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Wednesday 9 May 2018

Butter ... it's brilliant !


Butter ... it's brilliant!
Well we think so because we just love butter in our house, but did you know that "butter is made when lactic-acid producing bacteria are added to cream and churned to make an emulsion. It doesn't sound very enticing but the flavour of butter is hard to beat.

Butter can be bought salted or unsalted. Salt is used for preservation and for flavour but the latter also varies according to the breed of cow and its feed.

Butter is around 80 per cent fat, great if you live the LCHF lifestyle ... but some people prefer to use alternatives. However, low-fat spreads are generally not suitable for baking so read packaging carefully.

Some cake recipes replace butter with a mild-tasting oil such as sunflower oil which is ideal for those with a dairy intolerance or allergy. Cakes made in this way tend to be moister and last longer but they don't have the rich, buttery taste.

When storing butter keep it wrapped in its foil packaging or a butter dish in the fridge. Keep it away from pungent foods as it has a tendency to pick up the flavours.

For rubbed in cake mixtures, use butter straight from the fridge. For creamed cake mixtures, you'll need to take the butter out of the fridge a few hours before you are planning to use it as it needs to be soft in order to cream it together well with the sugar."


There are many recipes that use butter, this one is low carb and delicious!

Brown Butter Sponge Cake



This is a popular recipe ... and is so enjoyable with a cup of tea or coffee.

Ingredients:
2 cups of (4 sticks) unsalted butter melted and lightly browned
6 large eggs
2 cups of finely milled almond flour
2 cups of sugar substitute
1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of sea salt

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350º F / 180º C / Gas mark 4-moderate. Lightly grease a 10-inch spring-form pan with butter.
2. Melt and lightly brown the butter in a saucepan and allow to cool completely.
3. Beat all the eggs and sugar substitute in a stand-up mixer on high until mixture is thick and a shade of pale yellow, about 6 minutes.
4. Add the almond flour by ¼ cup increments into the egg and sugar-substitute batter folding gently with a rubber spatula. *Do not over stir, mix only to combine. Also add the baking powder and sea salt.
5. Once the batter has been mixed add the now cooled melted brown butter gently fold into the batter until fully incorporated.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
7. Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
8. Allow this cake to cool completely before serving. Store in the refrigerator.

Cake makes 16 servings at 3.2 net carbs per slice
Recipe idea seen on Fit To Serve blog

For help with measurement and conversion, see charts here

We bring a variety of recipes ideas to this blog, but please note, not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan

27 comments:

Tom said...

...and yummy!

Margie from Toronto said...

I only use butter - ever since I read about how margarine was made and from what it is made! I do watch how much I use - mostly mixed with olive oil for cooking vegetables as I don't eat a lot of bread - but when I do it's with butter!

Anonymous said...

The sponge cake would be delicious. I have been buying an Irish unsalted butter lately.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

My wife would die without her buttered toast in the morning.

You inspired me. I prepared meatballs last night. They were a little flavorful for my wife, but I loved them. (I'm not much for recipes, but yours inspired me...I just throw a little of this, a little of that...)

Debby Ray said...

I only use butter anymore...that cake recipe looks to die for! Well, not die....you know what I mean.

carol l mckenna said...

What a delicious looking cake ~ and everyone loves butter!

Happy Day to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Betsy said...

Oh gosh, I must make this cake. Looks so moist. I love butter, sweet creamy butter.

Mary Kirkland said...

Yep, we only use butter. None of that margarine stuff here.

Mike@Bit About Britain said...

You can't beat the taste of butter - and I confess I'm eating more of it since being informed it's not as harmful as we've been told it was for the last 30 years!

happyone said...

Oh my that looks good.
I've just started only using butter too now. I just don't eat as much of it as I would like. : )

Jo said...

We're butter fans too, I love it spread on a home made scone.

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

This looks especially delicious today, seeing I am trying to watch my calories! :) I have always used butter and have a little bit every day. There is nothing to match the taste of real butter! xx K

Elephant's Child said...

And butter tastes better. Much better.

Out on the prairie said...

Another piece of cake please LOL

DUTA said...

Butter, real butter, upgrades any dish, cooked or baked. (I use it sparingly as I have to watch my weight, but I don't totally give it up).

Adam said...

I can't believe it's butter

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

Oh butter, what can be better? Your sponge surely looks wonderful. I wish I had a slice right now! Do you know that the butter you have in Britain is much richer tasting than our's in the US? It is and I wish I could have some of that wonderful Lakeland Butter! Have a great evening. ♥

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

My hubby loves butter and it sure adds flavor to so many things. We don't use salt any more so it's nice to have a pat of butter on veggies. Thanks for the info!

Patsy said...

I've always liked butter and never believed the articially coloured, low fat, synthetic alternatives were healthier, so refused to switch. It's becoming increasingly clear that I was right.

Lee said...

I only ever use butter...not butter substitutes. The latter have never been used by me. When I was cooking professionally, I'd kick myself out of any commercial kitchen I was cooking in if I used anything other than butter!!

And the only oil I use is olive oil.

Lee said...

PS I made quite a large lemon-ginger butter cake yesterday! :)

Carol Blackburn said...

Oh, I've made this brown butter sponge cake and it was fabulous. Quite a surprise though when the butter started dripping out of the spring-form pan onto the baking sheet I had placed it on. So glad I thought to do that.

Magic Love Crow said...

I love my butter! Thank you for the recipe Jan! Big Hugs!

Debbie said...

oh i could not agree more...everything is better with butter!!!

margarine or any substitute is just shameful!!!

Conniecrafter said...

that looks so good but wow that seems like a lot of butter.

Sue (this n that) said...

Definitely Jan, butter is always the best. It adds such a richness to most dishes.

baili said...

butter is used lees here as compare to my native village
my parents used it on daily bases
but here in cities people avoid it as it is strain into weight loss
than you for the wonderful tasty looking recipe