Traditional Butter Cake with SCS Dairy Singapore & The Hainan Story

The old-school butter cake is my Hainanese mother-in-law’s favorite cake of all time! Every time we celebrate her birthday with some fancy cake, she always says “Don’t give me any other cake, butter cake is still the best!”

So, I finally got down to bake the perfect butter cake. I consulted many old recipe books to recreate that old-school buttery flavor and texture that is irresistible with a cup of Hainanese kopi. After many failed attempts I finally managed to come up with a recipe that my mum-in-law likes.

There are only four main ingredients in butter cake: butter, eggs, flour, and sugar. So, if you want to recreate that old-school flavor, you need to use SCS butter, which Singaporeans have enjoyed for generations!

For years, I have wondered what makes SCS the preferred butter among local bakers. I finally found out that, unlike most other butters, SCS butter undergoes a double-churning process, giving the butter its unique flavor and texture.

This Chinese New Year, you can purchase the butter cake from Hainan Story. I have been working closely with the baker to replicate the same butter cake I bake at home. You can rest assured that there are no preservatives or margarine in the cake, only one block of SCS butter, eggs, flour, and sugar! I hope it will evoke nostalgia for the entire family!

Remember, Aunty Lina says “Don’t give me any other cake, butter cake is still the best!”

Recipe Card

Prep time: 25 mins
Baking Time: 55 mins
Yields: 6 inch Square Cake

Ingredients

Yellow Team

• SCS slightly salted butter 227g (1 block)
• Self-raising flour 180g (or Cake flour with 1 tsp baking powder)
• Castor sugar 150g
• Sour Cream 45g (3 Tbsp)
• Egg yolk 70g (from 4 x 60g eggs)
• Vanilla extract/essence 1 tsp
• Salt 1/4 tsp (optional)

White Team

• Egg whites 150g (from 4 x 60g eggs)
• Cream of Tartar 1/2 tsp

Method

1. Bring the butter out of the fridge, divide into 2 cm slices and place in mixing bowl to thaw.
2. Separate the eggs while still cold
3. Line the cake pan with baking paper
4. Wet the baking strips (if using) and secure around the 6-inch square cake pan.
5. Beat the butter and sugar until it turns pale white.
6. Add sour cream and vanilla essence and mix till fully incorporated
7. Add yolks one at a time.  Mix each yolk until fully incorporated before adding the next yolk
8. Sift the flour and add to the yellow team.  Mix at low speed (2) till the all the flour has almost disappeared.
9. Set yellow team aside
10. Whip egg whites until foamy
11. Add cream of tartar and whip till stiff peaks
12. Add 1/2 of the whites to the yellow and and fold till the whites are incorporated.
13. Add the rest of the egg whites and fold until all the egg whites have just disappeared.
14. Pour into cake tin and smoothen the top
15. Bake in pre-heated 160°C oven for 55mins or until the top of the cake is springy and a skewer comes out clean.
16. Cool the cake upside down on a cooling rack until completely cool.
17. Overturn the cake onto a cake board and leave overnight for the flavours to mature. (If you can resist)

Moist and Fluffy Butter Cake

The recipe will yield a beautifully moist and fluffy butter cake with a nice brown crust that will have your friends and family asking for seconds!

Responses to some common questions:

Instead of self-rising flour, you may use cake flour with 1 tsp of baking powder. Plain flour can be used instead of cake flour but I find the latter to yield a softer texture.

You may reduce the sugar by 20g if you like but no more than that.

I use sour cream in the recipe to increase the moisture of the cake. You may go the really traditional way and use condensed milk instead. But I find the cake to be too sweet hence the use of sour cream.

Butter Cake at The Hainan Story

Until mid April 2024, you’ll be able to purchase these cakes at any The Hainan Story outlets. As these cakes are made without any preservations, it is best consumed within 3 days of purchasing. They may be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks, unopened.

Best way to enjoy your butter cake is to slice to about 1 – 2 cm thickness and warm them in the oven (160^oC) for 5 mins, before serving. I like to have them with a cup of Teh C and Lisa, a cup of Kopi C.

The Hainan Story outlets we’ve reviewed:

• The Hainan Story Introduction and Hainan Story Bakery at Hillion Mall
• The Hainan Story Chapter One at Hotel Boss
• The Hainan Story Chapter Two at Jewel
• The Hainan Story : Coffee House at NEX

Disclosure: the production of the recipe video is sponsored by SCS Dairy Singapore and The Hainan Story.

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