Farmhouse Cake (Hearty, Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Cake)
This farmhouse cake is a substantial, moist buttermilk cake loaded with apples, oats, raisins, and brown sugar and topped with a creamy buttermilk glaze.
It looks like a cake your grandmother might bake and serve on a wooden table in an old rural cottage. It just makes you feel like home, all warm and fuzzy.
This is a really full cake that the entire family will enjoy. It’s a homemade recipe and one of the greatest buttermilk cakes I’ve ever tasted.
It takes some time to prepare, but it is really rather simple. The mix of the components, along with the oats, makes this cake very distinctive.
Hello there! Before you browse, there’s a lot of vital information in this article!includes the FAQ section, which may help you with any queries you have regarding this recipe. Enjoy!
Contents
- Ingredient Notes:
- How to make this cake and glaze:
- Tips & FAQs for Making the Farmhouse Cake:
- Supplies used for this cake:
- Recipe:
- Farmhouse Cake (Old Fashioned, Hearty, Buttermilk Cake)
- FAQs
- What does buttermilk do to your cake?
- Why is it called Manor House cake?
- What is a sympathy cake?
- How long does a cake with buttermilk last?
- Which is better for baking sour cream or buttermilk?
- Should buttermilk cake be refrigerated?
- Why is it called Lady Baltimore cake?
- What is the Maryland cake?
- What is a twelfth cake?
- What is a divorce cake?
Ingredient Notes:
Let’s go through a few of the components in this buttermilk farmhouse cake.(All of the ingredients and quantities are included on the recipe card at the bottom of this article.)
Old Fashioned Rolled Oats: These are used to give the cake body. You’ll need ordinary oats in this recipe, not steel cut or minute oats.
Nutmeg and cinnamon Cinnamon and nutmeg are used in this dish. The cinnamon is just enough to flavor the oatmeal as well as the apples and raisins.
Buttermilk: Don’t be concerned; your cake will NOT taste like buttermilk. The buttermilk just adds moisture and flavor to the cake.
Buttermilk will also be required to produce the glaze, so use the actual thing otherwise the taste and creaminess will be compromised.
Unsalted Butter: Nothing beats butter in a cake. It adds a lot of flavor and moisture to cakes. It is always preferable to use actual butter rather than margarine.
Brown Sugar: I like how brown sugar simply adds a little depth to the taste and makes the cake a little heartier. This cake calls for both brown sugar and granulated sugar.
Apples, raisins, and walnuts: You certainly want to include the fruit since it, along with the oats and spices, is what makes this cake so delicious. If you don’t like nuts or have allergies, you may leave them out. (I completely understand since I am allergic as well.)
How to make this cake and glaze:
Let’s get started on making this rustic farmhouse cake. (Printable directions are included in the recipe card below.)
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 325°F and well oil and flour a bundt pan.
Step 2:
Set aside the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large mixing dish.
Step 3:
Add the entire eggs, egg yolk, vanilla extract, buttermilk, melted butter, vegetable oil, packed brown sugar, and granulated sugar to another mixing bowl. Mix this well with a whisk, but don’t worry if your butter clumps.
Step 4:
Pour the liquid components into the dry ingredients and combine with an electric mixer on medium speed until thoroughly combined.
Take care not to combine for a few minutes. That’s much too lengthy. When the ingredients are thoroughly blended, stop mixing. It is OK if there are a few little lumps.
Step 5:
Mix in the diced apples, raisins, and optional walnuts using a wooden spoon or a silicone spatula by hand.
Step 6:
Place the cake batter in the prepared bundt pan and bake for 60-65 minutes.
When a toothpick put into the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it or clean, it is thoroughly cooked.
Step 7:
Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 40 minutes on a wire rack in the pan.
The cake should then be removed from the pan and allowed to cool fully on a rack before applying the glaze.
Allow this cake to remain in the pan for about 40 minutes before removing it, otherwise it will stick.
Step 8:
While the cake cools, prepare the glaze. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
Turn the heat to low and immediately add the brown sugar, vanilla, and buttermilk. Stir in the brown sugar until it is fully dissolved.
Step 9:
Turn off the heat and mix in the confectioners’ sugar. If it becomes clumpy, just keep stirring until most of the clumps dissolve. The rest will disintegrate after a few minutes, or you may sweep them away. Pour it through a sifter if there are any stray clumps.
Step 10:
Set the glaze aside (but not in the fridge) for approximately 10 minutes to thicken and firm up. As it cools, be sure to stir it periodically.
Step 11:
Spread the glaze on top of the cooled cake. If the glaze thickens too much, reheat it briefly.
Allow the glaze to set for a few minutes before cutting and serving the cake.
Tips & FAQs for Making the Farmhouse Cake:
You’ll want to use oats labeled “old-fashioned rolled oats.” You don’t want to use steel-cut or minute oats.
or thick.When measuring flour, be careful not to overfill the measuring cup. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it out; do not scoop the flour as this will result in too much flour in the batter, making the cake dry and crumbly.
If you can get it, try to use genuine buttermilk. This will ensure that your cake and glaze have the optimum texture and taste. If you really cannot find it, you may substitute this, but be warned that the results may be somewhat different than if you used actual buttermilk.
Pour one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into a liquid measuring cup for every cup of buttermilk asked for. Pour in enough milk to fill the measuring cup to 1 cup. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes after stirring before using.
This alternative for the glazing may or may not work.
It’s ideal to use unsalted butter so you can manage how much salt is in the cake and glaze. Salted and unsalted butter have differing water contents, which will make a difference.
If you can’t get unsalted butter, use salted but leave out any salt called for in the recipe.
When measuring the brown sugar, be sure to compress it down into the measuring cup. (Now, don’t do this with your flour, only the brown sugar.)
You may use whatever apple you choose, although I wouldn’t use red delicious since they tend to turn mealy and mushy when cooked. For this dish, I used Honeycrisp apples.
Make sure the apples are peeled before chopping them into half-inch pieces. This does not have to be perfect, but make sure they are not in huge bits or they will sink to the bottom of the cake.
No, but it adds a nice taste to the cake and goes well with the apples, cinnamon, and grains. If you don’t like raisins, you might try cranberries instead.
Yes, you absolutely can omit the nuts.
Take care not to over-mix the batter. Scratch cakes should not be stirred for more than a few minutes at a time, otherwise they may become thick. When all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined, stop mixing.
Make sure the bundt pan is well oiled and dusted. This cake is quite moist and chunky, and it will cling to the pan if not well oiled and floured.
See this page for further information on how to prepare pans: How to Get Cakes to Release from Pans.
When a toothpick put into the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs or clean, but no raw batter, it is done baking.
Make careful to keep the cake in the pan for at least 40 minutes before attempting to remove it. If you take the cake out of the pan too quickly, it will break apart on you. Because this cake contains a lot of fruit and grains, it requires some time to set up.
You did nothing incorrect. When the confectioners sugar is mixed with the other ingredients, it might form lumps. Just keep swirling, and most of it will dissolve as it cooks.
You may also assist by stirring it with a whisk. If there are any remaining lumps, just sift the glaze through a sieve and it will be fine.
If desired, this cake may be prepared ahead of time and frozen. Allow the cooked cake to cool fully before wrapping it in plastic wrap and foil and freezing it for up to a month.Place the covered cake on the counter at room temperature to defrost thoroughly before removing the wrapper. Once defrosted, drizzle with the glaze.
This cake may be kept at room temperature for approximately a day, but any leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
This cake is best served warm or at room temperature. To reheat leftovers, cut a slice and microwave it for 10-15 seconds, or leave it at room temperature for 20 minutes.
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Supplies used for this cake:
- Large glass mixing bowl
- Stainless steel measuring cups and spoons set
- Whisks
- Glass batter bowl
- Electric hand-mixer
- Bundt pan
- Cooling rack
***I write recipes in volume (cup) measures since that is what people in the United States are accustomed to seeing and using. Click the metric button beneath the ingredients in the recipe card to get weight in metric measures. The weights are converted by a software, not by me, and the results are an educated approximation. Please keep in mind that while I prepare recipes in cups, I cannot guarantee that weighing the components will provide the same results.
Recipe:
Farmhouse Cake (Old Fashioned, Hearty, Buttermilk Cake)
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Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cupsall-purpose flour
- 1 cup rolled oats (not steel cut or quick oats)
- 1teaspoonbaking soda
- 1teaspoonbaking powder
- teaspoonsalt
- 1teaspooncinnamon
- 1pinchnutmeg(optional)
- 3large eggs
- 1egg yolk
- 2teaspoonsvanilla extract
- 1 cupsbuttermilk
- 1cupunsalted butter, softened(2 sticks)
- 2tablespoonvegetable oil
- 1cuppacked light brown sugar
- 1cupgranulated sugar
- 2 cups diced and peeled apples (we used Honeycrisp apples). Cut apples into tiny pieces)
- 1cupraisins
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional, but make sure they’re tiny)
For the buttermilk glaze:
- cupunsalted butter( stick)
- 2tablespoonspacked light brown sugar
- 1teaspoonvanilla extract
- 3tablespoonbuttermilk
- 1cupconfectioners sugar
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Well grease and flour a bundt pan.
- Whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large mixing basin. Place aside.
- Add the entire eggs, egg yolk, vanilla extract, buttermilk, melted butter, vegetable oil, packed brown sugar, and granulated sugar to another mixing bowl. Whisk everything together well. Don’t be concerned if the butter clumps.
- Pour the liquid components into the dry ingredients and combine with an electric mixer on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Take care not to over-mix. Mixing for more than a minute is excessive and might result in a thick cake. When the ingredients are thoroughly blended, stop mixing. It is OK if there are a few little lumps.
- Mix in the diced apples, raisins, and optional walnuts using a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.
- Pour into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 60-65 minutes. When a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs or clean, but no raw batter, the cake is done.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cool for approximately 40 minutes in the pan on a wire rack, then remove from the pan and cool fully on the rack. Allow this cake to remain in the pan for about 40 minutes before removing it from the pan, otherwise it may stick and perhaps break apart.
For the glaze:
- Make the glaze when the cake has cooled to approximately room temperature.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- When the butter is fully melted, reduce the heat to low and add the brown sugar, vanilla, and buttermilk right away.
- Stir until all of the brown sugar has dissolved.
- Turn off the heat and mix in the confectioners’ sugar. If it becomes clumpy, just keep stirring until most of the clumps dissolve. The remainder will dissolve after a few minutes, or you may use a whisk to break up the clumps. Pour the mixture through a sieve if there are any stray clumps.
- Allow the glaze to cool at room temperature (not in the fridge) for approximately 10 minutes, or until it thickens and hardens up a little. As it cools, be sure to stir it periodically. It will crystallize somewhat, which is ok. This is made easier by periodically stirring it.
- Spread the glaze on top of the cake. If the glaze thickens too much, you may heat it in the microwave for a few seconds to thin it out.
- Allow around 10 minutes for the glaze to set and firm up on the cake before cutting and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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FAQs
What does buttermilk do to your cake?
Cake Recipes with Buttermilk
Buttermilk works as a tenderizer. It keeps baked products moist from the outset. Buttermilk has a tart flavor. While its flavor is sometimes overlooked, it protects this vanilla buttermilk cake from being overly sweet and adds a rich, buttery flavor.
Why is it called Manor House cake?
The recipe instructions for Manor home Cake said that it was a “plain cake” that may have been served for elevenses or high tea at a “house of great standing.”
What is a sympathy cake?
Funeral cake is technically a chocolate sheet cake with fudge frosting and crunchy nuts large enough to serve a crowd, also known as Texas Sheet Cake.
How long does a cake with buttermilk last?
Freshly made butter cake will stay in the fridge for approximately a week if properly kept; cover with foil or plastic wrap while refrigerating to prevent cake from drying out.
Which is better for baking sour cream or buttermilk?
However, the taste edge went to the buttermilk cake. It had a modest complexity that wasn’t too sour. The crumb of the sour cream cake was incredibly delicate and soft. Sour cream has a high acidity level as well as a high fat content.
Should buttermilk cake be refrigerated?
Is it necessary to refrigerate a cake prepared with buttermilk? Buttermilk cakes may be stored at room temperature for many days. However, if the cake is frosted with cream cheese, whipped cream, or eggs, it must be kept in the refrigerator.
Why is it called Lady Baltimore cake?
History. The most known narrative about the Lady Baltimore is that it was cooked and presented to author Owen Wister in Charleston, South Carolina by Alicia Rhett Mayberry, a Southern beauty. Wister was supposed to be so taken with the cake that he named his book Lady Baltimore after it.
What is the Maryland cake?
The Smith Island Cake became the State Dessert of Maryland on October 1, 2008 (Acts of 2008, Chapters 164 & 165; Code General Provisions Article, Section 7-313). The cake is traditionally made up of eight to ten layers of yellow cake with chocolate icing between each tier and spread all over.
What is a twelfth cake?
The custom of Twelfth Cake stretches back to medieval times. It was a giant fruit cake produced and eaten to commemorate the Twelfth Night or Epiphany, which was a far larger feast-day at the time than Christmas (Christmas did not become popular until the 19th century).
What is a divorce cake?
Divorce cakes, like wedding cakes, are sometimes artistically constructed, with one significant distinction. Instead of a happy marriage topper, these cakes (or cupcakes) often include tongue-in-cheek divorce phrases or pictures of a bride (or groom) taking out the garbage.