Butter Cake Recipe (Without Eggs)

This Butter Cake recipe without eggs, makes a wonderfully tender, sweet, and slightly dense cake that’s rich with butter flavor. It’s similar in taste and texture to Pound Cake, and is perfect to enjoy as an indulgent snack or dessert. Follow my step-by-step instructions and photos to prepare a delicious butter cake – no eggs needed!

About Butter Cake Recipe

There is nothing quite as delicious as a soft, thick and tender butter cake. Lovely to enjoy any time of day, its a simple but very satisfying sweet treat that is fantastic to serve at casual get togethers or keep on the countertop for snacking.

This recipe is similar to a classic Vanilla Cake, but with a good bit more butter for an even richer taste and a denser crumb.

Its texture is more like pound cake, which has a fairly firm sponge. However, eggless butter cake is a bit softer and much more luscious thanks to the extra butter.

In fact, I don’t include any icing or toppings for this dessert because it’s just that scrumptious on its own.

Thick slices of butter cake are delicious to enjoy with a hot mug of coffee or tea, or with a refreshing glass of milk. I promise this will be one of your favorite go-to dessert recipes that you’ll want to make again and again!

Ingredients You Need

Suffice it to say, if you are not a fan of butter, this is not the recipe for you. Although I do not use an extravagant amount, it is still a primary ingredient that is prominent in the cake flavor.

Because this recipe is eggless, you don’t want to cut back on the amount of butter used: The butter is what helps the cake be perfectly soft and moist without eggs.

There are a few key points to keep in mind when baking a cake which features butter as a main ingredient. Here are my top tips to make the best eggless butter cake every time:

1. Fresh butter: You always want to be sure that you are using high-quality butter that has not expired. Give the butter a quick sniff before using to double-check that it smells good with no questionable odor.

The flavor of the unbaked butter will linger throughout the dish, so it needs to be as fresh as possible for the best tasting butter cake (or Butter Cookies, or any dish that features butter!).

2. Type of butter: I use Lurpak unsalted butter in this recipe, which is a cultured butter. You can use salted butter if you prefer, but then you should skip adding any more salt in with the dry ingredients.

3. Type of flour: Many of my dessert recipes include whole wheat flour. However, since whole wheat cakes tend to be a good bit denser, I use all purpose flour to make butter cake – which is still pleasantly thick and rich without being too dense.

When using all purpose flour I highly recommend that you purchase organic or unbleached all purpose flour for the best quality.

4. Egg substitute: How do you make a soft and fluffy cake without eggs? I use sweetened condensed milk as a terrific egg substitute! With this one simply ingredient you are able to add just the right sweetness and moisture to the cake, with no extra sugar needed.

And because I don’t include additional sweeteners, this rich butter cake is not quite as sweet as some traditional cakes. But keep reading for serving suggestions to up the sweetness level to suit your tastes!

5. Whipped butter: I use a stand mixer for whipping butter. However, you can easily whip butter with an electric beater/hand mixer. Do so in a wide, deep bowl so that the butter doesn’t fling all over the place.

The butter should be cold (but not rock-solid) before being whipped, so chill in the fridge before using if needed. Then when you whip it, get the butter just to the point of being light and soft, like the texture of a cake. Take care to not overdo the whipping!

If you enjoy simple, eggless tea-time cakes, here are a few soft and flavorful bakes you might like – Apple Cake | Date Cake | Coffee Cake | Orange Cake

How to make Butter Cake

Sift Dry Ingredients

1. Take all the ingredients and keep them ready:

• 200 grams butter (about ¾ of a cup)
• 400 grams sweetened condensed milk (or 1 can)
• 1.5 leveled cups all-purpose flour (or 188 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2. Keep a sieve on top of a bowl. Add the all purpose flour in the sieve.

3. Now add ⅛ teaspoon salt (2 to 3 pinches). If using salted butter, then skip adding salt.

4. Add 1.5 leveled teaspoon baking powder.

5. Begin to sift the dry ingredients.

6. Keep the sifted dry ingredients aside.

7. Grease a loaf pan measuring 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inches with butter and keep aside. You can also use a round pan of 7 or 7.5 inches diameter.

You can line the pan with parchment paper or butter paper and then grease. Also preheat oven at 170 degrees Celsius, or 335 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whip Butter

8. Take unsalted butter in the stand mixer bowl. The butter should be softened and not hard, but not melted or liquid.

9. With the paddle attachment attached to the mixer, whip the butter on high speed of 9 to 10 till the butter becomes light and fluffy. Do not over do the beating.

While beating, stop at intervals and scrape off the butter from the sides and add in the center of the bowl.

10. After whipping, the butter should become light and fluffy.

11. Then add 1 can sweetened condensed milk (400 grams) to the whipped butter.

12. Then add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla essence.

13. Using the stand mixer at low speed of 1, mix everything till blended well.

14. Do not overdo the mixing at this step. Just mix everything well and then stop.

Make Butter Cake Batter

15. Now add the sifted dry ingredients.

16. With a spatula just lightly mix everything so that the flour particles do not fly when you start the stand mixer.

17. On a low speed of 1, mix everything well. Do not overdo the mixing as then gluten strands may form which will ruin the structure of the cake while baking.

18. Just mix well and then stop. If the batter looks very thick, add about ¼ cup milk or as needed and mix again.

19. Now using a silicon spatula, pour the butter cake batter in the greased loaf pan.

20. Shake the pan so that the batter moves and settles down at the sides and bottom. Level the butter cake batter with a spatula.

Bake Butter Cake

21. Bake eggless butter cake at 170 degrees (335 degrees Fahrenheit) in convection oven (convection ovens have a fan).

In an oven without a fan bake at 180 degrees celsius (355 degrees Fahrenheit). Keep the pan in the center rack with the bottom heating element on (bake mode in the OTGs available in India).

22. Since condensed milk is added, this cake browns faster from the edges and top. So cover the top with an aluminium foil. Lightly cover and do not press it on the pan.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes till the top looks golden. Since temperature varies from oven to oven, keep a check.

Also do not open the oven door many times. Only open after ¾ of the baking is done.

23. Check with a toothpick and it should be clean.

24. Keep the pan on a wired tray for the cake to cool.

25. Once the cake is cooled completely at room temperature, then slice it. This butter cake keeps well outside if the temperature is very cold and freezing.

In an Indian climate, during winters, keep for 1 to 2 days at room temperature. Later keep in fridge.

After keeping in fridge the butter will solidify in the cake. So while serving warm the cake in an oven or keep at room temperature for some time.

26. Serve Butter Cake just plain or sprinkle some powdered sugar or icing sugar on top of the butter cake.

Using a tea strainer, sift the powdered sugar on top of the cake. Enjoy as an evening sweet snack with milk, tea or coffee.

This Butter Cake recipe from the blog archives first published in December 2017 has been republished and updated on December 2022.