Butter Cake With Variations

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 4 ounces butter (125 grams)
• 4 1/2 ounces caster sugar (3/4 cup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 eggs
• 8 ounces self raising flour (2 cups)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (a pinch)
• 1/2 cup milk (i use a low fat)

Recipe

• 1 grease a loaf tin.
• 2 preheat oven to 175°c.
• 3 sift flour and salt 3 times.
• 4 in a mixing bowl cream butter and castor sugar with vanilla essence until mixture is , light and fluffy.
• 5 add eggs one at a time and beat well after each.
• 6 fold sifted flour into creamed mixture alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour.
• 7 when mixture is smooth, pour into prepared tin.
• 8 lightly smooth top and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a fine skewer will come out clean.
• 9 cool cake on few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
• 10 variations.
• 11 lemon cake - add the grated rind of 1 lemon and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, omit the vanilla essence.
• 12 orange cake - add the grated rind of 1 orange and 2 teaspoons of orange juice, omit the vanilla essence.
• 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).
• 14 seed cake - add 1 tablespoon caraway seeds to mixture and sprinkle extra teaspoon of seeds on top before baking.
• 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).
• 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).