Very Rich Butter Cake {with VIDEO}

This rich butter cake recipe makes an extra moist and super buttery cake with sweet hints of vanilla, almond and brandy.

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This is my favourite butter cake recipe for 3 reasons: it makes an extra rich, extra moist and extra buttery cake! That’s a lot of extras.

When I first shared this rich butter cake recipe, it didn’t quite work out for some readers. Now that’s on me because I should have known better. 

While most standard butter cakes start with creaming butter and sugar, beating in the eggs, and alternately adding the dry and wet ingredients, this butter cake recipe is a bit more involved than that.

So I fleshed out the recipe into 8 easy steps with photos, useful tips, and detailed instructions.

Then, I created a recipe video. And as soon as I got all of this nailed down, this butter cake started receiving 4 – 5 star reviews.  The results my readers are getting now are nothing short of amazing!

this recipe

I highly recommend taking a bit of time to watch the butter cake video as the recipe is a bit more work than most butter cakes, but totally worth it. I promise you, when done right, this rich butter cake is 100% sheer delight!

The gold standard of Asian butter cakes

This very rich butter cake is a beloved classic reminiscent of traditional Nonya tea cakes. It’s an heirloom recipe by Mrs. Leong Yee Soo, one of our finest Peranakan culinary matriarchs.

Her cookbook titled ‘Best of Singapore Cooking’ has been my culinary bible since the first time I fired up a wok, bought a cake mixer, and blitz cooked a full 5-course meal.

But this rich butter cake also has a special place in my heart because it was my Dad’s favorite. He had a good eye for modest looking but delicious home-styled cakes, and once told me, ’Don’t be fooled by their humble appearance – they’re the best tasting ones!’. Dad knew best.

What readers say about this rich butter cake…

Frequently Asked Questions

How to bake this butter cake recipe with different pans

This rich butter cake recipe makes a lot of cake batter. You can bake with any one of the following:

• 8-inch square cake pan (8-cup capacity) measuring 8 x 8 x 3 inches (20 x 20 x 7.5 cm)
• 8.5-inch loaf pan (6-cup capacity) measuring 8.5 x.4.5 x 2.5 (21 x 11 x 6 cm)
• 9-inch loaf pan (8-cup capacity) measuring 9 x 5 x 3 inches (24.4 x 7.1 x 14.7 cm)
• 9-inch bundt pan (10-cup capacity) measuring 9 x 3 inches (23 x 8 cm).
• 9-inch round pan (8-cup capacity) measuring 9 x 2 inches (23 x 5 cm).

Ingredients to make this rich butter cake recipe

• Butter. Use good quality unsalted butter. If using salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe. Make sure you start with room temperature butter. It’s easier to cut cold butter, then let it stand at room temperature until slightly softened. It’s ready for creaming when it gives way when pressed with a finger, but doesn’t feel greasy.

• Eggs. Use large eggs, each weighing between 60 to 65 gm. Like butter, let eggs come to room temperature. Room temperature eggs will whip up quicker and fluffier than cold eggs.

• Egg whites and yolks. Separate the yolks and whites when eggs are cold, taking care not to get any yolk in the whites. Otherwise, the whites will not whip up stiff.

• Condensed milk. Condensed milk adds a creamy, milky sweetness and contributes moistness as it has a high sugar content.

• Sugar. Use caster sugar or fine granulated sugar.

• Flour. Use plain or all-purpose flour. You can also use cake flour, which will give a more tender crumb if that’s what you like. Sift the flour twice with the salt to loosen it and to evenly distribute the salt.

• Baking powder. Gives the cake it’s lift, as it’s the only leavening agent used.

• Extract. I love the combination of vanilla and almond extracts. Wherever possible, always use extracts over artificial essences for bolder, deeper flavour in the cake.

• Brandy (optional). I personally love brandy in my butter cakes, though you’ll hardly notice its there. Feel free to omit it for a family-friendly version.

Useful tools you may need

• Stand mixer or handheld beaters
• Square cake pan
• Mixing bowls
• Spatulas
• Wire rack

How to make this rich butter cake recipe in 8 steps

Before you start. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and position an oven rack in the lower half of the oven.

Grease the sides and base of the pan with softened butter. Dust lightly with flour and tap out the excess. Line the base with baking paper (this is optional – I don’t always do it).

Step 1: Sift the flour and salt twice

Sift from a height a couple of inches above the bowl, to incorporate more air into the flour. (Note: omit the salt if you use salted butter.)

Step 2: Whip up the egg whites with baking powder and sugar

• In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or using handheld beaters, whip whites on medium-high speed until they turn foamy. Stop the mixer, and sprinkle the baking powder. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and whip for a few seconds to incorporate the baking powder.

• Gradually add sugar, a little at a time. Continue whipping at medium-high speed until the whites are just about stiff (please see what this looks like below, or watch the video). This may take several minutes.

Step 3. Whip in the egg yolks

• Lightly beat the egg yolks with a fork. Start the mixer on low-medium speed, drizzle in the yolks bit by bit until well incorporated. Whip for another 10 – 15 seconds after beating in all the yolks. The whipped egg mixture should feel thick and fluffy at this point, and look a pale shade of yellow.

• Transfer the mixture to another mixing bowl, and wash and dry your mixer bowl for the next step.

Step 4. Cream butter and condensed milk

Switch out the whisk for a paddle attachment. In the clean mixer bowl, beat butter and condensed milk on medium speed. Stop a few times to scrape the butter down the sides and off the bottom of the bowl.

Beat until the butter mixture feels light and fluffy on your spatula and turns pale in colour.

Step 5. Beat in extracts and brandy.

Add the vanilla extract, almond extract and brandy (optional). Beat for 15 seconds to combine well.

Step 6. Beat in the eggs mixture.

Pour in 1 cup of the whipped eggs mixture and beat until well incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Step 7. Fold in flour mixture and whipped eggs mixture.

Tip in all the flour mixture, followed by the remaining whipped eggs mixture. You can mix it all together in a stand mixer or by hand, to get both the mixtures to combine well.

I personally prefer using the stand mixer – I recommend doing it this way if you’re trying this recipe for the first time.

Method 1: Stand mixer or handheld beaters

• Do not start the mixer yet. First fold lightly by hand for a bit. You don’t need to get it well mixed – just enough to get the flour, eggs and butter mixtures to start combining.

• Then start the mixer on the lowest speed. Beat until the batter looks smooth and even, about 20 – 25 seconds. Stop the mixer and remove the bowl.

• Finish folding by hand. I like finishing up this way, so I can feel if the batter is at the same consistency throughout. You want to be sure that all the butter is mixed in, as butter tends to sit heavy towards the bottom of the bowl.

Method 2: By hand

This is a huge batter so it can feel like an enormous exercise to fold all the eggs mixture together with the flour. But this batter does become manageable fairly quickly.

• Tip in all the flour followed by the rest of the egg mixture. Start folding by hand with a spatula, gently scooping the batter from the bottom of the bowl towards the top like making the letter ’J’.

• Alternatively, you can fold in the flour mixture and the remaining egg mixture in 2 batches, alternating between the two.

• Make sure you keep folding until the batter appears homogeneous and is at the same consistency throughout. Keep the mixing light and gentle, until the batter is smooth and well combined.

Step 8: Bake!

The batter feels a little heavy at this final stage, and that’s perfectly normal. Pour into the greased pan, spread the batter and level the surface evenly with an offset spatula. Give the cake pan a few firm taps on the counter to get rid of air pockets.

Bake for 10 mins at 175°C, then reduce oven temp to 135°C. Continue to bake for another 1 hour to 1 hr 15 mins or until done. 

This cake enjoys a slow, long bake – it’s a pretty big cake after all! Do not be tempted to take the pan out of the oven until the cake is completely baked through.

When done, remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Release the cake from the pan and set it on a wire rack to cool completely.

How to store this butter cake

Because this butter cake is super moist, it will keep well in a positively air-tight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. Pop it into the chiller to extend its freshness, and it will keep well for a week.

This cake also freezes well. Wrap in a few layers of cling wrap and a final layer of aluminium or tin foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

The day before, thaw the cake (still sealed in its wrapping) overnight in the refrigerator. About an hour before serving, take the cake out, remove the wrapping, and let it come to room temperature.

Here are more awesome butter cake recipes to inspire your next bake:

• Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Streusel Topping
• Banana Butter Cake
• Pound Cake – An Indulgence You’ll More than Love
• Indonesian Prune Layer Cake
• Coffee Walnut Cake

Tried this recipe? I’d love to see! Remember to share your pics on Instagram and tag @foodelicacy or #foodelicacy.