buttermilk birthday cake

September 14, 2008 at 3:38 pm | Posted in Birthdays, Cakes, Cheese, Fruit | 7 Comments

this cake was for a very dear friend. i wanted to try out a new cake recipe which was NOT chocolate, and i decided on nigella’s buttermilk birthday cake. baked the cake in two 8″ tins, and the layers were sandwiched with cream cheese frosting and diced juicy red strawberries.

the testimonial from the birthday girl was very encouraging – she claimed that her two brothers who are fussy about cakes wolfed it down, so i guess this recipe is a keeper.

from how to be a domestic goddess by nigella lawson:

1 2/3 cups plain flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk (or 1/3 cup plain yoghurt mixed with 1/2 cup milk)
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
1/2 cup soft butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
3 eggs

1. preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius. sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together into a bowl and set aside. pour the buttermilk (or yoghurt and milk) into a deep bowl and stir in the vanilla.

2. cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. reduce the speed if using the mixer and add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between additions. add alternative increments of the flour mixture and the vanilla-buttermilk, blending well after each addition; this should take 3-5 minutes.

3. pour into the prepared pan (i used two 8″ inch tins; a 9″ round or square tin would be fine too i guess, or you could even make it in cupcake form) and bake for about 30-40 minutes (depending on the pan you use; cupcakes should be done in around 20) until a cake tester comes out clean.

4. cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before unmoulding to let cool completely. use your favourite frosting – decorating possibilities are endless!