Recipes
Reese Witherspoon’s Sour Cream Cake
This recipe used by Reese Witherspoon is for a deliciously soft and sweet cake that’s perfect for any celebration.
Reese Witherspoon’s Sour Cream Cake. PHOTO: Stock image
Reese Witherspoon really shines when she brings her Southern charm into the kitchen, especially with a Sour Cream Cake recipe that’s been in her family for generations. Taught by her grandmother, Dorothea Draper, this cake is a sweet slice of her heritage.
It’s so good that her friend Candace Nelson, who started Sprinkles Bakery, featured it in her cookbook.
This recipe for a deliciously soft and sweet cake is perfect for any celebration. It features a rich vanilla batter paired with a uniquely textured brown sugar frosting that hardens to a perfect finish.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Servings: 8-10 people
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) for the cake, more for greasing, and 1/2 cup (1 stick) for the frosting
- Cake flour: 3 cups, plus more for flouring the pans
- Baking soda: 1/2 teaspoon
- Baking powder: 1/2 teaspoon
- Fine sea salt: 1/2 teaspoon
- Full-fat sour cream: 1 1/4 cups
- Pure vanilla extract: 4 teaspoons for the cake, 1 teaspoon for the frosting
- Sugar: 2 cups
- Large eggs: 6
- Dark brown sugar: 1/2 cup, lightly packed
- Heavy cream: 1/2 cup, plus more if necessary
- Confectioners’ sugar: 3 3/4 cups, sifted
Directions
STEP 1
Prepare Pans:
Start by buttering your two 9-inch cake pans. Cut parchment paper circles to line the bottoms, butter again, and then flour both pans.
STEP 2
Mix Dry Ingredients:
Sift together the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate small bowl, combine the vanilla and sour cream.
STEP 3
Cream Butter and Sugar:
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and smooth. Slowly add each egg, mixing well after each addition.
STEP 4
Combine Mixtures:
Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, followed by half of the sour cream mixture. Add another third of the flour mixture, the remaining sour cream, and finally the remaining flour mixture. Mix until the batter is smooth with no streaks.
STEP 5
Bake:
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake at 350°F for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cakes cool completely before removing from pans.
STEP 6
Make Frosting:
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cream, and bring to a boil. Pour into a mixing bowl and beat with confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until it reaches the right consistency. If the frosting is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of cream.
STEP 7
Assemble Cake:
Place about ¾ cup of frosting on one cake layer. Stack the second layer on top. Quickly frost the top and sides of the cake using a knife or spatula.
Enjoy your beautifully layered and frosted cake, perfect for any special occasion!
A slice of Reese Witherspoon’s Sour Cream Cake. PHOTO: Stock image