Ever Versatile Butter Cake

I have been missing the good old fashion butter cake lately, which is light, fluffy and buttery. I still have some mixed berries purees so I decided to make marbled way butter cake by adding mixed berries puree with the cake batter. To my total disappointment although I really like the puree's marbling effect, the cake doesn't turn as tasty as I want it to be. So, two days later, I tried baking with another butter cake recipe and marbled with cocoa powder and this time the cake turns out perfect as I want it to be. Although the first recipe does not turn out great but you still adopt its puree marbling effect. Please be reminded that all ingredients below should be at room temperature.

Ingredients:-

• 3 eggs, separate the white and yolk
• 125g butter
• 1 cup sugar (I use white sugar) 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup self raising flour, sift with 1/4 tsp salt (I use half half because I run out of self raising flour)
• 120ml milk
• 3/4 tsp lemon juice

Method:-

1. Preheat oven at 180 degree celcius. Line pan with baking paper, grease and lightly floured. 
2. Separate egg yolk and white in two different bowl.
3. By using electric mixer, beat butter until soft and add in 3/4cup of sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add yolk one at a time and beat well after each addition. Scrape the side and add in vanilla extract and beat until well combined. 
4. Fold in flour mixture and milk, in 3 addition alternately. Combined well after each addition. Then, set the batter aside.
5. In  another clean mixing bowl, beat egg white until foamy and add in lemon juice. Continue beating until soft peak form. Then, gradually add in the remaining sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
6. Gently fold a little of the whites/meringue into the batter to lighten it, and then, fold in the remaining white/meringue till well combine. Do not over mix because the white will deflate. It is alright to have some white streak left. 
7. To get the marble effect: (1) scope 3 tbsp batter and mix with 30ml mixed berries puree; (2) mix 3 tsp cocoa powder with 1 tsp hot water, then, scope 2 tbsp batter and mix with the cocoa mixture, dollop on to the remaining batter and swirl with fork OR (3) mix 6 tsp cocoa powder with 2 tsp hot water, divide batter into 2 parts and add the cocoa mixture in one of the part, assemble them. For modest original butter cake, skip the marbling steps.
8. Pop into preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes (depending on your oven) or until the tester comes out clean. 
9. Cool cake in their pans on wire rack for 10 minutes, the remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

after swirling

The one with mixed berries puree