Church Cake Vanilla Butter (Printable version)

Light, fluffy vanilla cake with tender crumb, topped with creamy frosting. Perfect for sharing.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ½ teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

05 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
07 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
09 - 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

→ Optional Frosting

10 - 4 cups powdered sugar
11 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
12 - 2–3 tablespoons milk
13 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 - Pinch of salt

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
05 - Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.
07 - Bake for 28–32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
08 - Let cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
09 - Beat together powdered sugar and butter until well combined. Add vanilla and milk, one tablespoon at a time, until smooth and spreadable.
10 - Spread frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Slice and serve.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • Everything comes together in one bowl, no fancy equipment required and practically foolproof even on your worst day
  • That tender crumb stays moist for days, assuming it actually lasts that long in your house
  • Frosting is optional because sometimes you just want cake for breakfast without anyone judging you
02 -
  • Cold ingredients will break your heart and your batter, so set everything out at least an hour before you start baking
  • Overmixing at the flour stage turns tender cakes into hockey pucks, so as soon as those flour streaks disappear, you're done
  • The toothpick test is your best friend, insert it in the center and if it comes out with moist crumbs, perfect, wet batter needs more time
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients aren't a suggestion, they're the difference between light and heavy
  • Letting the cake cool completely in the pan prevents those sad sunken centers that happen when frosting meets warmth

Go back