Moist and fluffy yellow butter cake by hand(Sri Lankan).

We are going back to basics with this easy butter cake recipe.

You are going to use just about any pan or bowl to mix up a vanilla-flavoured butter cake you can enjoy any time of the day.

And all it takes is just 7 ingredients to make this butter cake.

You need this golden butter cake recipe

Whether you make a golden butter cake from scratch or pick it up from a bakery, you’ll always remember the taste and texture of this popular Sri Lankan treat.

You can have any rich, over-the-top cake as a centrepiece gracing your table.

But nothing beats a melt-in-your-mouth moist butter cake with its pale golden colour and light-as-a-feather texture which makes biting into them such a delight.

If I had a chocolate cake, I’ll probably eat about two slices and stop but give me a homemade butter cake and I can finish it on my own.

Hand a plate to my kids and they’ll dunk it in Nutella making it a messy but yummy bite-size dessert. 

I had to mix this vanilla cake by hand here’s why

One of the best things about blogging is that I can do it from anywhere as long as I have my laptop and a speedy wi-fi connection.

So when I join funny man for the holidays, I continue to cook and write the recipes on the blog.

But not having my skillet and baking utensils can be a trial, especially when I have a sudden urge to do some therapeutic baking.

He has almost every spice imaginable but baking appliances?

Nothing, not even a large bowl to mix the batter.

That’s exactly what happened to me this time, I had this sudden craving for a slice of the traditional Sri Lankan butter cake and had to use a cooking pan to mix up the batter.

No Bowls, no mixers but just look how well the cake turned out! 

A buttery, soft, melt in your mouth, vanilla butter cake made from scratch just using basic utensils and an oven.

Please feel free to use a mixer to combine if you have one but I have to tell you, with all the convenient kitchen appliances out there, once in a while, going back to basics, although time-consuming gives a certain kind of satisfaction. 

Here’s proof of me mixing the batter in a cooking pan and wooden spoon, making the best of what was available.

Keep these tips in mind to make the best butter cake recipe

Always remember that baking is a science, one of the first basic recipes you’ll learn, is to make a soft and moist butter cake.

For the occasional baker or someone learning to bake, the first time you make a cake can be intimidating.

The list to achieve a perfect butter cake can be quite long.

The cake should be soft, moist, fluffy, light, avoid rising in the middle or cracking.

It’s not easy. 

But remember, how you mix the ingredients and oven temperature plays a big part in delivering a perfect cake.

Whether you are cooking a biryani or making a fluffy butter cake, the fact is, practice makes perfect.

The more you make, the better you get, in fact, this probably applies to everything in life that forces you to learn a skill.

2 reasons for baking the butter cake at low temperature and longer baking time

1. this easy butter cake recipe has been tried by my readers and unless you didn’t follow the instructions carefully, this cake recipe will always deliver the best soft butter cake ever! 

2. To avoid cracks and domes in a cake.

The reason I’m using a lower temperature to bake the cake is to avoid the usual cracks and domes.

Reading the exact temperature in an oven is hard(altitude, different models all affect the oven temperature).

So maintaining a low temperature, longer cooking time helps to keep the cake even and maintain a moist texture at the same time.

I actually prefer this method as the chances of a burnt top is less.

Especially when I’m using someone else’s oven or a convection oven like mine that tends to have a higher temperature than it shows.

Lower temperature and longer baking time also produce a much lighter and airy cake.

What I did to avoid the cake doming

As mentioned above I baked the cake using a lower temperature and baked it longer.

I also placed a larger baking tin on top of the baking pan containing the batter.

This actually worked for me to get an evenly baked cake. make sure to butter the bottom of the larger pan to avoid the cake sticking to the bottom of this pan.

More cake recipes

Chocolate cake(one layer 9-inch cake).

lemon cake(9-inch, single-layer cake)

Sri Lankan ribbon cake

Almond butter cake(coffee cake)

Dairy-free chocolate Crazy cake.

Condensed milk chocolate biscuit cake.

Storing–

once cool, cut into the required size and refrigerate in an airtight container.

Reheating-

can be refrigerated for a week. when reheating take a few pieces and microwave for 10-12 seconds to warm the cake.

RECIPE DIFFICULTY- LITTLE CARE NEEDED

The ingredients for the butter cake recipe

The ingredients mentioned below use the standard measuring cups and spoons.

Butter 2 cups

Sugar 2 cups 

4 eggs

1/4-1/2 cup of milk(you can add 1/2 a cup if the batter is too thick)

2 cups flour

1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons of vanilla

HOW TO MAKE BUTTER CAKE

Keep everything ready.

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Take the eggs(4), butter(2 cups) and milk(1/4-1/2 cup), out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you begin making the cake.

Into a bowl, sieve flour(2 cups)and baking powder(1 and 1/2tsp)together and set aside.

To remove the cake with ease, you can cover the inside of a 9 x 9 cake pan with foil or baking parchment paper.

I add two layers of the paper to remove the cake from the baking pan easily.

Grease the bottom and sides with butter and set aside.

How to make butter cake from scratch

Cut the butter into cubes and place them in a bowl or pan, add the sugar to the bowl.

If you find the sugar grains are bigger than usual, it will only add additional time to make the buttercream. 

Pulse the sugar a few times in the blender to reduce the size of the sugar which will ease the creaming.

Cream the butter and sugar until both ingredients are combined well and you have a creamy mixture in the pan.

If you are creaming manually, make sure that the sugar is completely dissolved.

Once the butter and sugar are creamed, start adding the eggs one at a time.

Gradually combine the eggs into the creamed butter.

Mix using one direction.

Preheat oven to 180C.

Add flour in half a cup and fold the flour into the batter using one direction.

Avoid beating or vigorous mixing.

Once you’re done adding the flour, pour in the milk and vanilla and combine.

If you find the consistency of the cake batter too thick, pour not more than 1/2 a cup of milk(not at once but gradually).

Once the cake batter is done, immediately transfer it to the baking pan.
Tap the pan three or four times on the counter to force the air bubbles out and level the cake.

Baking the butter cake

Place the cake tray on the middle shelf of the oven.

If you want to avoid the cake rising in the middle place a larger pan(the bottom)over the baking pan holding the batter.

Bake the cake at 170C for 40-60 minutes.

35-40 minutes into baking the cake, check if the cake is done by inserting a toothpick(if it comes clean, the cake is done) or bake longer(within the time frame given).

Let the vanilla butter cake cool.

Hold the parchment paper from both sides and remove the cake from the baking tray.

And then gently remove the parchment from the sides of the cake.

Slice the cake into the required size and enjoy it with a cup of tea.

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Moist and fluffy yellow butter cake by hand(sri lankan).

Yield: 5

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Moist and fluffy yellow butter cake by hand(Sri Lankan).

We are going back to basics with this recipe, using just about any pan or bowl to mix up a vanilla-flavored butter cake you can enjoy any time of the day

Print

Ingredients

• Ingredients mentioned below use the standard measuring cups and spoons.
• Butter 2 cups
• Sugar 2 cups
• 4 eggs
• 1/4-1/2 cup of milk(you can add 1/2 a cup if the batter is too thick)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla

Instructions

Keep everything ready.

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Take the eggs(4), butter(2cups) and milk(1/4-1/2 cup), out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you begin making the cake.

Into a bowl, sieve flour(2 cups)and baking powder(1 and 1/2 tsp)together and set aside.

To remove the cake with ease, you can cover the inside of a 9 x 9 cake pan with foil or baking parchment paper.

I add two layers of the paper to remove the cake from the baking pan easily.

Grease the bottom and sides with butter and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until both ingredients are combined well and you have a creamy mixture in the pan.

If you are creaming manually, make sure that the sugar is completely dissolved.

Once the butter and sugar are creamed, start adding the eggs one at a time.

Gradually combine the eggs into the creamed butter.

Mix using one direction.

Preheat oven to 180C.

Add flour in half a cups and fold the flour into the batter using one direction.

Avoid beating or vigorous mixing.

Once you’re done adding the flour, pour in the milk and vanilla and combine.

If you find the consistency of the cake batter too thick, pour not more than 1/2 a cup of milk(not at once but gradually).

Once the cake batter is done, immediately transfer it to the baking pan.

Tap the pan three or four times on the counter to force the air bubbles out and level the cake.

BAKING THE BUTTER

CAKE.

Place the cake tray in the middle shelf of the oven.

If you want to avoid the cake rising in the middle place a larger pan(the bottom)over the baking pan holding the batter.

Bake the cake at 170C for 40-60 minutes.

35-40 minutes into baking the cake, check if the cake is done by inserting a toothpick(if it comes clean, the cake is done) or bake longer(within the time frame given).

Let the vanilla butter cake cool.

Hold the parchment paper from both sides and remove the cake from the baking tray.

And then gently remove the parchment from the sides of the cake.

Slice the cake into the required size and enjoy it with a cup of tea.

Made this recipe?

Please don’t forget to rate the recipe on the recipe card so other readers find it helpful and show me your recipe by tagging me #islandsmile178 on Instagram.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Cuisinart CTG-00-SMB Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls with Lids, Set of 3
• 
  Hudson Essentials Stainless Steel Measuring Cups Set - 6 Piece Stackable Set with Spout
• 
  Chicago Metallic Professional Non-Stick Round Cake Pan, 9-Inch

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1224Total Fat: 79gSaturated Fat: 48gTrans Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 347mgSodium: 710mgCarbohydrates: 121gFiber: 1gSugar: 80gProtein: 12g

Nutritional information on islandsmile is provided as a courtesy. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on the site. these figures should only be considered as estimates.

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