Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ½ cups (310g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (227g or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, at room temperature (see notes for substitute)
- Optional for dusting: Powdered sugar
Equipment:
- 9x13 inch baking pan
- Electric mixer (stand or handheld)
- Mixing bowls
- Spatula
- Wire cooling rack
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan, or line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal. This ensures your cake won’t stick and will come out cleanly.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisking helps to aerate the flour and evenly distribute the leavening agents, which is crucial for a light and even bake. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer (either stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a handheld mixer), beat the softened unsalted butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue to beat on medium-high speed for another 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally to ensure even mixing. This creaming process incorporates air, which contributes to the cake’s light texture.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated. If an egg makes the batter look curdled, don’t worry; it will come together once the flour is added. After the last egg is mixed in, stir in the pure vanilla extract.
- Alternate Wet and Dry Ingredients: With the mixer on low speed, begin adding the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions. Start and end with the dry ingredients. For example:
- Add ⅓ of the flour mixture, mix until just combined.
- Add ½ of the buttermilk, mix until just combined.
- Add another ⅓ of the flour mixture, mix until just combined.
- Add the remaining ½ of the buttermilk, mix until just combined.
- Add the final ⅓ of the flour mixture, mix until just combined.
Be very careful not to overmix the batter at this stage. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour too much, resulting in a tough cake. Mix only until the flour streaks disappear. It’s okay if there are a few tiny lumps.
- Pour and Spread Batter: Pour the prepared batter into your greased and floured (or parchment-lined) 9×13 inch baking pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly, ensuring it reaches all corners of the pan.
- Bake the Cake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown on top and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs attached (but no wet batter). Baking times can vary slightly depending on your oven, so start checking around the 30-minute mark.
- Cool the Cake: Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and place the pan on a wire cooling rack. Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 15-20 minutes. This allows the cake to set further and makes it easier to handle.
- Serve or Store: After the initial cooling period, you can either serve the cake directly from the pan, or carefully invert it onto the wire rack to cool completely if you plan to frost it or remove it from the pan. If you used parchment paper with an overhang, you can simply lift the cake out of the pan once it’s mostly cool. Dust with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One Normal Portion
- Calories: 380-420