Heavenly Buttermilk Cake

Heavenly Buttermilk Cake

So this cake is nothing new. In fact, I've made it countless of times over the years and it was one of the first recipes to be featured on this blog. It's Nigella Lawson 'Buttermilk Birthday Cake', and it's my mother's favorite cake so if I were to give a rough estimate of the amount of times I baked this cake, I would say 35..?! That's because it's comfort food. The high ratio of eggs and buttermilk make it a heavy, tasty cake, that tastes best without any frosting (although when I do, I make a praline frosting for it). It certainly wouldn't win any best-looking prices, but it deserves a spot in the Cake Hall of Fame nonetheless. Rating: 5 out of 5.



Buttermilk Birthday Cake: Nigella Lawson - How To Be A Domestic Goddess

Ingredients:
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose-flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons buttermilk (or ⅓ cup plain yogurt mixed with ½ cup low-fat milk)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cups soft unsalted butter
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 large eggs

Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F/180˚C.
- Sift flour, baking powder and salt together into a bowl and set aside.
- Pour the buttermilk into a measuring cup and stir in the vanilla.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Reduce the speed and add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between additions.
- Add alternating increments of the flour mixture and the vanilla-buttermilk, blending well after each addition; this should tak 3 to 5 minutes.
- Pour batter into a greased pan and bake for 40 minutes (30 minutes if using layer cake pans) until the cake is beginning to shrink away from the sides and a cake tester comes out clean.
- If using a mold with a lot of patterning, leave to cool for 20 minutes before unmolding.


See the moist, heavy texture? Classic!

Heavenly Buttermilk Cake

Comments

Chele said…
This is my kind of comfort food too - looks a lovely moist bake, can't wait to give it a try myself now you have introduced us ;0)
Unknown said…
I can't believe this is a real cake. When I saw the picture I was sure it was going to be some kind of cheesecake. It looks amazing! And definitely perfect comfort food :)
This looks tres delish!! and is going on my list of must try!! Thank you for always treaty our eyes with the most fabulous treats and inspiring us to roll up our sleeves and get baking!! xo C. (HHL)
Misbah said…
It looks amazing and My kind of comfort foos too ,
x Misbah
It looks so moist and mouthwatering just like all your other pastry : )
This looks like the perfect cake! Delicious!
Anonymous said…
Ive been using Nigella's Buttemilk Cake recipe now for the past 5 Years and its a STAR EVERY TIME!
Anonymous said…
can you add fruit to this cake Strawberrys and blueberrys inside the cake?
Anonymous said…
can you add fruit to the filling?
Paris Pastry said…
I suppose you could, but if you like a cake with fruit inbetween, I suggest the Victoria Sponge Cake. It's a little less heavy than this cake, so better for fruit fillings :)
Anonymous said…
I made this cake last night and tonight I am making it again for my mum! It's just beautiful!
Unknown said…
Looks great!
Can't wait to try this...
Can I add walnuts or raisins?
Paris Pastry said…
Hi Feefee,

I've never tried adding raisins or walnuts to this recipe, but I think it could be done - let me know how it comes out! :)
Linda Winkler said…
When I converted Nigella's recipe from grams etc using my electronic kitchen scale the measurements came out a bit different from these. 2 cups flour 1 cup sugar etc. It works out fine. If you are used to cake mixes this type of scratch cakes may come as a surprise; it's much denser and as with all scratch cakes you must be careful not to over bake or it will be dry.
Unknown said…
other recipes for this cake state one half tsp baking powder and a quarter tsp baking soda. Which is correct?? I have made this using the larger measurement and it seems a bit heavy . is that right??
Unknown said…
Please can we have cakes in grams as well as cups and also have gas temperature not everyone cooks on electric

Popular Posts