakes. Oil captures the gases that are released from the interaction of the baking powder and baking soda, and slows down gluten formation to keep specific baked goods tender and fluffy in texture!
Buttermilk – Use 2% reduced-fat cultured buttermilk. You can find this at your local grocery store. You might also see cultured, low-fat organic buttermilk, which is even better. You can make your own using my recipe if you don’t have buttermilk.
Vanilla Extract – Use a good quality, pure vanilla extract. You can also use vanilla bean paste, which will give it more of a vanilla flavor and make it a vanilla buttermilk cake. The best vanilla to use is Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract.
Different Cake Pans You Can Use
Buttermilk cake is very versatile and can be made in different pans. Here are some suggestions on what pans you can use to make this cake:
Sheet Cake Pan – Sheet cakes are cakes baked in a rectangular cake pan that ranges in size from 9x13x2 to 10×7. Any of these sizes will work.
Bundt Pans – Also known as tube pans. This is a round pan with a hole in the middle. Some of them have designs and others are smooth. If you use this pan, make sure to butter and flour it as you can’t use parchment paper to help release the cake.
Loaf Pan – A loaf pan is a small rectangular pan that we use to make our coconut cake and pumpkin bread. If you use a loaf pan for this recipe, you will likely need to make two cakes. When you bake a cake in a loaf pan, it’s often called pound cake. So this would be a buttermilk pound cake recipe.
Round Cake Pans – If you make to make a layer cake, then use 2 8×2 round cake pans.
How to Store Buttermilk Cake
Storing buttermilk is pretty simple. You can store it in the fridge or freeze it.
To store your sweet treat in the fridge, wrap it tightly. This will preserve moisture and ensure a tender cake.
If you plan to store the cake for a long time, your best bet is to freeze it.
To Freeze:
Wrap the cake in plastic as soon as it cools. Storing the cake in the freezer will help keep the moisture content in, and it’s how professional bakers store their goods as well.
The cake will thaw pretty quickly, so that’s good news for anyone that wants to consume it out of the freezer. The frozen cake also makes a great base for icing.
Tips for Making Buttermilk Cake
- For best results, make sure the ingredients are all at room temperature.
- Baking time will vary. Check the cake by inserting a toothpick into the center. When it comes out clean, the cake is done.
- Make sure the cake cools before consuming as this allows the flavors to mix
- Know the difference between cultured buttermilk (grocery-store variety) and traditional buttermilk.
Buttermilk Cake Toppings
This cake goes with so many different flavors and there are several ways you can top it! Here are some of our favorite suggestions:
Frosting – Top this cake with any frosting you desire. We prefer chocolate buttercream, but you can also add cream cheese frosting, vanilla frosting, or whipped Swiss buttercream.
Sprinkles and Edible Flowers – We love using sprinkles for a birthday cake and edible flowers for a simple gathering. Dried edible flowers work just as well as fresh ones.
Fresh Fruit – If you prefer a light cake, top it with whipped cream and fresh fruit and berries.
The possibilities are endless for this cake, so feel free to get creative!
When to Serve Buttermilk Cake
This is the perfect dessert year-round and for any celebration. Here are some ideas for when to serve this easy buttermilk cake recipe:
- Brunch
- Birthday Party
- Carnival Party
- Garden Party
- Fall Harvest Party
- Christmas Party or Easter Brunch
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love
If you love this cake, here are more of our homemade cake recipes to try:
Let me know what you think about this cake by leaving a comment and review below! We’d love to know your thoughts.
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Buttermilk Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Buttermilk Cake
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Chocolate Frosting
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate bar, chopped
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup hot coffee
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
Buttermilk Cake
- Preheat and Prepare – Heat oven to 350 degrees and prepare the cake pans. You can use a 10 x 2 pan or two 8 x 2 round cake pans. Add parchment paper and butter to the bottom, and add a little flour for easy removal. You can also prepare the ingredients.
- Sift—Using a sieve or a sifter, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. If you don’t have a way to sift, simply add the ingredients to a mixing bowl and gently whisk them together using a fork. This will incorporate air and lighten the ingredients.
- Combine – In a liquid measuring cup combine the buttermilk, vanilla and oil.
- Beat – In a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar n medium-high speed until light and fluffy. This will take about 3 minutes.
- Eggs – Gradually beat one egg at a time.
- Alternate Dry Ingredients and Wet Ingredients – Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk in 2 parts. Beat until smooth and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Bake—Depending on the pan, this cake will bake for 25 – 35 minutes. The 10 x 2 will take about 25 minutes, and the two rounds will take 30-35 minutes.
- Cool – Let the cake cool while you make the frosting,
Quick Chocolate Frosting
- Chop the chocolate and cube the butter.
- In a double boiler or heatproof bowl over a small saucepan, warm the chocolate and butter until it’s melted.
- Add in the coffee and vanilla extract.
- Pour the melted chocolate into a bowl with powdered sugar. The chocolate mixture might look a little curdled, but it's okay. It will smooth out.
- Using a spatula fold the mixture until it’s smooth.
- Frost the cooled cake using a spatula.
- Decorate with edible flowers or sprinkles.
Notes
- For best results, ensure the ingredients are all at room temperature.
- Baking time will vary. Check the cake by inserting a toothpick into the center. When it comes out clean, the cake is done
- Know the difference between cultured and traditional buttermilk (grocery-store variety).
- Use quality ingredients when baking.
I find this a little confusing…..eggs are added twice. “Combine – In a liquid measuring cup combine the buttermilk, oil, and eggs.
Beat – In a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar n medium-high speed until light and fluffy. This will take about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in one egg at a time.”
i followed the second instruction for adding the eggs and the cake turned out nice and moist.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention! It’s now fixed!
It’s in the oven right now….with some lemon zest. I like lemon cake! I also used a bunt pan. I hope the cake will turn out oke because the steps in your describtion got me confused. Step 3, 4 ..in that order…can.t be done imo. Shoot, it just got me thinking that I forgot the vanilla extract because it’s never mentioned.
After step 3 I incorporated the oil,milk, eggs mixture and it started to curdle…I hope my cake wil turn oke now….
Wow – great recipe. easy to make and so delicious. My family loved it. Definitely making your. recipe again soon.
So moist and it has the perfect texture. I made it for dessert and also enjoyed a cup with my morning coffee!
This recipe is amazing! The chocolate icing goes very well with the cake and my children enjoyed this!