The Best 1-2-3-4 Cake Recipe You’ll Ever Make

If you have never tried a 1-2-3-4 Cake Recipe, this one is the best I’ve found.

1234 Cake

Y’all, I just discovered an old American cake recipe and because I’m all about cake, I buttered some pans and got to bakin’.

It’s a throwback to the late 1800s (whoa!) when bakers were starting to use baking powder instead of yeast as a leavening agent in cakes.

Upon reading the recipe, I knew I had to try it – and, of course, come tell y’all all about it!

A 1-2-3-4 Cake Recipe Is Easy To Make

And delicious to eat.

Plus, it’s purdy when frosted.

What The Heck Is A 1 2 3 4 Cake?

A 1-2-3-4 cake uses common ingredients to make an uncommonly delicious cake.

The Cake Derives Its Name From The Main Ingredients List

1: 1 cup of butter

2: 2 cups of sugar

3: 3 cups of flour

4: 4 eggs

There are a few other ingredients, but these are the stars.

What Kind Of Cake Is It?

The 1-2-3-4 cake is a basic yellow cake recipe.

Or, also commonly known as a vanilla cake recipe.

It’s sturdy and holds up well to fillings (although I didn’t try the best cake filling recipe I love, yet) and a heavy coating of buttercream frosting.

Honestly, it’s a thing of beauty in the world of cake.

Interesting 1-2-3-4 Cake History

The measurements of the butter, sugar, flour and eggs used to be the only ingredients.

This combination, it its purest form, produces a chewy dense cookie-type treat reminiscent of medieval jumbals, or sugar cookies. The Internet confirms many cooks “fudge” (pardon the pun) this classic 1234 recipe by adding other ingredients in various proportions. Most common? Baking powder, milk, fruit juice, spices and nuts. These additions affect the taste and texture of the finished product.

Now, I totally want to try the combination (without the added ingredients) and make these medieval cookies.

Don’t you?

Are There 1-2-3-4 Cake Variations?

Absolutely!

You can definitely play around with the frosting.

Buttercream is a delicious and classic go-to, but you can substitute a chocolate frosting or even a ganache.

If you’d prefer a chocolate 1-2-3-4- cake, add a swirl of melted (and cooled) chocolate or add a bit of cocoa to the flour.

There is also a 1 2 3 4 cake with buttermilk, so if that’s your thing, check it out!

Two Well-Known 1-2-3-4 Cake Recipes

• Swans down 1 2 3 4 recipe
• 1 2 3 4 cake recipe Joy of Cooking

What I Like About This Cake Recipe

1. It was fun! The idea of baking a cake with a solid history behind it, while imagining bakers through the years measuring and constructing, just like I was, left me feeling connected to the past. Although, I was grateful my oven turned on with a twist of a knob instead of me having to stoke a fire the entire time the cake was baking.
2. It was tastier that I thought it would be.
3. Sure sure, how can you go wrong with butter and sugar? I have thought about the taste off and on since eating it – so that says something about the mmmmm factor.
4. It was sturdy, yet light. Easy to fill and slather with buttercream frosting.
5.  It traveled well. Nothing like taking a cake to a celebration, to discover it has fallen down on the job once you get there.

What Is Lacking In This Cake Recipe

1: The crumb of the cake, the way it held up, on the day it was baked, was close to perfect.

The next day, however, it was not, for me.

My brother-in-law disagreed and said his leftover piece was just as good the next day.

I know how to properly store baked goods, so I assumed it was the cake and not me (ha!).

To save you from anything less than perfect, I think the cake is a bake-and-eat the same day kinda cake.

Not too hard to do, right?

2: The cake lacked a bit of moistness.

This is not to say that it wasn’t delicious, it was. It just needed a bit more stick-together-ness in the crumb.

I think I’ll experiment with the recipe to get it where I want it, because once the moistness issue is solved, it will also knock out my #1 complaint from above.

To the recipe! (if you prefer a printable recipe, scroll to bottom of post!)

1-2-3-4 Cake Recipe

A homemade recipe that uses common ingredients for an uncommonly delicious cake!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of salted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
2. Grease two 9-inch cake pans.
3. In a bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
4. Cream butter, using a mixer, until light and fluffy.
5. Slowly add sugar and continue to mix well for 6 to 8 minutes.
6. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
7. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
8. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed.
9. Divide batter equally among prepared pans.
10. Once batter is in cake pans, slightly bang pans onto counter, to release air bubbles.
11. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from the middle of cake.
12. Cool in pans 5 for minutes.
13. Invert cakes onto cooling racks.
14. Cool completely before frosting.

Notes:

* Before inverting cake pan to release cake, you can take a butter knife and insert it between the cake and the pan, then run it around the entire circumference of the cake. This will help release any bits of cake that might be sticking to pan.

* You can use three 8-inch pans instead of the two 9-inch pans.

* The recipe also doubles as an easy bundt cake recipe. Simply substitute a bundt pan for cake pans.

Improvised Buttercream Frosting

Looking through my fridge, I spied peach preserves.  The vanilla buttercream with added peach preserves sounded amazing.

The pointy point I want to make: I used what I had on hand and we weren’t disappointed!

Use what you have on hand – any flavor will do and compliment a vanilla cake.

So easy.

Here’s A Quick Frosting Pictorial

(recipe below)

Cut the tops of the cake to level before adding frosting.

Use a serrated knife (be careful!) to get the job done cleanly.

Then, top one layer with about a cup of icing and spread to the edge. The peach preserves mixed perfectly – yum!

Now you’re ready to plop (fancy baker word usage!) the second layer on and give a gentle push down to “cement” the layers together.

Finish off by frosting the sides:

Finally, admire your handiwork before cutting a slice.

I think we can agree that is one gorgeous cake.

Here is the frosting recipe, with a printable version at the end of the post.

1-2-3-4 Cake Buttercream Frosting with Peach Preserves

Ingredients:

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup buttered, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup of peach preserves
• Splash of heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. Using a mixer, cream the butter until light.
2. Slowly add powdered sugar.
3. If mixture gets to thick, add a splash (add 1 tablespoon at a time) of whipping cream, until thick yet spreadable.
4. Add 1/2 cup peach preserves. Add the extra preserves if you prefer a more spreadable icing.

Notes:

* I like to have the icing a bit on the thick side before spreading, so the cake is less likely to slip when layering.

* I used peach preserves because I had them on hand – use what ya gots! I imagine any preserves would work.

* Heavy whipping cream lends a mouth feel of velvety smoothness (along with the butter!). Don’t skimp.

* Recipe can be doubled.

As far as homemade cake recipes made from scratch go, this one is a keeper and will be in my rotation.

Honestly, I can’t believe I had never heard of the 1-2-3-4 cake before: it’s so common!

Yer turn!

Get to baking!

Printable recipes below:

Continue to Content

The Best 1-2-3-4 Cake Recipe You'll Ever Make

Yield: 1 2-layer cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Cool Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

1-2-3-4 cake uses common ingredients to make uncommonly delicious cake.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup of salted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
2. Grease two 9-inch cake pans.
3. In a bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
4. Cream butter, using a mixer, until light and fluffy.
5. Slowly add sugar and continue to mix well for 6 to 8 minutes.
6. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
7. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
8. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed.
9. Divide batter equally among prepared pans.
10. Once batter is in cake pans, slightly bang pans onto counter, to release air bubbles.
11. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from the middle of cake.
12. Cool in pans 5 for minutes.
13. Invert cakes onto cooling racks.
14. Cool completely before frosting.

Notes

* Before inverting cake pan to release cake, you can take a butter knife and insert it between the cake and the pan, then run it around the entire circumference of the cake. This will help release any bits of cake that might be sticking to pan.

* You can use three 8-inch pans instead of the two 9-inch pans.

* The recipe also doubles as an easy bundt cake recipe. Simply substitute a bundt pan for cake pans.

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 servings Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 313Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 208mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 1gSugar: 26gProtein: 5g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Continue to Content

Buttercream Frosting with Peach Preserves

Yield: enough to frost and fill a two-layer cake

Prep Time : 5 minutes

Mix Time : 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Light and fluffy buttercream frosting with a hint of peaches.

Print

Ingredients

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup buttered, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup of peach preserves
• Splash of heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. Using a mixer, cream the butter until light.
2. Slowly add powdered sugar.
3. If mixture gets to thick, add a splash (add 1 tablespoon at a time) of whipping cream, until thick yet spreadable.
4. Add 1/2 cup peach preserves. Add the extra preserves if you prefer a more spreadable icing.

Notes

* this recipe is enuogh to frost and fill a two-layer cake.

* I like to have the icing a bit on the thick side before spreading, so the cake is less likely to slip when layering.

* I used peach preserves because I had them on hand - use what ya gots! I imagine any preserves would work.

* Heavy whipping cream lends a mouth feel of velvety smoothness (along with the butter!). Don't skimp.

* Recipe can be doubled.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Round Cake Stand 11" Cake Display Stand Dessert Cupcake Display Tray for Graduation,Wedding,Birthday,Party,Anniversary,Ceremony(1Pack, White)
• 
  KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red
• 
  Cake Decorating Angled Icing Spatula Set of 6 8 & 10 Inch Wooden Handle Stainless Steel Offset Frosting Spatulas

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 frosted slices of cake Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 131Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 0gSugar: 31gProtein: 0g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Original post: October 10, 2019 ~  Updated post: January 13, 2024

As you can see for the photos, this is a cake you can serve for all occasions. It holds up well, and is delicious.

If You Liked This Post, Here Are A Few More That Will Interest You:

The Best Cake Filling You’ll Ever Make

Look at this cake filling! I’ll be honest: many a spoonful has made it into mah mouth and not between cake layers! 

Definitely consider this filling between layers of the 1 2 3 4 Cake!

Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake

Seriously…THIS sheet cake. The. BEST.

Go. Make. Nom.

Manhattan CheeseCake

This is THE cheesecake you want to make for every special occasion (one of Boy’s most requested birthday cakes!). It’s fancy. It’s spectacular. It’s not too hard to make. It’s divinely delicious.

Trust.

Thank you for reading!

Time to start baking. No matter which cake (or filling!) you decide to make – it’s all yum!

But maybe start with the 1234 cake!

Seriously, this is the best 1-2-3-4 cake recipe you’ll ever make!

Share It!