Butter cake or butter cake is a type of cake whose manufacturing process is very easy, but the taste is very rich and fatty. As a result, this solid textured traditional cake is often served at various formal events such as weddings or birthdays. Butter cake is even delicious to eat as a friend to drink tea for you and your family in the afternoon, you know! Tired of plain butter cakes? Don't worry, one of the advantages of butter cake is that it is delicious combined with various fillings, garnishes, and frostings! Interested in making it? Check out the recipe below!
Ingredients
- 115 grams of unsalted butter, let stand at room temperature first until the texture softens
- 337.5 grams of sugar
- 3 large eggs, let stand at room temperature
- 337.5 grams of all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3½ tsp. baking powder
- 300 ml. full cream milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Step
Part 1 of 3: Making Butter Cake
Step 1. Prepare all the necessary materials
In addition to the ingredients listed in the recipe, you will also need some equipment to make cakes such as:
- Hand mixer or sit mixer
- 1 33x23 cm cake tin, 2 23 cm diameter cake tins, or 1 bundt pan
- Parchment paper (special paper for lining baking sheets, or parchment paper), oil, or butter
- Big bowl
- Spatula or large spoon
Step 2. Set the oven to 177°C and prepare the cake pan you will be using
While waiting for the oven to heat up, grease the pan with butter or oil (you can also spray it with cooking spray). After that, sprinkle the entire surface of the pan with a little flour.
In addition to greasing it with oil or butter, you can also line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Step 3. Beat sugar and butter
Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat the two ingredients with a mixer on low speed for 5-10 minutes.
- Once the sugar and butter are well combined, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the dough on high speed for the last 1-2 minutes.
- Mixing the butter and sugar into the cake mixture is effective in producing a light, soft, and hollow cake texture; mainly because this process is aimed at getting as much air into the dough as possible.
Step 4. Add the eggs
Beat the eggs in a separate bowl before mixing them into the mixture (the process of beating lightly helps prevent the eggs from clumping together in the mixture). Keep the mixer on low as you add the beaten eggs one at a time to the mixture.
- Make sure your eggs are room temperature, as warm eggs will not reduce the final volume of the cake.
- Process the dough until the eggs are well mixed, the color turns yellowish, and the texture is not lumpy.
Step 5. Put the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl
Process again with a mixer until all the dough is evenly mixed. Be careful not to process the dough too long or you don't want your cake to have a tough texture.
Step 6. Pour the milk and vanilla into the mixture
Re-process the dough on low speed for 30 seconds. If there are any unmixed ingredients in the bottom or sides of the bowl, use the help of a spoon to mix them into the mixture.
Turn the mixer on to high speed and continue to process the dough for 1-2 minutes
Step 7. Pour the batter into the cake pan
If you are making more than one cake, divide the dough evenly into the prepared pans. Use the help of a spoon to scoop out the remaining dough stuck to the bottom of the bowl.
Step 8. Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes
There are several methods you can use to test for cake doneness:
- Gently press the surface of the cake with your finger. If the surface of the cake feels bouncing when pressed, it's a sign that the cake is cooked
- Observe the edges of the cake. If the edge of the cake starts to come off the edge of the pan, it's a sign that the cake is done
- Pierce the center of the cake with a toothpick. If there is no dough sticking to it, it's a sign that the cake is cooked
Step 9. Let the cake sit at room temperature
Place the cake tin on the wire rack and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. After that, pull out the wire rack and transfer it to the surface of the pan. Very carefully, turn the pan over and transfer the cakes to a wire rack.
Let the cakes come to room temperature before adding frosting or storing them
Step 10. Add frosting or save the cake
If the cake is eating and serving soon, add filling, frosting, or other decorations at this point.
- If the cake will be finished within a week, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and store in a cool, dry place in your kitchen.
- If the cake will be stored for a long time (up to three months after making), wrap the cake tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer.
Part 2 of 3: Cake Decorating
Step 1. Serve the cakes with the vanilla cream frosting
In the world of baking, there are many different types of frosting, icing, and glaze that you can use to add deliciousness to your cake. But if you're a beginner, try practicing the most common and guaranteed delicious frosting recipe, vanilla cream frosting. Follow the steps below:
- Put 225 grams of softened butter (already let it sit at room temperature) in a large bowl. Using a mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- Gradually add 345-460 grams of powdered sugar to the butter mixture; The more sugar you use, the denser the frosting will be. Once all the sugar is in the bowl, process again at high speed for another 10 seconds.
- Add a pinch of salt and 2 tsp. vanilla. Process again until thoroughly mixed.
- Add 2-3 tbsp. milk or heavy cream until the frosting is to your liking.
Step 2. Try making a brown sugar frosting
Basically, you just need to add brown sugar to the basic frosting recipe. Trust me, the brown sugar will make the frosting even richer and tastier! Follow the steps below:
- Melt 6 tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Keep stirring until it turns brown and the surface is bubbly, about 4-6 minutes. Remove the pan from the stove and let the butter sit at room temperature.
- In a bowl, add melted butter, 345 grams of powdered sugar and 1½ tsp. vanilla. Using a mixer, process all ingredients on medium speed while adding 3-4 tbsp. milk (adjust the amount to the thickness of the frosting you want).
Step 3. Enhance the flavor of the cake with this delicious chocolate frosting
Similar to vanilla frosting, chocolate-based frosting is also commonly used to decorate butter cakes. Specially, the chocolate flavor in the frosting is very suitable to be combined with the vanilla flavor in the butter cake. The recipe is similar to the vanilla frosting recipe listed above, except that you need to reduce the amount of vanilla and add chocolate and malt powder to the mixture.
- In a bowl, combine 115 grams of softened butter (already allowed to cool at room temperature) and 1 tsp. vanilla. Using a mixer, process on low speed until both ingredients are well combined.
- Without turning off the mixer, slowly add 230 grams of powdered sugar, 59 grams of cocoa powder, 65 grams of malt powder and a pinch of salt.
- After that, add 7 tbsp. Gradually add milk until the frosting is soft, light, and spreadable over the cake.
Step 4. Try making an orange-flavored glaze
The rich and fatty butter cake taste is delicious combined with the fresh orange glaze! If you want a more varied taste, try using other 'members of the citrus family' like lemon, grape, etc. Follow the steps below to create it:
In a medium bowl, combine 115 grams of powdered sugar, tsp. grated orange peel, and 1 tbsp. fresh orange juice. Stir well until all ingredients are well blended and the texture is thick
Part 3 of 3: Making Stacked Cakes
Step 1. Cut the cake
If you are making the cakes in a single round pan or using a tulban baking sheet, cut the cake with a sharp knife until it makes two equal parts.
If you're making more than one cake and want to make a stack of cakes, there's no need to split each one
Step 2. Put the cake in the refrigerator for a few hours before decorating it with frosting
Chilled cakes have a denser texture, making them easier to decorate.
Step 3. Brush the surface of the first cake with frosting
Place the cakes on a turntable (or a flat plate on which you will serve the cakes), then spread a thin layer of frosting on the surface with a special spatula or a regular knife. After that, put the cake back in the refrigerator and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Want to enrich the texture and taste of the cake? Try adding fruit, jam, fla, or ganache on top of the frosting. Raspberry, strawberry, and cherry jam are a variety of traditional jams that are usually combined with butter cake
Step 4. Place the second layer of cake and repeat the same process
After decorating the surface of the first cake, very carefully place the second layer of cake on top. Using a special spatula or a regular knife, apply a thin layer of frosting over the surface and edges of the cake. In the world of cake making, this process is known as crumb coat and needs to be done so that the final cake looks smooth and not crumbly.
- If you're making cakes on a tulban baking sheet, make sure you also grease the center with frosting.
- Place the cake in the refrigerator and let it rest for 20-30 minutes before applying the final layer of frosting.
- If you are using glaze instead of frosting, gradually pour the glaze evenly over the surface of the cake (about 1 tbsp. for one pour). Let the glaze run over the edge of the cake.
Step 5. Apply the last layer of frosting
Pour in as much frosting as you want and smooth it out as much as you can with a spatula or the back of a knife, covering the entire surface of the cake.
- To add deliciousness to the cake, sprinkle the surface with fruit, grated coconut, or grated orange zest.
- Serve immediately or cover the cake tightly until it's time to serve.
