Variety of Butter Cakes

After few successful attempts in 'mastering' butter cake plus few complaints from children (until they start feeding our pet dogs with butter cake) it was time to have some variety in my baking. But er.........I can just bake butter cake for the moment and dare not venture to other types of cakes so......I started digging old recipe books (bought ages ago supposedly to start my baking interest :-) and found few variations to the basic Butter cake. Ha!......at least the children were satisfied.

Marble Cake  - Just keep 1/4 portion of the cake mixture and mix in cocoa paste. (1 tbsp cocoa powder add 3 tbsp hot water and mix to a paste).
                   - Spoon the cocoa mixture on top of the plain mixture and use a small knife to draw lines to get marble effect.

Crunchy Cheese Cake - Fold in 100g grated cheddar cheese together with flour mixture. Just before baking, sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese on top.

Orange Butter Cake - Use 4 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice and 1 tsp grated orange rind before pouring batter into pan.







I would like to share with you this cake which I remember being baked constantly by my great baker & cook sister who resides in Cameron Highland now. (If I had interest back when I was young, she would have been my teacher). This recipe is taken from the book "Agnes Chang's Baking Made Easy"

                                           Pineapple Upside down Cake

2 small cans pineapple rings, drained
8-10 red cherries, cut into 1/2
240g butter
200g caster sugar (may reduce if do not want too sweet)
4 eggs
240g self-raising flour, sifted
4 tbsp pineapple syrup (from the can pineapple)
       

1. Arrange pineapple rings onto a lined and greased 22cm/9 inch baking tin. Put 1/2 red cherry in  the centre of the pineapple ring. Keep aside.      
2. Put butter and castor sugar into a mixing bowl and cream till light.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Fold in sifted flour, 1/3 at a time. Mix in pineapple syrup till well-combined.
5. Pour cake mixture on top of pineapple rings and spread evenly.
6. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C for about 45 minutes till golden brown.
7. Remove, leave to cool before inverting onto a serving plate to show the pineapple rings on top.