Basic butter cake
6 May 2010 | 70 comments |
Posted in Chinese, Featured Articles, Vegetarian, Western, cake/ muffin, snacks
Posted in Chinese, Featured Articles, Vegetarian, Western, cake/ muffin, snacks
Pages: 1 2
RECIPE FOR BASIC BUTTER CAKE
Source: Adapted and modified from Agnes Chang’s Baking Make Easy (蓝赛珍，轻轻松松学烘焙）Make: 1 x 22cm square baking tin
Ingredients:
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g plain flour/ all purpose flour
2 tsp double action baking powder
180-200g castor sugar
4 eggs
½ tsp salt
4 tbsp fresh milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
Methods:
- Preheat oven to 180°C. (Best to preheat for 15 mins)
- Lightly grease a 22cm square baking tin with melted butter or oil and line it with grease-proof paper.
- Mix plain flour and baking powder together and sieve. Add in salt and mix well. Set aside.
- Use low speed to mix butter and sugar until well combined. Change to medium speed and beat until light and pale in yellow. (Note: Sugar has not dissolved yet).
- Add in the first egg. Beat well after each addition of egg until creamy.
- Scrape down the sides for even mixing.
- Add in vanilla essence and mix well.
- Divide flour into three portions, use lowest speed to mix in flour. Scrape down sides for even mixing.
- Finally, add milk bit by bit.
- Pour the mixture into the greased baking tin. Shake it lightly to distribute cake mixture evenly.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked. If a toothpick/skewer comes out clean, it is done.
- Remove it from the oven and leave the cake in the tin to cool on the wire rack for another 5 minutes.
- Best to serve warm.
Notes:
- When adding egg, use low speed to mix until well combined and then change to medium speed.
- If the eggs are added to the sugar-fat mixture too quickly, it will cause the mixture to curdle (or separate). If this happens, add 1-2 tbsp of plain flour and mix well.
- Break egg into a bowl before adding into the cake mixture. This is to prevent any spoil egg from ruining the whole cake mixture.
- If the cake turns brown too quickly, cover it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil towards the last 15 minutes.
- If you want to level your cake, place another cooling rack on top of the cake tin. Hold both the cooling racks tightly with the cake tin in between and turn it upside down. Press the center lightly and turn it back again.
- The baking time and oven temperatures vary depending on the types of oven, so use your own judgment to experiment.
Pages: 1 2
70 Comments
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I’m glad you kept your promise, the cake looks great, I love the step by step and the last pic where you leveled the cake, great tip
sweetlife
Sweetlife: Thanks for your kind words! Glad that you like the step by step and tip.
Your basic butter cake looks truly good. Basic is usually better.
Angie: Really appreciate your wonderful compliments. It means a lot to me. Tks!
I love butter cake. Let me tell you a secret – I like to dunk butter cake in a black tea..
Lee Mei (MCH): Oh….sounds interesting to me! I must give it a try if I made butter cake again.
Ooh yum butter cake! Sounds amazing!
A bowl of mush: Thanks! Something worth giving a try.
The first cake I baked was also this simple butter cake. It might be an entrance gate for every baker with some satisfactions.
Salt is the magic ingredient to bring out the real flavour of foods. It’s a must to sprinkle some salt in baking cakes.
I’d also like to mix in some cake flour into it, producing very soft and light texture.
Christine: Yeah, you’re right. A simple cake with lots of satisfaction. Thanks for your kind sharing. I will take note of it.
Butter cake is my family all time favourite! Love this version and all the step-by-step tutorial, very handy!
Alice: Thanks! Do try out the tip on how to level your cake and share with me the outcome.
This is my favorite, like the butter smell and how moist the cake is.
Little Inbox: Does this cake bring back your childhood memories?
Nothing beats basic. Basic butter cake, basic chocolate cake, basic everything is good.
That’s why I went basic for my own birthday cake! LOL. Lovely texture!
Ju (TLT): Yeah, you are right. Let’s get back to basic now! Thanks!
This butter cake looks delicious. The crumb is just perfect. I can see why your mom wanted so badly for you to make it for her! She must have been so happy.
Joanne: Thanks for your sweet words! Actually, my mother-in-law didn’t request for this cake. I just feel so bad that I never keep my promise. Yeah, she enjoyed eating my cake.
hehe I think you just made your mama really happy and proud of u! The cake looks fluffy and yummy =)
Noobcook: Yeah, I could sense her happiness even though she didn’t mention about it. Thanks!
Gorgeous butter cake. I think most of us when first venturing into the baking world would have done a butter cake as well .. I know I did. However some butter cakes don’t taste so nice but this one you’ve made looks absolutely moist. I would love to try out this recipe one day. Lovely pictures.
Jo: Thanks for your wonderful compliments!
Seriously the slices of cake looks great to me. This indeed is a nice recipe with much friendly details and notes.
TasteHongKong: You’re so kind with words! I’m so flattered!
Butter cake is my favorite, will try you recipe soon. For most the butter cakes i baked, the surface is cracked and become a slight dome shape, do you know why ? Yours look so nice and flat.
Hooi: The crack may be due to the baking temperature and the beating process. My cake had a dome shape too. To level your cake, you can refer to the tip I mentioned in page 2.
I’ve baked a few cakes but have never tried a butter cake before! This looks real good – esp the last pix. Well done!
The Sudden Cook: Time for a butter cake? LOL! Thanks for your kind comment.
I love butter cake too! Looks perfect!
Happy Mother’s Day to you
Anncoo: Thanks! Happy Mother’s Day to you too!
my 2-year old daughetr will love this!
blowing peachkisses
The Peach Kitchen
peach and things
Peachkin: My 5-year old boy loves it too. Hope your daughter will like my butter cake. Happy trying!
Hey, I’d be OVERDOSED WITH HAPPINESS with a simple, plain butter cake like this … Seriously! (Pss … Somehow, the butter cake also looks like Kasutera to me …)
I know, it does get onto my nerve with mom around as I’m messing the kitchen up … That’s why, having been able to taste what freedom is like … I’m dreaming of building my own nest — with a fully equipped kitchen someday! It’s nice to be independent.
But well … A HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to you!! Take a day off from working on that Big Day, yea? Hahaha!
Pei Lin: Thanks for your sweet words!! Hey, I think you’re right! I just noticed that. Hahaha! It’s good to be independent. That’s what I did. A fully equipped kitchen is also my wish too. Thanks for the wishes! Unfortunately it’s not possible to take a day off tomorrow as my hubby is away.
My mum loves butter cake. I had a butter cake for my wedding and I think she ate it all! Happy Mother’s Day!
Pigpigscorner: I think it must be the “sweetest” and “happiest” moment for her when enjoying your wedding cake. Thanks!
These look moist and soft!
I love to have them.
Dora: Thanks! Sure you can.
Lovely cake. “Happy Mother’s Day”.
FoOd PaRaDiSe: Thanks! “Happy Mother’s Day” to you too!
I wonder who can resist a good butter cake. My children will finish it in seconds too. Yours look very moist and delicious. I don;t eat very sweet so I usually cut down on the sugar.
Mary Moh: Thanks for your compliment. Actually I had cut down the sugar from 250g – 200g. Maybe I need to use 180g in my next attempt.
A basic entry cake? Ok. Just the one for me to make someday…
Tigerfish: A good one to bookmark if you’re interested in baking.
My beloved mom used to bake them to distribute for Chinese New Year our old electric oven.
The buttery aroma and the reach flavours still lingers in my memories.
Jason: I’m sure the butter cake made by her will be the “sweetest” and “priceless” in your memories now.
I made this today for Mother’s Day, and it was absolutely heavenly!
Thanks so much for sharing!
~Kurious Kitteh
Kurious Kitteh: Thanks for your kind feedback. Your comment is the best Mother’s Day gift for me this year.
[...] really felt the love today, and enjoyed time with your family. I made my mom a butter cake using this recipe (which I absolutely recommend. You need to make this RIGHT NOW.), and I don’t think [...]
Your cake reminds me of the cakes my granmother used to make for us; I love its simplicity and the photos showcase it beautifully.
Taste of Beirut: I think butter cake was very popular during the older generation. Thanks a lot for your compliments.
I am so glad to hear your kept your promise. This is a cake that sure brighten up the day for all mothers!
Ellie: Yeah, I will terribly bad for not keeping my promise. I’m glad I did it! Not only mothers, I think it will be a good one for this coming Father’s Day too!
Your butter cake sure looks moist and delicious. I like basic butter cake.
LCOM: Thanks! It’s also my family’s favourite.
Butter cake is one of those recipes that I keep searching for a better and better one, sort of like fried chicken.
I love butter cake and will try your recipe next week. It looks very moist and buttery, the one I have been using from Joy of Baking is a little dry, I love it super-duper buttery and oily!
Bee (RM): Yeah, it is not easy to find the “Ultimate” butter cake that suits our palate. Everyone has his/ her preference. Hope to get your feedback after trying out my recipe.
I made it already and loved it. It’s very very buttery and oily, which I love! I added some raisins, too. This recipe is definitely better than that ones I was using from Joy of Baking.
I will make them again and will take pictures next time and link to you!
Bee (RM): That was great! Thanks for being the judge of this recipe. Glad you loved it. Can’t wait to see your post. Thanks in advance for the link back.
Your cake looks excellent! And I love that all the ingredients are things you’ll usually find at home. Love love recipes like that =) I just made a choc cake like that too.. didn’t have to make an extra trip to the supermarket yay!
Clare (Mrs Multitasker): Thanks for your sweet comment. Just check your blog. Your choc cake looks divine! I got to try it out one day.
My first attempt is an orange cake and it turned out quite moist. On the last mixing, I use hand instead of machine to prevent over-mixed. I guess thats why you said it’s dry..
Evelyn: Maybe you’re right. I will take note of that in my next attempt. Thanks for your kind sharing.
I followed your recipe step by step and just polished off my third piece with my 3 year old! Thankyou for the recipe! The cake turned out perfectly!! (hmm.. how are we going to fit in dinner?!)
Dominique: Thanks for your kind feedback. So happy that this recipe turned out perfectly and suited your palate.
[...] and 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 [...]
May I use butter instead of unsalted one? If yes, how much salt should I use? Thanks in advance.
Tats: Yes, you can try butter provided it is salted (please read the label). If so, then no salt is needed. As different brand uses different amount of salt, the taste may vary. Hope it helps and happy trying!
The Very first cake I made as a child (@ all of 7 yrs old and completely from scratch) was Betty Crocker’s Bonnie Butter Cake (I kind of liked the name:) It turned out beautifully! from then on I always go back to that cake, as I still have the original cookbook. We didn’t have butter in the house very often so I usually used margarine and I tend to like it better that way – more buttery flavor…who knew?
Bonnie: Wow! You’re really a talented chef! Yeah, margarine was used by my family too when I was a child. The margarine smell brings back lots of fond memories to me.