Copycat Butter Cake - Cookies and Cups

By: Shelly
Posted: May 6, 2025

This insanely moist Copycat Butter Cake Recipe is a dupe for the Crumbl Butter Cake and the warm butter cake at California Pizza Kitchen. I have had both (many times) and find they are VERY similar in texture and flavor. So if you enjoy either of those, or just love a warm butter cake, you will LOVE this easy recipe!

Ice cream melting on a copycat California pizza kitchen butter cake served on a white plate

Why You’ll Love This Copycat Butter Cake

EASY! This butter cake recipe has minimal ingredients and is simple to make. This is the perfect recipe for beginning bakers who really want to impress.
A DUPE! Like the name suggests this is a “copycat” recipe inspired by both the California Pizza Kitchen Butter Cake as well as the Butter Cake that Crumbl has on their menu every few weeks. They are both dense and moist, served warm with ice cream, or at Crumbl they serve it with a scoop of whipped frosting on top!
ADAPTABLE! This cake (after it cools) has a very similar texture to an insanely moist pound cake. It is the perfect cake to use for Strawberry Shortcake, drizzled with honey, dusted with powdered sugar, or with whipped cream and assorted berries.

Visual of the ingredients needed for this butter cake recipe

Butter Cake Ingredients

This cake recipe has minimal ingredients which is part of the appeal. You might even have everything in your kitchen right now, which is too tempting! As always remember to scroll to the bottom of the post to the recipe card with the full list of ingredients and instructions!

Butter. I use salted butter in this recipe. It is a very simple recipe so you want to add as much flavor as you can to enhance the minimal ingredient list! I find that using salted butter prevents the cake from being bland.
Granulated sugar. You will use some in the cake batter, but then also some to coat the pan, creating a slightly crispy crust on the baked cake. It’s delicious!
Baking powder & salt. Both of these ingredients are standard in most cake recipes. The baking powder aids in the cake rising, and the salt creates a flavor base. If you use unsalted butter you don’t need to increase the amount of additional salt.
Vanilla extract. You can also use vanilla bean paste in this recipe OR a combination of vanilla and almond extract. I prefer to keep it simple with all vanilla, but when I have tested it with the almond extract it’s also very good. It gives it more of a “wedding cake” flavor.
Eggs. I use large sized eggs in this recipe. You add them one at a time into the batter and mix thoroughly in between each addition.
Buttermilk. The buttermilk in this recipe gives the cake a very tender crumb. It’s a texture-maker! If you don’t happen to have buttermilk in your refrigerator, you can check out my recipe for How To Make Homemade Buttermilk . It’s VERY easy and a perfect solution!
Flour. I simply use plain all purpose flour in this recipe!

An individual butter cake on a white plate topped with vanilla ice cream and a bite taken out showing the tender inside

Tips When Making This Copycat Crumbl Butter Cake

Use all room temperature ingredients. This is almost always best practice when baking, because it ensures that your cake (or whatever you’re baking) will bake evenly!
Can be made ahead or right before serving. The beauty of this cake is that is is meant to be served warm, so you don’t have to worry too much about it cooling down before enjoying! If you do make it in advance, heat the cake in the microwave before serving! Or certainly you can enjoy it at room temperature.
Don’t over-mix! Once you have the flour and the buttermilk mixed in to create the batter don’t keep mixing. The tenderness of this cake is part of it’s charm, and overmixing will produce a very dense cake!

Butter cake baked in white ramekins on a wire rack to cool — Baked in 6 ounce ramekins

Bake This Two Ways

I have worked with this recipe to be enjoyed as individual servings like they do at California Pizza Kitchen and Crumbl, or as a whole cake to be sliced and served which makes it extra easy to prep if you don’t have ramekins.

As single servings, prepare the recipe as directed and prep individual ramekins with nonstick spray and small parchment rounds. Coat the ramekins with granulated sugar and then fill them 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the center is set and a toothpick comes out clean.
For one single cake prepare a 9- inch round pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper. Coat the entire pan with a few tablespoons of granulated sugar and then fill the pan with the cake batter. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center of the cake is set and a toothpick comes out clean.

A warm baked cpk butter cake on a white plate

How To Serve Butter Cake

The fun part of this copycat butter cake recipe is that it can be enjoyed many ways. Here is some inspiration:

With vanilla ice cream. This is my favorite way to enjoy this cake when it’s warm. The ice cream melts and creates the most gooey, buttery cake experience ever!
On it’s own. If you bake a whole cake, enjoy a slice of this at room temperature with a cup of coffee for breakfast. You won’t be disappointed.
With whipped cream and berries. Whether you make this as single servings or as a sliced cake, you can serve it with fresh whipped cream and berries, like strawberries for an insanely delicious Strawberry shortcake!

A large single layer butter cake topped with vanilla ice cream on a white plate

Storage Instructions

Store this cake airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze this cake in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Allow it to thaw at room temperature before serving or warming.

Description

This butter cake recipe is inspired by both the warm butter cake at California Pizza Kitchen as well as at Crumbl Cookie. It is moist, tender, and SO good topped with vanilla ice cream!

1 cup salted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for coating the pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract)
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375°. Coat a 9- inch round cake pan with nonstick spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper and spray again with nonstick spray. Sprinkle about 1 1/2 tablespoons of granulated sugar in the bottom of the pan evenly and around the sides of the pan. Set aside. (*see note for making individual cakes)
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and remaining 1 cup of the granulated sugar together on medium speed for 5 minutes. You want the butter to be super light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract, the baking powder, and the salt and mix for 30 seconds to incorporate.
Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl as necessary. Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour and the buttermilk in alternating additions beginning and ending with the flour until combined and smooth.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until the center is set and a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes

*To make individual portions use 6- ounce ramekins. Prepare each with cooking spray, a parchment round, and granulated sugar as directed above. Fill each 3/4 full (about 1/2 cup of batter). Bake for 25 minutes, or until the center is set.