Mile High Butttermilk Cake
April 14, 2008 by Marye Audet
Filed under Cakes
O.k…well maybe not a mile high.
This is a three layer cake that is moist and has a unique flavor that you can’t put your finger on…It is the buttermilk of course. Delicately tangy. Very vanilla. Moist, rich, delicious. I love it. I think it is my favorite white cake.
I found it in one of my vintage Farm Journal cookbooks, Blue Ribbon Recipes . I have changed it a bit but this is a fabulous recipe and would make a great wedding cake.
Since the cookbook is circa 1969 I am going to use this as my entry in Carla’s Cookbook Challenge.
The layers were thick and so the cake was very tall. I used straws to keep it upright, and the layers from slipping sideways. I used four straws, as here, and then pushed them into the cake so they did not show. See? I am stripping the pocket doors in the background..I haven’t gotten far…I feel like standing on a corner holding a sign that says “Will trade baked goods for restoration work”
I am pretty sure that the cake would stay moist for several days but this cake lasted all of …uh… thirty minutes…The benefit was that the family was totally quiet during the ceremonial eating of the cake…other than a few sighs, and mmmmmm’s….and lip smacking sounds there were twelve very quiet people at my table.
I filled it with a delicately tangy orange curd, and frosted with the Perfect Party Cake Buttercream, but using orange juice rather than the lemon.
Be sure to use whole buttermilk and not the skim or low fat types.
Mile High Buttermilk Cake
3- 8″ layers
4 c cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c unsalted butter
3 c sugar
2 TBS vanilla
1 inch of vanilla bean, seeds scraped into the batter pod set aside (add the pod to the sugar bowl)
2 c buttermilk
6 egg whites, unbeaten
Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
Cream butter and sugar unitl light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and vanilla scrapings.
Add dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Add egg whites and beat at medium speed for two minutes. Divide equally between 3 greased adn wax paper lined 8″ round pans.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 325 and bake for 25 minutes more, or until the cake tests done. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out and finish cooling on racks.
Images: (c)Marye Audet 2008, Apron Strings and Simmering Things
Content (c) Marye Audet 2007-2008 Baking Delights
Yum! I’m going to have to do this for the next church potluck.
Let me know what you think Ginger..be sure to use straws to hold it together..it was really tall
Just simply spectacular – what else can I say – it’s just perfect
That cake is so tall! It looks really good. I like the sound of the orange sauce and the buttercream icing.
Kevin- it was awesome..and it really was tall. Definitly needed the straws for support.
I love how you used the straws to hold it all together! The orange curd sounds great in this.
Thanks Lori! It was really good. Very delicte but flavorful.
This looks absolutely delicious! Do you suppose I could cut the recipe in half and bake two 9-inch layers?
Chris I think you probably could without much trouble.
OMG! This looks wonderful! My kids would freak if I made this for dessert!!
For your daily dose of vintage goodness & a bit of silliness, stop by Confessions of an Apron Queen, the home of Vintage Thingies Thursdays.
What a gorgeous cake, anything with buttermilk is okay with me
AQ-I loved your blog..I will be back
OM- Thanks..me too!
This sounds very very good! I like the orange curd. Thanks for taking part in WCC this month.
Yum yum yum! Do you have to take it apart to get it in your mouth?! I think that the orange curd sounds amazing, too.
Sara- Thanks for doing it…it is good and the orange curd is just a little different than the more normal lemon curd..it is a fun change.
Lysy-Nope I have a big mouth.
This cake looks wonderful,i am looking for a truly moist,dense and delicious chocolate cake recipe,anybody?thanks so much,bev.