Butter Cake or Ghee cake is easy to make, soft and moist, rich, fluffy, and delicious cake that will melt in your mouth. I bet you can't stop after eating a slice of this butter cake.
About the recipe
This traditional butter cake or ghee cake is one of the best cake recipes prepared using basic ingredients from your kitchen. You can try this simple cake recipe even if you are new to baking.
Are you a fan of Kentucky butter cake, cochin bakery cake, Kerala ghee cake, or Iyengar bakery ghee cake? Then you will love this simple homemade golden butter cake which is super soft, moist, and utterly buttery delicious.
It's perfect for any special occasion, holiday, or party. The best part is that this cake requires no decoration, frosting, or glaze. It is all good by itself.
This cake is one of the best gift box items for your Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Diwali holidays. Your guest and family are going to love it and remember it always.
Also, stay tuned as I will soon share the Kentucky butter cake recipe. I am drooling thinking of the butter sauce there!
Is butter cake and pound cake the same?
Both cakes use similar ingredients but are not the same. In butter cake, butter is the main ingredient, along with sugar, egg, flour, and a leaving agent in different proportions. Butter cake is also the quintessential cake in American baking.
English Pound cakes use an equal amount or pound each of butter, sugar, and flour to bake a heavy, rich cake.
Ingredients
3 Eggs, separated
1 cup Sugar
200 grams of Butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
¼ cup Milk
1 ½ cups Flour or Maida
1 teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ cup Milk
How to make a soft & moist, fluffy butter cake recipe from scratch?
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C)
- Separate egg whites and yolk.
- Whisk egg whites to form medium stiff peaks. Add sugar in ⅓ increment and continue to whisk. When you get medium stiff peaks, set them aside.
- In another bowl with egg yellow, add butter and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Now add ¼ cup Milk, 2 to 3 tablespoon of whisked egg whites from above, and whisk until light and fluffy. Check out the video here for a better understanding.
- To the egg white mixture, add the flour and baking powder in 2 or 3 increments, salt, and egg yolk mixture, and fold until combined.
- Add ¼ cup milk, and continue to fold until you get a smooth batter.
- Transfer this to a greased baking pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let it sit for 10 minutes, remove it from the pan, and let it cool completely. Slice and Serve.
Pro Baking Tips
- A stand mixer or hand mixer is preferred to make this cake batter.
- It is good if you have all the ingredients at room temperature.
- Halfway through baking, cover the cake with aluminum foil to avoid the cake from browning on top. Make sure you do not cover at the beginning, as the cake batter will stick to the foil, and the cake will not rise.
- See that you have not added too much flour to the batter, as the cake will become dense and not moist.
- If you want a more decadent cake, then increase the amount of butter to another 2 to 3 tbsp.
- If you are using salted butter, you can skip adding salt to the recipe.
FAQs
As mentioned earlier, this cake is all good by itself. If desired, you can dust it with powdered sugar, decorate it with fruits, especially berries, and add whipped cream frosting or drizzle some chocolate ganache or sauce.
I love to have this cake with a cup of hot coffee or tea. You can also serve it with a scoop of ice cream.
This cake tastes the best when served fresh and warm. But if there are any leftovers, wrap them in aluminum foil or cling/plastic wrap to prevent them from drying. You can keep them at room temperature for a day, but keep them in the refrigerator for longer shelf life.
Before serving, you can warm it in the microwave, and it will taste fresh.
Yes. You can use ghee or clarified brown butter instead of butter in the recipe. The color and texture of the cake will vary accordingly.
Video
Video on making of the best butter cake or ghee cake recipe.
Recipe card
Best Butter Cake Recipe | Moist & Soft Ghee Cake
Ingredients
- 3 Eggs, separated
- 1 cup Sugar
- 200 grams Butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ + ¼ cup Milk
- 1 ½ cups Flour or Maida
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C)
- Separate egg whites and yolk.3 Eggs, separated
- Whisk egg whites to form medium stiff peaks. Add sugar in ⅓ increment and continue to whisk. When you get medium stiff peaks, set them aside.1 cup Sugar
- In another bowl with egg yellow, add butter and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Now add ¼ cup Milk, 2 to 3 tablespoon of whisked egg whites from above, and whisk until light and fluffy. For better understanding, check out the video here.200 grams Butter, room temperature, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract, ¼ + ¼ cup Milk
- To the egg white mixture, add the flour and baking powder in 2 or 3 increments, salt, and egg yolk mixture, and fold until combined.1 ½ cups Flour or Maida, 1 teaspoon Baking powder, ½ teaspoon Salt
- Add ¼ cup milk, and continue to fold until you get a smooth batter.¼ + ¼ cup Milk
- Transfer this to a greased baking pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let it sit for 10 minutes, remove it from the pan, and let it cool completely. Slice and Serve.
Video
Notes
- A stand mixer or hand mixer is preferred to make this cake batter.
- It is good if you have all the ingredients at room temperature.
- Halfway through baking, cover the cake with aluminum foil to avoid the cake from browning on top. Make sure you do not cover at the beginning, as the cake batter will stick to the foil, and the cake will not rise.
- See that you have not added too much flour to the batter, as the cake will become dense and not moist.
- If you want a more decadent cake, then increase the amount of butter to another 2 to 3 tbsp.
- If you are using salted butter, you can skip adding salt to the recipe.
Nutrition
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Savita
This looks soo soft and buttery. Loved the recipe, and also how easy it is to follow.