Vanilla Buttermilk Cake

Ingredients

Cake-

  • 1 cup – unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups – granulated sugar
  • 6 – large eggs, separated
  • 3 cups – Swans Down Cake Flour
  • 1 tablespoon – baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon – kosher salt
  • 1 cup – whole buttermilk
  • 4 teaspoons – vanilla extract
  • Vanilla-Buttermilk Frosting (recipe follows)
  • Garnish: fresh raspberries, fresh mint

Vanilla-Buttermilk Frosting-

  • 1¼ cups – unsalted butter, softened
  • 2¼ pounds – confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 2/3 cup – whole buttermilk
  • 1¼ teaspoons  – vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon – kosher salt
Directions

Cake-

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 2 (9-inch) round deep cake pans with baking spray with flour. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper, and spray pans again.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium bowl, whisk together Swans Down® Cake Flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

In a large bowl, using clean beaters, beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed just until stiff peaks form. Stir one-fourth of egg whites into batter. Gently fold in remaining egg whites. Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks. Spread Vanilla-Buttermilk Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with raspberries and mint, if desired.

Makes 1 (9-inch) cake

Vanilla-Buttermilk Frosting-

Make sure butter is softened at room temperature. In a large bowl, beat butter with a mixer at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sifted confectioners’ sugar and enough buttermilk to achieve a spreadable consistency. Beat in vanilla and salt.

Makes about 6 cups

View Comments

  • I made this yesterday and it turned out great. I used a long pan instead and my chocolate butter whipped frosting recipe I already had. My sons loved it.

    • hi Rachelle, thank you for the feedback! We love to hear from our bakers. I am so glad your sons loved it.
      Happy Baking!

  • Hello! Cake looks Yummy! Are the Ingredients given above for 1 9 inch layer or 2 9 inch layers? Thank You!

    • Hi Carrie, Yes you would double the recipe to make 2 9-inch 2-layer cakes. We'd recommend making 2 seperate recipe batches. It will make incorporating ingredients into a batter and distribution of the batter into the pans more consistent. BTW, this cake is DELICIOUS! Happy baking!

  • I have only 8" cake pans. Do I need to adjust the recipe or will it work in 8" pans? Thank you.

    • Hi Colleen, You may need to use 3 8-inch pans. Make sure to only fill the pans 2/3 of the way full. If you only have 2 pans you can make a few cupcakes with the remaining batter. Happy baking!

    • Hi Nina, We know! We feel the pain of rising price of eggs in our Kitchen as well. Eggs help to form the structure of the cake, adds flavor and also adds moisture since they are made primarily of water. Unfortunately we haven't tested this recipe with only using 4 eggs so can not make a recommendation here. If you try it, come back and let us know how it turned out. Happy baking!

    • Hi Jaquitta, Yes you can use salted butter and reduce the amount of salt by 1/2 teaspoon. Happy baking!

  • I can remember my mom using swans cake flour to do her baking I was about 12 years old and I used to watch her as she would bake her cakes but I tell you they were delicious my mother is no longer here and I have to go over the tradition of doing the baking now in I still use the swan cake flour it's the best in my book.

  • Is this sifted or unsigned flour measurements? Do you happen to have this (or any) recipe in grams? Thanks!

  • I made this cake tonight 12- 15- 21 and it turned out perfectly I even used you all's chocolate ganache recipe for the frosting delicious