It’s not often that the entire family has the same craving at the very same time, but occasionally it happens.
The dinner conversation started innocently enough. “Best dessert you’ve ever had. Go!”
“Mom’s Chocolate Mousse.”
“The triple layer chocolate cake from the Daily Grill.”
“Lemon bars.”
“Pastelitos de guayaba. Duh.”
“No. Wait! Remember the warm butter cake from California Pizza Kitchen?”
That’s where the conversation abruptly ended. We all agreed that yes, the Butter Cake we had had at CPK was the best thing any of us had ever tasted. I actually had a childhood cake experience that came quite close, but that’s not important right now.
The conversation eventually turned to: “Mom, you should make it.”
And so it was that I went on a hunt for the Best Butter Cake Recipe. It turns out that CPK is not forthcoming with their recipe and that lots of people try to replicate it with varying degrees of success. And truly, there are a lot of good butter cake recipes out there. I finally found one that made me happy in my mom’s old Cocina Al Minuto Cookbook. (Go figure.)
It’s called “Cake Coriente.” Or, Basic Cake. (Umm…no. It’s kind of fantastic. Nothing basic about it.)
So I tweaked Nitza’s recipe a bit and played with the cream cheese topping. The key to the cream cheese filling is that it needs to give it the sufficient gooeyness this particular butter cake requires.
I was going to make the cake in individual ramekins, but I stumbled upon these cool mini (5 inch) springform pans at Target (here’s the link) from Wilton that made me very happy. And since I was adding the cream cheese, I thought the cakes might go all cheesecake on me, so I decided these were a good choice.
Warm Cuban Butter Cake Recipe
Cake Batter (makes 4 – 5 inch cakes)
Start with all the ingredients at room temperature (including the eggs). If any of them are too cold, the batter and the cream cheese layer won’t set up correctly.
- 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Layer
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.
1) Spray 4 mini springform pans (or ramekins) with baking spray or butter.
Prepare the cake batter as follows:
2) In a stand mixer cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar for 1-2 minutes.
3) Add eggs one at a time and beat on low for 20 seconds after each addition.
4) Whisk flour and salt, then add to creamed mixture. Beat on low until just incorporated, making sure not to over beat.
5) Add the vanilla.
Prepare the cream cheese layer as follows:
1) In a small bowl whip together cream cheese and granulated sugar until creamed, add egg and vanilla extract.
2) Pour cake batter into prepared springform pans then top with a layer of the cream cheese mixture. Bake for 60 – 75 minutes at 325 degrees (F), or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cakes.
You can go ahead and make the cakes a day ahead and refrigerate. When ready to serve, microwave until hot (approximately 40 seconds). With a kitchen torch, you can brûlée the top and sides of the cake to caramelize the sugar crystals, but this is not necessary. The cakes will come out beautifully. I promise.
Optionally, you may want to drizzle with guava marmalade, which takes this dessert to another level, but that’s not important right now.
I think the very best part of this entire process for me was licking the beaters.
I swear, I haven’t done this for years. I may or may not have traveled back in time a bit.
Also, I promise you, there’s nothing “corriente” about this cake.
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I so want this…
Thank you Marta. What is the oven temperature?
Hi ,Really want to try this !! Should we bake at 350?
Louise,You do. You totally do.
xo
Hi irene,Sorry! In my haste to share I forgot to post. I’ve corrected it since then. 325.
Thanks for keeping me in line!
Besos,
Marta
Hi Lori,325. I added that to the recipe above.
But also go with how your oven is calibrated. Mine tends to run a little cool, but the 325 temp was perfect.
xo
Great recipe. If you are ever near a mastros steak house order the butter cake. I love your blog. As an honorary Cuban I get my recipes from here rather than bother my best friend mom.
I fell in love with the Mastros Butter Cake and am now obsessed with the one at CPK. I decided to try making it, so have been scouring the internet for a recipe. (At first I thought of trying Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Gateau Breton or Martha Stewart’s Breton Butter Cake – but realized they are not gooey enough – because no cream cheese layer, right?) Just wanted to say that I enjoyed your post and look forward to trying this recipe tomorrow – I’ll let you know how I do! Going to try find those mini Springforms at Target. Thanks for the tip.
Hi, I’m just following up with your last post. Just wanted to know how your cake turned out and if it came out similar to the one at CPK. Let me know! Thanks!
The first time I made this recipe I goofed and only added 2 sticks of butter, plus I cooked in ramekins and the cakes ran all over the sides. Luckily I put the ramekins in a pan. They were still delicious. I am baking again with the correct amount of butter and in the 5 in spring pans but the batter filled 6 pans (1/4 inch from top)! There is no way the amount of batter would fit into 4 pans (5 inch). Is anyone else finding with this?
Diana,It may not be clear, but I didn’t fill the springform pans to the top. Just to the line. Maybe that will help. xo
Oh my goodness, my second attempt was a giant mess again! They were cooking and about 50 mins into the time I checked and they had run all over the sides and into the pan and then the remaining batter had sunk and 1/2 remained in the spring pans. I removed from the oven and my husband and I started picking at the cookie like batter (which was delicious btw) and just couldn’t figure this out. I had my oven set on convection though. Could this be the problem? Maybe they are cooking too fast? I’m going to try this recipe one more time and use the regular oven setting. still the amount of batter I ended up with filled 6 of the spring pans. Thanks so much for your help Marta. I have also tried the Padilla and it’s wonderful :
Looks like a delicious cake! I need to get me a slice or two of that.
Hello, Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made it for my mom’s birthday, she’s from Cuba. I didn’t have small individual springform pans and ended up using a bundt cake pan instead. I baked until the toothpick came out clean. When I released the cake from the pan AND when the cake was sitting on a plate, butter was leaking out of it and collected around the base of the cake. The cake is delicious, but is the butter supposed to do that? Thank you! I also used the guava marmalade, she LOVED it!
Hope you had a fabulous birthday, will have to give this cak a try soon, thank you feliidades
Hi. I’m making this recipe tonight and used a big spring form ban instead of mini ones.
I have a question though, is there a reason there is I baking powder in this recipe?
Also, my cream cheese layer looks sunk in the middle, Amy thoughts? Maybe ingredients not at room temp enough?
Really appreciate a response back, thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
I’ve made this twice and both times I had to scoop my batter into pans, it was like thick icing. It also baked out and had melted butter all over the place. What am I not doing? Soften the butter more or cut it down?