This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.
This easy, One-Bowl Buttermilk Cake is always a huge hit with it's moist, tender crumb and incredibly delicious fresh raspberry buttercream!
Raise your hand if you love a moist tender yellow cake! Yep, we do too. And if it doesn't mess up many dishes, can be ready for the oven in minutes and is pretty as a picture when it's done, like this One-Bowl Buttermilk Cake, I'm going to run to the kitchen and start baking! How about you?
Those of you who are regular Café followers might be thinking that I'm getting to be an old stick-in-the-mud, as I've used this same one-bowl buttermilk cake recipe several times over the past year. It started out with the Easy Farmhouse Buttermilk Cake last fall which, almost immediately, went crazy over on Pinterest. The next rendition was this Buttermilk Butter Crunch Cake which has also become a favorite with many Café readers.
And now I'm at it again. Yes, an old stick-in-the-mud indeed! But I can't help myself, this cake is so delicious and yet, so easy to put together. The recipe is beginning to feel like a tried and true friend. I do give the cake brand new clothes each time I use it though, so don't be too hard on me.
This time "the brand new clothes" is a delicious fresh raspberry buttercream, also requiring just one bowl and no mixer. A handful of fresh raspberries gives the icing wonderful flavor and a pretty pink hue.
You've probably guessed that I'm not a fancy cake decorator. Every now and then I get out the piping tips and decorating bag and try my hand at making a fancy cake. But it's a lot of work, and because I usually don't have the time, I'm just not very adept at it.
So I've discovered another way to make cakes beautiful, but this little trick only takes minutes - edible flowers! There are tons of flowers that are edible and just a few of them on a cake can transform it from plain-Jane to fancy-Nancy! For a list of the most common edible flowers, check out this post.
For this cake, I chose dianthus flowers, also known as "pinks". Both perennial and annual dianthus plants can be purchased and they can also be sown from seed. They have a fairly long blooming season, often from May through October. Scott just planted several varieties for me, so I can have these pretty flowers for decorating all summer long!
I think when you take the first bite of this moist, delicious cake, you won't even care that I'm a stick-in-the-mud. In fact, you may just start dreaming of your own ways to dress up this one-bowl buttermilk cake! Happy baking from our house to yours!
Café Tips for making this cake:
- Because this is a one-bowl, no-mixer recipe, the butter should be VERY soft. Leave it sit out 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 very soft butter is also important for the icing.
- This One-Bowl Buttermilk 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 you 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! 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.
- When you make the icing, the first step is to prepare the raspberries. The instructions are to mash 12 raspberries, add a bit of sugar and let this mixture sit for 10 minutes. This step is important as the sugar will draw the liquid out of the raspberries. You want that in the beginning so the frosting doesn't thin out after you ice the cake.
- If you don't have fresh raspberries and don't want to run out and buy them, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of raspberry jam for the raspberry/sugar mixture.
- I like to add 1 drop of red food color to the icing for a slightly brighter pink color. This is totally optional. It will be pretty with or without.
- Oh, and by the way, I know some of you may find it easier to pull out the mixer to make this cake. That is not a problem. Just don't over mix it.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It's so helpful to other readers to hear other's results and ideas for variations.
Scroll Down for the Recipe - or Save It to Your Inbox
We’ll email you the recipe so it’s easy to save, print, or share.
One-Bowl Buttermilk Cake with Raspberry Buttercream
Ingredients
For the cake:
- ¼ cup butter, very soft
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
For the raspberry buttercream:
- 12 fresh raspberries
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, very soft
- 3-4 tablespoons half & half, or milk
- 3 cups powdered sugar, maybe a bit more
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1-2 drops red food coloring, optional
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a 9" round cake pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper. 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 extract and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle the flour, baking soda and salt evenly over the top and whisk until 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).
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely before icing.
For the raspberry buttercream:
- Place raspberries on a small plate and mash well with a fork. Add the 1 teaspoon sugar and stir with the fork to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Combine the soft butter, half and half (or milk), vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the raspberry mixture in a medium-size bowl. Stir together, with a sturdy spatula, until well combined.
- Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time and stir until smooth and creamy after each addition. Add a bit more half and half to thin if needed or a bit more powdered sugar if too thin. Icing should be thick, but spreadable.
- Spread the buttercream over the top of the cake and down the sides of the cake. Decorate with edible flowers or fresh raspberries (or both!), if desired. Enjoy!!
- Add 1-2 drops of red food coloring, if desired, for a brighter pink color.
Notes
Nutrition
The Café Sucre Farine is a participant in the Amazon Affiliate Program. The Amazon Affiliate Program is designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on Amazon. The price you pay as a consumer does not change, but if you make a purchase through one of our links, we receive a small commission - and we continue delivering delicious recipes to you!
Shop Our Café Loves
We’ve gathered our favorite kitchen tools, tableware, and entertaining treasures in one place, the Café Loves store. It’s a wonderful spot to find something special for yourself or the cooks and hosts you love!
I haven't tried yet any of these one-bowl cake recipes, but they sound easy and fabulously tasty. Several of my close friends are gluten intolerable. Can gluten-free flour be substituted?
I love your recipes...and the narrative that follows!
Thank you!
Darlene
Hi Darlene, yes this should work with cup-for-cup GF flour. Enjoy!
Tweaked recipe for high altitude and shipping it.......Let you know how it goes!! Turned out beautifully, thank you.
BTW, your scone recipe is the best ever!
Great! Thanks, Mary!
Everyone in my family loved this cake. I Love how easy it was to make. Frosting was amazing, so much flavor from only 12 raspberries. Will surely make this again. Just wondering if the remainder of the cake should be refrigerated. Thank you for this different and excellent recipe.
Hi Joanne, so happy you enjoyed this recipe! If it's just overnight, you don't need to refrigerate it. If it's longer, I would actually store it in the freezer. When you thaw it, it will be just like the day you baked it!
Have you made cupcakes with this recipe? If so how long would you bake them? Thanks I'm new here.
Hi Kathy, no I haven’t tried to make cupcakes with this recipe.
Do you use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe? When you make desserts nd specify butter, which are you referring to? Thanks.
Hi Nancy, either works. We always use salted butter in our recipes.
I really want to make the buttermilk cake with raspberry buttercream, but you don't stipulate salted or unsalted butter. Which one? Thanks.
Hi Nancy, I use salted butter. If you have unsalted, use an extra pinch of salt.
I have made this cake twice in a week. Hubby asked for it for his birthday and he always wants chocolate. My daughter was eating it off the platter when everyone was finished. ( she is the healthy eater who rarely has dessert) This is a keeper for sure. I want to try it with a chocolate ermine frosting next. Thanks for always having great easy delicious recipes
That's awesome, Kathy! Thank you for letting us know!
I made this cake for my coworkers and they LOVED it! Many people told me was amazing and multiple of them said that they were tempted to lick the cake container. The only change I made was doubling the amount of raspberry mixture. This recipe is perfect. It’s been a delight blessing my coworkers with many of your recipes. Thank you!
Awesome! Thank you for letting us know, Elisa!
This is an interesting comment rather than a question. Have you ever froze this cake? I ran out of time for frosting the cake so I wrapped it well and froze it. A day later I thawed it out on the counter and the texture was surprisingly not cake like any more but very dense and moist. Not a cake anymore. We had frozen sweetened strawberries from the summer and added that to each piece with whipped cream. This is now a completely different dessert. Quite interesting how this happened.
Hi Edie, I have frozen this cake with good results. I'm not sure why the texture changed with yours.
Two questions please:
I would like to make this cake portion a day ahead. If I wrap it tightly, should I refrigerate it overnight or leave it on the counter wrapped.
Also, you say it will last 8 hours frosted so I assume then that I should not make the frosting nor ice the cake until tomorrow morning (the day of the dinner).
I hope to make this today. Thank you.
Hi Edie, yes you can wrap it tightly and leave it on the counter and then ice it the day of the party. Enjoy!
Hi there ! Planning to make this for my daughter’s upcoming birthday - fit the bill as she wants PINK!
Would this type of cake work if I doubled the recipe - baked in two pans- and made a layer cake ?!
Thanks so much!
Yes, I think it would be delicious as a birthday cake! I hope she enjoys it, Mary!
Hi Chris,
I made this cake first thing this morning. I went to get my raspberries for the icing and realized I was out. Can you suggest another icing.
Thanks,
ELizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
Oh dear, I have stuff like that happen all the time!
Do you have strawberries? Or any jam? You could make a delicious icing with some finely chopped strawberries or a scoop of jam. You made need to add some extra powdered sugar as both strawberries and jam will have more liquid.
Hope that helps!
Made this for Valentine’s Day using a heart shaped pan. It did not disappoint. I used raspberry seedless jam for the frosting but did use fresh raspberries along the edge to outline the heart shape. The frosting is especially tasty. The cake batter was the perfect amount for my pan. I think it will be an annual tradition for Valentine’s Day. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
Thanks so much for sharing your results, Denise!
Oh yes! Love to use buttermilk. This looks delicious.
Thanks, Charlotte 💕🥰
My husband said it may be the best cake he has ever had. I love the fact that it is a one bowl no mixer recipe!
Thanks for another delicious recipe.
That's so awesome, Elizabet! I really appreciate you sharing your review!
Loved this recipe! So delicious and the raspberry buttercream added a cute touch to the cake. Thanks!
Thanks so much, Laura, for sharing your results! So happy you enjoyed it!
I don't have any rasberrys fresh or jam but I do have strawberrys and strawberry jam so will use those for the frosting.
Hi Eileen, sounds delicious!
Could we make the cake and freeze it. It would be iced once thawed. Thank you for your answer! Louise Ryan Granger
Yes, that would work great, Louise! Enjoy!
I made this cake and it was as good as promised! Followed the recipe exactly. YUMMY!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your results, Rose!
I followed the recipe to a t but my frosting looked like it curdled before I even added the sugar. Definitely didn’t looked like buttercream, more like a curdled glaze.....what did I do wrong??
Hi Yoana, I'm wondering if you didn't mix the butter and raspberries together enough before adding the sugar. The butter also needs to be very soft in order to incorporate the raspberries.
This is such a dainty cake and one that I'd love to try. Happy Easter!
INSTEAD OF CAKE I'M MAKING CUPCAKES THEY ARE IN THE OVEN ALMOST DONE I WILL POST HOW THEY CAME OUT AND HOW THEY TASTE.
Great! Please do let us know!
LIKE I SAID I MADE CUPCAKES INSTEAD OF THE CAKE,THEY ARE DELICIOUS, NEXT TIME YOU SHOULD MAKE CUPCAKES,THE ONLY THING I HAD TO CHANGE WAS THE BAKING TIME CUPCAKES NEEDS LESS TIME..ENJOY
Hi! Was wondering if I could make the cake chocolate? What would I have to do - how much chocolate, more liquid? Thank yiu
Hi Janice, I haven't tried this cake with chocolate so I don't want to advise you but, if you're looking for a good chocolate cake, this one is wonderful: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/grammys-easy-chocolate-yogurt-cake/
Thank you for the fast reply, and the new recipe. I think chocolate cake and raspberry frosting will be super yummy!!
Adore this cake as do my card playing friends.
Haha! I love it!! Thanks, Jane!
This looks so good! When you measure the flour for this, do you dip and sweep or spoon and level? Thanks so much! Can’t wait to make it!
Hi NS, I fluff (meaning I whisk the flour to loosen it), dip and sweep. Hope you enjoy it!
Can this cake recipe be doubled for a layer cake?
Definitely! I think a layer of raspberry jam between the cakes would be fantastic!
How about lemon next? I'm a huge fan of all citrus. Your easy chocolate cupcakes are seriously the best and easiest ever. Stay being a stick in the mud.
Haha!! Thanks, Victoria. Now you got me going, I will definitely be thinking about a lemon version!
Ooh, how about lemon frosting with the option to make 2 layers with lemon curd in between
I just love this cake.
What a beautiful spring cake Chris! I LOVE the raspberry buttercream. And that lovely color! This would be perfect for Easter or Mother's Day!
I was thinking maybe you could use a litte peice of a cooked beet and smash it good for the color stead of red color dye. What say you ?
That's a wonderful idea! I don't think you'd even taste the beet. But you can also do without any coloring. It will turn out just slightly lighter, but still very lovely!
I saw this beautiful cake on Instagram and wow, it's a stunner! That frosting colour is fabulous. And then of course, lovely buttermilk cake and raspberry flavours and a winner, for sure 🙂
Do not worry about being a 'stick in the mud'. Your variations are fabulous! Keep them coming!
Haha! Thanks so much, Laura! I appreciate your encouragement! 🙂
A moist, delicious cake with that amazing raspberry buttercream is right up my alley. Your one bowl buttermilk cake is like my one bowl fudgy brownies---I've used them as a base for many desserts. Why mess with a winner??!
Absolutely lovely cake Chris! I love the single layer cakes and that beautiful pink frosting is gorgeous!~
can change cake color , for example orange or yellow
Hi دسته گل عروس, I'm sorry, I'm not sure exactly what you mean.
Can this be made into cupcakes? If anyone has done so, how many does one recipe make? This looks delicious and perfect for an Easter celebration!
Hi Christine, I haven't tried this recipe for cupcakes yet but you've given me another idea 🙂 If you try it, please let us know how it goes. Happy Easter!
Oh my! That looks so yummy!!! One of the many many (MANY) things I want to try from your wonderful blog. 🙂
Thanks so much, Sharl, hope you enjoy it!
Hi, Chris!
I served your Buttermilk Butter Crunch Cake (with almonds and coconut topping) on Saturday for a family Easter gathering., and it was a huge hit, even with a two and three year old! On Easter Sunday, I served your One Bowl Bouttermilk Cake with Raspberry Cream frosting, which also received rave reviews! I share your food blog with everyone I can, as I've never spent so much time in my kitchen as I have trying your recipes. I feel like I'm in the movie, "Julia, Julia," and my husband has never been happier with my cooking!
Hello, miss "Julia"! Haha! I love it 🙂 So happy you've enjoyed the cakes and other recipes, Kathleen (and Mr. Kathleen). That make me happy!