Description
This classic French Butter Cake is a simple yet delicious dessert known for its tender crumb and rich buttery flavor. Perfect for gatherings, it combines a moist batter made with melted butter, cake flour, and sour cream, baked to golden perfection and topped with a light sprinkle of sugar for a delicate crust.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), melted
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×9-inch baking dish to prepare for baking.
- Mix Sugar and Butter: In a large mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar and melted butter. Mix for about 1 minute until the mixture becomes light and airy.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Then mix in the vanilla extract.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate small bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt to ensure even distribution and remove lumps.
- Mix Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing gently until just combined to avoid overworking the batter.
- Add Sour Cream: Fold in the sour cream carefully to maintain the batter’s light texture.
- Pour Batter and Top: Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar evenly over the top to create a sweet crust.
- Bake Cake: Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing and serving to let the texture set properly.
Notes
- Using room temperature eggs helps the batter emulsify better for a smoother texture.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter after adding the flour to keep the cake tender.
- You can substitute sour cream with Greek yogurt for a slight tang and moisture.
- If you don’t have cake flour, you can make a substitute by removing 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour per cup and replacing it with cornstarch.
- The sugar sprinkled on top adds a nice crunchy texture that contrasts with the soft cake interior.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (based on 12 servings)
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg
