Butter Cake


Butter cake creamy sweet and round
Soft and fluffy and weighs a pound
Mum used to bake and it tasted good
Why is mine like stale bread so crude?

Mum used to bake the most delicious butter cakes. She would give them away to neighbours and friends. I like to eat Mum’s cakes oven-fresh when they are still warm, moist and soft. The aroma is just heavenly.

Today is my second attempt at baking. The first was a disaster. It did not rise at all. This second cake is not any better. It rose, but just barely. If only knowing where I went wrong in the mixing and baking process is like troubleshooting a computer, it would be so much easier.

Author: Peter Tan

Peter Gabriel Tan. Penangite residing in the Klang Valley. Blissfully married to Wuan. A LaSallian through and through. Slave to three cats. Wheelchair user since 1984. End-stage renal disease since 2017. Principal Facilitator at Peter Tan Training specialising in Disability Equality Training. Former columnist of Breaking Barriers with The Borneo Post. This blog chronicles my life, thoughts and opinions. Connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.

12 thoughts on “Butter Cake”

  1. we’ll need your recipe to diagnose this terrible affliction your cake has. It lacks hot air. 😛

    Quick troubleshooting:
    – Did you use baking powder or self raising flour or both?
    – Did you seive the flour?

    Might want to try using both baking powder and self raising flour – sieve both twice before use.
    FOLD IN FLOUR GENTLY into butter-sugar mix.

    Also this site might help you learn the physics in cake making 🙂 http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/

  2. Here is the recipe:

    125g butter, chopped
    275g castor sugar
    3 eggs
    150g plain flour
    75g self-raising flour
    ? tsp bicarbonate soda
    ? cup milk

    Grease 20cm round cake pan, cover base with baking paper. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Add in the milk. Sift the flour, self-raising flour, bicarbonate soda and fold into the creamed mixture. Spread into prepared pan. Bake in 180? C for 45 minutes.

    The cake is too sweet. The temperature could be too high. Maybe I should reduce the milk. I will adjust the recipe and see what happens. And thanks for the URL – very interesting site.

  3. Recipe looks fine, except I don’t usually add milk. You could also switch from plain flour to all self-raising flour. But keep the bicarb.

    I’ve found that egg beating also affects the fluffiness of a cake. So mix them in well, and as you add more ingredients, be gentler with the batter to keep the tiny air pockets in the mix intact. (i read this in some book ages ago, dunno how true!). G’luck with the baking 🙂

  4. I should have folded the flour in gently by hand instead of adding it into the batter while the mixer is still running. That could be the problem. Have to wait until I replenish my larder before the next experiment. Keeping my fingers crossed.

  5. Dear: Peter,
    Hi ! This Sonia and i would like to let u know that i think you add to much milk in your recipe but i will try to bake the cake using your recipe and see how it comes out and i will let u know the results after trying.

    If you want i can share my butter cake recipe with you.

    Hope to hear from you.

    Sonia Lee

  6. Sonia,
    That recipe was taken from one of the recipe books. Anyway, I have since posted a revised and improved version of the recipe at Butter Cake – The Sequel. Happy baking.

  7. Dear: Peter,

    Here is the Recipe for the Butter Cake.
    The Ingredients :

    160 gm Eggs
    150 gm Sugar

    180 gm Margerine(Planta)

    70 gm Plain Flour
    80 gm Self- RaisingFlour
    1 Tbsp Skimmed Milk Powder

    Method:
    1) Whip Eggs and Sugar until Light and Fluffy at speed 5/6 for 10 minutes.

    2)Spoon the Margerine in, continue whipping at speed 3/4 for 6 to 7 minutes

    3)Stir In the flour slowly,scrapping the sides. Stir until smooth.

    4)Pour in 8cm/20cm pan and bake at 150 celcius /275 Ferentheight for about 30 minutes or until skewer comes out clean when its inserted in the cake.

    5) Leave cake for about 5 minutes and demould.

    Hope you can try the recipe. If anything justlet me know.
    So do you want me to send the Details of the courses and the center.
    If you would like too you can give me your address and i will send you all the details.
    The other day i wante to go for the Microfair 2003 but i have to be back to my hometown to attend a Wedding Dinner.

    Hope To hear From Your Reply Soon.
    Sonia

  8. Dear : Peter,
    SO hAVE YOU RECEIVED MY MAIL REGARDING THE BUTTER CAKE
    Hope To Hear From You soon.

    Sonia

  9. i love butter cake and try baking the cake. Although it turn out tasty but there is a layer of look-alike oil deposit at the bottom of the cake, can anyone tell me what is wrong. Here is the recipe:-

    125gm butter
    125gm majerin
    230gm castor sugar
    230gm flour
    5gm baking powder
    4 eggs
    150gm low fat milk
    1tsp vanilla essence

    Beat the butter, majerin and castor sugar until fluffy and light, then add low fat milk and blend well and add in the beaten eggs and essence vanilla until all mix well. Add in the sifted flour and baking powder.

    Transfer the mixture into 7″ round mould and bake at 180C for 45min. until the cake is fully cooked and let it cool on a cake rack.

  10. Too much butter?
    Too much milk?
    Was the oven pre-heated first?
    Was the flour gently folded in?

  11. I was looking for recipe for a butter cake we used to get at the bakery – came in rectangular pan – gooey, buttery on top of a flaky type crust. Is this the same recipe? What is the website for the revised recipe?
    Thank you, Cyndy

  12. Cyndy,
    There are many versions of the butter cake. I am sorry, I have not bought a cake from the bakery for a long time so I am not sure how the ones you bought from the bakery are like. However, here is the revised recipe to the original. If the cake is still too dry, you can add up to ? cup of milk. Enjoy.

    http://www.petertan.com/mt/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=280

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