Monday, February 24, 2014

Buttermilk Cake with Sultanas

Buttermilk Cake with Sultanas
Cake. It's not a very exciting cake, but everything seems pretty boring and uncute when compared to last week's post. You can't out-cute the cookie monster macs. It's also not a very pretty cake, but is one of those throw-together on a Sunday arvo cakes that you eat still warm from the oven with a big mug of tea.
Buttermilk Cake with Sultanas
For those of you in the US, here in Australia we call raisins sultanas. We reserve the name raisin for a bigger variety of dried grape. I don't know why, but the regular ones have always been sultanas for me. Whatever you call them, I made sure to put a LOT of them in this cake.
Buttermilk Cake with Sultanas
As well as being chock-full of sultanas, this cake is made with buttermilk so it has that wonderful light but soft quality and you get from adding buttermilk to anything. It's guaranteed to stop your cake from going dry. You can also add other dried fruit to the cake mixture, or leave it out if sultanas aren't your thing and top it with some lemony icing.
Buttermilk Cake with Sultanas
Buttermilk Cake with Sultanas (Raisins)
(adapted from this Gourmet Traveller recipe)
165g (about 1.5 sticks) butter (I used salted, if using unsalted add a pinch of salt to your flour mixture), softened
220g (1 cup) sugar (I used caster/superfine)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Finely grated zest from 1 lemon
200g (about 1.5 cups) plain/all-purpose flour
100g (about 3/4 cups) self-raising flour
1/4 tsp bicarb (baking) soda
220ml (about 1 cup minus 2 tbsp) buttermilk (or milk mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice)
2 cups (350g) sultanas/raisins
  1. Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F) and grease and line a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper. 
  2. Mix flours and baking soda in a bowl together and set aside
  3. Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on high with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. 
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating to combine. 
  5. Add vanilla and lemon zest and beat to combine.
  6. With the mixer on low speed add half the flour mixture, follow by half the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk. Mix until just combined.
  7. Fold in sultanas and pour mixture into prepared tin. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  8. Cool in tin for 10 minutes then carefully remove and cool on wire rack before serving. Can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple days.
Buttermilk Cake with Sultanas
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17 comments:

  1. Looks delicious to me! I certainly wouldn't have trouble enjoying a slice with a good cup of tea. Yum. :)

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  2. Perfect with a cup of tea! And buttermilk cakes are always so tasty.

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  3. Looks great! And the perfect Sunday afternoon cake. It is nic to take a break from cutness at times, cakes like this are solid and homey and appeal to everyone everywhere!

    Alex

    PS - Raisins can come from any type of dried grape, Sultanas come from a specific type of green (white) seedless grape.

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  4. This looks like a lovely, comforting cake! I love raisins/sultanas - this cake looks perfect!

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  5. It looks far from boring this is my kind of cake

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  6. Love buttermilk, love sultanas, love cake - I'll certainly be trying this soon!

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  7. made this to take to a friend, amazing!!

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  8. This looks delicious. I love sweet and crazy sugary/gooey desserts, but oftentimes it's these cakes that I can't stop eating!! Can't wait to make it. I think i'm going to be have homemade buttermilk in the next few days (the result of homemade butter) and think I might try this!

    Luci’s Morsels – fashion. food. frivolity.

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  9. Who needs cute when they have delish!!!! This is the kind of cake I wish I had right now with my morning cuppa. Would certainly get the old brain in gear!

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  10. Looks sooo delicious! Will try that on the weekend :-)

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  11. Yum! This cake looks super delicious! So what if it's simple! Sometimes simple things are best!

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  12. Peanut butter chips instead of sultanas. Happening.

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  13. Delicious, simple cake is always a winner.
    Mostly though, I love your teacup in this photo series! I have a mild teacup addiction and a very slowly growing collection. I have more saucers than cups... But I figure that's just to accommodate the cakes I make and eat.

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  14. Hi! I made this delicious cake tonight. The sultanas have all sunk to the bottom...any suggestions on how to overcome this? Thanks!

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    1. Oh no! I didn't experience this problem, you might want to try sprinkling the sultanas on top of the batter after it's already poured into the pan, rather than folding it in?

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  15. Mmmm, delicious. The perfect everyday cake!

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