Some of the things I find most satisfying are classic recipes like this butter cake that has a light and tender texture.
Many recipes call for making butter cake with the creaming method where you beat the butter and sugar together before adding in the eggs and the rest of the dry ingredients. I find that this method makes a cake really dense. So, I opt to fully take advantage of the function of the ingredients in the recipe, and in this case - eggs! Eggs adds colour and flavour to baked goods and they function naturally as an emulsifier that binds water and fat together in the cake batter to prevent them from separating. There is another big properties of eggs that many people overlook, which is the function of egg whites when they are separated from its yolk. When you aerate egg whites with some sugar, they form into a stable foam that adds a light and fluffy texture to your baked cakes.
In this recipe, that is exactly the purpose of beating the egg yolks and egg whites separately to create the fluffiest and most tender butter cake.
The things I love most in baking is how different ingredients play a special role and purpose, and by utilizing them for its full function, you can make even the simplest cake into something amazing.
RECIPE
Tools: 200mm x 200mm square baking tin
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Baking time:45 minutes: 1 hour
EGG YOLK BATTER
180 g Plain Flour
2tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Salt
250 g Unsalted Butter
150g Caster Sugar
1tsp Vanilla Extract
80 egg Yolks
1/4cup Full Cream Milk -room temperature
MERINGUE
120 g Egg Whites
50 g Caster Sugar
pinch Cream of Tartar
Method
1. Pre heat oven to 180C. Line a 20cm x 20cm square baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Prepare the egg yolk batter by whisking all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and 150g of sugar until they turn pale and fluffy. Add in the vanilla bean paste followed egg yolks, one at a time, and beat well with each addition.
3. Over low speed, add in the milk and dry ingredients in 3 additions alternating with the room temperature milk ending with the dry ingredients.
Set the egg yolk batter aside.
4. In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk, whisk the egg whites, 50 g sugar and cream of tartar together until it reaches stiff peak. Fold in the meringue into the egg yolk batter in 3 increments, being gentle the whole time until there are no traces of egg whites in the batter.
5. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Bake in the pre heated oven for approximately 45 minutes to an hour or when tested with a skewer it comes out clean.
Once baked, remove the baking tin from the oven and let the cake sit in the pan for 15 minutes before removing the cake from the tin and parchment paper. Leave the cake to cool over a wire rack.
Cut into individual squares and serve warm or cold with ice cream.
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