One morning a couple of weeks ago, I clicked over to Southern Souffle and read Erika's post about buttermilk cake...
I read...and I was drawn into her narrative. When I finished reading, I was feeling this mix of emotions - sad, glad, scared, frustrated, and all kinds of things in between. I wanted to comment on the post, tell her that her story affected me, but I sat there, not really knowing what to say.
I sat quietly at my desk for a while. I was trying to wrap my head around her story but one thing was clear: it inspired me and I knew there was something constructive that I could do. I could bake the buttermilk cake. And that's what I did a few hours later that day.
When my 10-year old son came home from school that afternoon, I told him about how I read this blog post that morning and it inspired me to make this cake. I served him a slice, then I essentially read the blog post to him while he ate. We had a good little conversation over this cake. And when my husband came home, I shared a slice with him and told him how we came to be eating this buttermilk cake today.
So thank you, Erika, for sharing your story and for this delicious buttermilk cake recipe to go with it. Food does so much for us. And good food is ever more meaningful with a story behind it.
Now let's talk a little about this cake, shall we? I divided Erika's recipe in half and baked the cake in an 8-inch square pan. The method for mixing this cake is a little different from the norm in that (cold) butter is gradually mixed into the dry ingredients (instead of the creaming method of beating butter with just the sugar first) before eggs and wet ingredients are added. I've read about this method from one of Rose Levy Beranbaum's books but I can't remember ever actually following such a recipe. You have to be patient about working the cold butter into the dry ingredients but when it was all done, I was pleasantly surprised by the satiny smooth cake batter that results.
My one small contribution was the addition of some fresh lemon zest into the cake batter. We really liked that extra little bit of lemon flavor in the final result. I have been keeping citrus zest in the freezer lately and trying to remember to put it to good use.
I love the golden crust around the edges of the cake. And when you slice into it, it promises a moist and tender crumb. It is indeed comforting. Erika calls this "classic" buttermilk cake and I can see why. I only wish I'd grown up with classics like this.
Making this cake was pretty seamless for me...as I sat by my computer that morning, I knew I had some buttermilk in the fridge and I knew I was low on cake flour but hoped I had enough. When I went to check, I discovered I had just enough - about a tablespoon or so to spare, to be exact - so it really was a sign. But I think I would've made a stop to the grocery store to get some more cake flour if I'd needed it...
Recipe:
Classic Buttermilk Cake
Adapted from Southern Souffle
- One 9x13 inch square cake (I divided the recipe in half and used an 8-inch square pan) -
3 cups cake flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (optional)
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
5 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Powdered sugar, for garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a a 9x13 inch baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the flour, sugar, lemon zest (if using), baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low-speed, add cold butter, a few pieces at a time, until all the butter is fully incorporated. (To me, the mixture looks like almond meal at this point). Add eggs, one at a time, to incorporate. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. (Now, the mixture resembles cookie dough.) Increase mixer speed to medium and gradually add the buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until incorporated. The finished batter should be smooth and satiny.
Scrape batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cake is golden and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean (I found the half-recipe, or 8-inch cake, needed about the same amount of time). Let cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before removing. Dust cooled cake with powdered sugar, if desired.
Recipe:
Classic Buttermilk Cake
Adapted from Southern Souffle
- One 9x13 inch square cake (I divided the recipe in half and used an 8-inch square pan) -
3 cups cake flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (optional)
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
5 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Powdered sugar, for garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a a 9x13 inch baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the flour, sugar, lemon zest (if using), baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low-speed, add cold butter, a few pieces at a time, until all the butter is fully incorporated. (To me, the mixture looks like almond meal at this point). Add eggs, one at a time, to incorporate. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. (Now, the mixture resembles cookie dough.) Increase mixer speed to medium and gradually add the buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until incorporated. The finished batter should be smooth and satiny.
Scrape batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cake is golden and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean (I found the half-recipe, or 8-inch cake, needed about the same amount of time). Let cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before removing. Dust cooled cake with powdered sugar, if desired.
