Butter Cake with Raisins

My dear brother has requested for a butter cake with raisin few days ago. Couldn't resist his cravings, so I dragged my big a** out of sofa on a lazy Friday noon while he and hubby were out to Leng Kee road to check out some cars.

This is an easy to make recipe.



Ingredients:
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g plain flour/ all purpose flour
1 tsp double action baking powder (I use just basic baking powder)
200g castor sugar
4 eggs
½ tsp salt
4 tbsp fresh milk (I use 1 small cup of plain yogurt, full fat for full flavour)
1 tsp vanilla essence

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. (Best to preheat for 15 mins)
2. Lightly grease a 22cm square baking tin with melted butter or oil and line it with grease-proof paper.
3. Mix plain flour and baking powder together and sieve. Add in salt and mix well. Set aside.
4. Use low speed to mix butter and sugar until well combined. Change to medium speed and beat until light and pale in yellow. (Note: Sugar has not dissolved yet).
5. Add in the first egg. Beat well after each addition of egg until creamy.
6. Scrape down the sides for even mixing.
7. Add in vanilla essence and mix well.
8. Divide flour into three portions, use lowest speed to mix in flour. Scrape down sides for even mixing.
9. Finally, add milk (or yogurt) bit by bit.
10. Pour the mixture into the greased baking tin. Shake it lightly to distribute cake mixture evenly.
11. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked. If a toothpick/skewer comes out clean, it is done.
12. Remove it from the oven and leave the cake in the tin to cool on the wire rack for another 5 minutes.
13. Best to serve warm.

Some tips to share:

1. When adding egg, use low speed to mix until well combined and then change to medium speed.
2. If the eggs are added to the sugar-fat mixture too quickly, it will cause the mixture to curdle (or separate). If this happens, add 1-2 tbsp of plain flour and mix well.
3. Break egg into a bowl before adding into the cake mixture. This is to prevent any spoil egg from ruining the whole cake mixture.
4. The baking time and oven temperatures vary depending on the types of oven, so use your own judgment to experiment.