Description
This is a rich, buttery cake and it’s a great starting point for loads of flavours of fillings and frostings.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 cups unsalted butter
- 2 2/3 cups white sugar (granulated sugar)
- 8 eggs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 5 cups plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Using a mixer with a beater/paddle attachment (not a whisk), beat room temperature butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl once during mixing to make sure no butter or sugar is stuck at the bottom.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing on the lowest speed after each addition for 30 seconds. Scrape down to the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated before adding the next egg.
- Add vanilla and mix for about 30 seconds to combine.
- In a small bowl or measuring jug, mix room temperature buttermilk and oil. Add half to the butter mixture and mix on lowest speed to incorporate.
- In a bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on lowest speed to incorporate, scraping down to the bottom of the mixing bowl to check that batter is evenly mixed. Repeat with the remaining buttermilk mixture and then finish with the remaining flour mixture.
- Grease three 8" baking pans with non-stick oil spray or butter. Divide batter equally between the cake pans.
- Bake at 160ºC or 325ºF for 38 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Leave cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to loosen the cakes from the edges of the pans and then turn onto a wire cooling rack. Leave to cool completely.
Notes
You can use salted instead of unsalted butter but if you do, omit the salt.
This recipe works best with plain flour, also called all-purpose flour.