Rarely today do you see a classic butter cake in a cake shop, rather there are syrup soaked this and that, mini nut filled doolakies and the like. Not that any of those are not nice, but just occasionally it’s nice to have the simpler things to accompany a cup of freshly brewed tea. This butter cake is one that can be baked in any number of tin sizes and keeps very well. It’s the kind of recipe that teenagers could make and be sure to have success.

Ingredients

• 125 grams butter, softened
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence or grated rind 1 lemon
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup currants
• 2 tblsp mixed peel

Method

1. Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. This can be done by hand or with an electric beater. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder with a pinch of salt and fold in alternately with the milk and dried fruit.
3. Transfer the mixture to a well-greased and paper lined 23cm x 10cm paper-lined loaf tin. (See Cook's Tip).
4. Bake at 180ºC for 40 minutes or until a cake skewer inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Stand in the tin for 10 minutes before turning onto a cake rack to cool further.
5. Ice the cake if wished. Keep in an airtight container and cut into slices to serve.

Cooks Tips

Other tin sizes that can be used are: 20cm round, cooking time around 50 minutes 20cm ring tin, cooking time around 35-40 minutes 2x23cm sandwich tins or cake tins, cooking time around 25 minutes, join cakes with your favourite icing 23cm x 10cm loaf tin cooking time around 40-45 minutes VARIATIONS: - Fold in 1 cup mixed dried fruit in place of the currants and peel. - Make the cake a simple orange or lemon flavour by omitting the dried fruit and adding the grated rind of 2 oranges or lemons. - Add 1 cup finely chopped walnuts in place of the dried fruit. Adding lemon rind works well with walnuts. - Omit the fruit, divide the cake into three portions and make a marble cake. Ice with a coloured butter icing. - Omit the fruit and add grated rind of 1 lemon and ¼ cup poppy seeds. - Replace the currants with finely chopped glace ginger or cherries. - Omit the fruit and add ½ cup chocolate chips with the grated rind of 1 orange. Omit the fruit and add ½ cup chocolate chips with the grated rind of an orange. 2 x 23 cm sandwich tins or cake tins and joined with butter icing