Name: Butter and Oil Cakes - Core Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Ingredients: 70g unsalted butter, roughly chopped into cubes; 190g with plain/all-purpose flour; 30g cornflour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda; ¼ teaspoon fine salt; 170g light brown sugar; 100g vegetable oil; 2 large eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 100g/100ml milk; 100g/100ml natural yoghurt

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A quick and delicious cake batter whipped up all in one bowl in less than a minute. The cooked cake is light and fluffy and this batter can be used to make round cakes, loaf cakes and cupcakes.

Our house in Switzerland is at over 1600m altitude and this makes baking difficult. Some traditional bakes will not rise but cakes made with oil fare better. I love the texture of cakes made with oil but often find they lack the flavour of cake batters which use butter. This cake is the best of both worlds; it has a similar texture to cakes made with oil but with the benefit of the butter flavour as well. Whilst it works wonderfully well at altitude, I regularly make it in London as well – I just love the light and airy texture and the fact it can be whipped up so quickly.

This Core Recipe, like my other Core Recipes, is delicious served as shown in this recipe but can also be used as a base recipe which can be adapted and added to.

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How to make Butter and Oil Cakes – Core Recipe

Collect all your ingredients together:

unsalted butter, cubed
plain/all-purpose flour
cornflour
fine salt
baking powder
bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
light brown sugar
caster sugar
vegetable oil
large egg
vanilla extract (optional)
milk
natural yoghurt

Make the cakes:

Using a microwave safe mixing bowl, melt the butter in a microwave. Leave to cool a little whilst you collect all the remaining ingredients together.
Add the dry ingredients: flour, cornflour and salt. Then add the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda directly on top of the flour.
Add the remaining ingredients: both sugars
Oil, eggs, vanilla extract, milk and yoghurt
Beat with a balloon or electric whisk until incorporated – be careful not to over-mix. It should take 30 seconds to a minute and you may need to stop half way to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
The batter is quite liquidy. The easiest way to transfer the cake batter to the cake tins/cake cases is by pouring it. I use a mixing bowl with a spout or you could transfer to a jug. (Fill each cupcake case ⅔ full, roughly 50g – 60g per cake – depending on how tall you like the cakes to be. I like 50g so there is plenty of space for frosting!)
Cook in a preheated oven for 20 – 40 minutes (depending on size of cake) or until cooked.
Leave in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer the cakes/cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.

Butter and Oil Cakes – Core Recipe

A quick and delicious cake batter whipped up all in one bowl in less than a minute. The cooked cake is light and fluffy and this batter can be used to make round cakes, loaf cakes and cupcakes.

Course afternoon tea, Cake, Dessert, Morning Coffee, Snack, treat

Keyword light and fluffy, Sponge

Prep Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

70g unsalted butter, roughly chopped into cubes
190g with plain/all-purpose flour
30g cornflour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine salt
170g light brown sugar
100g vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
100g/100ml milk
100g/100ml natural yoghurt

Instructions

Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
Preheat oven to Fan Oven 160°C/180°C/350°F/Gas 4
Using a microwave safe mixing bowl, melt the butter in a microwave. Alternatively melt it in a saucepan over a moderate heat. Leave to cool a little whilst you collect all the remaining ingredients together.
Add the dry ingredients: add the flour, cornflour and salt to the melted butter. Then add the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda directly on top of the flour.
Add the remaining ingredients: sugars, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, milk and yoghurt.
Beat with a balloon whisk or an electric whisk until incorporated – be careful not to over-mix. It should take 30 seconds to a minute and you may need to stop half way to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
The batter is quite liquidy. The easiest way to transfer the cake batter to the cake tins/cake cases is by pouring it. I use a mixing bowl with a spout or you could transfer to a jug. If making cupcakes, fill each cupcake case ⅔ full, roughly 50g – 60g per cake – I aim for 50g)
Cook in a preheated oven for:
– 20 – 25 minutes for the cupcakes or until cooked.
– 25 – 35 minutes for the 18 cms/7 inch tin or or 20 cms/8 inch tin until cooked.
They are cooked when:
– the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains
– a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean
– if cooking in a tin: when the cake is beginning to come away from the sides of the tin/dish.
Leave in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer the cakes/cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

kitchen scales and measuring spoons
electric whisk and bowl
greased and lined cake tin(s) and/or muffin tin with paper muffin cases

This cake batter makes either:

16 – 18 cupcakes, OR
2 x 18cm/7 inch cakes, OR
2 x 20cm/8 inch cakes, OR
1 x 18cm/7 inch cakes and 8 – 9 cupcakes, OR
1 x 20cm/8 inch cakes and 6 – 8 cupcakes.

NB If making 2 x 18cm/7 inch cakes: each cake will be quite thick and ideal if you want to further slice the cake in half horizontally for a cake with 4 layers.

If making 2 x 20cm/8 inch cakes: these will be slimmer cakes and ideal for a 2 tiered cake.

Cupcakes: I aim to use around 50g of batter per cupcake. This would give me 18 cupcakes or 9 if I halve the ingredients. If you would like them slightly larger, up to around 55g- 60g per cake and make 16 cupcakes.

Order of ingredients: it is important to add the ingredients in this order. This is to ensure the raising agents do not come into contact with too much liquid too soon and activate.

Milk/Liquid – the liquid does not have to be milk. It could be coffee, juice or water mixed with cocoa.

Food processor – this cake can also be made in a food processor. Simply place all the ingredients in the processor bowl, in the order stated, and blitz until thoroughly mixed.