Butter vs Oil – Which to Use in Moist Cake

Butter vs oil is a question I have in many sweet bakes. And maybe you too?

…And so I tested this fun debate in a cake (cupcake 🧁), which is a great application way to test in case you’re curious.

That I am.

…Plus I LOVE cake!

First off, it’s not difficult to make basic moist cake with 4 ingredients you may already have on hand in your refrigerator and pantry: flour, egg, milk, and a fat (…plus you want to add a rising agent and sweetner).

…Ah, but which fat to use?

My difference between butter and oil cake notes are below…

Btw, can you guess which is which?

…The muffin or cupcake (depending on your perspective) on the left is baked with butter, and the one on the right is baked with canola oil.

But that could have been any type of edible cooking oil, like healthy light olive oil. And it includes coconut oil (one of my fave oils to bake with).

Depending on what final effect you want to have on your cake, you will want to ask yourself and consider: should I use butter or oil?

Some things I tested with both were: taste (of course! 😋), size, and texture.

But all things are not created equal because butter has water.

Oil does not…. remember, the old comparison of oil and water don’t mix (as they’re opposites).

Because of this fact, butter will need less liquid in the final cake batter. Plus more flour for the butter batter to get a similar texture batter to the oil batter before baking.

For moist cake texture modification (for 1/4 cup butter or oil), you can use:

3/4 cup gluten/all purpose flour with butter (or 1 cup for oil)

3/4 cup milk of choice with butter (or 1/2 cup for oil)

And so… you can see a slight butter vs oil variation changes a recipe.

Where you have your choice of fat.

If you have both available, choose wisely!

…It’s a matter of preference (or what you have in your kitchen).

And if you can’t remember which to use, use the path of least resistance (aka easy) as your guide… that’s what I do!

Think of store-bought box cakes as a model in this case…

Most the box cake ingredients list adding (your) oil on the back of the box.

It yields a more consistent cake.

It’s also easier overall as most people have an oil bottle handy and ready to go, that’s sitting at room temperature in a cabinet.

Unlike butter, that needs to be creamed for a cake batter, but only when conditions are favorable.

Butter needs to be softened, which means it needs to be out at or warmed slightly in some way to room temperature.

…So the baker has to remember to bring out butter of the refrigerator in time (as an extra prep step). You can do this if you have a pep in your step!

…And that’s a BIG difference of butter vs oil that can delay a cake being made and baked. 😊

I know it would be for me as I don’t usually think to take out the butter and eggs in advance.

…And I bake a lot! So oil is more practical for that reason alone.

And for a taller final cake, oil turned out better in my simple test.

But before you determine oil as the winner for moist cake!… see the notes below (because you could change your mind 💭).

Size – Butter vs oil

For size, there’s a HUGE difference. The cupcake on the right is oil and the muffin looking one on the left is made from a batter with butter. They came from the same baking pan out of the oven (and only the slight modifications above).

Taste – Butter vs oil

Butter vs oil don’t make a big taste difference in a cake if you use a mild tasting oil.

In cookies, pastries, and other sweet bakes, butter vs. oil can and will make a big taste (and other) difference.

But for cake…  if you have both butter and oil on hand, think easy cupcake or easy cake! 🎂

Texture – Butter vs oil

So then, the other important question is about texture. You would think since an oil cake is taller, it would have a nicer texture.

And before it goes in the oven, the batter I made looks slightly different. The butter one on the left has more of the pretty “ribbon effect.” The oil one on the right reminds me of sourdough starter 😁

But out of the oven is what matters… AND surprise!

The cakes look similar, but the butter one on the left is slightly better with more of a pronounced crumb if that is important to you.

And as you saw above, the exterior (before you slice into) will look about the same except for height difference.

So if you want a homemade traditional cake, use butter. And for a southern cake, use butter 🧈

But for an easier, sky-high taller cake, use oil.

Modern, easy cakes = oil.

So there you have it!… butter vs oil in a cake.

I pick oil almost ever time, but there’s one other point to consider in my low-sugar baking world…

It you want to use a sweetener that’s not granulated or brown sugar, such as honey (that also I tested for this butter vs oil cake test)… butter and honey are a sweet pairing.

They go hand-in-hand in taste.

And if you’re using coconut milk (vs other milks) like I like to use, it goes well with oil in cakes.

Regular milks will be better with butter. They are slight preferences but the more you bake from scratch, the more you recognize them.

Happy baking! 🎉