simple butter cake
This cake is based on the classic cake recipe using equal amounts of butter, sugar & flour. It began life as a lemon delicious cake but has become my go to cake when I’m looking for a simple loaf.
serves 6-8:
250g (9oz) butter, softened
250g (9oz) sugar
3 eggs
flavourings (see side variations), optional
250g (9oz) Self Raising flour
1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Line a loaf pan with baking paper.
2. Beat butter and sugar together until light and creamy coloured.
3. Add eggs and beat until well combined. Add flavourings, if using.
4. Gently fold in the flour. Transfer to the prepared tin.
5. Bake for 45 minutes without opening the door.
6. Test and cook a little longer if needed.
7. Cool before serving.
variations
gluten-free – replace SR flour with almond meal. Don’t use baking powder as it will cause the almond meal cake to sink in the middle.
dairy-free – replace butter with margarine or vegetable oil. If using oil you won’t be able to ‘cream’ it with the sugar so just stir until well oombined and know that your cake won’t rise quite as much.
vegan – see above for butter replacement and replace the 3 eggs with 2 ripe mashed bananas. I haven’t tried this on this exact recipe but am pretty confident it will work.
vanilla – add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract when you add the eggs.
lemon delicious – add the zest of 2 lemons with the eggs. When the cake comes out of the oven pierce with a skewer and pour over 1/2 cup lemon juice. Allow the juice to soak into the cake as it cools.
orange & poppy seed – add the zest of 2 oranges and 3 tablespoons poppy seeds with the eggs. When the cake comes out of the oven pierce with a skewer and pour over 1/2 cup orange juice. Allow the juice to soak into the cake as it cools.
berry cake – stir in 2 handfuls of frozen berries after the eggs.
apricot – cover a few handfuls of dried apricots with boiling water and stand for 5 minutes. Then drain and fold into the cake mixture after you add the eggs.
leftover potential?
Great. Keep in the fridge. This is one cake that is better cool because it can be quite soft and rich when warm out of the oven.
problem solving guide
cake sinking in the middle – see the photo on the previous page for an example! If the oven door gets opened before the cake is cooked, the loss in temperature can cause the middle to sink because the protein isn’t set enough to hold the structure. Not much you can do now, but next time be careful.
too dry – if the cake is overcooked, it will end up on the dry side. Best to serve with something super moist like cream or yoghurt.
don’t have a stand mixer? – you can cream the butter and sugar in a food processor. Or try whisking it by hand. Just make sure the butter is very soft before you start.
serving suggestions
This cake is quite moist but I like to still serve it with double cream, whipped cream, ice cream or natural yoghurt.
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Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
Hi Jules,
this butter cake looks so delicious in the photo, even with the sunken middle! I know this cake as a “pound cake” using as you pointed out, a pound of each ingredient butter, flour and sugar. My mother is a master pound cake baker, but I never really “loved” it because it was so plain…growing up it was never the cake she frosted for our birthdays…it was more for the adults to have with a cup of tea and coffee. Now that I am one, I do enjoy a good slice of pound cake, but never dared to bake my own! I saw my mother study too much the science of baking this cake and her countless experiments. But your recipe seems quite accessible. I have though two questions:
–> why the self rising flour? if I buy this I know I won’t use it again…and almond meal is really cost prohibitive…can I use a regular flour with another ingredient?
–> why line the pan? if I use shortening with dusting of flour to coat the pan will that suffice?
Great questions as always Trudy!
SR flour has baking powder mixed in so it helps the cake rise. You can use all purpose flour instead and it won’t rise as much. The other option is to use AP flour + 2 teaspoons baking powder… I should have mentioned that in the alternatives.. sorry
Yes you could replace some or all of the almond meal with flour to keep the costs down.. it’s up to you.
I like lining pans because the paper looks better in photos and then I’m 100% sure the cake will come out OK. If you’re willing to risk it, you could try greasing the pan and flouring.. it’s up to you.