French Butter Cake is an effortlessly rich and buttery dessert that delivers a tender, melt-in-your-mouth experience. This simple yet indulgent cake combines the best qualities of coffee cake and pound cake, making it an ideal treat for any occasion. With a few pantry staples, you can create a cake that’s perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert after a meal.

Full Recipe:

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

Directions

1. Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×9-inch baking dish.

2. Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and melted butter. Mix for about 1 minute until the mixture becomes light and airy. Add eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, mixing well after each addition.

3. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined to avoid overmixing.

4. Add Sour Cream: Gently fold in the sour cream until evenly incorporated.

5. Assemble the Cake: Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar.

6. Bake: Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. Serve: Let the cake cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Nutrients

Per Serving (Approx.)

• Calories: 212 kcal

• Carbohydrates: 19g

• Protein: 14g

• Fat: 10g

• Saturated Fat: 6g

• Cholesterol: 25mg

• Sodium: 525mg

• Potassium: 280mg

• Fiber: 6g

• Sugar: 1g

The Beauty of Simplicity in French Butter Cake

What makes French Butter Cake so appealing is its simplicity. Using just a few basic pantry staples, you can create a dessert that feels rich and indulgent yet doesn’t require complicated techniques. The core ingredients—sugar, butter, eggs, and sour cream—work together to create a cake that is both moist and flavorful. The butter provides richness and depth, while the sugar adds sweetness without overpowering the cake’s delicate flavor. The eggs help bind the ingredients together, contributing to the tender crumb, and the sour cream adds a hint of tanginess, keeping the cake from becoming too heavy.

The use of cake flour in this recipe helps to achieve a light, airy texture that contrasts beautifully with the rich, buttery taste. Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, allowing for a softer, more tender cake. When combined with the baking powder, which helps the cake rise, you get a fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s a true delight in every bite.

The Secret Ingredient: Sour Cream

While French Butter Cake is simple in its ingredients, the addition of sour cream is what elevates the flavor and texture to a whole new level. Sour cream is often used in cakes to add moisture, but it also contributes a subtle tanginess that enhances the overall flavor profile. This touch of acidity cuts through the richness of the butter, balancing out the sweetness and ensuring that the cake doesn’t feel overly heavy. The sour cream also helps create a soft, velvety crumb, making each bite of cake feel indulgent yet not too dense.

This key ingredient adds a slight complexity to the flavor, ensuring that each bite of French Butter Cake is balanced and satisfying. Whether served alongside a cup of coffee in the morning or enjoyed as a dessert after dinner, the slight tanginess from the sour cream makes this cake stand out.

Why This Cake Is Ideal for Any Occasion

French Butter Cake is the ultimate versatile dessert. Its simple ingredients and easy preparation make it a great option for a variety of occasions, whether you’re preparing a sweet treat for a family gathering or looking for an easy cake to serve at a dinner party. The cake is easy to make, and its comforting flavor is sure to please any crowd.

Its texture makes it perfect for all occasions. The cake is moist but not overly heavy, which makes it ideal for a breakfast treat or brunch. You can enjoy it alongside a hot cup of coffee or tea for a satisfying start to the day. The cake also works well as a light dessert after a meal, as its rich, buttery flavor is the perfect end to a hearty dinner. It’s the kind of cake that everyone can enjoy, from children to adults, and it’s sure to become a family favorite.

Easy Preparation with Impressive Results

What’s particularly appealing about French Butter Cake is that it’s incredibly easy to make yet yields impressive results. The process is straightforward and doesn’t require any special baking skills. You simply mix the wet ingredients (butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla) until light and airy, then gradually add the dry ingredients (cake flour, baking powder, and salt). The sour cream is gently folded in to add richness and moisture, and the batter is poured into a prepared baking dish.

The cake is baked for just 30-35 minutes, making it a quick dessert that doesn’t take hours to prepare. Once baked, the top of the cake forms a light golden-brown crust, while the inside remains soft and tender. A quick sprinkle of sugar on top just before baking creates a slightly crisp top, adding texture to the cake and enhancing its sweetness. The result is a beautifully golden, slightly crisp cake that is soft and buttery on the inside, making it hard to resist with every bite.

Nutritional Value of French Butter Cake

While French Butter Cake is undeniably indulgent, it also offers a good balance of nutrients that make it suitable for a variety of dietary needs. Each serving contains about 212 calories, making it a reasonably light option for a sweet treat. It provides 19 grams of carbohydrates, which gives you a quick source of energy, along with 14 grams of protein, which helps to keep you feeling full and satisfied.

The cake contains 10 grams of fat, of which 6 grams are saturated fat from the butter. While this is an indulgent treat, the fat content helps to create the cake’s rich, tender texture and contributes to its melt-in-your-mouth quality. The addition of sour cream provides beneficial probiotics and a small amount of calcium and iron, making the cake not only delicious but also a source of some essential nutrients.

With 6 grams of fiber per serving, the cake also offers some digestive benefits, helping to slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream and keeping you fuller for longer. This makes it a more balanced choice compared to other cakes or pastries that may be higher in refined sugar and lower in fiber.

Customization and Variations

Although French Butter Cake is delicious as-is, it’s also a great base for customization. You can add your favorite fruits, nuts, or spices to personalize the flavor. Fresh berries, such as blueberries or raspberries, can be folded into the batter for a burst of fruity sweetness. A sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg can add warmth and spice, while chopped nuts, such as walnuts or almonds, can be added for a bit of crunch and texture.

For a more indulgent version, you could drizzle the cake with a simple glaze made from powdered sugar and milk or top it with whipped cream for a rich, creamy finish. If you prefer a tangier flavor, try swapping out some of the sour cream for Greek yogurt, which will give the cake a slightly different texture and flavor.

For those who prefer a dairy-free version, substituting the butter with plant-based butter and using a dairy-free sour cream or yogurt will make the cake suitable for a vegan diet. With a few simple swaps, you can enjoy the same comforting, buttery texture while meeting dietary preferences.

Conclusion: A Perfectly Buttery Cake for Any Occasion

French Butter Cake is a delightful, indulgent dessert that combines simplicity with rich flavor and texture. The cake is easy to make, requiring just a few basic ingredients to create a moist, tender treat that everyone will love. Whether enjoyed for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or as a dessert after dinner, French Butter Cake provides the perfect balance of buttery richness, sweetness, and lightness. It’s a versatile and comforting dessert that can be customized to suit any occasion or taste. With its melt-in-your-mouth texture and golden, slightly crisp top, it’s the kind of cake that’s hard to resist—and sure to become a favorite in your kitchen.