Friday 10 October 2014

Lemon Butter Cake


I was tidying up my fridge last weekend and I discovered another two lemons. I had baked a Lemon Butter Cake for my parents the day before and it looks like I can now bake another one for myself hee..hee... 



My favorite go-to butter cake recipe is still Mrs SK Ng's as this recipe yields a very tender butter cake with no cracks. It is successful every time and I have no qualms about using the egg separation method. It is worth the trouble.



Most butter cakes tend to be dense but the egg separation method results in an airy and fluffy butter cake. I love the texture. And I love the taste of the rich buttery cake.



With the addition of lemon zest and lemon juice to the original recipe, this becomes a Lemon Butter Cake. My mum gave me rave reviews and she is not even a fan of butter cakes. That really says a lot doesn't it?



If you are looking for a good butter cake recipe, I highly recommend Mrs SK Ng's recipe. I guarantee that you will be impressed with the result and you will not look any further for another butter cake recipe.




Use good quality butter and don't cut down on the amount. This is after all a butter cake and you want to taste the richness of the butter. And please eat in moderation (in other words, don't do what I do hee..hee...hee...)











Lemon Butter Cake
Recipe source : Adapted from Mrs SK Ng's Vanilla Butter Cake in Table for Two ..... or More

Mixture A :
250g butter at room temperature (I used Golden Churn)
80g fine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
200g self raising flour (sifted)
Zest from 2 Lemons
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Mixture B :
4 egg whites
80g fine sugar

Method :
1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla essence.
2. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
3. Then add lemon zest.
4. Add flour in three additions. In the first addition, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Fold in the flour until just incorporated. In the next addition, add in second tablespoon of lemon juice and mix. Then add in last addition of flour. Do not over mix.
5. In another bowl, whisk egg whites and gradually add sugar. Whisk until stiff peaks.
6. Fold in 1/3 of egg whites into the butter mixture. Mix well and fold in the remaining egg whites.
7. Bake in a greased and lined 8" round pan at 160C for 50 minutes or until skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Notes for my future reference :
a) After step 2 above, I used a spatula to mix in the lemon zest and to fold in the flour.
b) I baked this cake on the lower rack and tented the cake with aluminium foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.


59 comments:

  1. Aahh so the strategy is in the egg separation.. You know me, I'm lazy, I don't like thr egg separation step.. I usually just campak and campur everything together.. That's why I like stir-and-bake recipes, like brownies or muffins.. Your lemon butter cake looks so soft and fluffy, rised very high too, I like..

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    1. Yup, egg separation and though troublesome, I still do it for that nice texture. But seriously Louiz, can also do the normal method. It will still taste good.

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  2. ah!!! finally Phong Hong is back to baking and sharing her cakes with us here after a two week break!! glad to see this, and I supposed you are fully recovered and now can roar like a lioness huh?? hihihi~~ :p

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    1. SK, yes I am recovered and can mess around in the kitchen again!

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  3. adui.. LEMON I like.. BUTTER CAKE I like.. so combining both, I like like!! haha.. this lemon butter cake surely looks good, the photo itself and also the cake itself.. ah, how nice if I can have one slice of it for breakfast now.. I can imagine the aroma of the lemon zest and the creamy butter~~

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    1. It is a good flavor and this butter cake of one of my top favorites!

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  4. Om nom nom nom~
    When I saw Mrs SK, I thought Thambee's wife XD

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    1. hah..hah... if that is so he would have plenty of butter cakes to eat :D

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  5. Good morning my Butter cake Queen, you're excellent in making butter cake. Yummy :)

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  6. How nice if i were your neighbour, kekeke...

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    1. hah..hah..Sharon, then you can become my guinea pig and taste my baking experiments :D

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  7. I like to use this recipe too...adding lemon juice and zest sure sounds good as I love the smell of lemons!

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    1. Jeannie, lemon really wakes me up and when it is in a cake, makes me want to eat non-stop!

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  8. Oh sa this in Yee Ling's blog some time ago. been meaning to make but .......LOL

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  9. Hi Phong Hong, this lemon butter cake is so beautiful, NO CRACK!!!. Very soft and fluffy. Great to have it with a cup of coffee or tea. Thanks for sharing and warmest regards :)

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    1. Hi Ivy! This recipe works great and I hope that you will try it if you haven't already done so.

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  10. Hi Phong Hong, This is a popular recipe that I'd love to try. Your butter cake looks so perfect and delicious!

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    1. Thank you, Ann! In your hands the butter cake will be really gorgeous!

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  11. Hi Phong Hong, I have not tried out this popular butter cake recipe. Agree with Esther to crown you as Butter Cake Queen as all your butter cakes are so perfectly baked !

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    1. Oh....thank you, Karen! You should all crown me Fat Queen too LOL!

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  12. Hello dear Phong Hong,
    How are you? Hope you are 100% fit already.

    Your butter cake looks lovely dear. And reading your review makes it even lovelier! Huhuhu...

    Have a nice and safe weekend dear...

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    1. Hi MamaFaMi! I am OK already, thank you! I feel alive again!

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  13. Ahhhhh!!!! My girl just said the other day that she wants to make this. Hmmmm...maybe I'll get the ingredients and surprise her when she comes home next weekend. This weekend, too late...she's on the way home already...and I've cooked Sarawak laksa for her. Yum! Yum!

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    1. Oh do that! Get all the ingredients for Melissa and you will have nice butter cake to eat. Wow, Sarawak Laksa! I have yet to taste that :(

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  14. I like the idea of such a butter cake! the texture looks great!

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    1. Ola, this is my favorite butter cake recipe!

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  15. I must remember to bake this Lemon Butter Cake when I find lemon in my fridge next time.

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  16. Hi Phong Hong., I have bookmarked this recipe for quite some time back but have yet to try.

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    1. Hi Cecilia! I hope that one day you'll be able to try it :)

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  17. You are back ro baking and somemore the lemon butter cake is back too !!

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  18. I like to try this too... But I want to know what happened to mixture B.... :). I am really amateur....

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    1. Claire, mixture B is under method number 5 hee..hee...

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  19. Butter cake wil always be my favourite cake

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    1. Hi Kak Azie! I know that you bake wonderful butter cakes!

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  20. So moist and tender and the tanginess of the lemon, delicious!

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    1. Hi Veronica! Yes, this is a terribly delicious butter cake :)

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  21. Hi Phong Hong, your this lemon butter cake is really delightful. I can practically smell the fragrant scent from here. :)) Great to go with coffee. Nice pictures, keep up the good job.

    Have a wonderful weekend, regards.

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    1. hah..hah... Amelia, I am imagining you sniffing your PC screen LOL!

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  22. So tasty! Good to see you well enough to bake again.

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    1. Thanks, Mun! Looks like I have recovered :)

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  23. Hi phong hong, good to see u back in action! :). Yr butter cake looks so yummylicious. U r tempting me to try the recipe ...so many to try don't know where to start hahaha

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    1. Hi Madeline! ah..me too have many recipes bookmarked to try. I even forgot about some of them hah..hah...

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  24. Phong Hong, your Lemon Butter cake is so moist, and fluffy, you perfected this recipe...can't imagine it any better. Serving it simple is the best way you did...although it can be 'dressed up' as well, for company! Gotta make this cake, soon!

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    1. Elisabeth, do give this cake a spin. I am sure you would be delighted with everything about it!

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  25. Hi Phong Hong
    Your cake looks perfectly baked! Perfect crumbs and looks so, so, good! I love simple butter cakes like this, really nice with a cup of Kopi-O or Teh-O!

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    1. Hi Joyce! Thanks for the compliments hah..hah... you made me so happy :) This is my favourite butter cake as it always bakes perfectly after 50 minutes. I don't have to worry about the cake being raw in the centre.

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  26. yeah, one of the best butter cake recipes around ..actually i love both type of fluffy and dense butter cake, as long as it is really buttery and moist. :)

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    1. Lena, me too but I have a soft spot for the fluffier one :)

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  27. I saw a similar recipe in Wendy Inkk's that was also by Mrs Ng. The only difference is that that recipe calls for more liquid (am assuming the lemon juice in your recipe is the liquid replacement). The other recipe calls for 60ml milk. Now, I know that both recipes also work. The difference is probably in the texture. If you do try the recipe that calls for 60ml liquid, please post your observations here. I'll let you know if I try. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe :-)

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    1. Hi there! I haven't baked a butter cake for quite a while. OK, when I bake the next one, I will try with 60ml liquid and make my observations :)

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  28. Hello! I don't know if you will read my comment but i would like to know if this cake can hold frosting well?

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  29. i read your blog about cakes and sweets , the wording that you choose is very much good and outstanding , i liked very much for your communication
    also one of the best and good point of sweets and cakes , Cakes in Dubai also one of the best source for buy wedding cakes in all over the world.
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