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A flowered plate with a slice of busy day cake on a white background.

Busy Day Cake

This version of Edna Lewis’ busy day cake is such a winner – simple ingredients come together to make the most perfectly tender, lightly sweet cake.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 329
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 ⅓ cups sugar
  • 3 eggs at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ cup whole milk, at room temperature

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 375℉. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and line it with a circle of parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, blend the butter and sugar with a mixer, or by hand, until it is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla.
  3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
  4. Add the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture in three additions, starting with ½ cup of flour and ⅓ of the milk, and ending with the remaining flour. Stir well after each addition.
  5. Spoon the batter into the cake pan, and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before turning it out to cool completely.

Notes

  • Whipped cream. Dollop individual slices of cake with homemade sweetened or unsweetened whipped cream for the perfect accompaniment.
  • With fruit. Throughout summer, take advantage of good fruit season and serve busy day cake with fresh fruit! All kinds of berries like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are perfect with angel food cake. Or add sliced stone fruit like peaches, cherries, nectarines, and plums.
  • Add fruit! You can also add fruit directly into the cake. I love making busy day cake with sliced strawberries stirred right into the batter, and I have a feeling blackberries or blueberries would also be amazing.
  • Cinnamon. Add a pinch of cinnamon to the cake along with the ground nutmeg for extra warmth and flavor.