Sri Lankan Butter Cake

Step 1

Butter and line the bottom of a 8 or 9 inch square pan with parchment paper. You could also line the sides of the pan with parchment paper, or simply butter and flour the sides. Set aside.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 325°F / 165°C.

Step 3

Place the butter and salt in a large bowl. With a hand mixer, or the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, beat the butter until light and creamy.

Step 4

Then add the sugar, and cream the butter and sugar mixture for about 5 - 7 minutes on medium high speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all the butter and sugar are well-mixed.

Step 5

The mixture should be pale in color, light and very fluffy. This step is important, so make sure it has the right texture. Add the vanilla and continue to mix.

Step 6

While you cream the butter and sugar mixture, prepare the eggs. Break the eggs open into a bowl (make sure there are no shells).

Step 7

Add the eggs, one at a time, into the creamed butter-sugar mix. Make sure each egg addition is mixed in well before adding the next one. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl in between additions so that the eggs are mixed in well.

Step 8

Once the eggs are mixed through, the batter is ready for the dry ingredients.

Step 9

Sift the flour and baking powder together. Place the room temperature milk in a small jug/container.

Step 10

Add the sifted dry ingredients in 3 - 4 additions, alternating with the milk, and ending with the dry ingredients. (Once you add the first portion of dry ingredients, FOLD it in with a spatula. Then add half of the milk and fold that into the mixture as well. Repeat with another portion of dry ingredients and the rest of the milk, then end with the final portion of dry ingredients.)

Step 11

Make sure there are no flour lumps in the mixture at this point, but also be careful not to overmix the flour in the batter.

Step 12

Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan. Using an offset spatula, spread the batter evenly in the pan. Knock the pan against your kitchen counter 2 - 3 times to remove any trapped air bubbles and to evenly spread the batter in the pan.

Step 13

Place the baking pan in the preheated oven, and bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until the cake is baked through. Rotate the pan once (carefully) halfway through the baking time. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, and the surface of the cake is slightly springy to the touch.

Step 14

Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool down for 5 - 10 minutes. Carefully flip the cake out onto a cooling wire rack. Peel off the parchment paper, and then flip the cake over again (so that it's right side up). Use a cake lifter or a cutting board to help with this, because the cake is soft at this point and could break.

Step 15

Let the cake cool completely. Store the cake in an air-tight container for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. This cake (wrapped and stored in a container) will freeze very well, and can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Step 16

Slice the cake into any size pieces. I have sliced them into 1” x 2” sized pieces in these photos (28 - 32 pieces). Serve immediately.