It is often said that the simple things are the best things in life, and we don’t disagree. Well, that, and butter. That’s why it just simply doesn’t get better than this cake. Butter cake’s origins are the pound cake, which is a cake that uses equal parts butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. Butter cake uses baking powder or baking soda as a leavening agent, which creates a very different cake. Where pound cake is rich and dense, butter cake is lighter and moist. (They’re both heavy on the butter. And we aren’t complaining.)

It’s a cake that every baker should have in their repertoire. We use this recipe all the time! It’s rich enough that it lends itself better to light frostings than cream cheese based ones, but really, we rarely use one at all. It’s the sort of cake that makes a great afternoon snack when served just as it is alongside a cup of tea or some lemonade. You can certainly dress it up with your favorite frosting, but we think a light dusting of powdered sugar is all it needs. Buttery, moist, easy, and so very good… we know it’s not fair to pick favorites, but we think we might make an exception in this case.