This rich sheet cake features a unique combination of a yeast dough and a gooey, buttery vanilla filling. When baked, the top develops a beautiful golden, crackly crust, but what’s underneath makes this cake so special — a buttery, irresistible filling that you’ll want every last bit of the cake to sop up. Buter cake hails from Northeast Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs and is said to have originated when German bakers adapted the traditional butterkuchen for sale in bakeries. It’s fortunately very easy to make at home with standard baking ingredients and just a bit of patience for rising and cooling.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 20 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- One 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook’s Note)
- Vegetable oil, for greasing
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups superfine sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 5 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- For the dough: Heat the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until it reaches 105 to 115 degrees F. Pour it into a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Leave for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cream the butter, sugar and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and mix together until incorporated, about 1 minute. Switch to a dough hook and add the flour and yeast mixture. Begin at low speed to hydrate the flour. Then increase to medium and beat until the dough becomes soft and smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Lightly coat a large bowl with vegetable oil. Turn the dough out into the bowl, turning it to coat all sides with oil. Cover with plastic and let sit at room temperature until doubled in volume, 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.
- Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with butter. Turn the dough out onto the pan and gently push with your fingers until it reaches the edges and comes about three-quarters of the way up the sides of the pan (about 1 inch). Set aside.
- For the filling: Combine the butter and superfine sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully incorporated after each. Beat in the milk and vanilla until just incorporated. Switch to low speed and beat in the flour and salt until just incorporated. Spread the filling evenly over the dough. Let the dough rise slightly while the oven is preheating, about 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the cake, rotating the pan halfway through, until golden brown and a matte crust has formed but the center is still wobbly, about 30 minutes (see Cook’s Note).
- Cool the cake to room temperature before cutting and serving. The cake is best served the same day it’s baked, but it can be stored at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 469 |
| Total Fat | 23 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 61 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 37 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 99 mg |
| Sodium | 264 mg |