Butter Cake With Variations

How to Make

• Step 1: Grease a loaf tin.

• Step 2: Preheat oven to 175°C.

• Step 3: Sift flour and salt 3 times.

• Step 4: In a mixing bowl cream butter and castor sugar with vanilla essence until mixture is white, light and fluffy.

• Step 5: Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each.

• Step 6: Fold sifted flour into creamed mixture alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour.

• Step 7: When mixture is smooth, pour into prepared tin.

• Step 8: Lightly smooth top and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a fine skewer will come out clean.

• Step 9: Cool cake on few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

• Step 10: VARIATIONS.

• Step 11: Lemon Cake - add the grated rind of 1 lemon and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, omit the vanilla essence.

• Step 12: Orange Cake - add the grated rind of 1 orange and 2 teaspoons of orange juice, omit the vanilla essence.

• Step 13: Sultana Cake - add 4 to 6 ounces of sultanas and 1 teaspoon of spice. (now 3/4 cup sultanas and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or mixed spice).

• Step 14: Seed Cake - add 1 tablespoon caraway seeds to mixture and sprinkle extra teaspoon of seeds on top before baking.

• Step 15: Spice Cake - sift 1 teaspoon spice with flour, add 4 ounces chopped dates or chopped walnuts to mixture. (now sift 1 teaspoon spice - ground ginger, cinnamon, cardamom or mixed spice with the flour and add 3/4 cup chopped dates or walnuts to the mixture).

• Step 16: Chocolate Cake - add 2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, dissolved in a little milk. (now - add 60 grams melted dark chocolate to creamed mixture, before the flour) or add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to flour when sifting.