Nothing beats a warm, soft bite of fluffy Sri Lankan butter cake. Its a staple at every local bakery; and I mean Every local bakery, will have butter cake on the menu.
At a glance, butter cake is basically like a pound cake, but somehow, softer and lighter. This butter cake recipe makes a tiny 6 inch cake, but the quantities can be doubled or tripled to make larger cakes, however the baking time may differ according to the size and your baking tin.
Ingredients
- 75g butter
- 100g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 100g self-rising flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 40g yoghurt
1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. In a clean dry bowl, beat butter with an electric beater for at least 6-8 minutes, until its extremely fluffy and has increased in quantity. Best used cool butter, as it whisks better and makes for a softer cake.
3. Add sugar, and whisk until the sugar is creamed in with the butter and the mixture has lightened in colour and texture.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next.
5. Add yoghurt and vanilla extract, and mix till combined.
6. Sift flour and baking powder together. Then gently fold it into the cake batter. Do not overwork the batter once the flour has been added.
7. Pour the batter in to a baking tin, lined with baking paper, and bake for 30-35 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean. The top should be beautifully risen, golden brown, and bounce back when pressed lightly. Do not open the oven while the cake is baking, as this may cause the oven temperature to fluctuate and the cake to sink.
Here are some additional butter cake tips and tricks:
- Use slightly chilled butter. It should be soft enough to create an indent when pressed. But, still hold its shape and not greasily get all over your fingers.
- Whip the butter for a good 8-10 minutes. It should get really fluffy and increase in volume. The fluffier the butter, the softer the cake.
- The size of your eggs matter, especially in terms of the liquid content of the batter. For me, smaller eggs work best in cakes.
- The baking time depends on the thickness of your baking tin and how hot/cold your oven runs.
- It all comes down to the baking. Preheat your oven, put the cake in and just let the oven do its thing for at least 30-35 minutes. If you open the oven mid-rise, or insert a skewer before it’s completely cooked, the cake will sink and there’s no turning back. So, trust in the cake gods, say a little prayer and wait till it bakes.
Happy baking!
