Best Butter Cake

I am a very guilty daughter. This is my Pa's favorite cake and yet when he and mum visited last year, I did not bake this cake for him (though I had the intention).

It was either stay home and bake or spend the day with my parents and of course I chose the latter. But never fear as Chinese New Year is near! When my parents come over for the festivities, I will definitely bake this cake for them. 

Actually I did not plan to bake this butter cake. My original intention was to bake Salted Egg Yolk Cookies. But guess what happened? My salted eggs expired. Bah! Last call was 15-01-2018. And I thought, eh, who knows they might still be OK.

But I was stretching my luck and when I broke the eggs, ugh! They were all rotten and stinky. Looks like salted egg yolks are not like buttermilk hah..hah...hah...

Since I already had butter softening in a mixing bowl, the next best thing to do was bake a butter cake. I have this recipe committed to memory and putting together all the other ingredients was a breeze. 

This time I baked the cake in two small loaf pans just for a change. Slicing and dividing a loaf cake is lots easier than a round cake. The time taken to bake was much shorter too, 40 minutes instead of 50 minutes.

The cakes turned out beautifully, soft and fluffy and full of buttery fragrance. The only thing I did not do well was fold the batter evenly (out of practice >.<) and there were spots of uneven distribution of butter on the cake. That is something I must take work on the next time I bake.

Best Butter Cake

Recipe sources : Adapted from Table for Two.....or More

Ingredients :

Mixture A :

- 200g self raising flour (sifted)

- 250g butter at room temperature

- 80g caster sugar

- 4 egg yolks

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Mixture B :

- 4 egg whites

- 80g sugar

Method :

1. Make mixture B first. Using a hand mixer, beat egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks. Set aside.

2. To make mixture B, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Add vanilla extract and continue to beat until evenly mixed.

5. Then add flour in three additions and using a spatula, fold the flour into the butter mixture until evenly mixed.

6. Then add the egg whites mixture in three additions, folding until batter is evenly mixed.

7. Pour batter into two small loaf pans. Bake at the lower rack at 160C for 40 minutes or until skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Note : If using round 8" pan, bake at 160C for 50 minutes.