Edna Lewis’s Busy Day Cake
Updated May 4, 2026
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
- Ready In
- 55 min
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
Unsalted butter, at room temperature, for the pan
All-purpose flour, for the pan
8 tablespoons/113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups/300 grams granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups/255 grams all-purpose flour, sifted
½ cup whole milk, at room temperature
4 teaspoons baking powder (see Tip)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal
Light grating of nutmeg
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour the bottom of an 8-by-8-inch cake pan.
- Step 2
In a large bowl, blend the butter and sugar by hand using a wooden spoon, until the color of the butter has lightened and the mixture is fluffy. This will take several minutes. Add in eggs one by one, mixing each in until it’s fully incorporated. Add in ½ cup of flour and ¼ cup of milk together and mix well. Repeat with another ½ cup flour and the remaining ¼ cup milk, incorporating well, then stir in the remaining 1 cup flour.
- Step 3
Add baking powder, vanilla, salt and nutmeg and mix well.
- Step 4
Spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted comes out clean.
- Step 5
Let cool slightly in the pan, about 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.
Edna Lewis famously advised against baking with commercial double-acting baking powder because she found the ones on the market in the 1970’s to have a "bitter aftertaste.” If you like, seek out non-aluminum double-acting baking powder (such as Bob’s Red Mill), or make your own: Combine 2 tablespoons cream of tartar with 1 tablespoon baking soda, and then measure out 4 teaspoons for the recipe and proceed as instructed.
Private Notes
Comments
I did it the usual way—blend dry and wet ingredients together in separate bowls, mix together in three stages using a wooden spoon. Then add melted and cooled butter last. And yes, reduce the sugar to one cup as per today’s preference. And then, i mix the dry ingredients for one extra cake since I have the ingredients out on the counter anyway, and put it in a canning jar in the cupboard, so this cake is already half made for the next time.
I've made this at least 50 times over the years. Don't forget the vanilla and nutmeg! Sometimes I lightly sprinkle turbinado or demerara sugar on the top before baking. The cake flavor goes nicely with blueberry compote also.
My mother always made a version of this "plain cake," and it was about the only cake we had, a favorite of us all. She served it with a hot sauce, made with powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and water. The old Betty Crocker cookbooks called it "dinette cake" or "one-egg cake."
This was just delightful. I followed the recipe exactly, and found the subtle flavors and delicate crumb unbeatable. And it lasted 5 days in a ziploc. Tomorrow I'll try substituting cardamom and fior di sicile for the nutmeg and vanilla, and serving it with the first sweet strawberries of the year.
My mother made this busy day cake for decades. She would let it cool, slice it in half horizontally, put layer of jam or jelly on the bottom half and replace the top half over the jelly, then generously dust the cake with powdered sugar. Delicious!
One of the best recipes in the NYT cookbook--astonishingly good. Made as described with strawberry rhubarb compote on the side. Would be wonderful drizzled with rosemary or lemon syrup, topped with ice creame or whipped cream and fruit; or plain and simple for breakfast or with tea. Can't wait to try it split, filled with thinned marmalade and served with a bit of cream poured over it.