Traditional Butter Cake

Sunday 11 August 2013

A simple Butter Cake


Tuesday is my birthday.  I'm not going to tell you how old I am going to be, well . . . you probably know that already, so there's really no point, and for those of you who don't . . . let me just say one word . . . old.  

I can't think of any better way to celebrate it than by baking myself a delicious cake.  A traditional butter cake is my choice of cakes when it comes to an occasion like this. You just cannot beat an old fashioned butter cake!

A simple Butter Cake

 They do say that  you are only as old as you feel. There are some days I feel sixteen, and there are some days I feel eighty.  I aim for somewhere in the middle most of the time!  

And sometimes I actually succeed!  I do feel somewhere in the middle. Its that first look in the mirror in the morning that knocks me back! haha

A simple Butter Cake


You might be tempted to think that my choice of a Birthday Celebration Cake would be something decadently fudgy and chocolatey.  I do love chocolate, but you would be wrong.  

Ever since I was a little girl my celebratory cakes have never been chocolate cakes . . . I do love them but . . . I have cakes that I love much more than that.  When I am wanting a cake I long for something moist and buttery, and flavoured with vanilla.

A simple Butter Cake


When I am celebrating I want something simple and delicious, like this traditional butter cake I am showing you here today.  

 If I am going to have to bake my own Birthday Cake (and I am coz my  husband . . . he doesn't bake!), then I don't want it to take me oodles of time and ingredients.  Nobody wants to spend hours in the kitchen on their birthday.

A simple Butter Cake


By the time you bake a cake that takes oodles of time and ingredients you don't feel like eating cake any more, and that's not my idea of a celebration!  

Is it yours??? I'm sorry if it is. I love to bake but that has its limits.  I also LOVE to be baked for.

A simple Butter Cake


On a day like this, I just want quick, easy, simple and . . . delicious.  This cake fits the bill on all of those counts. 

 No kidding. Would I like to you? I think not!

A simple Butter Cake


This has got to be one of the tastiest and simplest cakes ever going.   A simple Butter cake.  

You just dump everything into the bowl and beat it up.  Pop it into a slow oven and . . .  *Presto Chango* . . . one hour later . . .  Bob's your uncle!

A simple Butter Cake

Even the icing isn't complicated.  It's just icing sugar and water, or lemon juice, or orange juice . . . you decide.  

My husband doesn't like lemon, but I do.  It's my birthday, so this time we are going with lemon.

A simple Butter Cake

And a bit of ice cream on the side goes down very well too.  Enjoy!  I know I will!

In the UK they love lashings of custard with any kind of cake or dessert. On a birthday the North American in me longs for ice cream. Plain and simple, vanilla ice cream.

A simple Butter Cake

*A Butter Cake*
Makes one 8 inch round cake
This is a simple, one bowl cake.  It's rich and delicious.  Easily adaptable to other flavours as well.  Nice served plain or spread with a basic icing.
 
125g butter, well softened (1/2 cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
190g caster sugar (1 cup)
3 large free range eggs
210g of plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch salt
125ml of milk (1/2 cup)
Preheat the oven to 150*C/300*F/ gas mark 2.   Butter an 8 inch round baking tin and line with baking paper.  Set aside.

Measure all of the ingredients into the bowl, sifting the flour, baking powder and soda in.  Add a pinch of salt.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed to combine, then increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is just smooth.  Spread into your prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour 5 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.  May be served plain or with a basic icing. 

A simple Butter Cake

Variations:
Coffee Butter Cake:  Dissolve 2 TBS instant coffee granules in 1 TBS boiling water and add as above
Orange Butter Cake:  Add 1 TBS finely grated orange zest.
Lemon Butter Cake :  Add 1 TBS finely grated lemon zest
Spiced Butter Cake:  Add 1 tsp either cinnamon or mixed spice.   

Basic Icing:

Sift 195g ( 1 1/2 cups) icing sugar into a bowl.  Mix through 2 TBS water or 2 TBS lemon juice, plus 1 tsp or lemon zest, or 2 TBS orange juice plus 1 tsp orange zest until you have a smooth mixture. Spoon over cake. 


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16 comments

  1. Happy Birthday, Marie! xo Jenny

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  2. Happy Birthday Marie and less of the "Old" my darling xxxx

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  3. These are the sort of cakes I enjoy most. It seems similar to a Madeira cake, which is my absolute favourite. Two more sleeps to the big day!

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  4. such a lovely cake, simple is sometimes the best!!!!I hope yu ave the best birthday Tuesday,

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  5. Happy Birthday!! This cake sounds exquisite. I am looking forward to making it. Thank you for posting it. I made a coconut pie yesterday that was very simple and yummy. Wishing you a wonderful new year to go along with your new birthday.

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  6. Happy birthday from your readers in Texas.... praying you have a blessed day!

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  7. The cake looks delicious...sometimes plain and simple is exactly the ticket. Happy birthday!

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  8. "Happy Birthday to you..Happy Birthday to you" Oops oh so it's not today it's Tuesday...ah well happy birthday for Tuesday Marie ;D
    I hope you have a fantastic day no matter how old you are.
    I suspect I'm around you're age anyway so we'll keep shtum!
    I love 'bobs you uncle' and will certainly be baking this yummy looking cake. We've just finished a lemon sponge so the cake tin is empty...but not for long!
    ((♥))

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  9. Have a fab birthday! I love your recipes can't wait to try this one xx

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  10. What is the size of your pan? Here in the states, we use either 8 inch or 9 inch pans. Thanks

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  11. HI there, I think you will see in the instructions that it calls for an 8 inch round pan!

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  12. Oooo, this looks lovely. I too am a fan of simple cakes for my birthday. Maybe it's a Virgo thing? Growing up our cakes were always homemade and funnily I always wanted a store purchased cake... novelty and all that jazz. Now, I love a homemade cake and since my John doesn't bake either, I usually make my own. I'd love to live close.... I'd bake you up a lovely cake for your special day. xo

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  13. I used to get store bought cakes mostly for my birthday when I was growing up. I used to like them, but I doubt I would now! I do admit however that store bought cakes tasted better in Canada than they do here in the UK Noelle. And I liked the icing over there. But Homemade trumps store bought everytime if I had a choice! You can bake me a cake any time! xoxo

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  14. I cooked this on gas mark 2, checked it after 35 mins and it was already overcooked, not sure how that happened but 1hr it would have been burnt to a crisp.

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    1. I'm not sure why this happened to you. I did my cake exactly as written and as you can see from the photographs it came out perfectly. I am sorry your experience with this was less than perfect. Timings often have to do with altitude, ovens, etc. It is possible that your oven runs hotter than mine? Without having an oven thermometer in place it is hard to know for sure. Pans also can make a difference. My pan was exactly 8 inches round and deep.

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