The Best Basic Butter Cake

SERVES 5

INGREDIENTS

250g butter, unsalted softened

210g caster (superfine) sugar

200g selfraising flour

2 pinches of fine salt

3 eggs

185ml fullcream milk

Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon 20g honey, plus 50g for brushing 20ml extravirgin olive oil Fruit of your choice (see note)

METHOD

1

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line five 10cm spring-form 2 cake tins with baking paper. Put the butter and sugar in an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5-8 minutes. Meanwhile, 3 sift the flour and salt together. Once the butter mixture is fluffy, add the eggs, one at a time, and whisk until combined. Add the milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey and olive oil and whisk until completely incorporated. Add the sifted flour and slowly whisk until

4 a batter is formed.

Spoon 190g of the batter into each cake tin. Arrange thin slices or pieces of fruit

5 on top.

Bake the cakes for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of each 6 one comes out clean. Warm the honey in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to loosen it. Drizzle each hot cake with some of the honey and use a pastry brush to brush it over the top of the cake. Allow the cakes to cool a little before removing them from the tins and brushing them with more honey. NOTE Try using thinly sliced or chopped apples, oranges, figs or berries on top of the cakes. Ensure the fruit isn’t too bulky or it will sink into the batter. You can also cook the batter in one large cake tin. Increase the cooking time by about 15-30 minutes, depending on the size of the tin.