I have found the best butter cake recipe ever!
I love butter cake and am constantly looking for the most buttery, rich, and moist butter cake recipe. To me, searching for the ultimate butter cake recipe is like the quest for the perfect fried chicken recipe. Even though you might have found a keeper, you know that somewhere out there, someone has an even better recipe.
I had been using this butter cake recipe (adapted from Southern Food) for a while and am pleased with it, but it’s a tad dry.
I love my butter cake really buttery. So, when I read this post on Food-4Tots, I knew that I had to give the recipe a try.
It was adapted from a Chinese baking book. The verdict: this might be it, the best butter cake recipe that tastes exactly like the way I like it: extremely buttery (or even oily), moist, sweet, and rich. I added some raisins to my butter cake to make raisin butter cake, it was heavenly.
By the way, if you are a pro-baker (I am not), would you please tell me how to prevent my raisins from sinking to the bottom? I did mix the raisins with the all-purpose flour and they were all well-dusted, but still, they sunk to the bottom? Any idea?
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Raisin Butter Cake Recipe
Raisin Butter Cake, rich, buttery, and so yummy!
Ingredients
- 2 1/3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (250 g)
- 7 oz plain flour/all-purpose flour (200 g)
- 7 oz castor sugar (200 g)
- 4 eggs
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 4 tablespoons fresh milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1/4 cup raisins + 1 tablespoon
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375°F.
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Lightly grease the pan with some butter.
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Mix the flour and the baking powder together and sieve. Add in salt and mix well. Set aside.
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Use an electronic beater to mix butter and sugar until well combined or pale yellow in color. (Note: Sugar has not dissolved yet).
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Add in the first egg. Beat well after each addition of egg until creamy.
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Scrape down the sides for even mixing.
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Add in vanilla essence and mix well.
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Fold in the flour into the mixture and mix well.
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Finally, add in the milk and fold in the raisins. Mix well.
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Pour the mixture into the greased baking pan. Shake it lightly to distribute cake mixture evenly.
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Bake until golden brown and cooked, about 40 minutes. Use a cake tester to test if it's cooked.
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Remove it from the oven and let cool on the wire rack for another 5 minutes. Serve warm.
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Paula Brown
thank-you for this recipe! Will try it even though 4 tablespoons of milk seems so little (smiles)
Rasa Malaysia
Trust me, this recipe is great regardless of the milk used.
Stella
Thank you for the recipe! Absolutely the best! It’s buttery and moist. I rehydrate the raisins and just sprinkle it on top of the cake batter before baking. It didn’t sink.
thejashrea
It is simply a lovely good cake to have during tea despite the raisin sinking to the bottom of the cake. And 4 tablespoon of milk turned out lovely for me. Good luck :)
Mike Adams
MAGIC SECRET TO SINKING RAISIN PROBLEM WHICH REALLY WORKS!
Batter too thin, batter not thick enough, coat raisins with flour, must use self-rising flour, spin mixing bowl around counter-clockwise 3 times in a row before adding raisins to batter. All bogus suggestions which accomplish nothing!
The secret to the “sinking raisin” problem is boiling them for 20 minutes, drain thoroughly thru sieve then immediately fold scalding hot raisins into batter being sure not to over-stir. The less stirring the better. Pour batter immediately into pan and bake without delay.
Why and how this works. Using “boiling hot” raisins causes them to form pockets and adhere wherever they are in the batter preventing any sinking. This same technique works for adding any fruits to cake batter. [email protected]
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks for your tips Mike.
[email protected]'s Recipes
Butter cake is my all time favourite snack. It’s simple but not easy to make it perfect. I also like it really buttery. When raisins or walnuts are added, the cake tastes heavenly.
Bee, what kind of raisins did you use? I’m still on the search for the not-too-sweet raisins and perfect for baking.
Mike Goody
Hi
The raisin butter cake sounds great, but I’m wondering about the oven temperature of 375 degC – is that correct, or should it be 375 degF?
keep up trhe good work!
Cheers
Mike G
Rasa Malaysia
It is 375 F. A typo, thanks for catching it.
food-4tots
Great idea to add raisins! It gives the cake a more classic look similar to those cakes we used to have during our school days. I must try it again with raisins too. ;)
Rasa Malaysia
If only I can prevent the raisins from sinking to the bottom. I did dust them with flour already. Hmmm.
V.M.
You have to wash the raisins in warm water and then dry with kitchen towel or clean dish cloth, then shake them in a bowl of small qty of sifted flour. This works for any dried fruit. Sometimes you have to add a little bit of strong flour (plain flour) to the cake batter to hold up the fruit. Cake flour has less gluten to hold the fruit. The fruits must be folded in at the end gently to avoid glutens to form.
SP
Would love to try this but could you pls tell me what to do if I wanted to make one normal loaf instead of 3 mini ones? Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
I think you will be able to make 2 normal loaves with the batter.
lena
Thanks Bee for sharing this recipe.Can’t wait to make it for my kids and I for our afternoon tea.
babe_kl
it’s the simplest cake but yet not an easy one to bake in order to get it our moist huh?
mike gray
looks good, but appears your raisins have sunk!
dust them with flour before adding to the cake mix, should stop this.
also for super juicy raisins, rehydrate them 1st. using fruit juice, alcohol, what ever is your preference.
regards
Rasa Malaysia
Mike – I did dust those raisins with 1 tablespoon flour as I suggested in the recipe but they still sunk to the bottom. Don’t know why??
ARTI
HI RASA, I JUST COOK THIS CAKE..IT CAME OUT PERFECT AND DELICIOUS…I WOULD LIKE TO TELL U THE SECRET OF NOT GETTING THE RAISINS SUNK..JUST SOAK THEM IN NORMAL WATER FOR 5 MINUTES. IT WOULD COME OUT PERFECT…GOOD LUCK
DailyChef
Looks delicious! I love a nice, fluffy cake.
Ivy Ho
Hi I’ve try to bake came out perfectly. My friend told me to soak the raisin with orange juice or water and dry with kitchen towel, than add with plain flour. Thanks cake was soft and moist.
Ann
Wow, I’m a fellow butter-cake-lover. Dusting the raisins (or fruit) hasn’t worked for me either when I make fruit cake. The only thing I could think of was not to fold in the fruit per se, just scatter them into the cake pan in between pouring dollops of batter. The more towards the top the better.
Rasa Malaysia
Ann – I did that too, and had some dusted raisins at the top of the batter before baking, but obviously they still sunk. :(
Sara
Bee, Raisin Butter Cake looks Delicious!! I’m not a baker but will try your recipe, I love Cake!!! :) Thanks for the recipe!!
Anu
Well its butter cake at first – which itself is a done deal. And then you add raisins to it! What’s not to love. Looks gorgeous!
justcooknyc
those mini loaves are cute — wish i had the answer about sinking raisins
Teenytoez
I read on the internet that you should dust the raisins in flour which is part of the recipe..not additional flour cos that would make the cake too dense… and separate the raisins using your fingers
Good luck!
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks for the tips but I added 1 extra tablespoon of flour to dust the raisin, and not all the 1 tablespoon went into the cake batter as you need only a little bit of them to dust them. The cake wasn’t too dense though. I did separate the raisins, too, but they still sunk. :(
chloemom
Thank you for the recipe, Bee. My husband came back from work, saw this recipe and wanted me to try baking it. It is really good!!! We are eating the cake and sipping a cup of “kopi-O” now…yummmmmy.
Rasa Malaysia
Evelyn – I am so jealous. I want a piece of cake now with kopi-O!!! I am glad you love this recipe, thanks to my friend Food 4-Tots!
tigerfish
I said in Food4Tots blog before that butter cake may be the first cake I should start learning…hor? Did you use a mini-loaf pan cos it looks very dainty :D
Rasa Malaysia
I only have a mini-load pan now, the regular ones got rusty and I threw it away. Yes, butter cake is the only cake I know and am interested in making. It’s the best, really, simple and satisfying.
spice and more
Hi, I would set aside about a quarter of a cup of the flour from the recipe and use that to dust/coast the raisins well. Maybe reduce the amount of milk in the batter – if it is too runny they will definitely sink. Fold them in at the last minute and bake immediately. That is generally what I do in recipes with fruit and I never seem to have the problem of them sinking. Hope it works for you too!
Melody
I love raisins so use them whenever l can. I found if l boil the raisins a little and then let them cool and add them last they are incorporated throughout. Good luck!
P.s. l also put a little almond flavouring in the water!
Manju Rajender
Thanks for this lovely blog and recipes. First time here. I do have a blog with Indian recipes. Please do drop in when you find time.
Clare @ Mrs Multitasker
It looks delish =) And that’s a great feeling isn’t it? Finding your go-to recipe? I recently found my go-to choc cake recipe thanks to Nigella…
Deb Traylor
I am a huge butter cake fan too! I am a professional chef, baker, cheese maker, and an absolute food science geek, etc., I travel the world cooking for people in remote locations, so I am always faced with problems and challenges..
So, here are a few possible fixes:
1. try soaking your raisins for about 10-15 minutes (in anything you like). Dried raisins a dense, and by plumping them up just a little you increase their surface area, thus allowing more surface tension. Think about it, even steel floats if it covers enough area..
2. Try chopping your raisins in half (lengthwise) after they have been soaked
OR
3. Once soaked & chopped you might just add a tiny bit of flour to the whole lot, just to make sure, sprinkle the raisins on top, and gently push them under the surface of the batter to ensure they don’t burn
Let me know how this works. I have a few other ideas
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Deb,
Thanks for your wonderful tips. I will try this out the next time I make this cake again, which won’t be too long before I crave for it again!!
Nancy
Hi there! Greetings from down under. I have been a commercial baker for 15 years (North America) and this is what we do with raisins in bread or cakes. Microwave (no one has time these days, for soaking time!) raisins with some water for 1 minute and pronto – plump raisins that will never sink nor suck up the liquid in your batter! Keep the Asian recipes going – love the memories that come with the smell and taste of ‘home’.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Nancy – that’s great tips. Thanks for your help. I will try PRONTO. :)
Pamela Lee
Hi,
First time visiting your site and find it interesting. Btw, the butter cake recipe calls for 2 and 1/3 stick (250 g) of butter. Does it mean total of 250 g or 2 1/3 x 250 = 580 g ?
Rasa Malaysia
250 g
Sheyna
Hi Bee…
Love the website! Btw, what cake tin/pan did you use here? Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Sheyna,
Mini loaf pan, I like my cake small and cute. ;)
Menaka D
I made this cake last week for my husband and it was soooo delicious!!! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Sharon
Hi Bee,
Thanks for butter cake recipe. It says serve warm but is it still ok cold? Also I was wondering what size cake tins would I have to use to make 2 instead of three mini ones
Regards Sharon
Rasa Malaysia
Of course you can serve cold, but I love it warm, fresh off the oven. It tastes so much better and buttery. :)
I think you can use two regular loaf pan, instead of 3 mini ones. :)
Catherine
We live in Dubai now and I tried many of your recipe and it is always beautiful and delicious.
Just make this raisin butter cake today and its turn out perfectly nice and the raisin did not sink at all. I combine the raisin and flour and add to the batter last.
This make 8 mini loaves and I make 4 with raisin and 4 original butter cake.
It is DELICIOUS!!! As a Malaysian myself thank you Rasamalaysia…
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Catherine, thanks for your sweet note. I am hooked on this cake, too, and just finished my last two slices minutes ago. They are soooo good and buttery. :)
wei
Hi, I am a newbie to baking. Can I use super fine cake flour instead of all purpose flour? I once baked a cheese pound cake using super fine cake flour and my husband loves it. Thanks and regards, Wei
Rasa Malaysia
Wei – I don’t know, I think it should be fine but I can’t say for sure.
wei
Hi, I made this with apricots today and it turned out real good. The apricot added a slightly sourish taste and make the cake less sweeter which is how I like it! Thanks for the recipe. I plan to try again next with mix dried fruits! And btw, the apricots did not totally sunk to the bottom. I coated with flour before adding last to the batter and did a quick stir before pouring to the pan. Thanks again..
NoviceBaker
I tried the recipe today, but sadly my cake sank in the centre. What could have caused it? What can I do differently the next time?
Winnie
Hi,
How much is 2 and 1/3 stick of butter in grams please? Thank you and will try to bake it as I love butter cake!
Nina
The problem with sinking raisins is that they need to be rehydrated first. I’ve also encountered similar problems with my fruit cake and figured out that letting the dried fruits soak in brandy or in your case, orange juice till they plump up will do the trick. Hope that helps.
James
Hello,
I know you have question about “how to prevent my raisins from sinking to the bottom? I did mix the raisins with the all-purpose flour and they were all well-dusted, but still, they sunk to the bottom? Any idea?
I suggested that you should pour 80% or (2/3) of the mixture to the pan then add raisins on top evenly. After that pour the rest of mixture to cover the raisins. During baking, raisins will sink evenly throughout the cake. It will prevent raisins sink at at bottom. I hope it helps. Let me know if it works.
Mike Adams
I’ve tried everything to keep the Raisins from sinking thru the cake batter to the bottom of the backing pan. James’ suggestion makes the most sense and has the best chance of working. I’ll give it a go tomorrow and let everyone know how things turned out. Thanks for the great suggestion James!
wei li
Hi!
From what ive seen in the review, this butter cake is the moist kind. But may i know if it is also the fluffy kind? Not the dense kind?
Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
I’d say this is the dense kind.
CSB
Hi,can I bake the cake mixture in a cake tin instead of a loaf tin as I want to use it for a birthday cake. If can do i need to lower the temperature and bake it longer? Tx
Genga Devi
hi…i have been tried this butter cake but now i want to try to make choclate cake.can u give me the recipie????
Michele Hansen
This is fantastic!!!!
Keshala
This recipe works very well. But once I baked the cake, Middle part of the cake sink down a bit. Can anyone tell me the reason for that?
sheryn
Can we use self raising flour without baking powder instead?
Thank you.
Rasa Malaysia
I think it should be fine, but I have never tried it before so I can’t say the result will be exactly the same.
Star
Hi there.. Tried ur recipe yest.. It’s reli gd! Just to check, if I want to make a bigger cake ( bout 1.5x bigger) can I just increase the ingredients by same proportion? Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
Yes. :)
Koki
Hi Bee, i tried many recipes from your side and it turned out awesome.
Anyways, would you advise me if i can substitute the castor sugar with granulated sugar?
Thank you.
Rasa Malaysia
Not a good substitute as the sugar will not melt during the creaming process so the cake not as nice.
jiewwei
hi,can i use self-raising flour?
Azerlyn
Soak the raisin in water then dust it in Self-rising flour. It has to be Self-rising flour or else it’ll sink.
Kendra
This cake tastes so good. I just made it and absolutely love it!
Kitty
Looks yummy. Quick tip-if fruit sinks to the bootom of a cake it means the batter is too wet.
Amy
Hi .. Can advise the conversion for the oven 375f is how many degrees
Thanks a lot
Rasa Malaysia
190 C.
Khairuddinjinat
Nice and good like
Inga Jayasinghe
Thank you very much for the recipe it works really well. This cake tastes really good and gave the recipe to my sister too, she loved it too. I made it and absolutely love it! thanks again :)
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Inga, thanks. Yes I love this raisin butter cake recipe, too. :)