For tea time, nothing can beat the aroma of a well-baked butter cake. There are many recipes for butter cakes but they are all based on the half-pound or pound cake recipe. They are delightful eaten fresh from the oven.

A simple coating of butter cream turn the cake into a beautiful celebration cake. Butter cakes should have the delicious fragrance of butter coming through with every bite. They should not be overwhelmed with essence.

The fragrance and fine texture of butter cake come from using fresh, high quality pure butter. Creaming the butter with sugar until it is sodt and smooth makes the cake light. Use fine castor sugar, as it creams easily.

It is important to add the ingredients gradually. Eggs should be added one at a time, allowing approximately one minute per egg for mixing. The dry ingredients should be sifted and added half at a time, preferably by the spoon or spatula into the bottom of the cake mixture, twist and bring it up and out along the sides of the bowl. Give the bowl a quarter turn every now and then until the dry ingredients are worked in. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan immediately.

Smooth the surgace of the batter before baking. If a raising agent is used, spread out the batter a little from the centre to the sides, making a slight hollow in the centre.

Bake cakes in the centre of a preheated oven. To test if the cake is cooked, use wooden skewer and insert it gently into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is cooked. If it is coated with gluey batter then it needs to bake at least 5 to 10 minutes longer. Another way to know when a cake is done is when the sides of the cake leave the sides of the pan. To further ensure that it is cooked, lightly touch th top of the cake. If no impression is left, the cake is ready to be taken out of the oven.

Try out a recipe on Pound Cake.

More low carb recipes here.