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Looking for a cake to "wow" family, friends, guests? This delicious, one-bowl, super easy Buttermilk Butter Crunch Cake will do the trick!
If this Buttermilk Butter Crunch Cake had a place in Webster's dictionary, I'm quite certain that this is how it would be described:
A super tender, super moist, deliciously buttery, golden cake that can be literally thrown together in 10-minutes (hands-on time). The icing is also really easy and quick. It's a one-bowl, no-mixer, silky, vanilla buttercream that's scattered with a crisp, candied coconut-almond topping. Start to finish, this cake comes together in less than one hour.
Do you know what makes me (and Scott) really happy? That I (we) don't have to just read the definition of this Easy Buttermilk Butter Crunch Cake.
Nope, if I have just one hour to spare, I can have this cake sitting on my table, just waiting to be sliced and enjoyed. You can too! Yay!
If you've enjoyed our Easy Farmhouse Buttermilk Cake, you're going to love this one too, as I've adapted it from that super popular recipe. It's similar, while at the same time quite different, especially in the topping category.
The topping is two-fold, first, a quick buttercream made with butter, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and a whisper of almond extract. (I'm of the opinion that just a touch of almond extract gives baked goods a really fine European-like flavor.)
As described in the Webster (wannabe) definition above, the second layer is an amazingly crisp, crunchy, candied almond-coconut topping. How do you "candy" almonds and coconut? Easy! Just combine the two and stir together with a bit of melted butter and honey. The mixture goes into the oven for 10 minutes and comes out golden, crisp and pretty as a picture!
What does buttermilk do in cakes?
Buttermilk is one of the secret ingredients in this Buttermilk Butter Crunch Cake (and in lots of other baked goods). I would go as far as saying it's almost magical. What does buttermilk do in cakes and other baked goods? Fine Cooking explains it like this:
"Buttermilk owes its success as a baking ingredient to its acidity. It’s not nearly as sour as lemon juice or vinegar, of course, but the milder lactic acid present in buttermilk makes it a real boon to bakers. A slightly acidic batter helps keep baked goods moist and tender by breaking down long, tough strands of gluten; it also prevents cherries and walnuts from acquiring a blue tinge in muffins. The tartness of buttermilk adds a pleasing, subtle tang to cakes and pastries. And the acid is responsible for buttermilk’s thick consistency, which adds a soft, rich, creamy quality to whatever you’re baking."
See the wonderful tender crumb in this Buttermilk Butter Crunch cake? Thank you buttermilk!
Is there anything I can substitute for buttermilk in a recipe?
No buttermilk? No problem! There are other ingredients that act similarly to buttermilk. If you have any regular yogurt, Greek yogurt or sour cream, these will all work as substitutes as they all have that acidic property that works to make baked goods moist and tender. You just want to thin them down with a little milk so they're similar to the consistency of buttermilk. And if you don't have any of the above, you're still okay. You can make your own (faux) buttermilk substitute!
How to make buttermilk from milk
It's easy to make your own buttermilk substitute. Simply add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup. Fill it the rest of the way to one cup mark with whole milk and let it stand for 10 minutes. Voila! You've got a "sour milk" with similar properties. Use it as directed in recipes calling for buttermilk. It will provide the acid for leavening and help with creating a tender crumb. The resulting flavor may have a more subtle tang than buttermilk, but it definitely works!
How good is this Buttermilk Butter Crunch Cake? Well, I considered calling it "I Want to Marry You Cake" as it gets the same incredible rave responses as these cookies. In other words, it's so amazingly delicious. it might just elicit marriage proposals!
Café Tips for making this Easy Buttermilk Butter Crunch Cake
- Because this is a one-bowl, no-mixer recipe, the butter should be VERY soft. Leave it sit at room temperature for several hours or use a microwave at 10% power (for 1 to 4 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave) to soften your butter.
- This Buttermilk Butter Crunch Cake can be made up to 8 hours in advance and stored at room temperature (covered).
- If you’re feeding a crowd, double the recipe and bake the cake in a 9×13-inch pan.
- Have extra buttermilk after making this cake? Try out our Ridiculously Easy Buttermilk Biscuits or these Easy Buttermilk Brioche Buns. You’ll find yourself buying buttermilk on a regular basis!
- You could also use an 8-inch cake pan for this recipe which will result in a little higher cake. I used a 9-inch because I wanted to serve it on my cake stand which is a bit larger.
- Don’t skip lining the pan with parchment if you want to be able to easily remove the cake from the pan. If you want to serve the cake right from the pan, you can just grease the pan and skip the parchment paper. I love these pre-cut parchment paper circles. They're really nice because they have little tabs to use to pull the cake out of the pan. You can also cut your own.
- A nice sturdy whisk is a great tool to have when making cakes. A good whisk is not expensive and will last a long time. I really like the feeling of this whisk and use it all the time.
- No buttermilk? No problem! As stated above in the post, just add one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup. Fill with milk to measure one cup. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, then proceed with recipe.
- For those of you living outside of the United States, half and half is an American convenience product used in coffee. It's a mixture of half milk and half cream, hence the name. You could also use whole milk in lieu of half and half with good results.
- ¼ cup butter very soft
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ½ cup sweetened coconut
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ cup butter
- 3-4 tablespoons milk or half and half
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla or vanilla paste
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
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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.
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Combine the soft butter and sugar and stir until all sugar is combined. The mixture will not be smooth and fluffy at this point.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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While the cake is cooling, make the topping and the icing. 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.
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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.
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For the icing, 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.
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Add 3 tablespoons half and half, 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. Icing should be a very thick, but spreadable consistency.
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Spread the buttercream over the top of the cake. Scatter the almond mixture evenly over the top before the icing sets. Enjoy!!
See Café Tips above in post for further directions and detailed tips.
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Donna says
I have tried several of your recipes and love them all! I am going to try this cake next. Can you freeze it?
Chris Scheuer says
That's great, Donna! Yes, it freezes well.
Natalia says
Hello !
Can I bake it in loaf pan?
Thanks
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Natalia, I haven't tested this recipe in a loaf pan so I can't say for sure.
Dee says
This cake is terrific! The cake was very moist and the topping and icing really add a nice touch. You indicate that almond extract is needed in the cake ingredients, but it does not show when to add it in your instructions. No big deal for me as I just added it along with the vanilla extract! I also want to add that this recipe is super easy and I will definitely be making it again soon! Thank you for this great recipe!
Dolores Bauer says
I have made this cake three times, the first for a dear friend's birthday. Soooo delicious! perfect in everyway! and I made extra topping to use on yogurt w/fruit, on my oatmeal and on vanilla ice cream - this recipe is awesome! Oh and of course super easy!
Thanks a million for doing the work to create these delightful recipes!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Dolores!
Gigi Hofer says
Hi from Germany. I want to try out more of your recipes because I always get compliments when I bake your French Grandma’s Lemon Yogurt Cake. This Buttermilk cake caught my eye but I can’t find sweetened coconut shreds here. Will it make a terribly big difference if I leave that ingredient out? Or whould you have any substitute I could use instead? Thank you so much and more power to you and beautiful recipes for us! lol
Best regards,
Gigi
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Gigi, do you have unsweetened coconut there? If not, you could just leave it out or add more almonds. I hope you enjoy the cake!
Ceres says
Hi Chris,
Thanks a million for your fantastic series of Ridiculously Easy Cake Recipes, in particular the original French Almond Cake, which remains to this day a special, much-looked forward treat in my neighborhood. Yesterday, I finally got to make this luscious cake above. Everything else about this cake was wonderful, including how incredibly easy to put it together Except for the buttercream icing, which we found too sweet for our Swiss palate, even though I used only half of the amount of powdered sugar prescribed in the recipe, because that was all I had. I personally found the almond coconut combo delicious enough for a topping. As suggested by one reader here, I'll try cream cheese icing next time and mind the sugar content...though cream cheese won't make the cake any lighter, in fact, only richer, I think. And yes, I used unsweetened coconut, which is what we get here in Switzerland. Since you use butter and honey to make this nut-combo, you don't need sweetened coconut. Many thanks again for generously sharing your fantastic recipes with us.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for sharing your results, Ceres! So glad you enjoyed it💕
Nathalie B says
Hi
Just made that cake this weekend..
What to say ..not only it’s beautiful presentation, but also super delicious.
It was a HUGE success. Now it’s our favourite cake .
I just used half the sugar in the cake batter and half the frosting .
For us it was PERFECT.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes.I always look like a pro.
Nathalie B
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for sharing your results, Nathalie!
Deborah says
The buttermilk cake was superb. I am English, living in Ireland and used buttermilk for the first time to make pancakes. I am poaching salmon fillets in the last of it . Thanks or your recipes
Deborah
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Deborah. Thanks for letting us know!
Mae says
I am not a butter cream icing fan and thought to substitute with a cream cheese icing. This cake is delicious...and so easy to make!! It is definitely a keeper. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Mae! Cream cheese icing sounds yummy!
Hillary says
The directions don't state where to put the almond extract in the cake portion? Do you just add it with the vanilla? Also, do you grease the parchment paper or the pan or both? Last, I'm making it in a glass 9X13 (doubling the recipe). What do you suggest for cooking time? Thanks in advance! I'm making this for our great-grandma's 86 birthday tonight and can't wait!
Susan L Crum says
I made this cake to take to work. It was such a hit! Someone asked me if it made by the professional baker we are lucky enough to have in our small town ~~ it was that good.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing, Susan!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome!! Thanks, Susan!
evie hager says
You have the most beautiful dishes and serving pieces. Would you or could you please let us know where you purchased them.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Evie, thanks so much! I love pretty dishes and serving ware so I'm always on the lookout. I find some fun pieces at consignment shops, antique stores, HomeGoods...
Whenever we travel I love to go into little shops and check out their wares. I wish I could give you a more precise answer. I guess the answer is just so varied!
Nora says
I am planning on making this for Easter. We are traveling to my parents this year and would love to be able to make as much as possible in advance. I see it says above that it can be made 8 hrs in advance. Would it be ok to make the cake part the day before and finish it the morning of? Not sure how much time I will have on Easter to make the whole thing. Thank you
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Nora, yes you could make the cake the day before and finish it in the morning. You could also have all the dry ingredients combined in a ziplock bag and the wet ingredients in a jar and throw the cake together in minutes on that morning. Either way will work!
Anne says
This cake is absolutely delicious. I have made it twice in the last month so that alone says a lot. Looks amazing too!
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome, Anne! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment 💕
Giovani Aron says
Hello Chris, I made this cake and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for these wonderful, easy to follow recipes. I love cooking but baking was never my thing. However, ever since I stumbled upon your site OMG, no one can stop me now😋😊
Chris Scheuer says
Ha! I love that, Giovani!
Alanna says
This cake is absolutely delicious, but I found the icing too sweet and soft to be used in a piping bag. (In all fairness, Chris doesn’t suggest trying to pipe it on.) I made it in an 8” pan and baked it for 37 minutes. (I’m at sea level) Honestly, the cake is so delicious it can be eaten on its own; hands down it is the BEST vanilla cake I have ever tried or made. Seriously. Make it now. The only thing you will regret is how many pieces you will hoover on your own. I am (mildly) ashamed to say I hid the last two pieces from my family so I could eat them later. Thank you for sharing this bit of heaven with us, Chris.
I haven’t looked further on the website, but is there a chocolate version?
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! I love that you hid two pieces. Sounds like something I might do 💕 There is a chocolate cake on the site that we really enjoy: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/grammys-easy-chocolate-yogurt-cake/