Maple Cake from Scratch

Do you love an easy “from scratch” dessert? Made with fresh ingredients, this maple cake recipe is perfect for family dinners, potlucks, or after-school snacks.

I love baking from scratch. Even though I take a lot of shortcuts when cooking or baking, and many of my recipes are semi-homemade, a dessert like this maple cake is so easy that there is no need to take shortcuts. The ingredients are fresh, the measuring is quick, and the end result is delicious!

Why This Recipe Works

This cake is easy to make, goes together quickly, and tastes like a delicious pancake!

Ingredient Notes

• Butter, sugar, maple syrup, and sour cream are the stars of this show. Along with flour, salt, and leavening, all the ingredients combine easily to make a beautiful and creamy cake batter.
• Any kind of pure maple syrup can be used. Dark, light, or whatever you have on hand. Avoid pancake syrup, and opt for the pure version.
• Greek yogurt can be substituted for the sour cream.

How to Make

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer. or a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, put the softened butter, sugar, and maple syrup.
• Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until fluffy (about 5 min.)
• Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well and scraping sides of the bowl.
• Add dry ingredients in 3 batches to the butter/sugar mixture, alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
• Combine well, and scrape the bowl after each addition.
• Put batter in a prepared 8 x 8 baking pan.
• Bake 40 to 45 minutes until a knife or toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• To serve: Dust with powdered sugar or add a dollop of whipped cream to each piece.

Tips For Yummy Cake

• This is a hearty and thick one layer cake. If you prefer a thinner cake, it can be baked in a 9 x 9 inch pan.
• If baked in a 9 x 9 inch pan, you can easily slice the cake into 12 small pieces.
• This maple cake recipe is very forgiving. If you get the steps out of order, the cake will still be delicious!

TOPPING Variations

• A light sprinkling of powdered sugar (our personal favorite.)
• Whipped cream or Cool Whip added to each piece before serving.
• A sugar maple glaze: combine about 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Add a tiny bit of milk and stir until the glaze reaches your desired consistency. Drizzle it over the cooled cake.