THE FAST LANE
ANN JOHNSON HAS HUNG UP HER SCOOTER HELMET, BUT SHE’S STILL A WHIZ WHEN IT COMES TO WHIPPING UP THIS BUTTER CAKE.
This family favourite butter cake recipe is almost as impressive as the female baker behind it.
IN HER TWENTIES, Ann Johnson was a member of a scooter club and whizzed around the NSW Northern Rivers town of Grafton, the wind whipping through her hair. Now, having just turned 80, she twirls around the dance floor with her husband, Patrick, with the same sense of freedom and joy. “She’s definitely young at heart and always up for some fun,” says youngest daughter Susanne Johnson, 48, who’s pictured below with Ann. “I think it’s what keeps her so healthy and agile.” While Ann has long since traded in her scooter, Susanne says her mother often revs up the electric mixer to make her much-loved signature bake. “Whenever we visit there is always butter cake. She doesn’t do anything fancy — it’s just iced and often topped with sprinkles, but it’s been a staple in our lives. There was always a slice with chocolate icing in our school lunchboxes and she still brings one to every family birthday.” The recipe was handed down to Ann by her mother, Ann Simmons, and now Susanne and her two siblings — Catherine and Mark — have a copy, too. Their grandmother was a great cook and homemaker, but Susanne says when her mother finished school she became a legal secretary. That was how she met Patrick, now 79, who worked as a clerk at the local courthouse. It was a romance fuelled by a mutual love of two-wheeled transport. “Dad had motorbikes and Mum had two scooters — a Lambretta and a BSA. Apparently she could often be seen riding around town and to the nearby beaches at Yamba and Woolgoolga with her scooter club buddies.” The couple married in Grafton in 1961 and lived in Charlestown, Walcha and Goulburn before settling in Singleton, where they both worked until retirement. “We were definitely latch-key kids and would ride home on our bikes and wait for our parents to get home,” Susanne recalls. “I think that’s why the butter cake stuck with her — Mum was so busy and it was easy to whip up.” On retiring, Ann and Patrick relocated to the Newcastle area to be closer to family and indulge Ann’s lifelong love of the beach. Old Time New Vogue dancing is another passion and naturally, when the music stops, Ann brings out her butter cake (and a slice or two). “It’s such a good recipe,” Susanne says. “You can use it to make one large cake or patty cakes. It’s moist, delicious and everyone loves it.”
ANN’S PLAIN BUTTER CAKE
Serves 8–10 125g unsalted butter, softened ¾ cup caster sugar 2 large eggs few drops vanilla essence 1½ cups self-raising flour pinch of salt ½ cup milk VANILLA BUTTERCREAM 125g unsalted butter, softened 1½ cups icing sugar mixture, sifted 1 tablespoon milk few drops vanilla essence
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a deep 20cm round cake pan, and line base and sides with baking paper. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and caster sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla essence and beat until combined. Sift flour and salt together into a bowl. Using a wooden spoon, alternately stir in flour and milk in 2 batches. Spoon mixture into prepared pan and use back of a wet spoon to spread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. To make vanilla buttercream, using an electric mixer, beat butter until light and pale. Gradually add icing sugar and milk, and beat until smooth and well combined. Add vanilla essence to taste and beat until well combined. Using a round-bladed knife, spread buttercream over top of cake and serve.
SHARE YOUR FAMILY FAVOURITES Do you have a recipe that has been passed down through generations? Send us your recipe, the story behind it and a photograph (preferably a copy or scan) of the relative who passed it on. Remember to include a daytime telephone number. Email Sarah Neil at sneil@bauer-media.com.au or send a letter to Heirloom Recipe, Country Style, PO Box 4088, Sydney NSW 1028.