SEO brief
- Primary keyword: french butter cake
- Secondary keywords: french butter cake recipe, easy butter cake, sour cream butter cake, 9×9 butter cake, simple snack cake
- Search intent: informational / recipe (searcher wants a reliable recipe they can make today)
- Length: ~1,300 words
- Schema: Recipe + FAQPage
- Meta title (58 chars): French Butter Cake Recipe: Easy, Buttery & Ready in 45 Min
- Meta description (155 chars): This easy French butter cake bakes in one 9×9 pan with melted butter, sour cream and a crackly sugar top. 10 minutes of prep, no frosting needed. Try it today!
- Slug: /french-butter-cake/
Intro
French butter cake is a rich, tender cake made with melted butter, sour cream and cake flour, baked in a single square pan and finished with a sprinkle of sugar that turns into a crisp, crackly crust. It sits somewhere between a pound cake and a coffee cake: dense enough to feel indulgent, light enough to eat with your morning coffee.
Best of all, it takes about 10 minutes of hands-on time and needs no mixer gymnastics, no layers and no frosting. Below you’ll find the full recipe, the small details that make it turn out right, and answers to the questions readers ask most.
Quick answer: Beat 1 cup sugar with 1 cup melted butter, add 3 eggs and vanilla, gently mix in 2 cups cake flour with baking powder and salt, fold in ⅔ cup sour cream, top with 2 tablespoons sugar and bake in a greased 9×9 pan at 350°F for 30–35 minutes.