Home » Cakes & Pies » Old Fashioned Butter Cake

Old Fashioned Butter Cake

This Old Fashioned Butter Cake is the basis of so many special occasion cakes. Once the layers are baked this versatile cake can be filled with jam and topped with whipped cream and fresh berries, turned into strawberry shortcake or iced with your favorite flavor of frosting for your next birthday party. It’s the one cake flavor besides chocolate, that people search for the most when an occasion arises that warrants a celebration.

Old Fashioned Butter Cake

Easy Old Fashioned Butter Cake Recipe

I’ve heard yellow cakes called by various names such as old fashioned butter cake, plain cake, vanilla cake, yellow cake and 1-2-3-4 cake. They’re all slight variations of the same cake and it’s the one cake recipe that everyone needs in their dessert recipe file. Frost it with your favorite icing flavor and this cake is ready to get the party started. How to make Old Fashioned Butter Cake: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

  • Prepare Pans – Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 3 [9] inch round cake pans or spray with baking spray.
  • Dry Ingredients – Use a whisk to sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside. 
  • Creamed Ingredients – Cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, butter and almond extracts. Beat with a mixer for around 3-4 minutes.
  • Eggs – Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
  • Combine – Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk. Beat on medium speed until all has been incorporated, then increase the speed of the mixer and beat for 1-2 minutes.
  • Transfer to Pans – Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared pans.
  • Bake Place into the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean.
  • Cool in the pan on a cooling rack then frost as desired.
Old Fashioned Butter Cake

How to Make the Best Old Fashioned Butter Cake Recipe

  • Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Old Fashioned Butter Cake: All purpose flour, cake flour, butter, buttermilk, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, vanilla, extract, butter extract, almond extract and large eggs.
  • Kitchen tools you’ll need: A stand mixer or a hand mixer, large bowl, medium bowl, measuring cups and spoons, 8 inch cake pans, cooling rack and whisk.
  • Two Types of Flour Make a Difference in the Texture: My personal favorite butter cake as demonstrated in this recipe, uses a combination of all-purpose flour and cake flour for just the right texture. It’s not too crumbly, not too dense.
  • If time allows, while the butter is softening and coming to room temperature allow the eggs to come to room temperature, too. If you forget, the recipe will still work but it does seem to add more volume to the cake batter when the eggs aren’t cold.
  • When adding eggs to a cake recipe, crack them into a smaller separate bowl or measuring cup first. This will prevent any egg shell from going directly into the mixing bowl and ruining the batter.
  • I’m an avid baker and I’ve used a whisk for sifting dry ingredients for many years. It works like a charm. You can also use a fine mesh sieve if you don’t have an old fashioned sifter.
  • This cake can be frosted with any flavor icing you like. Checkout my recipes for Whipped Chocolate Frosting, fluffy 7 Minute Frosting, easy Vanilla Buttercream Icing, citrus filled Pink Lemonade Frosting or classic Cream Cheese Icing.
  • You can also make this cake up to 2 days in advance and store the layers separately chilled in the refrigerator tightly wrapped in plastic wrap prior to frosting.
  • Freeze Old Fashioned Butter Cake for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and frost it your way.
Old Fashioned Butter Cake

More Easy Cake Recipes to Make

Thanks for visiting come back soon!

Disclosure ~ If  a purchase is made using one of the affiliate links on this website we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Helpful Kitchen Items: 

Old Fashioned Butter Cake

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: butter-cake-recipe, old-fashioned-butter-cake, yellow-cake-recipe
Servings: 3 layers
Calories: 1807kcal
Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cup cake flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/4 cup softened butter [2 1/2 sticks]
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp butter extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract optional
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup buttermilk or whole milk

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three [9] inch round cake pans or spray with baking spray. [i.e. Bakers Joy]
  • Use a whisk to sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside. 
  • Using an electric mixer cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, butter and almond extracts on medium high speed for around 3-4 minutes or just until fluffy.
  • To the bowl add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl periodically so all of the ingredients fully combine.
  • Lower the speed of the mixer and add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk. Beat on medium speed until all has been incorporated then increase the speed of the mixer and beat for around 1 minute.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Gently tap the pans on the counter a couple of times to settle the batter and release air bubbles.
  • Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean.
  • Cool in the pan on a cooling rack then frost as desired.

Notes

Makes:
  • Three 9″rounds
  • One 13 x 9-inch sheet cake
  • 24-36 cupcakes

Nutrition

Serving: 1layer | Calories: 1807kcal | Carbohydrates: 234g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 87g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 257mg | Sodium: 1557mg | Potassium: 780mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 138g | Vitamin A: 3876IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 352mg | Iron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

58 Comments

  1. I made this. It was so good I ate it without icing. I’m about to make another batch to put in the freezer as I have some buttermilk I don’t want to go bad and waste

  2. You have buttermilk or whole milk listed…which do you prefer to use? I’m sure you’ve tried both, just wondering what you like most.

  3. I made this as the base of a BlackBerry/raspberry cake for my sons birthday. Like another commenter, it collapsed. Not sure if I over mixed or maybe because I baked in 2 – 10 inch rounds instead of 3 – 9 inch rounds. But it still tasted great and my little family loved it because they love everything I make. =)

    1. Hi Annalisa, was it baked thoroughly? If the ingredients aren’t mixed together adequately or the cake was under baked it could cause an issue. You can bake this cake in any shape you like, just adjust the baking time according to the shape of the cake and always test with a toothpick before removing from the oven. Also, fresh baking powder. If you mean that you added fruit to the batter, it’s also helpful to toss the fruit with a Tbsp of flour prior to adding to the batter.

  4. This cake is fracking amazing but I tried twice and both times it caved in the middle while I was still in the oven. The second time I tried beating less, against your instructions, to, hopefully, incorporate less air but it still caved. I tapped the pans on the counter to get the air out both times, the second time quite a bit. WTH am I doing wrong?

    Full disclosure, I made my own cake flour with flour and cornstarch and my own buttermilk with milk and lemon juice.

    1. Hi Joe, I’m not sure I have a definitive answer, I’ve never had that issue. That said, one thing I’ve experienced in baking is, all butter isn’t created equal. There are some private label brands that I’ve had a hard time getting to cooperate in cakes. It’s so strange but, true. If it caved in the middle my first thought is it was under-baked. The center should puff just slightly when it’s cooked through. If you’re concerned about over browning, lay a piece of aluminum foil on top and bake it longer, if needed. I’m not certain if you’re other changes were factors or not. Don’t give up!

  5. Hello, I am going to try this cake soon! It looks really good. My mom always uses the 1234 step, she lives by it, lol. How do you make the icing?

    1. A regular cake pan is not deep enough for this cake. Any deep similar size baking pan would work but, not a standard layer pan.

  6. hello Miss Melissas, omg!!! i wanted to let you… your recipe is the best!!! i will never use another cake recipe again!!! i will be using this recipe to make cake and cupcakes for my grand daughter 1st birthday party on the 22.
    thank you so much… i really love this cake!!!

    1. Hi Judy, how delightful thank you! I love this one too, please send my best birthday wishes to your grand daughter!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating