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Sri Lankan butter cake
A rich, golden vanilla butter cake, the base of nearly every Sri Lankan birthday cake
In Sri Lanka a birthday, a school prize-giving or the New Year in April is rarely without butter cake: a dense yet tender, deep-yellow sponge baked in a square tin, cut into neat pieces and wrapped in paper for guests, or iced with pastel butter icing for a child's party. Families from Colombo to Kandy bake it at home, the kitchen filling with the smell of butter and vanilla. It contains milk, egg and gluten. Chef's tip: have every ingredient at the same room temperature, so the batter stays silky and doesn't curdle when the eggs go in.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the cake
- 9 oz unsalted buttersoft
- 9 oz caster sugar
- 5 eggsat room temperature, separated
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 9 oz plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup whole milk
For the butter icing
- 4 ½ oz unsalted butter (optional)soft
- 9 oz icing sugar (optional)
- 1 tbsp milk (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (fan 300°F). Grease a 20 cm square tin and line it with baking paper.
Step 2: Beat 9 oz unsalted butter and 7 ½ oz caster sugar with an electric mixer for 5–6 minutes, until very pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks from 5 eggs one at a time, then 2 tsp vanilla extract.
6 minStep 3: Sift 9 oz plain flour with 2 tsp baking powder. Fold it into the batter in three lots, alternating with ¼ cup whole milk, until just smooth. Over-mixing at this stage is the most common mistake and makes the cake tough.
Step 4: Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, add the remaining 1 ⅓ oz caster sugar and whisk until glossy. Fold into the batter in two lots until no streaks remain.
Step 5: Spread in the tin and bake for 45–50 minutes, until deep golden, the edges have shrunk slightly from the tin and a skewer in the centre comes out clean.
50 minStep 6: Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then lift out onto a rack and cool completely.
15 minStep 7: To ice it, beat 4 ½ oz unsalted butter with 9 oz icing sugar and 1 tbsp milk for 4 minutes until fluffy, tint it pale pink or blue if you like, and spread or pipe over the top. Keep the cake in an airtight tin for up to 4 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 270 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sri Lankan butter cake take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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Perfect for:Kids' birthday partyTea-time