Straight-Up Yellow Snacking Cake
This yellow snacking cake is a house favorite, with a tender and light crumb and rich flavor. It needs only a dusting of confectioner's sugar to complete it.
Servings 12 pieces
Equipment
- 10 in [25 cm] or 9 in [23 cm] square baking pan
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons [1 stick or 113 g] unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 3/4 cups [350 g] granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup [120 g] buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup [120 g] sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup [50 g] almond flour
- 1/3 cup [75 g] vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 1/4 cups [320 g] all-purpose flour
- Confectioners' sugar, for sifting
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Grease a 10 in [25 cm] or a 9 in [23 cm] square baking pan and line with a parchment sling.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, almond flour, vegetable oil, vanilla, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add the flour and use a spatula to stir it into the batter. Switch back to a whisk and whisk the batter to eliminate any remaining flour lumps, about 10 seconds.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to smooth the top. Tap the pan gently on the counter twice to help get rid of any air bubbles.
- Bake for 42 to 50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the cake is golden brown and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Use the parchment sling to remove the cake from the pan, move to the wire rack, and then let cool completely. Dust the cake with confectioners' sugar. Cut the cake into squares and serve. The cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
*I like to bake this cake in a 10 in [25 cm] square pan; I find this size is perfect both height-wise and for cutting into squares. However, this cake will also bake up lovely in a 9 in [23 cm] square pan as well. The pieces will be a little thicker and you will need to add a minute or two to the bake time.