Basic butter cake
Posted in cake/ muffin, Chinese, Featured Articles, snacks, Vegetarian, Western
Butter cake is the first cake I learnt to bake during my high school years. It was also the easiest and fastest cake to bake that I know of at that time. I still remember that I would wait till my mother took her afternoon nap to do the baking as it was the best time to “invade” her kitchen. By the time she woke up, there would be no traces of mess I created and the cake was already inside the oven. 
. From what I can recall, none of the butter cakes I baked came close to my expectation. Somehow, somewhere, something would surely go wrong. Nevertheless, I still love baking this cake over and over again whenever I had the urge to do baking. Maybe it was the baking process that I enjoyed the most. Since I left home (for both studies and work), I had no opportunity to bake this butter cake anymore.
A couple of years ago, I came to know that my mother-in-law was a big fan for butter cake. I promised myself that I would bake one for her if I got an oven and the right baking utensils. Time passed and nothing was done. Promise still remains a promise. During her recent stay with us last month, I made good my promise and baked this cake for her. It may not be the best butter cake in town, but she loved it so much. Now I can happily strike off this long outstanding item from my to-bake list.
This recipe was adapted from Agnes Chan’s cookbook (蓝赛珍，轻轻松松学烘焙）which provides photos showing detailed step-by-step procedures in baking this cake. I find it very helpful as it makes my baking much more easier. However, in my first attempt, although the texture was soft, the cake turned out to be a little bit dry. As for its taste, it came out slightly plain as I used unsalted butter and omitted the salt during the process. As what I read from the internet, self-raising flour contained salt. So I suspected the shortage of salt could be the main cause of these two problems.
On my second attempt, I added a bit of salt and reduced the amount of flour used. I also paid extra attention to the mixing and baking process. This time the end product turned out to be very soft and moist. It also got the buttery smell, and yet did not give one a heavy feeling when eaten. However, it tasted slightly sweeter to my liking. What completely surprised me was the feedback I got from my friend whom I gave half of my loaf, as I did in my first attempt. She told me that both her daughters finished the cake in split seconds leaving only one slice for her to taste. Although the cake done in second attempt was sweeter, they found the taste as simply fantastic and suited their taste buds as well. Besides them, my family also enjoyed eating this cake. But I will not consider it as “The Ultimate” butter cake. (Am I setting the bar for my expectation far too high? 
). It doesn’t matter anyway as it is still the “best” recipe I had tried and tested so far, and much better compared to the ones I had baked during my high school days.
Well, I shall leave it to you to be the judge of this recipe. Meanwhile, I will continue to “fine tune” it to get closer to my expectation of “The Ultimate” butter cake. So, what’s your favourite butter cake recipe? Please share with me! I love to hear from you.
To all the mothers (including myself) and mother-to-be out there, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! 
Who had tried and tested my recipe?
- Rasa Malaysia
- Diary of Faithy, The Baker
- Taste of Home
- Kurious, Kitteh, Kooks!
>>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for Basic Butter Cake recipe and step-by-step photos…………………..
145 Comments
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Hi dear,
Thanks for the butter cake recipe. I had try out immediately after reading ur recipe. I had followed step by step, however, it not as what i expected. The cake taste good but it doesn’t rise, when it came out from oven, it’s look amazing, but it sink once it cool down, what happen? My fren told me u have to beat the batter longer in order for it to rise, true? Please advise as i would like to try to make it again.
Jee Felicia: Thanks for your kind feedback. If your cake didn’t rise and sank after removing from the oven, then it may be due to underbeating of mixture as what suggested by your friend. Other reasons can be due to the size of cake tin you use (too large) and the position you placed your cake during baking. Did you take a photo of your butter cake? Send me one to take a look if possible. Thanks!!
Hi there,
Is there a way to derive a lemon butter cake out of this basic butter cake recipe? Reason I ask is because I have loved lemon flavor but could not find a good recipe for it?
BC: I haven’t tried to modify this recipe for lemon flavour. So sorry that I can’t help much.
hello.. sorry i have alot of questions.. ;p
for this cake, can i bake it in a loaf tin? and can i add dried mixed fruits and it’ll become like the fruit cake we see in many cake shops? i feel like baking one myself as i find those outside ones very sweet. thanks!
Kelly: Don’t worry. That’s nothing wrong for asking questions. Tell you a secret, I love to ask questions too.
. I haven’t tried using a loaf tin but it sounds possible to me. Perhaps you can do a google search to find out how to get the best size of loaf tin for this recipe. As for the addition of mixed fruits, I do not recommend it as the mixed fruits may create extra loads to the whole batter and not produce the best results as per the original recipe. 
Thanks for the recipe! It turn out fine, except for bumps on the surface. Could be the way I pour in the mixture into the baking tin.
Greenedge: You’re welcome!! So sorry, I can’t visualise how your cake looks like based on your comment. Is it only one or many?
Hi
your buttercake looks yummy, basic is always e best.. will try out e recipe..
I love to eat buttercake, but those sold at bakery are not rich enough in taste & are so expensive.. when my hubby found out, he told me my mother-in-law had a simple & nice recipe so he got e recipe from her.. Since then, it has been always on my bakelist when im in e mood for baking.. Hubby will request for me to bake as well.. in return for e recipe, whenever i bake, i will bring some for my MIL & e family doggy who love to eat cake…
Jolene: Thanks for your sweet comment. I’m sure your mother-in-law’s butter cake is very delicious too. Hope my recipe will meet your expectation.
Hi Dear, I was looking for a basic butter cake recipe,and luckily found your detailed recipe.thanks a lot, it came out so well and I was very pleased and all enjoyed.
Anne: It’s great to receive such a wonderful comment. Thanks for sharing your feedback.
The first time I tried out the butter cake it turned out very well and yesterday I attempted to do it again but it turned out that it is wet inside and the cake also sink. May I have your advice what went wrong in my second attempt? I followed the same step as the first attempt. Thanks
Hui: Assuming you had followed all the steps correctly, it could be the temperature of your oven. For preheating, try 15 minutes. Make sure the gap between the preheating and the actual baking is not too long. Another reason could be the cake was not cooked long enough. Let me know if you have further queries.
thanks for your advise. I try the third time n the result is the same as the second time
. I bake for nearly 2 hrs and it is still not fluffy inside but clump together. It is definitely cook but inside not fluffly. Could you kindly advise what’s wrong? Thanks
Hui: Sorry to hear about your current outcome. May I know what type of oven (and the brand name) do you have? Do you face the same problem when baking other things eg muffins? Do you mind to me send me a photo of your cake? It’s very different for me to troubleshoot based on the information you provide.
Hiya! I’d been baking cupcakes using all kinds of recipe. Butter I used is Anchor or SCS. All Failed. I can’t figure put the reason why. Finally when I used your recipe it turns out Puuurfect! Would u like to see the photo? Btw, I made cuppy n a loaf too with the same mixture to try it out. It works!! Thank you so much for posting!
Sharol: It’s my pleasure to share! Wow! That’s really a great achievement for you! I’m so glad to hear that. Instead of sending me the photo, can you share it in my fan page in Facebook so other readers can also admire your perfect cake.
Sure sure. But firstly gotta search the link to your Facebook page. Is it by clicking the F page on top here?
Sharol: Yup, you are right! Or else, just use this link: https://www.facebook.com/FoodForToddlers. See you there!
hi hi, the cake tastes good but mine kind of “rise” at the center. is it because of the oven heat?
Jo: How significant is the “rise”? It’s quite common for cake to have a normal rise. I had included a tip on how to level your cake at note (5). Give it a try!
hi I tried your butter cake recipe, it was turn out great ! I was so happy and my kids all enjoyed , thank you for sharing .
Chai: Thanks for your kind feedback! So glad that it suits your kids’ palate. It’s always my pleasure to share.
[...] am pleased with it, but it’s a tad dry. I love my butter cake really buttery. So, when I read this post on Food-4Tots, I knew that I had to give the recipe a try. It was adapted from a Chinese baking [...]
Hi! Thanks for the recipe, I baked this twice and it taste great! However, the top of my cake crack at both attempts
I baked at 180 degree for 45 minutes. Could you please advise how to prevent the cracking? Thanks!
Winnie: Thanks for your kind feedback. How serious is your crack? Did you follow all the steps and use the same size of tin? Different oven has different temperature setting. Which model are you using now? Here is a link on what can go wrong in baking – http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/baking/what-went-wrong.html. Hope it helps!
Hey! Thanks for ur reply
Sorry, my tin size is smaller… I used a 18cm square tin. I am using Techno electric oven TEO3400. Placed my tin at middle rack. So do u think it’s my tin size that cause the crack? The crack is not very serous, it’s just on the center top part of the cake, where it peaks.
Winnie: Since your baking tin is 4cm shorter than the required size, then your batter will be thicker. Thus, I suspect that the surface is closer to the heat source which may lead to a crack. Btw, was your cake fully cooked as your cake is thicker and only baked at 180°C for 45 minutes?
And thanks for the link
It’s very informative!
Winnie: You’re always welcome!
Hi! My 1st try was ok, cake was cooked well. For my 2nd try, a small part was not fully cooked, it was at the peak where it cracked
Could I trouble u to advise if I can adjust this recipe for my 18cm tin? Thanks.
Winnie: So sorry, I do not know how to adjust the recipe to your cake tin. However, you can consider using other type of cake tin with the help of this article called “cake pan size conversions” – http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/cake-pan-size-conversions/detail.aspx. Hope it helps!
Appreciate it, thank u!
Winnie: You’re most welcome!
Hi there, thanks so much for your recipe. I tried it yesterday and it turned out perfectly fine. This is the best butter cake I have ever baked. However, here is the only difference I made:
Instead of 4 tbsp of fresh milk, I put in 3 tbsp of fresh milk and 1 tbsp of Vodka ;o).
For those who failed, I would like to encourage you to try again because this recipe quantity is perfect.
Oh… omit salt if you are using salted butter ;o).
Happy trying to all!
Felicia
Felicia: Thanks a lot for your kind feedback and words of encouragement to others. So happy that it turned out perfectly fine for you!
Hi there, I have a big family and would like to know if I can double the ingredients to get a bigger cake? Will it affect the texture of the cake? Pls advise, tq.
Charlene: I haven’t tried to double the amount for this recipe. Thus, I can’t advice you on that. So sorry about that.
I would like yr recipe for the basic butter cake.
Tks.
Patricia: Happy trying!
where is the recipie?
Chloe: You can find the recipe when you click on the no. 2 at the beginning or the end of the post. Alternatively, try this link: http://food-4tots.com/2010/05/06/basic-butter-cake/2/. Happy trying!