Everyday Snacking Cake

This is probably the recipe that I’ve tested the most times in the last year. I think I baked these little snacking cakes six times, all with varying levels of success, before I finally figured out what I was doing wrong and fixed it! The final cakes though are worth the testing! They are perfectly dense but at the same time light. They have a crackling sugar crust, but aren’t too sweet.

There are some interesting ingredients in the cakes as well, like olive oil, orange zest, and buttermilk, but they all serve a delicious purpose and even though I’ve made this cake MANY times over the last few weeks, I’ll be making it again soon.

It’s just that good and the perfect afternoon or after-school snack.

An engineer solves my cake problem

The reason I tested this cake so many times is that I couldn’t get it to work. The original recipe for this cake, written by the wonderful Sarah Kieffer, called for a 9×9 pan. Silly me only had an 8×8 pan, but I figured it was close enough and tried it many times.

I mentioned my struggles with this recipe to my engineer friend who pointed out that the difference between a 9×9 and 8×8 pan is a third based on volume. It’s true! 81 sq. inches versus 64 square inches. So if you are downgrading the pan, you need to only use 2/3 of the original recipe.

This was kind of baffling to me, but it turned out to be correct. When adjusted the ingredient amounts, the cake turned out perfect!

What is a snacking cake?

I’m not sure if a snacking cake has an exact definition, but generally I think of it almost like a coffee cake. It shouldn’t be too sweet or have a thick frosting. This one doesn’t have any glaze or frosting at all.

Snacking cakes should be low-fuss and easy to stir together and also great with tea or coffee.

Ingredients for this snacking cake

This recipe for afternoon snacking cake has some interesting ingredients above and beyond what you would find in a normal cake (flour, eggs, butter, etc.)

• Olive oil. If you make this cake as many times as I have, it actually gets a bit expensive due to the olive oil.
• Buttermilk. A great addition that keeps the cake really moist.
• Orange zest. My favorite flavor in this cake. It has bright orange flavor.
• Triple sec. This compliments the orange nicely, but you could leave it out if you don’t have any.
• Vanilla. Great as always in a cake.

Tips for making this cake

Here are some easy tips for making this snacking cake.

• Sarah always recommends making sure your ingredients are at room temperature. This does help if you have the time, but I’ve also skipped that step with fine results.
• Add your flour last to the cake and fold it in with a spatula to prevent overworking the flour and developing too much gluten.
• Bake the cakes in a pan that has been greased and lined with parchment paper for easy removal.
• This cake is better slightly overbaked than underbaked in my opinion. It’s not like brownies!

Storing this cake for later

I found that these snacking cakes kept just fine for a few days on the counter in an air-tight container, and they most likely won’t last longer than that. If you do intend to keep them for longer than 2-3 days, I would store them in the fridge.

I didn’t try freezing them, but generally cakes like this freeze pretty decently if you wrap them tightly in plastic wrap.

Try these cakes out! These are the perfect little after-school snack!

Here are a few other great recipes to try!

• Bacon Stuffed Griddle Cakes
• Copycat Bitchin’ Sauce
• Carrot and Beet Cake
• Golden Beet Coffee Cake
• No Bake Peanut Butter Energy Balls