Winter can produce a few challenges for creative cooking. Most of the produce is dormant, or at least I’m starting to get tired of the same things. Tantalizing Spring is just around the corner, but the doldrums carry on. After the flurry of cooking for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, even Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras, the kitchen can get a little humdrum. But I say celebrate that – there is absolutely nothing wrong with settling in to simple. And this cake is simple, truly lovely and unassuming. No flashy flourishes, no exotic spices, no swirling piped frosting or stacked layers. Just a light and easy cake, tender and moist with buttermilk and just a whisper or vanilla, crowned with a simple glaze. And all the better for it. There is nothing wrong with simple or plain.Use whole buttermilk for this, and actual buttermilk, not a lemon juice or vinegar substitute.
Buttermilk is really the key flavor here, rich and creamy and tangy and you just won’t get the same result with something less. I use a vanilla bean paste to get those lovely flecks throughout, but vanilla extract works just as well. And of course, you can scrape the beans out of a fresh pod if you have one around. Mixing softened butter and the dry ingredients creates a lovely, loose crumb perfect for this cake, and when you add the liquid mix just until the dry ingredients are no longer visible – don’t beat it wildly or over mix. Pouring the glaze over the still warm cake soaks some into the cake, but leaves a crackly sweet topping.
Ingredients
- For the Cake
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cups whole buttermilk
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and at room temperature
- For the Glaze
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup whole buttermilk
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Directions
- For the Cake
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
- Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and blend on low for a few seconds to combine. Mix the buttermilk, egg, egg yolk and vanilla in a bowl or large measuring jug, breaking up the egg and thoroughly combining. Add the cubed, softened butter to the flour and mix on medium speed until the butter is broken up and the mixture is crumbly. Add half of the liquid mixture and mix to combine, then stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining buttermilk and mix just until combined – don’t mix for very long, just until no dry ingredients are visible and the batter is smooth. Scrape into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes, just until golden and a tester inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Remove the cake from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack to cool.
- For the Glaze
- Just after the cake comes out of the oven, make the glaze. Put the butter in a medium saucepan and melt over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and buttermilk and stir well until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until there are no lumps visible and the glaze is smooth and combined. Poke holes in the warm cake with a tester or skewer, then pour the warm glaze over the warm cake. Leave to set for at least 30 minutes before serving. This cake is lovely still slightly warm, but delicious at room temperature as well.
For those us who do not have a glass pan, what are the alternatives ? Ditto for whole buttermilk, in may parts of the country only reduced fat is available. How does one compensate for this ? Your recipe looks lovely.
Thank you.
A ceramic baking dish or a metal pan will work, just watch carefully for browning. If only low fat buttermilk is available it will work, but the results might not be as tender. Look out for Bulgarian buttermilk, which supplements the cultures with yogurt cultures so is thick and tangy. It is widely available.
What a beautiful cake! So light and lovely. Perfect for a summer day, but just as scrumptious in winter. I am so delighted to find this recipe. My great Aunt Hertha used to make this cake and she had a name like Lazy Daisy cake so I couldn’t track it down. Then it was a magical moment when I found this recipe and you’re absolutely right as only real buttermilk will give that luscious flavor.
Thank you so much. Love this cake
Oh! I love to hear this! So glad it was a happy find for you!
ethelkeller2019@gmail.com, I live in Biloxi Ms, I happened upon this lovely tasting recipe. It was absolutely delicious. Thank you..Ethel Keller
The buttermilk cake was delicious, but the icing was gross… Unless you like buttermilk, otherwise it tasted like spoiled cream. I had to convince my guests that the icing was not made from spoiled cream, but rather from buttermilk.
The cake is Devine and the icing is scrumptious. I plan to use this recipe again.
Sorry this didn’t work for you. Not sure why you would want to make a buttermilk cake if you don’t like buttermilk…
This cake and the icing is absolutely delicious!
This will be my go to cake when having friends over for tea ! Five stars – Thank you runawayspoon
Great cake. I added 1 cup of chopped walnuts and used a burnt sugar icing. I’ll be making it again.