A basic cake that is perfect for first time bakers and easy enough for kids to attempt with the supervision of an adult, butter cake is a versatile cake that can be decorated a number of ways and is considered one of the quintessential cakes in American baking. Every baker should have a good recipe for butter cake in his or her repertoire and this recipe is a good start to try out and experiment from. It can be frosted with butter or chocolate icing and served with vanilla ice cream for a super indulgent treat. As the name suggests, the main ingredient in butter cake is butter. This very simple recipe also uses eggs, white sugar, cake flour, milk, and vanilla extract. Basically, you mix all the ingredients together to make the batter, pour this in a greased cake pan and bake it in the oven.

The origins of butter cake can be traced to the English pound cake, which gets its name from the original recipe of using a pound of butter, a pound of flour, a pound sugar, and a pound of eggs to create a rich, heavy and dense cake that was sold in bakeshops. Butter cakes are lighter and fluffier but consist of the same ingredients. The method used for making a fluffy butter cake is called the creaming method, which is the step of beating the butter and sugar together until they are fluffy, incorporating air into the butter. Gradually, the eggs are added to the mix to create an emulsion and then the flour and milk are alternately added until all the ingredients are well blended. Incorporation of air is important in making a light and fluffy cake. Without this method, the cake will become dense and heavy. Store butter cakes at room temperature to retain their rich and moist quality.

Ingredients
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon butter
100gms white sugar
250gms cake flour
150ml milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and beat together until emulsified. Add the vanilla extract and incorporate the flour and milk and mix until well blended. Pour batter in a greased cake pan.

2. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean, in a preheated 185 degree F. oven.

3. Decorate with icing and cream. Serve chilled.