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.
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!
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!
Table of contents
- The gold standard of Asian butter cakes
- What readers say about this rich butter cake…
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How to bake this butter cake recipe with different pans
- Ingredients to make this rich butter cake recipe
- Useful tools you may need
- How to make this rich butter cake recipe in 8 steps
- Step 1: Sift the flour and salt twice
- Step 2: Whip up the egg whites with baking powder and sugar
- Step 3. Whip in the egg yolks
- Step 4. Cream butter and condensed milk
- Step 5. Beat in extracts and brandy.
- Step 6. Beat in the eggs mixture.
- Step 7. Fold in flour mixture and whipped eggs mixture.
- Step 8: Bake!
- How to store this butter cake
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…
“I made this butter (cake) and it tasted so buttery, moist and fluffy! I was surprised that it is a really tall cake. I will make this again. Your recipe instruction is very clear. It is really good!” – Maggie
“I tried it and it tastes amaaaazingggggg!!! I’m just a beginner baker, but this recipe is soo easy and very detailed.” – Nurul
“I only baked it in a tiny oven toaster lol (no oven at home now) but my cake came out super yummy! I think I got the perfect texture and moistness since I followed all the tips and steps given by you carefully. I can’t wait to bake this again with a proper oven!” – Ming
Frequently Asked Questions
This is called a very rich butter cake for a reason but if you’re watching your cholesterol intake, you can make a slightly less rich version by reducing the butter to roughly 1.5 sticks of butter (350 gm).
Absolutely. Have a read in the section below on ‘How to bake with different pans’.
For added texture and flavour, mix in some roughly chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans, almonds or hazelnuts. Add a fruity twist with grated lemon or orange zest, your favourite dried fruit or a fruit mix including raisins, currants, cranberries, prunes or glace cherries.
To turn this into a marble cake, set aside one-third of the cake batter. Sift in 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (Dutch-process or natural) and stir lightly into the mixture. Then marble with the plain and cocoa batters as desired.
Yes, you can replace with the same amount of dairy or non-dairy milk, lemon or orange juice.
This cake tastes wonderful with a great cream cheese frosting, coffee buttercream, classic chocolate buttercream or a simple lemon glaze.
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
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
Important: Start with a dry and grease-free mixer bowl. Egg whites will not whip up stiff if there’s even a trace of fat in it (eg. a speck of egg yolk), in the bowl, or on the beaters.
- 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.
Tip: How to check the cake is done baking
- Colour and appearance. Check to see if the cake surface has browned evenly to a deep golden brown. Also see if the centre of the cake has fully risen and if the cake has shrunk from the sides of the pan.
- Firmness and spring. Press lightly in the centre of the cake. When the cake feels firm to the touch and springs back, it has baked through.
- Check for sticky batter. Insert a bamboo or metal skewer into the centre of the cake. The cake is done if it emerges free of sticky batter. If you’re at the end of the suggested baking time and there’s still some sticky batter, extend the baking time, checking every 5 mins.
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.
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Very Rich Butter Cake {with Video}
Ingredients
- 310 g plain flour
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 10 egg whites
- 310 g caster sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 10 egg yolks lightly beaten
- 455 g unsalted butter cut into cubes and softened at room temperature (you can use 350 g for a less rich version)
- 6 tbsp condensed milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 drops almond essence
- 2 tsp brandy optional
Instructions
- Before you start. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and position an oven rack in the lower half of the oven so that when you place the pan, it will be in the center of the oven. Grease the base and sides of a 20 x 20 x 8 cm (8 x 8 x 3 in) cake pan with butter. Dust lightly with flour and tap out the excess.
- Sift the dry ingredients: Sift flour with salt twice (omit salt if using salted butter).
- Whip up the egg whites: In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or with handheld beaters, whip egg whites on medium-high speed (speed 4 on Kitchen Aid mixer). Once whites get foamy, stop the mixer and sprinkle baking powder. Turn the mixer on, and whip for 5 – 10 seconds to combine well. Next, add sugar a little bit at a time and continue whipping at medium-high speed until the egg whites become thick, glossy, and form stiff peaks.
- Beat in the egg yolks: Beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork. Now reduce the mixer speed, and drizzle in the yolks, 2 to 3 tbsps at a time. After adding all the yolks, continue whipping for 30 seconds until thick and creamy. Pour out into another large mixing bowl. Clean and dry the mixer bowl thoroughly for the next step.
- Cream butter and condensed milk: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or with handheld beaters, beat butter and condensed milk on medium speed (speed 3 on my Kitchen Aid mixer) until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Beat in extracts and brandy (optional): Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and brandy (if using) and beat for 15 seconds to combine well.
- Beat in the whipped eggs mixture: Add one cup of the whipped eggs mixture and beat for 30 seconds until well mixed.
- Fold in the flour mixture and remaining eggs mixture: Tip in all the flour mixture, followed by the rest of the whipped eggs mixture all at once. Without starting the mixer, fold lightly by hand to combine the wet and dry mixtures. Then start the mixer at the lowest speed. Beat until the batter is smooth and even, about 20 – 25 seconds. Stop the mixer and remove the bowl. Finish folding the cake batter by hand, until it is smooth and is at the same consistency throughout. (Alternatively, you can fold the batter entirely by hand.)
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Spread it to the sides and corners of the pan, and level the surface evenly with an offset spatula. Bake at 175°C (350° F) for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 135°C (275° F) and bake for a further 60 to 75 minutes. Note: This cake needs to bake slowly and for a longer period of time.
- To test for doneness, press the center of the cake gently with your fingers. If it feels firm and springs back, it is done. Also, test with a metal skewer by inserting into the centre of the cake. It should come out clean without any sticky batter. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack. Let cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
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Great recipe! Thank you!
Hi! If i half the recipe, how should i / do i need to adjust the baking time & temperature? Also, find this recipe too sweet. By how much can i reduce the sugar & condensed milk without changing the texture or the cake?
Hi Dayna, I would reduce the sugar but keep the condensed milk because that adds a nuanced flavour in the butter cake. As a general guide, I would not recommend reducing more than 20% of the sugar, as sugar not only sweetens but moistens the cake as well. So if you cut back too much, the cake will not be as moist as intended. Bake at the stated temperature but keep an eye on the cake once you see the top turn a golden brown – the time depends on what shape and size of pan you use – but I reckon about 40 – 45 minutes, give or take. Make sure you test with a skewer for doneness. Hope it works out well for you, I’d love to hear how you get if you decide to give this a go!
Hi Celia,
Is there any specific reason as to why I should bake it in the lower part of the oven?
Hi Avantika, this recipe makes a lot of cake batter which needs a longer baking time. If it’s placed too near the top heating element in the oven, a long baking time will cause the top and sides to bake much faster and form a crust too soon before the center has fully cooked. This can cause the top to crack when the pressure in the center of the cake builds up and pushes upwards. This won’t affect the taste at all, but it just won’t look as nice. Also, you could risk drying out the cake or browning the top crust too much.
Depending on your oven, it’s best to place the pan on the #2 rack position (one above the lowest rack position in the oven). I hope this helps!
Hello Celia! Thanks for the recipe 🙂 I tried it today but strangely it turned out more like a sponge than a butter cake. the crumb was a little too fine? Any idea what happened? Thanks!
Hi Athena, if you could share a pic (tag me on Instagram @foodelicacy) or email me direct at celialim@foodelicacy.com, it would give me a better sense and hopefully, some idea of what could have happened. This is something that I haven’t had happen to me personally, so I’d be interested to see! Many thanks!
Hi Celia I made this awesome cake! Thanks for your detailed instructions. I think my mistake was in the whipping of the egg whites & sugar. It got frothy but not stiff peaks. It remained watery. I almost gave up and wanted to dump all the ingredients in but forced myself to separate the mixtures. The cake was extremely rich and moist. Maybe I can cut down the sugar a little. A little dense and Im guessing it’s the egg white part as I had some egg yolk that went in. Could it be?
Hi Celia. My group of home bakers is asking if Pound cake is the same as a rich butter cake pls? Tks
Hi Doris, both are butter cakes but a pound cake is so called because it has a ratio of equal parts flour, butter and sugar (in the old days, it was 1 pound of each). As such, pound cakes are usually rich but also denser in texture whereas rich butter cakes tend to be lighter and fluffier. Hope this helps!
Best butter cake, the big portion is good for sharing with friends and family. Easy to follow instructions. I’ve made it a few time and each time turned out perfect. I’ve shared this recipe with friends and family as well.
Thank you so much for sharing, Angela! I’m so glad this recipe works well for you every time! Appreciate the 5-star review! Have a great week ahead.
Hi Celia, thanks for clarifying on the rack placement! I just baked the cake and the taste was awesome! Do you have any tips on how to prevent the top of the cake from opening up? I baked mine in a round pan and it looked a little like our Chinese ‘Fa Gao’ ^o^
Fiona, that’s awesome, thank you for trying this recipe! Glad you love the flavor. Either the pan was a bit too small for the amount of batter (it should not fill more than 2/3 of the pan) or the heat from the top might have been too close to the pan. You could try reducing the temperature a bit because ovens have hot spots, or if you have an oven thermometer, you can check the internal temperature of the oven – sometimes, it can be off by 5 to 10 deg C from the temperature you set. I hope this helps!
Hi Celia, when you say “position an oven rack in the lower half of the oven“… do you mean near the bottom of the oven, and not in the middle rack as per normal baking?
Hi Fiona, the goal is to avoid the batter being too close to the top heating element. Ideally, when you place the pan on the rack, the batter in the pan should end up in the middle of the oven. Some oven racks are just off-center, so I would place the pan on a rack that’s not at the bottom-most position, but one above. Hope this helps!
Hi Celia, apologies for getting back to you so late. This recipe has been a favourite of mine since the first time I tried it. I did asked you if I can bake this with french butter. Well, I have tried this recipe with French butter LaBelle, Dutch butter Lurpark, Anchor, GoldenChurn and a local not pure butter but more of margarine type called Buttercup. I can tell you all of it tasted great! I even tried baking these as cupcakes and I wasn’t disappointed at all. Thank you for sharing this recipe and it will remain in my best butter cake list forever!
Hi Celia,
This is my first time baking a cake. The butter cake is absolutely delectable. The cake was moist. I left out the almond essence and salt because I used salted butter. I’m ready to take on the challenge now that I’ve gained confidence in my baking abilities. I’ve also tried the coconut bun before. It was too good as well . Thank your for your magical recipe. Love the every details of your recipes ❤️
I made this butter and it tasted so buttery, moist and fluffy! I was surprised that it is a really tall cake. I will make this again. Your recipe instruction is very clear. It is really good! Sweetness is just nice for me too and I didn’t minus out the sugar. Just that I omitted the almond essence only. This butter cake recipe has almost the same ingredients as Indonesian Layer Cake. This is just my thought, as it uses many eggs, butter and also, it includes condensed milk except for the spice they added.
Hi Maggie, this is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing. Yes, the ingredients are almost the same for Indonesian layer cake, but the method is different as the layer cake is like a butter sponge so it’s lighter. But still very rich because of the large amount of eggs and butter, and relatively less amount of flour. I love butter cakes in general, so both are my favourites too!
Hi Celia, thank you for this delicious butter cake recipe. I would like to request if you could show us how to make a good swiss roll with fillings inside. Thank you very much.
Hi Doris, thank you very much for your feedback! I’ll see what I can do for a good Swiss roll recipe, and I’ll surely let you know as soon as I can do it!
Hi Celia, this cake looks amazing! I’ve been craving butter cake lately and this recipe just shows up when I was reading your recipe for babi pongteh. Anyway, this may have been asked, but is there any substitute for condensed milk? As I don’t want to buy a can and just use 3 tbsp (plan to halve the recipe as to just baking for one person).
also, if I were to separate some batter to make for chocolate flavour for marble effect, could you advise how much cocoa powder to use?
thank you!
Hi Phoebe, I’m not sure if my reply got through to you ‘cos my site crashed a few hours later after an update. But some of my readers didn’t get my responses. So I’m checking in just in case. I would highly recommend not omitting the condensed milk because the sugars and creaminess of the milk adds to the moistness and unique buttery flavour of this cake. But if you prefer, you could use heavy or whipping cream instead, and increase the sugar in the recipe a bit. For a marble version, set aside one-third of the batter and sift in 1 tbsp cocoa powder, stir lightly until well incorporated. Then marble as desired. Thank you so much for your patience!
do I need to adjust the receipe if I wish to add raisin soaked in rum?
Hi Jaslyn, what an awesome idea to add rum-soaked raisin! You won’t need to adjust anything, except omit the brandy. I’d love to know how this works out for you! Happy baking!
Hi Celia, thank you for the amazing recipe. The best butter cake i ever tasted/baked. The instructions is very details and very helpful. I was thinking to add on pandan juice, do u think i should reduce the eggs?
Best Regards,
Nurul from Malaysia
Hi Nurul, greetings from Singapore! Thank you so much for sharing! I’m so thrilled you loved this. I haven’t added pandan juice before, but if I may suggest, I would recommend adding pandan paste instead so you don’t have to adjust the proportions. Also, for this amount of cake batter, you would need to add quite bit of pandan juice to get the colour and aroma you desire, so using a paste will give it a more intense flavour and aroma without messing up the ingredient ratios. Hope this helps, and if you try it out, would love to hear how it goes! Happy baking!
Hi Celia, thank you for the awesome recipe. I tried it and it taste amaaaazingggggg!!! Im just a beginner baker, but this recipe is soo easy and very detail. Btw i was thinking to add on pandan juice, do u think i should reduce the number of eggs?
I like the recipe i wil try it
Hi Badu, I hope you do! Thank you for dropping me a note.
Hi Celia! Just wanted to tell you i did your recipe and all my family love it!! Thank you so much for this recipe. But i wanted to ask you, i have a salted butter on hand. Can i use that instead of unsalted butter? Do i have to opt out the salt? Thank you!
Hello Wardah, thank you so much for sharing! I’m so thrilled to hear how much you and your family enjoyed this cake – it is my absolute favourite rich butter cake. You can definitely use salted butter, just omit the salt. Enjoy!
I think I might have asked in a wrong place! ? but would like to repeat it here! Can i add chocolate marbling to this recipe? And if yes, can you teach me how to incorporate it. Thank you Celia!
Hi Wardah, thank you for writing in! To turn this into a marble cake, set aside one-third of the cake batter. Sift in 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and stir lightly into the mixture. Then marble with the plain and cocoa batters as desired.
Hi Celia,
I’m obsessed with butter cakes and I’m looking forward to try your recipe!
My absolute favourite is semolina/sugee butter cake with almond flour. Have you tried making semolina cake before? If so, can please share your recipe? Thank you so much!
Hi Mills, thank you! I hope you’ll like this butter cake. I have been dying to try a sugee butter cake but have yet to get around to it! I’m afraid I haven’t got a tried and tested recipe yet to share, but definitely on my to-bake list, which is a kind of a wish-list of suggestions from my readers. If you subscribe to my newsletter (it’s totally free!), you’ll know when I post the recipe! Keep in touch!
Hi Celia, I used a loaf bin 7x5x3inch deep and half of your Rich recipe. Almost 55min into the 2nd part baking at 135degree, I tested with a metal stick it was batter-clean, top Centre bounce back when touched, but noticed some moisture on top. So I left it on 135degree for full 1hr.
Although I do noticed a slightly browner colour at the bottom when I sliced the cakes. Top half bright yellow. Cake is buttery and moist, but seem firmer than those I would have bought from bakery.
Hi Celia,
I tried making your recipe and I find that it makes too much batter. Like I can fit it in 2 8 inch square pans. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong because I followed the recipe well.
Hi Kara, thank you for sharing! I used one 8-inch square pan with a depth of 3 inches, and you can see from the photos that the pan held all the batter with room for rising. So I’m not sure how you ended up with that much batter to fill 2 pans. Is your pan at least 3-inches deep?
Hi Celia, I tried the less rich recipe you provided and it turned out perfectly! Thank you for sharing the step-by-steps.
Hi Sharmini, I’m so happy to hear it! Thank you for sharing and enjoy!
Hello Celia, thx so much 4 sharing ur amazing recipe!
I am a huge fan of an Orange Butter cake and I can see this recipe will make a great one.
1. How much of Orange zest and juice do I put in/or substitute from
2. And at what stage/step do I add these to
Hope to hear from u soon, and pls stay safe xx
Hi Selena, so sorry for missing your enquiry! It went into my spam folder, which has been an issue with my site’s comments filter recently. Thank you for taking the time to write in. I haven’t yet tweaked this for an orange butter cake, so what I am about to suggest is untested and if you don’t mind taking an experimental approach, here’s how I would likely do it: (1) reduce butter to 350 g butter (2) use grated zest of 2 oranges, add it together with vanilla extract and liquor (if using); (3) use 95 ml freshly squeezed orange juice, and mix it in AFTER adding the first cup of whipped egg mixture to the creamed butter mixture, BEFORE folding in the flour mixture and remaining whipped egg mixture. For a more intense orange flavour, you could also add 1/2 – 1 tsp orange extract. Really hope this works out well, Selena, cos I would hate for you to waste your effort and ingredients!
Hi Celia, I just want to say thank you for this amazing recipe!
I am a newbie in baking and your butter cake looks so delicious from the photos I knew I had to try it. I only baked it in a tiny oven toaster lol (no oven at home now) but my cake came out super yummy! I think I got the perfect texture and moistness since I followed all the tips and steps given by you carefully. I can’t wait to bake this again with a proper oven! Thanks again! 🙂
Hi. I tried your butter cake recipe today and i really love this recipe, the cake texture is so nice and moist. Thank You for sharing your recipe.
Delighted to hear it! Thank you so much for giving it a go and sharing!
Hi, can i use bundt pan instead?
Hi, Izati, yes you can. Depending on the design of your bundt pan, I would suggest greasing all the grooves really well to facilitate release after baking. Happy baking!
Hi Celia, may I ask what the depth of your cake pan was? I used an 8″x8″x2″ pan and when it came time to pour the batter into the pan, the batter filled the whole pan up. I am a novice baker but I read that the batter shouldn’t fill up the pan before baking. I am wondering whether your pan was deeper than mine because the cake seemed to not be able to rise as well. I baked it for around 80 mins because that’s when my steel tester came out clean. The cake was very dense and claggy on the bottom, but with a crispy top (which was actually my favorite part). The rest of the cake tasted too strongly of eggs. What do you think I got wrong?
Hi Stefanie, thank you for writing in. My square pan is 3″ deep and I do apologize, I should have stated the depth as well. The cake should rise, but it won’t rise too much. However, if it hardly rose at all, it could be a problem with either the baking powder having lost its efficacy (it’s happened to me a few times actually!), or the batter was over-worked. A dense and claggy texture usually points to a few things – a batter that was not well mixed or unevenly combined, which could also be the reason why it tastes eggy – or butter was not creamed till light and fluffy. The challenge with this cake is the mixing and folding together of the three different batters – creamed butter, whipped eggs, and flour mixture. If it’s overworked, the whipped eggs will have most some of its volume. But don’t be discouraged, Stefanie! It is a delicious cake! I suggest halving the recipe so that the amount of batter you have to work with is more manageable and easier to handle. Hope this helps!
Oh and also, I used all purpose flour. Does that change anything, like maybe I don’t need to use the baking powder and such then my cake won’t be spongy?
Thanks Celia
Hi Celia. I finally made the cake but may have turned out not as expected – can you guide me as to what may have gone wrong? I took some pictures but realize I can’t upload here?
Anyway…
1. I used an 8″ round loose pan but realised the mixture could bake 2x this pan, did I go wrong somewhere here?
2. I followed the temperature as instructed despite the possibility of the cake being smaller, because I’m confused with the size haha. 10mins at 175 degrees and 1hr 15mins at 135 degrees.
3. The last instruction, after mixing butter+condense+brandy etc, you mentioned 1 cup of egg batter and then the sifted flour. Do I continuously add the sifted flour til finished then only I gradually add the egg batter? Roughly how long should this whole process (from adding egg batter +flour) should take so that I don’t over do it?
4. It looks pretty after baking but the sides and bottom turned out quite crusty and when I cut the cake, the middle bottom looks wet but doesn’t seem to be wet.
5. The texture of the cake is quite “spongy” it rather “springy”. 🙁
I am going to attempt this again but not before some guidance, I hope to get. I’m a real rookie lol. The raw batter taste wonderful though *drools*.
Thank you so much
Hi Lynette, thank you for trying this out! Not to worry, I’ll try my best to help you sort out the process (my recipe post also shows the step-by-step pictures for easier reference):
(1) I would recommend you halve the recipe. The original amount makes a lot of batter, so halving it might help you manage each step in the process with more ease and confidence. In this case, you can bake in an 8″ round pan. The original amount was too much for the pan, and needed to be baked in a 8″ square pan.
(2) Bake at 175°C (10 mins) then lower to 135°C to continue baking until done.If you halve the recipe, the baking time will be slightly shorter. I would recommend checking from 45 minutes, then every 5 minutes after until done.
(3) FIRST, add the whipped egg batter (1/2 cup only, if you halve the recipe) into the creamed butter mixture and beat until well combined. NEXT, add ALL flour in one go, as well as ALL the remaining whipped egg batter. THEN, fold gently by hand until the flour and egg batter are well incorporated with the creamed butter mixture. If you prefer, you can add 1/2 the flour first, followed by 1/2 the remaining egg batter, then all the remaining flour, followed by all the remaining egg batter. The important thing is to fold gently but thoroughly, until you don’t see any streaks of flour in the batter. The batter should look homogeneous and be of an even consistency. It’s hard to say how long this will take, but it shouldn’t take too long. It’s best to judge from the feel and appearance of the batter. I bake often, so for me, the folding part takes under 30 seconds.
(4) Could either be that the butter was not creamed till light enough, OR the folding was not thorough enough, so you might have ended up with uneven consistency in the batter.
(5) Not sure why it would end up spongy, but likely a result of uneven mixing or combining during the steps where you add flour and whipped egg batter to the creamed butter mixture.
(6) If you do use all-purpose flour, you will need baking powder to help it rise.
Don’t give up, Lynette! This is actually a medium level of difficulty recipe to start with, so it’s common to experience some issues especially if you don’t bake often. That’s how I started too! Just halve the recipe, and it will be so much more manageable! Wishing you every success! Do share how it works out the next time, ya?
Hi Celia, came across your recipe as my family is always a fan of rich butter cakes. A quick question on eggs. The number of eggs used are 10 pieces. What is the size of egg used since it varies from small of 40g to large of 70g per egg in supermarkets?
Hi Lu Yan, thank you for writing in! I use large eggs about 56 to 60 gm each.
My friend asked me to make cake with raisin, and the best choice was this recipe,thanks..I made it and added raisin…so yummy,very soft even I ate the next day..
Hi Umi, that’s so great to hear! I love your idea of incorporating raisins, sounds wonderfully yummy! I hope you can leave s review for this recipe on the post, and share what you did. It’s so helpful for other readers! Thank you, stay safe and Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri!
Hi Celia, after I whipped egg whites.
Mix the butter with condensed milk
Do I combine the eggs white mixture with butter mixture together?
Thanks
Hi Suzanne, the step after whipping egg whites to stiff peaks, is to whip in yolks to combine well. Then beat the butter with condensed milk. Then add 1/3 cup of this combined egg mixture to the butter mixture. Finally, followed by the flour mixture and the remaining 2/3 egg mixture. You will get a clearer understanding if you look at the step-by- step photos with accompanying instructions, which I wrote in detail in the main content of the post. Hope this helps!?
Hi i made this cake once and totally love it! i wonder if i can substitute the flour with self-raising flour?
Hi Fiza, so glad you love it! Thank you for sharing! Yes, you can use the same amount of self-raising flour in place of plain, and omit the baking powder. Self-raising flour also contains a little salt, but there’s no need to reduce the amount of salt if you are using unsalted butter. Would love to know how this works out! Happy baking!
Hi, I’m thinking of adding pandan flavoring to this by blending pandan leaves and water. Seems like that might dilute the texture of the cake? What if I use pandan paste (ie. let the mixture sit and only use what sinks to the bottom)?
Hi Denise, what a delicious idea! If O were to do it, I’d omit the vanilla extract (2 tsp) and brandy (2 tsp) and add 2 tbsp pandan paste for this amount of batter. Also, if you have store-bought pandan paste, I would add 1/2 tsp as well just to up the pandan flavour and colour a notch. Would love to hear what you decide in the end.?
Hi Celia , thank you for the lovely recipe. I baked it yesterday morning. It turned out very moist and it is still moist today. The family loved it. I scaled it to 80% of ingredients used ( e.g 8 eggs, 250g butter etc) . I have never made a butter cake with condensed milk before normally it just liquid full fat milk or powdered milk, it does take much longer to whip it to fluffy texture using (KAmixer). I would like the cake to be a little less moist and dense and less eggy. What would you suggest I can change from your recipe to achieve the above? Thanks once again.
Hi, thank you so much for sharing! I’m glad this was so well received in your family. Hmm.. I haven’t thought of making this butter cake less in any way, haha.. because we are such butter cake lovers, especially the rich kind. I’ll have to do some recipe testing myself to see what amounts work for the kind of texture and taste you’re looking for. It sounds like you might like a pound cake which is buttery but less dense, without the eggy flavour? Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful right now, as I only recommend recipe changes if I’m sure they’ll work out. I’ll try to get back to you soon!
Can you frost this for birthday cake or it is too rich?
Hi Mar, this cake is quite rich so I’ve never thought of frosting this. As it’s also a dense cake, it might not work well as a layered cake with filling. Just a top frosting and round the sides should work out fine. Hope this helps!
Have you tried frosting this type of cake like for a birthday cake? Thanks
Hi Mae, I haven’t tried it myself but if I were to do so, I think a buttercream frosting would work out nicely.
Hi Celia, thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
Just tried this butter cake, taste really good! Gonna bake again for Christmas and Chinese New Year. Thank you
So pleased this cake turned out great for you, Huifang! Love your idea of baking this for both festive seasons! I might just do that too, haha! Thank you so much for sharing.
I been searching for years the best event butter cake recipe and I think this one is the winner. Love it and bake it so many times
Thank you so much for taking the time to write in, Eda, I’m so thrilled you love this!
it’s so educating… thanks
Thank you, Elizabeth!
Hello again Celia,
I will be baking this tomorrow! ?
A really quick question. You mentioned this is for a large 20cm (8inch) square cake. If I were to divide the batter into 2 loaf cakes, putting both into the oven at the same time side by side, I can still follow the temperature and timing you have given right (of course with using my sight to gauge at the end).
Even if I were to halve the ingredients and make 1 loaf cake, still the same timing? Haha sorry for the silly questions. Thank you soo much!!
Hi Lynette, if you were to bake the cake batter in 2 separate loaf pans, or just halve the recipe and bake in 1 loaf pan, the temperature would be the same but you may need a shorter time as you have half the cake batter in each loaf pan. I would advise checking to see if the cake in each loaf pan is done after 40 mins, and if not quite done yet, then check every 5 mins of additional baking until it’s done. When the cake shrinks slightly from the sides of the pan, and springs back when you touch it in the centre, it is done. Do the skewer test to check as well.
I’m so thrilled you’re going to try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out. I’d suggest halving the recipe and baking in one loaf pan first, as the full recipe batter is quite a lot and can be challenging to work with. Once you’ve nailed down the process, you could always do the full recipe. Good luck!
Hi Celia.
Firstly, thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It does sound very yummy and I’d like to try making this. I just moved to a new neighborhood and would like to bake some for my immediate neighbours.
I was just wondering, I had intend to put some icing to make it look nice. I am afraid it might be too sweet overall. Have you tried?
Thanks so much
Hi Lynette, thank you for writing in! This would be awesome to share with your new neighbours, how lovely! I haven’t tried this cake with any frosting as it’s a denser cake than most, but simply because it already has amazing flavour as is. It’s an old-school butter cake, and the sweetness, I feel, is just right, so the overall sweetness would depend on your choice of frosting. If you do decide to frost, I think it would be more delicious with a simple lemon icing or glaze, or vanilla buttercream type of frosting. I hope this helps! Do share how it turns out, I’d love to know!
Just removed the cake from the oven. Looks gorgeous! Tastes great!
Thanks Celia for the recipe….this one’s for keeps.
Hi Tris, I’m so glad this worked out beautifully for you! Thank you for taking the time to comment and rate this recipe! It is truly one of my favourites for butter cakes! Have an awesome weekend!
Hello, do you think sugar could be replace with coconut sugar? Less calories, I would say ?
Hi Georgiana, I’ve never tried this recipe with coconut sugar, though as a general rule of thumb, it’s best to use caster or fine sugar, instead of coarse sugars, for cake batters that involve whipping up whole eggs, egg whites or egg yolks with sugar. The finer sugar texture allows more air to incorporated into the batter, which will have a better result for the texture of the cake. Hope this helps! Hope you can share if you do try!
This looks so delicious! I’ll definitely try this one! It’s also easy to bake. Can’t wait.
Thank you for writing in, Raiko! I hope you’ll enjoy this cake! Happy baking!
hi Celia, can I not adding the brandy ?
Hi Shirley, yes, you can omit the brandy entirely.
Hi Celia,
Hubby loves butter cake . Tried today and cake turn out fabulous. Cut the recipe into half , tho ‘ Thanks
Joyce.
Awesome to hear this turned out well, Joyce! I also halve this recipe when it’s just for me and hubby too! Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Celia. Your cake looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. However, can I use light brown sugar instead of caster sugar and if yes how much should I use for this recipe?
Hello Ivy, thank you very much for writing in. I’ve never tried this recipe with light brown sugar, but from what baking experience I’ve had using brown sugar, brown sugar has much higher moisture content and the distinct flavour of molasses, when compared to white sugar, and so will make your bakes more moist but also take on a different flavour than the original butter cake. This recipe as written will yield a very moist cake, if done well, so I would recommend not substituting with brown sugar if possible. However, I love to tweak recipes myself.. ha ha.. so maybe you could reduce the condensed milk to 3 tbsp, and substitute the white with equal amount or just 15 to 20% less, of brown sugar? I’m really interested to know how it works out if you do try this, hope you can share!
Hi Celia, Ivy here again. I didn’t use brown sugar opting to use caster sugar as per your recipe.
I’ve baked this cake twice and followed your instructions PRECISELY. When I put in the skewer it came out clean both times. The top and sides are nice and brown. However, when I cut into the cake I noticed that the bottom was a bit dense and wet (both times). Should I add an extra 10 to 15 minutes using only bottom heat? I’m a bit frustrated as the cake tastes wonderful but I just can’t seem to get the bottom right.
Hi Ivy, I totally appreciate your frustration with ‘wet’ bottoms, it has happened in my bakes as well with a host of other cakes, not just this one, believe me! There could be several causes, so I thought it best to leave you with a couple of possible remedies. Yes, you could try baking for 10 to 15 mins longer, using top and bottom heat (you can cover the top of your cake pan with a baking sheet or aluminium foil to prevent the cake top from browning too much). Second, don’t let the cake sit in the pan for too long once it’s done baking and out of oven. All that hot steam needs to escape, and if the hot cake continues to sit in the pan, the steam will have nowhere to escape and will be re-absorbed into the bottom, causing slight wetness or soggyness. Try letting it sit for 5 mins, then free the sides of the cake from the pan by running a knife all around, and carefully flip over onto a cooling rack, bottom side facing up, and removevthe pan (this method has the advantage of giving the cake top the nice grid impressions, like the cake you see in my post, as well as a flatter, uniform cake top?). Let the cake cool upside down for at least 30 mins. Third, try halving this recipe and baking a smaller cake as mixing and folding techniques can work better with a smaller amount of batter, and baking results may be more consistent. I really, really hope that one or all of these will give you a thoroughly successful bake the next time. Don’t give up, ya? This cake is really worth all the effort! Hope to hear your good news!
Thanks for the tips Celia. Will try as you suggest.
Im non alcoholic. What can i use to substitute the brandy?
Hello Aisha, you don’t need to substitute the brandy at all. Just omit it altogether.
Hi dear thanks for the amazing cake .i tryed it on my visit to china but when i made it it was a complete failier . It was done from the edges and raw from the middle . Shoud i led the oven from top and bottom or only bottom . And can i use margrine insted of butter ?
Thanks dear
Hi Alaa, I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work out. To bake this cake, you need both top and bottom heat of the oven, with the cake pan placed in the lower half of the oven. Sounds like the sides of cake baked too quickly before the inside was done, sometimes this means the cake is placed too close to the top heat, or the temperature could be too high. Though margarine is a common substitute for butter, it is not recommended in baking where a recipe calls for butter, unless specified, as it has lower fat content and higher water content, so it will affect the texture of the cake. Margarine is also not as flavourful as butter.
This recipe sounds wonderful, and I want to try it, but do you have the measurements in standard and not metric, please???
Hello Patricia, here are the ingredient weights in ounces:
11 oz flour; 11 oz sugar; 16 oz butter (or 12.3 oz butter for less rich version).
Uh and one more other thing, can I also substitute condensed milk with evaporated milk? Should the measurements be more then?
Thanks!
Hi Rachel, I’ve just written back to all your queries in one reply. Hoping for success for you!
Hi Celia! Thank you for sharing this, it sounds really yummy and I’m planning to try this recipe out for my mom’s birthday next week. (I haven’t baked in umpteen years and I’ve never been a pro to begin with lol). Anyway I have a few novice questions, please bear with me.
1. Can I use bacardi rum instead of brandy?
2. I can use this same recipe to make cupcakes too I suppose?
3. What is the size of the eggs here because I was thinking of using kampung eggs
4. What is the brand and the wattage (or capacity) of the cake mixer that u use? I read alot about the issues on the folding and I’m wondering if maybe the size of mixer makes the difference too
Thank you
Hi Rachel, thank you for writing in, and I think you’re so sweet to bake this for you Mum’s birthday! I hope she loves old-school butter cakes like this one! Let me try to answer your questions as best I can:
1. Yes, rum is perfectly fine in place of brandy.
2. This cake batter is not as light or airy as cupcake batter, so I wouldn’t recommend it.
3. The eggs need to be fairly large eggs, between 60 to 62 gm in weight.
4. I use a Kitchen Aid Artisan series, 5-quart s/steel bowl, with up to 10 speeds (300 W). This mixer works fine for this recipe, but I have to say that you’ll need at least a 5-quart mixer bowl. I actually do all the folding by hand, where stated in the recipe, as using the mixer would risk over-beating the batter. If you find the quantity of cake batter too much to handle in the mixer bowl, you could transfer to a large mixing bowl that allows you to fold in the flour and egg mixtures more easily.
5. I don’t know of a suitable substitute for condensed milk, and can only suggest you leave it out entirely if you don’t wish to add it. However, the texture and flavour of the cake may not turn out as originally intended.
I would usually suggest to halve the recipe, if you’re baking for the first time (maybe a dry run before the big day?). Heee… I really hope this turns out awesome for you! Good luck, and I hope to hear from you on how it went!
Hi celia!
I love butter cakes and have been been looking for the perfect recipe, and stumbled into yours! I’ll try baking this as soon as i have my questions answered :
1. I don’t use electric ovens, so how do i lower down the temp (as gas oven doesn’t shift that quick)? What can i do here?
2. Is plain flour the same as all purpose flour? Or should i use cake flour?
3. If i use salted butter, do i omit the salt in the recipe?
4. Egg sizes differ here – what’s the value of egg yolks and egg whites in grams?
Sorry for all the questions but i just really want this to be perfect?
Thanks!
Hi Teng, thank you so much for writing in! I’m so excited that you’re giving this recipe a try, and I really, really, really want this to turn out well for you too. So, I’ll try my very best to give you the answers you need.
1) I’ve never dealt with gas ovens before, but from what I’ve read, if you have gas mark settings on your oven, you can start baking at Gas Mark 4 (350 deg F or 175 deg C) for 10 mins, before turning down to Gas Mark 1 (275 deg F or 135 deg C). Each gas oven varies in their temperature settings, so whatever settings correspond to those temperatures on your oven. It’s to be expected that the oven temperature will take considerable time to reduce. For more reading on how to bake in gas ovens, here’s an article I hope you’ll find helpful. Please note that baking times are often longer in gas ovens as well, so be prepared to bake for additional 15 to 30 minutes or until your cake is baked through.
2) Yes, plain flour is the same as all-purpose flour. This was easy!
3) Yes, you can omit salt if using salted butter. But I find adding just a pinch is good too!
4) I usually use 56 to 60 gm eggs here, so yolks will weigh between 16 to 18 gm each, and whites between 40 to 42 gm each.
The step-by-step photos should provide a good, visual guide for you.
This makes quite a large amount of batter, Teng, so it might be a good idea to make a smaller cake using half the recipe amounts- it just makes handling and working with the batter a lot easier on your first time. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to ask! I’m happy to help! Good luck and I’m eager to hear how it turns out!
is condensed milk the same as sweetened condensed milk?
Hi Therese, yes it is.
Did not come out as moist as hoped.
Hi Andrea, sorry to hear this wasn’t as moist as you wanted. May I ask if you had any issues while making the cake? Were the ingredient amounts the same as per the recipe? It would be helpful to know so that I could get to understand what may have turned out this cake differently, because moistness hasn’t been a problem with this recipe so far. Thank you for your time and feedback!
I halved the recipe and followed all the step. But the result was not that moist. I am trying to figure out which step I did wrongly.
Hi May, this is indeed unusual to hear, as this cake should be very moist given the amount of butter and sugar, though how moist we like a cake can be relative given our personal preferences. It would really help to know what the texture was like as well. Given the limited info, the likely possible causes I can think of could be (1) the baking time was a little too long thus drying out the cake a little, or (2) the cake pan was placed too close to the top heat, ideally the pan should sit in the lower half of the oven, or (3) the internal temperature of the oven heat could have been higher than the set temperature, in which case having an oven thermometer is very useful to make sure the oven is at the required temperature. It also makes a difference if your oven is fan-forced. If fan-forced, you need to drop oven temperature lower by 20°C to simulate conventional oven. Hope these suggestions can help!
Hello Celia, 10 large eggs? How many gram for each egg?
Hi Forest, 60 to 62 gm eggs are preferred. Happy baking!
Hi for health reasons can the amount of sugar?
Hi Ally, if you mean to ask if the amount of sugar can be reduced, then yes, it can, but depending on how much you reduce, do expect that the texture and taste of the cake may not be the same, because sugar also contributes to the moistness of the cake, and golden brown crust of the cake. Generally, I would suggest that for most cakes, it is highly recommended to reduce no more than 20% of the total amount of sugar. Hope this works out for you! Hope to hear your feedback!
Hi Celia,
Your butter cake recipe was amazing and the people who had a share of it can’t help praising how wonderful it was! Thank you!
Hi Alyssa, so glad to hear your cake was a hit! Thank you so much for writing in to share! Have a wonderful Sunday!
Thank you for this recipe. The pictures really are a help. Been searching for a cake like this but didn’t realize I have been searching in all the wrong places. I am traveling now but can’t wait to get home to try this. Looking a the photos I can almost taste it. Umm! I will let you know how it turns out.
Hi Gina, thank you so much and I’m so glad you found me too on this site! Butter cakes are my biggest weakness, I just can’t resist them! Can’t wait to hear how this turns out for you when you get around to baking it. Meanwhile, enjoy, happy and smooth travels wherever you go, and be safe always! Cheers!
Hi Celia,
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe and I finally tried it today. May I ask if this is supposed to be a dense and crumbly cake? I have no idea what went wrong but my cake was soft (texture resembles Japanese cotton cheese cake). I was unable to get the egg whites to stiff peak even after beating for about 8 mins. Could that be the cause? The taste was great though. I would really love to try baking this again and hopefully could get the right texture. Thanks.
Hi Amelia, thank you for writing in!?I’m so thrilled you got to make this! This cake is indeed a denser butter cake with a firm and moist crumb, so it won’t be as light or fluffy as a sponge cake, and definitely not crumbly. It should slice cleanly, without breaking easily or crumbling apart (you might get a better impression of the cake texture from the photos in my recipe post). It sounds like if the egg whites could not reach stiff peaks (therefore, not enough trapped air), then the batter will not have enough or less than optimal rise, resulting in a dense, close crumb possibly like the cotton cheesecake texture you described. The egg whites must not get any traces of yolk when separating. When beating the egg whites, the bowl needs to be completely free of grease/oils. I really hope this makes all the difference! I’d love to know how it works out, ya?
Hi, can I replace brandy with rum or kahlua? Will it change the taste of the cake? Thanks
Yes, you sure can replace the brandy with rum. Kahlua sounds interesting – it’s a liquor I haven’t used in butter cakes, but it’s only a dash really, so I think the cake should taste fine?. Hope you’ll share how your cake turns out, ya??
Hi Celia, thanks for your prompt reply! I found brandy so wont be using rum or kahlua. Thanks again!
Dear Celia,your butter cake looks so good.My husband and family members love butter cake.If I were to make half of the recipe,can you tell me what size cake pan to use?I have problem baking heavy cakes with my oven as they tend to be wet and underbaked.Thank you so much for sharing with us your recipe.
Dear Sally, thank you so much for writing in! Yes, absolutely, you can half the recipe.? You can bake in an 8 inch x 4 inch x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan, OR an 8-inch round cake pan. In general, heavy batter cakes like butter cakes need to bake slowly and for longer, so keep checking with a metal or bamboo skewer test, every 5 mins after the stated baking time in a recipe, if the cake is not yet quite done, until it is baked through.? If you half this butter cake recipe, bake at the stated temperature (no change), but depending on the cake pan you use, baking could take anywhere between 40 to 50 mins. Hope you can share how it works out!
Hello there
Thanks fr d recipe
My husband loves rich butter cakes so m gna attempt to make him this cake
Js
Wondering if I half d rexipe and bake it in a loaf pan,do I have to change d temp n d baking time??
Hi Adelin, thank you for writing in! You can certainly half the recipe, and bake it in a loaf pan at the stated temperature for 40 to 50 minutes. If it’s still not quite baked through after this time, I would check every 5 mins with a skewer test till the cake is done. Hope your husband likes this!?
Hi Lc, thank you so much for sharing! ?Mrs Leong’s cookbook is my absolute favourite, and my go-to for classic, traditional and nonya recipes too! I’ve not tried this with cake flour as I don’t think the gluten (protein) level would be high enough to give this cake a solid structure, without having to make adjustments to the fats (butter and yolks) and liquids, and if I manage to do that successfully, the cake texture and crumb will be different as well – tender texture and finer crumb like butter sponge or swiss roll. But you got me thinking now, and I just might try it and see what we get! Thank you for the suggestion!? Happy Lunar New Year to you and your family!
Hi Celia. I’ve made this recipe countless times and love it. I actually have Mrs Leong’s cookbook but was never tempted to make it because it isn’t accompanied by a picture. Thank you for rediscovering this recipe for me. Have you tried this recipe with cake flour? ?
Hi Celia. Happy New Year 2018 to you and your family. Thanks for this recipe of a very tasty butter cake that I have ever made so far…I baked it yesterday..so I can enjoy eating it on New Year’s Day. Followed all the instruction religiously…but the cake turned out to be moist but dense…no moist crumbs like yours instead it has a Kuih like texture…but the cake is completely cooked…I did the skewer test…could you please tell what could have possibly gone wrong? I would love to bake this cake again..and am sure i am going to save your recipe and it’s going to be my one and only recipe to follow for butter cake…. thank you..
Hello Lavender! Many thanks for your lovely greetings! Happy New Year 2018 to you and your family too! I’m so honoured that you trusted this recipe and gave it a try. This rich, moist butter cake is my absolute favourite too! I have to admit that it can be a little challenging if you’re baking it for the first time, so I hope the step-by-step pictures helped you see what the cake batter should look like as you add each ingredient. It sounds like the dense, kuih-like texture could be a result of over-mixing or over-folding the flour when you work it into the batter in the last step before baking. If the flour is over mixed, it will develop more gluten (which is basically the protein in the flour) which will make the cake tougher, and hence, more chewy in texture, like kuih. May I suggest that you try halving the recipe, which makes a smaller cake, but much more manageable when you work with less batter. Stop folding or mixing once you don’t see any more specks or trails of unmixed flour in the batter. Hope it works out beautifully your next time round! Do share, ya? I’d love to know!
Hi Celia, I am so happy that I found your reciepe and will make it this weekend ! I have to share something I was taught way-back in high school home eco. class. Never beat egg whites in a plastic bowl, as it can cause the whites to not get to the proper consistently. I’m 63 years old and have kept to this “rule ” ever since!!!
Hi Lisa, I’m so glad too that you stumbled upon my blog! Thank you so much for trying out the recipes here, I really enjoy hearing from my readers too! Especially tips like the one you just shared about beating egg whites in a plastic bowl, I never knew that!? Thank you so much and do keep your comments coming!
Hey. I am just wondering can I bake it in 1 or 2 8 inch circle pan instead? What will be the baking time difference?
Hi Christine, it depends on the height of your 8-inch round cake pan. This batter is quite a bit, so if your cake pan has a height of at least 3 to 3.5 inches, you should be safe as long as the batter doesn’t fill up more than 2/3 of the pan. Baking time typically varies, depending on your oven as well, and if baking in one round pan, it may take between 1 hr to 1 hr 15 mins. That said, if you decide to bake in two 8-inch round pans, the cakes will take less time to bake through and I would check every 10 minutes or so to see if the cakes are done, after 30 minutes of baking time has elapsed. Baking in two pans will also mean that the cakes will be shorter in height. Hope this helps!
Hi Celia, I tried to make this cake,. It turned out too oily.. but it taste delicious!!!
I will try to make again next time??
Hi Crashiel, thanks for sharing! The oily-ness could also be due to butter being too warm before or after creaming. Ideally, butter temp is best at 19 to 21 deg (room temp) for creaming. If you’d like, you could also try the “less rich” version – I’ve included the reduced butter amount in the recipe as well (in brackets for the butter ingredient). Do share, ya??
Hi Celia,
Can you give me the cup measurements for the Flour, Sugar & Butter
Hi Veronica, I think these are the closest metric equivalents I could work out: 2 3/4 cups flour ; 1 1/3 cups (or 1 3/8 cups) sugar; and 2 cups butter. These don’t give you the amounts to the exact gram equivalent, but are close enough, give or take 5 to 10 gm. Hope this works out!??
Hi Celia, may i ask
What is the purpose of condensed milk? can i replace it with full cream milk or whole milk?
Hi Yanne, condensed milk gives a richer flavour that enhances the taste of the cake, and also gives a lovely moistness (due to it’s sugar content). You can omit it entirely, but do not replace with other types of milk in this case. Hope you like it!?
Hai there.. thank you for the kind sharing of the recipe.. im interested on doing it… butter cake but the flour measurement not clear 310g or …?
Hi Rati! Thanks for writing?. The flour amount is 310 gm. Sorry, it’s a glitch I can’t quite seem to fix in the recipe. Hope you can share how you like this when you try it, ya? Happy baking!?
Dear Cecil. This is just the right butter cake I ve been looking for. I used to make it when I was a teenager but lost the recipe. Yesterday I baked this butter cake and it turn out well. Oh my..oh my… U brought back sweet memories to me. Tks so much Cecil.
Hi Sue, thank you so much for sharing, I’m so happy to hear this cake could bring you sweet memories (as well as sweet tastes!??). You made my day! Have a lovely weekend!
I am really impress on how my cake turns out! My kids and husband cannot stop eating! But I needed a 9 inch pan though!
Hi Lisa, thank you so much for sharing! Awesome to hear your family enjoyed it! Great baking on your part, no less! Yes, this recipe makes quite a lot of batter so good thinking on your part to use a 9-inch! Thanks for the feedback on the pan size?????
Hi Celia, I’m from Malaysia. I made this cake with a local butter called Buttercup. Let me tell you I am really impressed with the texture, this is what a real butter cake should be like. well, i have a question. Can i bake this with French butter Labelle? will it be very greasy? any ideas? please advice. i am suppose to bake this cake on Wed night for my son’s birthday. Sorry for I need a quick reply. Thank you so much.
Hi Sharmmila, thank you so much for sharing!?I’m really happy you liked how it turned out for you! I’ve never made this cake with French butter before so I couldn’t say from any experience, but I make this butter cake with Danish butter brand ‘Lurpak’, and it turns out great for me. It wasn’t too greasy for me, though you can feel it on your fingers just a little if you hold a slice. Whichever type of butter you go with, I hope it turns out as awesome for you! Hope you can share with me, ya? I’d love to know!???
Hi Celia,
Just want to clarify with you how many gram of plain flour. 310 g or 3101 g? Thank you.
Hi Fina, it should be 310 gm. Sorry for the glitch on the amount in the recipe, I can’t quite fix it for some reason.?? but yes, 310 gm it is. Thanks for highlighting that!
Hi Celia, I’ve been looking for a rich butter cake recipe and I found it! I will attempt it this weekend. However, I don’t have almond essence. Is it possible to omit this from the recipe? Alternately, can you suggest a replacement? Thanks!
Hello and thanks so much for writing!? yes, you can omit the almond essence entirely. I hope this cake turns out awesome for you, and if it’s not too much trouble, I’d really love to hear from you how you liked it, ya? Happy baking!
Dear Celia… this cake is elegant enough to be served on a lunar new year. Have u ever tried mixing dried fruits (cranberry, prunes or raisins) into the cake?
Hi Audrey, thank you for sharing, and what a great suggestion to incorporate mixed dried fruit – that’s another great classic!?I haven’t tried it myself but I’m pretty confident this butter fruit cake will taste amazing! Hope you can share if you do make a dried fruit version, ya??
Celia, need clarification on the egg mixture and flour-salt mixture, please – I’m a real novice and follow instructions to a t. Step 5 re egg mixture and and flour-salt mixture – after adding the one cup egg mixture and beating it well, do I fold in ALL the flour-salt mixture TOGETHER with the rest of the egg mixture all at one go ?
Oy Len, oooh.. it’s been a while since I last made this, so I’m totally relying on my memory here? from how the recipe reads, you do fold in all the flour together with the rest of the egg mixture. The folding should be light but quick. I’d honestly have to say that this recipe is a little challenging for novice bakers, but I’ve had many readers get it right the first time too! So whatever happens, don’t give up, ya!? I’m going to try to work on adding step-by-step pictures within the recipe instructions…hopefully sooner than later. Keep you posted when I do.?
Celia, your rich butter cake looks amazing. Will definitely try it.
I have an 8×8 square cake pan which is only 2 inches deep. Is it deep enough ?
Your cake looks very tall.
Hi Oy Len, thanks so much! I’m so excited that you’re going to try this too! My 8×8 square pan is about 2.5 inches deep, and it worked out okay. I think a pan depth of 2-inches is cutting it a little close, so you might want to reduce the recipe portions or just risk it and hope that the batter won’t spill over. It’s quite a dense batter and doesn’t rise too much so I think you might just make it in your pan. Hope you’ll tell me how it all worked out, ya? Happy baking!?
Celia, thank you so much for your prompt reply. I have been looking for the ultimate butter cake, yours sounds it. Think I will go get an 8x8x2.5 pan to be safe.
Hi Oy Len, my pleasure! Hope it all works out, it’s a marvellous butter cake!
Hi Celia, I baked the cake last night. Borrowed friend’s 8x8x3 cake pan. It didn’t look like your beautiful browned cake, mine was pale……but I love the texture of the cake. Will try again. I couldn’t whip the egg whites with sugar and baking powder to the soft peaks that you mentioned in your recipe (yes, I made sure the bowl was clean and dry). And when I added the beaten egg yolks, it didn’t incorporate totally – I still had quite a bit of beaten egg yolk at the bottom of the bowl and daren’t add it to the batter, so maybe that’s why the cake is not as brown as it should be (didn’t have enough egg yolk, does that sound logical ?)
Hi Oy Len, your enthusiasm really inspired me so much that I felt compelled to bake this butter cake today, so that this time, I could take step-by-step photos, which hopefully will help you and other home bakers , because I so want you to succeed and be happy with your bakes.?? Mine is baking in the oven right now, and fingers crossed, after all this time, hope I’ve got it right. That’s the thing about baking…if we don’t do it often enough, we can lose our edge too?. So, hopefully, I’ll be able to update the post really quickly before your next attempt. I’m so glad you loved the texture, and you might have been able to bake it a little longer till the top browns nicely. There’s lots of sugar in the batter to give it a golden brown, even if you couldn’t add all the yolks in. Hopefully, the photos I took today could clarify the issues you had with the egg whites and yolks. You’ll be the first to know once the post is updated, ya (in a day or two…I’ll try to be quick!)?
Hi Celia, I’m so happy that you responded so quickly. It’s what I call a real cake, not the air-fairy type ?. I was worried it would over-bake and turn out dry – guess in the process the top of the cake was also a bit sticky. Can’t wait to see the step by step photos. You’re a gem !!
Thanks so much, Oy Len! You’re so sweet!
Hi Oy Len, my butter cake post just got updated with step-by-step photos! Hope it makes all the difference in your next bake! As always, I’d love to hear from you how your cake turns out!
Thank you for sharing the recipe. I tried it and have a few question.
1. How long should i beat the egg whites to reach the right consistency? I used a handheld mixer and the eggs didn’t reach soft peak consistency even after mixing it for a few minutes. I stopped mixing it after some time, fearing of over beating the eggs.
2. Mine took more than 1.5 hours to bake. I used an 8-inch square pan as suggested. Even after that long, mine doesn’t have the rich brown top as yours. I’m curious to know where i did wrong.
Hi Hani, thank you for trying this recipe. I’m not too sure what happened but the critical first step when beating the egg whites is to make sure that your mixing bowl and whisk are absolutely dry and grease free, or else the whites will not whip to near stiff peaks. The process should take just a matter of a few minutes, depending on the mixer speed. The whites will have to whip up to stiff peaks first, before you even run the risk of overwhipping, so it sounds like it didn’t whip up well. The next time, try whipping the egg whites (with baking powder) first till they start to get frothy, then trickle in the sugar bit by bit, while whipping.
When you add the egg yolks as well, a little at a time, keep whipping until the yolks are well incorporated, and the mixture should be thick and fluffy.
Can you tell me how your cake texture turned out?
Hi Celia. Thank you for the quick reply. I will make sure to try as you suggest on my next attemp.
The texture of the cake is not as fluffy as i wanted it to, but not dense either. I think i might have slightly under bake the cake because the top layer is a bit sticky on the second day. But the taste is delish!
I think this recipe requires a few practice before it can come up perfect as the picture :p
Hi Hani! Thank you for sharing!
This butter cake has a texture is moist and tender, but not as soft and fluffy as a sponge cake. Hope you’ll give it another go, ya? Also, I think it makes a big difference to the texture of the cake to cream the butter (with condensed milk) till it’s light and fluffy, anywhere from 8 to 10 mins on medium speed. The butter should feel light on your spatula, like buttercream on a cake! Remember not to get even a drop of yolk in your egg whites when you separate eggs, otherwise that’s another reason why the whites won’t whip up!Good luck and happy baking!
Just read your update – double thumbs up !! Thank you so much. Your cake looks sooooooo good. Yesssssss I think I can do it !!
Thank you, Oy Len! YESSS…YOU CAN! ????
Hi. I don’t really understand yr point on amount of butter for richer version. So if I want to make 2 servings, so instead of 227g, I need use 350g?
For your info, I did a 2 servings but instead of condensed milk (which I don’t have on hand), I replaced with 45ml of full cream milk. The cake turns out sooooooo… delicious!
Hi Sofia, that’s just awesome to hear how delicious your cake turned out, with the substitution of full cream milk for condensed. Thanks for this wonderful tip!???? I’m sorry that the instruction looks confusing, will correct that in a moment. I meant to say that you could use 350 gm butter (for a less rich version) instead of 455 gm of butter, but this batter will still be enough to make one 20-cm (8-inch) square cake or 2 loaf cakes. If you want to halve the recipe, that would mean using 175 gm of butter (for a less rich version) instead of 227 gm. Hope that clears it up! Thank you for sharing!?
This for sharing this very rich butter cake
Thanks so much, Jennie!?
Hi Celia, can I substitute the plain flour with self raising flour? Thanks…..
Hi Erin, yes, you can ?. Just omit the baking powder and salt if you do use self-raising flour as self-raising flour generally contains both baking powder as well as salt (roughly 1 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp of salt in every 150 grams (1 cup) of self-raising flour).
Is it the type of cake that tastes nice with icing?
You bet, Sarah!? It has such a pure, sweet buttery flavour and should work well with almost any kind of icing, I would imagine! If you do try it, hope you can share how it turns out!
I have a friend from Singapore who has requested a butter cake for her birthday. And her American friend wants to ice it with fondant icing. Would you ice this butter cake?
Hi Sarah, I’ve not tried icing this cake with fondant before, so I’m not really sure. But I can say that this cake is pretty firm and should, in my humble opinion, be okay for any kind of icing.?
This looks like the recipes for marble cake if you scoop up a small bowl & add sieved cocoa powder & stir then you fold into the batter. We make it often.
Hi Odelia, yes, it’s easy to turn most butter cake recipes into marbled cakes just as you described. I love marble cakes too!? actually, I have a weakness for just about any kind of butter cake…thanks so much for sharing!
Hi celia
Going to try your recipes. They look awesome. Thanks for your generosity in sharing. You must be a good Chef. Happy lunar new year in advance.
Hi Maureen, thank you so much!? Hope you like how these recipes turn out for you. I’m always happy to share, and eager to hear from you too. Feel free to ask me if there’s anything I can help you with here. Happy baking and cooking!
Happy Lunar New Year to you and your family, Maureen!
May I ask, what does it mean by beating egg whites with sugar till thick? Are you referring to stiff peak stage??
Hi! I beat the egg whites to just about stiff peak stage, though I have to say that it was an assumption I made when Mrs Leong’s recipe stated to beat till thick. Thank you for asking, I’ll be sure to put in that detail for clarification.? Sorry for the delayed reply, am currently touring in China. Hope you’ll try it and share how it turns out?
Hi Celia, greetings from Switzerland. Your cake looks great and I am so going to try it. Was wondering can I skip both the brandy and almond essence altogether and if yes, do I have to increase the amount for the vanilla essence pls? Thank you for sharing!!
Hi Vivian, welcome! Thank you so much for dropping in ? Yes, you can absolutely omit the brandy and almond essence, and you wouldn’t need to increase the vanilla essence. Hope it works out nicely for you, and I’d love to hear how your cake turns out! Have fun! Celia ?
Hello Celia, made this cake and the flavours were intense and superb just as you described. However, the texture turned out to be a little on the dense side.. I wonder what went wrong? Thank you once again and I am trying my luck on your marble cake recipe next 🙂
Hi Vivian! Thank you so much for sharing, I’m so happy you loved the flavours!? The denser texture could be a result of how the flour and egg mixtures were folded into the butter mixture. The key is to fold lightly but quickly until well combined, which does take some practice. The tendency is that when we try to fold lightly, we’ll do it too slowly and it’ll take more folds to get a well mixed batter, which ends up overworking the batter and the batter loses volume (trapped air bubbles) . But when we do it quickly, we might end up slapping the batter around in the bowl, thus we also lose volume, i.e. the trapped air bubbles, that we’ve worked hard to whip up during the creaming and whipping. This also can result in a denser texture.
Vivian, if I may suggest, you could cut down the ingredients by half, so that it makes it a lot easier to work with a smaller batter and see if the folding as I described (i.e.light but quick moves) improves the texture, on your next bake. Let me know if it turns out a lighter texture…do share, ya? Cheers, Celia
Hello Celia! I stumbled upon your post while googling for famous Asian butter cakes. Yours looks so drool-worthy!
While many have raved about the famous Mrs SK Ng’s butter cake, it didn’t quite hit the spot for me. I sure would love to try this recipe.
One question, do you think I could get away with using just 8 eggs for this recipe? Hope to hear from you. Thank you!
Hello Marnie! Thank you for writing. 10 eggs is a lot, isn’t it?? I’d have honestly say that I do not have an educated answer to your question. I would go out on a limb and dare say that the cake would probably turn out fine, as there’s probably enough butter to keep its crumb (texture) moist, but as eggs also add volume to the cake by trapping air, reducing this might mean less volume of cake batter. So that may mean a slightly denser texture? I’d say go for it, and hope you’ll love how it turns out. I’d love to hear from you if you tweak it your way, ya? Happy baking!
Hi Celia, this looks remarkable! Do you think this will hold up as a stacked / layered cake and covered with fondant? Looking for a great layered cake to offer my clients. thank you!
Hi Kim, thank you for writing! I’ve not personally tried turning this into a layered cake, and have never worked with fondant before, so I’m not too sure. But I think it ought to hold up pretty well as a stacked cake. This cake, if done well, is quite tender and moist when just baked or warm, but will slice neatly when cooled completely without being overly crumbly, so I think that it would work well as a stacked cake with fillings. Hope this helps, and if you do try it, hope you can fill me in, I’d love to hear about it! Cheers, Celia
Hi Celia,
My colleague from Thailand request a very rich butter cake, so I am trying to find right recipe for them. I googled it and saw your one this morning , I am
a little bit confused with your
instruction number 5, when do you mixed in the butter mixture? I did the way I normally do, the batter came out little bit funny looking. So I wasn’t sure if the cake supposed to taste like what is taste now. It’s little bit chewy. Thanks:))
Hi Jessy! Thank you for trying this recipe and writing to me. The cake should come out tender and moist, and very rich. It sounds like the batter might have been overfolded, which might be why the cake was slightly chewy. Do try it again (don’t give up on this recipe, I’ve had so much positive feedback about this cake!). At step (5), fold just one cup of the whipped egg mixture from step (3), then LIGHTLY FOLD in the flour mixture, followed by the rest of the egg mixture. Fold gently and just enough until well combined. The batter should be quite thick at this point and a little denser, but not heavy. Hope this helps! Let me know how it works out the second time, ya? Happy baking, Jessy!
Just to clarify, in step 5, fold 1 cup of whipped egg mixture from step (3) INTO THE CREAMED BUTTER from step (4), followed by the flour, and finally the rest of the egg mixture.
Hi Celia, the cake was super buttery and delish! Thanks for sharing this. 🙂
Hi Sharmz,
That’s wonderful to hear! So happy you were happy with how the cake turned out. Thank you so much for sharing!??
Hi sweet celia , ( as sweet as your rich butter cake) Ha!Ha!Ha!. Well my dear, as promise, my daughter and i try your very rich butter cake 2day @ 11 a.m, Ouf! Good God c une tuerie meaning a killer. So a trophee for my daughter cos she done 3/4 of the work, do guess! how proud was she, the cake comes out First Class, so moist, so so tasteful, my husband, son in law n we 2 enjoy the cake with a nice cup of mauritian tea 4 lunch. Hey! teacher Chapeau 4 yur wise recipe. Next will try, buterry banana cake cos just got some from our garden, so sad, u r 2 far 2 share with u. Must try 2 visit my island once, u’ll b amazed. Well dear like very much papotes, by then, will give u feedback as soon as next try. Gros Bisous, P,S( we r bilinge in the island speak English n French u understand french do let me know. Bye n many thxs XXX
Good morning, Rooksana! Awww….thank you so very much for your very kind and beautiful message! I am sorry this reply is late as I am now on a ship cruising on the Yangtze River in China, so wifi here is not always good. I have heard so much about Mauritius, I would love to visit your beautiful country one day, hopefully sooner than later, and try the cuisine!
You and your daughter must be so talented at baking! You both deserve all the credit for baking the cakes and turning them out so well!! Hearing your family enjoy them so whole-heartedly and warmly brings me a lot of joy! I’m so glad the recipes work out for you, and I really love hearing about your baking and enjoyment! It is not everyday that I have such wonderful readers like you who share so warmly with me! Thank you so much, and do fill me in on all your wonderful (even if not so wonderful, I could learn from your experiences too!) baking! Hope your banana cakes turn out delicious! Keep your warm and beautiful stories coming! Cheers, Celia
Hi! I want to make 2 9-inch round pans of this cake. Will I just double the recipe? Thank you.
Hi Sharon, sorry for the delay, I’m now travelling around in China and WiFi here has been so poor, I can hardly access my emails. I hope this reply reaches you! I haven’t tried baking it in 9-inch round pans, so I can’t be sure if there’s enough batter to give you the height you might like. To be on the safe side, I’d suggest making 1.5 times the amounts called for in the recipe, as it can get a little challenging handling the amlunt of batter when doubled. Hope this helps you, and if you do get around to baking this cake, I’d love to know what you did and hkw it works out for you! Thank you for asking, and happy baking! Cheers, Celia
Hi Celia,
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Is there any non alcoholic substitute for the brandy? ?
Hello Linda, thank you for writing! I think you can skip the brandy entirely or substitute with plain water (or fresh milk) of same amount – 2 tsps is a very small amount and I don’t think it will significantly hurt the recipe. I hope you’ll give this cake a try, and share how you like it? Happy baking! Warmest regards, Celia
Hi celia.,
can i pls ask which butter to use (salted / unsalted) and tqvm for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Hi Sula,looks like I’ve got to get my eyes checked! Sorry, but just ignore what I said about adding a pinch of salt, as there’s already salt in the recipe. And cream the butter with the condensed milk, not sugar. I was thinking of a completely different cake, the durian lapis cake… it’s been a long day…heee 🙂
Hi celia
Tq for sharing this recipe.Im gonna try this recipe today. Can i pls ask which butter to use (salted or unsalted)?
Hi Sula, gosh, I hope I’m not too late! Sorry for the delay, but yes, do use unsalted butter if you can, and add a pinch of salt later, when you cream the butter and sugar. I was taught to do it this way in baking school, but I’ve forgotten why :p. Please share, if you can, how it turns out for you, ya? I’m really eager to know! Happy baking!
Hi Celia
I’m gonna try your butter cake this weekend. I wanna try to make Babi Ponteh. Have you posted this recipe?
Hi Nicole, oooh…i hope you’ll make an awesome butter cake..are you going to make the ‘less rich’ version? I have not cooked babi ponteh before. Will check my recipe books, I love nonya dishes! Thanks for sharing, happy baking, and let me know how your cake turns out, ya?