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| Butter Cake |
INGREDIENTS
- 200g soft unsalted butter
- 215g sugar
- 10 large egg yolks (use 70g size eggs)
- 230g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 160ml buttermilk (or use ordinary milk)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
METHOD
Pre-heat your oven (150c for a fan-forced oven, 175c for a conventional oven) and prepare your cake tin: Grease the tin with soft butter then shake 1-2 tablespoons of flour over the inside of the tin then shake out excess flour. Alternatively grease the cake tin and cut out baking paper to fit the bottom of the tin.
Beat your butter and sugar using electric beaters until the butter and sugar is light and fluffy (about 10 mins). The butter and sugar mix will change colour during this process and will have incorporated lots of air, increasing in volume.
Add eggs yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pause your beating once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure all the creamed butter and sugar is incorporated into the mix.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Add vanilla extract to buttermilk or milk.
On low speed, add 1/3 of the flour to the mix. When it has been incorporated add half the buttermilk mixture and beat. Repeat until you have 1/3 of the flour left. Turn off the beaters and mix the last of the flour into the batter by hand using a spatula.
Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and gently smooth the top. The mix will make two 6 inch cakes or one large cake. Bake two small cakes for 35-40 minutes, a large cake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Set your oven's alarm for the correct time.
Avoid opening the oven door in the early stages of baking. The finished cake should be golden brown with the edges coming away from the tin. The top of the cake should be springy to the touch. Take a skewer and test the middle of the cake – if the skewer comes out sticky, give the cake a little more time in the oven. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready.
Remove the cake from the oven and rest in the tin for 10 minutes to allow the cake to set. Run a knife around the edge of the cake then turn it out of the tin onto a cake rack and cool. Remove baking paper if using. When completely cold, ice and fill as desired.
