Cake of Sunday: Simple Butter Cake To Save The Day
You could call it Butter Cake. Or perhaps, in our house today, it could be Grumpy Cake. Three-Year-Old-Tears Cake. Cracking-it-big-time Cake. A day that was barely held together by the occassional incredible feat of horsepower-led ingenuity (below)… (doesn't everyone move incredibly expensive commercial ovens like this? Huh. That was the sound of my heart stopping.)
…and also held together by the triumphant return of the GEESE (but more on that tomorrow), other than those small epochs of fabulous, it was a struggle of a Sunday. Grumpy children, sleep-deprived grown-ups, terribly hot and sticky for October, no Sunday picnic, what was there left to do but save the day with cake?
The salvage was led by Tilly and her friend Katie. They hovered for the cake making, participated in the clean up and wielded the food colouring for the icing.
It was late afternoon, and as soon as it was sprinkled the girls led the charge to evacuate to a friend's pool, and so we did, even extracting Adam to join us. It was lovely.
So no one got cake, except me, when I was making early dinner for everyone in their pyjamas (a.k.a throwing leftovers onto the table, eggs into boiling water and grilled cheese into the griller. "If-its": if it's in the fridge you can eat it.) I took one look at that cake on the bench and decided I couldn't go another moment without a mouthful.
And then, even though it wasn't Friday Night Dessert Night, after boiled eggs and if-its, we all had cake. We licked bright pink butter frosting off our fingers.
Day saved.
SIMPLE BUTTER CAKE TO SAVE THE DAY
Ingredients:
125g butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups self-raising flour
1 cup milk
Cream together the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. Stir in 1 cup of the flour then half the milk. Then add the other cup of flour and the rest of the milk. Pour into a 20cm round or similar square greased, floured and paper-lined cake tin and bake for 30 minutes on 180 degrees celcius or until springy in the centre and baked through.
Butter cream icing
125g butter, softened
1.5 cups pure icing sugar
Approx 1 tblsp milk
If your icing sugar is hard and lumpy make sure you break these lumps up first if you can – either whizz in a food processor or thump the bag with a rolling pin. Mix together butter and icing sugar, ideally with an electric mixer if you have one. Add in milk while mixing until you get a soft and creamy consistency. Add a few drops of natural food colouring if you like, or a whole capful if you're six and very determined that happiness is bright pink icing on fresh cake. You're right, it is.
xxx
Angela
October 14, 2013 at 8:21 pmI have that exact recipe in my recipe book, it is known as “Basic Cake” and is referenced to Aunty Gay! I have also included some variations to the recipe to make an orange, coffee or chocolate cake with the “basic” recipe. Must admit, love a good orange cake. So how about that…
Leah King
October 15, 2013 at 10:00 pmWhen Saskia saw this image on my laptop after her afternoon sleep, said “Mummy, can we go there this afternoon?”. Percy nodded in agreement and said “Mmmmm”.
innerpickle
October 15, 2013 at 10:02 pmI wish you’d come here, Mrs King. Big enormous hugs to you four. See you sometime. xxxx
innerpickle
October 15, 2013 at 10:04 pmYep, it’s Nan’s recipe originally. Classic. How many butter cakes do you reckon my Mum has made? She does a fab coconut version that was Grandma’s actually – you just soak a cup of desiccated coconut in the milk and voila, coconut cake. That’s Dads favourite cake! xxx
Angela
October 15, 2013 at 10:24 pmMust try the coconut version, sounds good. I really think the name “Basic Cake” takes the cake. Pardon the pun.
Linda Halkyard
October 16, 2013 at 10:51 amHi just wondering I don’t use white sugar I use organic whole sugar could I use this with this cake or I do use brown sugar
Linda
Deb
December 23, 2013 at 7:28 amI love your butter dish!