Vanilla Butter Cake | Classic Plain Cake Recipe

This classic Vanilla Butter Cake will become your go to plain birthday cake recipe! It’s made using six basic ingredients, can be doubled or halved, is freezer friendly and both regular and Thermomix instructions included.

Why you will love this Vanilla Butter Cake Recipe:

When I was growing up my Mum used to make a Butter Cake each year for our birthday and it’s a tradition I’ve continued with my own kids.  This Vanilla Butter Cake is my ‘go to’ recipe when it comes to my kids birthday cakes, as it’s truly so simple to make and can easily be doubled or even halved if I need to make a bigger or smaller cake.

• Budget friendly – this cake requires just six basic ingredients which you most likely already have in your fridge and pantry.
• Versatile – you can double this recipe and cook it in different size/shaped tins (please note the baking time will vary).
• Freezer friendly – store this cake either iced or un-iced for up to three months in the freezer.

Ingredients:

You will need six simple ingredients to make this Vanilla Butter Cake:

• Butter – it is important to use butter which is soft as if you use butter which is still firm it will not incorporate with the caster sugar as well.
• Self-raising flour – you can use plain flour in place of self-raising flour, you will need to add 2 teaspoons on baking powder to help the cake rise.

How to make a Vanilla Butter Cake:

1. Mix the butter and caster sugar together until light and creamy.
2. Add the eggs and self-raising flour and mix.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and combine well before transferring to your prepared cake tin.
4. Bake until golden and cooked through when tested with a skewer. Allow the cake to completely cool before icing with Buttercream.

Tips for Making this Vanilla Butter Cake Recipe:

• This cake recipe can be doubled, you will need to increase the mixing time.
• It’s important to ensure the butter is at room temperature, if it has come straight from the fridge or is still hard it will be difficult to mix and will require additional mixing time.
• You can use larger or small cake tins for this recipe, however the cooking time will vary. 
• To avoid the top of your cake from browning too much, place a piece of foil over the top half way through the cooking time.

More recipes you will enjoy:

• Simple Chocolate Cake Recipe
• How to make Buttercream Icing
• Orange Cake Recipe
• How to make Chocolate Icing
• Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake
• Lemon Yoghurt Cake
• Easy Caramel Mud Cake Recipe

Vanilla Butter Cake Recipe

This classic Vanilla Butter Cake with Buttercream icing is the perfect cake to make for your next birthday party, special occasion or just because you feel like a piece of cake! It is freezer friendly, can be doubled or halved and Thermomix instructions are also included.

4.44 from 37 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Desserts

Cuisine Australian

Servings 10 people

Calories 273 kcal

Equipment

• 20cm round cake tin
• Stand Mixer or a Thermomix

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 160 grams butter softened
• ▢ ¾ cup caster sugar 175 grams
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 3 eggs
• ▢ 1 & ⅔ cups self raising flour 250 grams
• ▢ ½ cup milk 130 grams
• ▢ pinch of salt

Buttercream Icing

• ▢ 125 grams butter softened
• ▢ 2 cups icing sugar 350 grams
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 170 degrees and line the base and grease the sides of a 20cm non stick cake tin with baking paper.
• Sift the flour and salt into a small bowl and set aside until needed.
• Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
• Gradually add the vanilla extract and combine.
• Add the eggs one at a time, making sure the each egg is combined before adding the next.
• Remove bowl from mixer stand and fold the flour and milk alternatively into the creamed mixture.
• Spoon the mixture into your cake tin and gently smooth the top.
• Bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until the cake is golden on top and cooked through.
• Leave cake in the tin for 10 minutes, before carefully turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Thermomix Instructions

• Place the butter and caster sugar into your Thermomix bowl and mix for 30 seconds on speed 2.5. Scrape down the sides and mix on speed 4 for a further 20 seconds until it’s pale and creamy.
• Add the eggs and 100g of the self raising flour and mix for 10 seconds on speed 4.
• Scrape down the sides and add the remaining ingredients and mix for 10 seconds on speed 4 or until your mixture is smooth and creamy.
• Pour the mixture into your prepared cake tin and place in the oven to bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until the cake is cooked through when tested with a skewer.
• Carefully remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Buttercream

• To make the buttercream, sift the icing sugar into a small bowl and set aside until needed.
• In an electric mixer, beat the butter until it is pale and creamy.
• While the mixer is going, gradually add half of the icing sugar and the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
• If colouring your icing, add a couple of drops of the colouring until your have your desired colour.
• Add the remaining icing sugar and continue to mix until combined.
• Spread the buttercream over the top of the cake and decorate as desired.

Notes

• This cake recipe can be doubled, you will need to increase the mixing time.
• It’s important to ensure the butter is at room temperature, if it has come straight from the fridge or is still hard it will be difficult to mix and will require additional mixing time.
• You can use larger or small cake tins for this recipe, however the cooking time will vary. 
• To avoid the top of your cake from browning too much, place a piece of foil over the top half way through the cooking time.
• This cake is freezer friendly.

Nutrition

Serving: 0gCalories: 273kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 5gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 55mgPotassium: 96mgFiber: 1gSugar: 41gVitamin A: 138IUCalcium: 58mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Cakes, Freezer Friendly, Thermomix

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