Glazed Butter Cake Recipe

While butter cake is a classic American dessert, it's based on the traditional English pound cake. Butter cake is a delicious but surprisingly light confection, especially when you consider the fact that butter is the prime ingredient. Recipe creator Jennine Rye adds a nice glaze that makes this an even better version of a plain butter cake. Or at least this recipe makes a version that's sweeter and more distinct, even if it does add a little extra cooking compared to a basic butter cake recipe.

"I think a special key ingredient in this recipe is the sour cream, because it creates such a soft, rich, and moist butter cake sponge," says Rye. "I also have to say though, that the glaze really elevates this recipe, as it further enhances the sweet buttery vanilla flavor that is already in the sponge." This butter cake is equal parts decadent and airy and complements nearly any meal.

This is a cake so you'll want the usual ingredients. Start with granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Pick up half a carton of eggs and a container of sour cream, which recipe creator Rye emphasizes as an ingredient that really ties together this recipe. While in the dairy section grab two sticks of butter. Round out your shopping trip with a container of vanilla extract and you're ready to bake.

Start off by preheating the oven to 350 F. While it heats up, pull out a Bundt pan and grease it all over with 1 teaspoon of the softened butter. If you don't have one, you'll definitely want this super versatile pan. Just make sure you get a Bundt pan, not a tube pan.

"The most important thing to remember when using a Bundt tin is to grease it really, really well," Rye explains. "You want a nice thick coating of butter to make sure that it slides out once cooked. If you've got that sorted then it's quite straightforward to make a Bundt cake.

Put another ⅔ of a cup of butter into a bowl or a stand mixer. Add a cup of granulated sugar and beat the butter and sugar on high for 3 to 4 minutes. Keep blending until the mixture is pale and fluffy.

Add the eggs to the sugar/butter mixture and beat this combination until the eggs are thoroughly blended into it. Once the eggs are mixed in, add the sour cream and a teaspoon of the vanilla extract. Then beat one more time until everything forms one homogeneous mixture. 

Get out another bowl, a medium-sized one now. Throw in the flour, the baking powder, and the salt. Mix this well. 

"My preferred utensil for mixing dry ingredients is always a balloon whisk because I think they do a good job of distributing the ingredients evenly," Rye suggests. "A fork would do just as well though; the most important thing is that they are thoroughly mixed together." 

Finally pour the dry ingredients into the wet mix and gently combine until the flour is just-combined with the wet ingredients.

Rye says she used the same mixing attachment on her stand mixer as she had been using before, on slow. "A wooden spoon or a spatula are also great utensils for mixing the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients," Rye adds.

You have now made your cake batter. Spoon it into the greased Bundt tin and level out the top with the back of a spoon or a knife so it's all smooth.

The oven should be well pre-heated. Place your cake into the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cake is golden. You can even touch it to make sure it springs back. While it bakes, start working on the glaze. Drop the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, ½ cup of sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 4 tablespoons of water. Let it simmer for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring regularly until the sugar has dissolved. Once dissolved, take it off the stove and let it cool.

Remove your finished Bundt cake from the oven."One way of checking whether the cake is ready to be turned out of a Bundt cake pan is to check whether the sponge has pulled away from the sides of the cake tin," Rye adds. "When it has done that, it should be ready to be turned out. Also, it's important to wait until it's not scalding straight from the oven, to prevent any burn accidents."

Let it sit for about 5 minutes to cool a little. Place a wire rack on top of a tray. Turn the cake over and drop it onto the wire rack. Finally you can pour the glaze over the cake and let it cool completely before serving by cutting it into 10 to 12 slices.

According to Rye, "The cake is ready to serve when it is properly cooled to room temperature and the glaze isn't runny."