Easy Buttermilk Butter Crunch Cake
Easy Buttermilk Butter Crunch Cake is my favorite new non-layer cake. It’s sort of like a coffee cake that’s dressed up with frosting and crunchy bits. Who wouldn’t love this?
This cake reminds me of one of my favorite restaurant desserts, the butter cake at Mastro’s City Hall in Scottsdale, AZ. I rarely order it as I become very proprietary over it and it isn’t great for my waistline (or hips, for that matter), but oh do I love it! It’s moist and yet crunchy on the outside, which is exactly the way that this Buttermilk Butter Cake bakes up.
Then the cake totally diverges from the one at City Hall…add a fluffy frosting and a crunchy topping and each mouthful becomes an explosion of textures and flavors. Very exciting!
The cake is made in one bowl with no need for a stand mixer (yay!). Combine very soft butter with sugar and stir until it is combined. Whisk in the egg until it’s smooth and fluffy. Now, stir in the buttermilk and vanilla and almond extracts. The light almond flavor adds a twist to the traditional butter cake. It cuts the sweetness a touch. Finally sprinkle the flour, baking soda and salt over the top and whisk it until it’s smooth.
Bake in a prepared pan for 30-35 minutes or until light golden brown. Let the cake cool.
While the cake is cooling, make the topping by combining coconut and almonds and tossing them with melted butter and honey. Spread on a sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes or so, tossing every 5 minutes, until the mixture is golden brown. Set it aside to cool. It will get crunchy as it cools.
To make the frosting, combine melted butter with milk, vanilla and almond extracts. Add the powdered sugar and stir until smooth and creamy. This doesn’t use a stand mixer so again, we are very happy!
Spread the buttercream over the top of the cooled cake, scatter the almond mixture over the top of that. Grab yourself a slice before the rest of the family devours this delicious butter cake!
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Easy Buttermilk Butter Crunch Cake
Makes: 12 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, very soft
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
For the Topping:
- 2 tsp butter
- 2 tsp honey
- 1/2 cup sweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
For the Frosting:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3-4 tbsp milk or half-and-half
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla or vanilla paste
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a 9″ round cake pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside. Line a sheet pan with foil and spray it with cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine the soft butter and sugar and stir until all sugar is combined. The mixture will not be smooth and fluffy at this point.
Add the egg and whisk until smooth and fluffy. Stir in the buttermilk and vanilla and almond extracts and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle the flour, baking soda and salt evenly over the top and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes until light golden brown (a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean and/or the cake will spring back when lightly touched in the center). Do not turn the oven off yet.
Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool for at least 20 minutes before adding the icing.
While the cake is cooling, make the topping and the frosting. Combine coconut and almonds on the prepared sheet pan. Combine melted butter and honey in a small bowl. Drizzle over coconut-almond mixture and stir well to coat nuts and coconut. Spread mixture out to a thin layer.
Place pan in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Stir to redistribute and spread out the mixture to an even layer again. Return to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Repeat stirring and redistributing again and bake for 4-5 more minutes until the mixture is golden brown. Set aside to cool.
For the frosting, place butter in a microwave-safe bowl and cook in the microwave on high power for 1 minute. If butter is not melted return to microwave for another 15 seconds.
Add 3 tablespoons milk, vanilla and almond extracts to butter and stir to combine. Add powdered sugar and stir well till smooth and creamy. Add a bit more half and half to thin if needed. Frosting should be a very thick, but spreadable consistency.
Spread the frosting over the top of the cake. Scatter the almond mixture evenly over the top before the icing sets. Enjoy!!
Recipe by The Cafe Sucre Farine
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