Butterscotch Buttermilk Cake

 

I have a beautiful Butterscotch Cake recipe to share with you today.  This is one of my favorite cakes to make and bake.  

Not only does it turn out perfect every time I make it, with a beautiful butterscotch flavor, but it is also incredibly moist and delicious. 

It smells amazing when it is baking.  My mouth waters in anticipation each and every time! 

 

 

One thing you can count on when making a cake with buttermilk is that it is going to be super moist. Add brown sugar into the mix and you have a recipe for a really delicious and moist cake.

There is nothing artificial in this cake or its lush frosting. Only natural ingredients.  Soft light brown sugar, real butter, buttermilk, eggs, and the usual suspects, flour, baking powder, soda,  and real vanilla extract.

 

The frosting is also natural.  Just butter, cream and brown sugar.  Put together in such a way as to create a lush penuche frosting.  Fudgy and buttery.

When we were children, my mother would sometimes make us brown sugar fudge as a treat. It was so sweet, but so good.  Other times she would make peanut butter fudge.  It was my favorite.

 

I used to do the same thing for my own children when they were growing up. When I was beating the frosting for this cake with my wooden spoon it reminded me of those times and how much they enjoyed being able to scrape out the fudge pot when I was done.

Children love simple things like that. I wonder if they remember those times with as much fondness as I do!  I sure hope so! 

 

    WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BUTTERSCOTCH BUTTERMILK CAKE

Simple ordinary everyday ingredients. Nothing artificial here.

For the cake:

• 1/2 cup (120g) butter
• 1 1/3 cups (280g) soft light brown sugar
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups (280g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk

 

For the icing:

• 1/2 cup (120g) butter
• 1 cup (200g) firmly packed soft light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (80ml) cream

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR A GOOD CAKE 

Follow the recipe as written.  Most times when people fail at making cakes, it's because they didn't follow the recipe as written.

Always use the correct sized pan as directed in the recipe.

Get all of your ingredients ready before you begin and make sure they are all at room temperature. If you have everything out, you are less likely to forget to add any vital ingredients.

Sift together the dry ingredients so that you can aerate the flour and evenly distribute any leavening needed.

Don't be slack or lackadaisical in measuring your ingredients. Baking is an exact science.  Actually, baking by weight is the most reliable way to bake. 100g will always be 100g but a measuring cup can often vary a bit in size.

 

Push your brown sugar through a sieve to get out all of the lumps.  I find the brown sugar here in Canada to be a lot lumpier than the brown sugar I was used to in the UK. Pushing it through a sieve takes care of that problem.

Don't over beat the batter. Over-beating toughens cake batters.  Likewise, don't under beat. 

Don't open your oven door when baking a cake. Opening the door can cause a cake to fall or sink in the middle. If you need to look, turn on the oven light and look through the window.

 

HOW TO MAKE BUTTERSCOTCH BUTTERMILK CAKE

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9-inch round cake tin and line the bottom with some baking paper. Set onto a baking sheet and set aside.

Put the brown sugar for the cake through a sieve and then beat together in a medium sized bowl with the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla and salt, blending well.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and soda together. Fold into the creamed mixture alternating with the buttermilk, blending until you have a smooth batter. Pour into the prepared baking tin.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325*F/165*C/ gas mark 3 and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. The cake will spring back when lightly touched in the center and a toothpick inserted will come out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin completely. Tip out and remove the paper and place right side up on a serving plate.

To make the frosting combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan. Cook stirring over medium heat until the butter melts and everything is well blended.

Bring to a simmer and then simmer over medium low heat until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage (see note). This will take from 7 to 12 minutes.

Remove from the heat and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to thicken and loses its gloss. Spread the frosting over the cake decoratively while the frosting is still warm. It will set like fudge.

This is quite simply one of my all-time favorite cakes.  Its moist and delicious. You might think that the frosting would make it too sweet, but it really doesn't

Sometimes I find that store iced cakes can be overly sweet or almost cloying. This one isn't that way in the least. In fact, I would go so far as to declare it the perfect Butterscotch cake!  

 

The simple flavors of this cake tick all my boxes. If you are looking for something equally delicious but perhaps in a different flavor, you might enjoy these!

QUEEN ELIZABETH CAKE - We are especially fond of this old, old recipe for Queen Elizabeth Cake.  I don't expect there is a Canadian community cookbook without a version of this in it.  It goes way back. It is a simple and delicious cake!  The dates make it incredibly moist. It is also studded with plenty of toasted walnuts. Topped with a sweet caramel icing and sprinkle of coconut, this is a real treat! 

SPANISH CAKE - I have really saved the best for the last.  This is my all time, absolute favorite cake. So much so that I also recreated it in a small batch version.  This cake is so good that I once baked it about three times in one week! It has a lovely moist crumb, flavored with cinnamon and that brown sugar penuche frosting is to die for.   It is the absolute best! 

Butterscotch Buttermilk Cake

Yield: 8 - 10

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 H & 5 MTotal time: 1 H & 15 M

A moist and delicious brown sugar buttermilk cake with a lush penuche frosting.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1/2 cup (120g) butter
• 1 1/3 cups (280g) soft light brown sugar
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups (280g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk

For the icing:

• 1/2 cup (120g) butter
• 1 cup (200g) firmly packed soft light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (80ml) cream

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9-inch round cake tin and line the bottom with some baking paper. Set onto a baking sheet and set aside.
2. Put the brown sugar for the cake through a sieve and then beat together in a medium sized bowl with the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla and salt, blending well.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and soda together. Fold into the creamed mixture alternating with the buttermilk, blending until you have a smooth batter. Pour into the prepared baking tin.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325*F/165*C/ gas mark 3 and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. The cake will spring back when lightly touched in the center and a toothpick inserted will come out clean.
5. Leave to cool in the tin completely. Tip out and remove the paper and place right side up on a serving plate.
6. To make the frosting combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan. Cook stirring over medium heat until the butter melts and everything is well blended.
7. Bring to a simmer and then simmer over medium low heat until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage (see note). This will take from 7 to 12 minutes.
8. Remove from the heat and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to thicken and loses its gloss. Spread the frosting over the cake decoratively while the frosting is still warm. It will set like fudge.

Notes

You can test for the soft ball stage by dropping a bit of the mixture into a glass of cold water. You should be able to pull the drop together into a soft ball.

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Single Serve Ground Beef Meals

 

 

This is something I have wanted to try for a long time now.  Present to you four delicious single serve meals that you can cook for yourself using just one pound of ground beef!  

All of them easy.  All of them delicious.  Nothing is complicated here. You know me. I can be rather lazy. Its nice to know that with just a tiny bit of effort I can have four meals ready to go. 

You don't have to put all four of them together on the day. One you can make and eat on the day and then components of the other two can be frozen to serve at another time. Easy peasy lemon squeasy.

The ground beef that I use comes from our local farm market. It is locally produced and frozen in one pound lots, wrapped in brown butchers paper.

Have you ever noticed that the ground beef you buy at the grocery store is nice and red on the outside and yet when you break into it its brown inside? That is a huge turn off for me. This meat is the same color through and through.

Plus, the ground beef you buy at the shops is composed of a whole bunch of beef from a variety of animals all ground together. You could have the DNA from a multitude of animals in that one package of ground meat.

This stuff we buy locally is much, much different.  The meat in each package is generally from the same animal. I like that idea very much.

For the meatloaf you will use 1/4 of the package. 4 ounces or 115grams of the beef.  I downsized my regular meatloaf recipe so that it makes one delicious 4-ounce ramekin sized meatloaf. 

It might be small, but the flavors are huge.  This is moist and delicious.  I have simply glazed it with a tangy glaze, but you could add a slice of bacon to the top if you wanted to. 

This is one of the options you can freeze for later use.  Just cool it down, wrap tightly in cling film. Pop into a zip lock baggie and freeze for up to three months.

When you are ready to eat it, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently until heated through for eating. You can either do this in the oven or microwave. It's up to you.

Because I was making mashed potatoes for the top of the Cottage pie, it was very easy to make a little bit more at the same time to serve with the meatloaf. It was also easy to prepare some extra mixed vegetables to serve alongside as well.

Moist and delicious this meatloaf is an old family favorite that I can now enjoy on my own without having to eat it for days on end! I call that a win!  

The remainder of the meat then gets crumbled into a skillet and browned along with a finely chopped onion and clove of garlic.  This will be divided up to make the remaining three dishes.

One third will be removed and mixed together with some taco seasoning.  This will serve as the beefy topping for your Sheet Pan Nachos.  These are delicious served hot from the oven with your favorite toppings and some salsa and sour cream on the side.

Unfortunately, today I didn't have as many things to use for the toppings as I normally would use. Normally I would top them with diced peppers as well as tomatoes, black olives and jalapenos, cheese, spring onions, etc.  These I am showing you today are very plain in comparison. You can top them with whatever you want to top them with and with what you enjoy eating! 

This meaty topping is one of the options you can pack in an airtight container and freeze (for up to three months) ready to take out and reheat and use to top some nachos (or even pop into a taco) at a later date.

 

The remaining 2/3 of the browned ground beef is cooked further, into a beefy, meaty gravy mixture. Half of which will be used to make a delicious Cottage Pie.  

This is the meal I recommend you eating on the day. Potatoes don't really freeze well in my experience.  Maybe it is just that I don't know how to do it, but they always end up a bit watery in my opinion.

Delicious ground beef in a fabulous gravy, topped with mixed vegetables and a fluffy buttery thatch! You can't go wrong. All you need is a salad on the side.

The remainder of the beef in gravy has some frozen baby peas added to it, is heated through to cook the peas and then is ladled over hot French fries and topped with cheese in what is a very popular Atlantic Poutine recipe here in the Maritime Provinces.

I guess you might call it the Maritime equivalent of a Haystack Supper, Canadianized into a delicious Poutine supper.

Crisp hot fries?  Check!  Tasty ground beef and peas in a beefy onion gravy? Check!  Plenty of melted cheese?  Check!  Delicious?  CHECK!!

You can freeze the ground beef and peas in gravy to make your poutine another time.  Pop it into an airtight container, label and freeze for up to three months. When you are ready to eat it simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then gently reheat in a saucepan while you cook your fries.

 

So, there you have it. Four delicious main dishes from one pound of ground beef, perfectly sized for one person to enjoy!  You can't go wrong!   

As a single person living on my own, I really hate waste.  I am really enjoying exploring my options when it comes to cooking for just one or two people.  Some other delicious meals I have down sized are:

LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN FOR ONE - Chicken breast is marinated in a delicious and tangy marinade and then baked to perfection, ready to serve with pasta or rice. Quite simply delicious.

SHEET PAN ROASTED SEA BASS - Perfectly roasted delicious sea bass, with roasted potatoes, tomatoes, onions and toasted cashew nuts, all cooked together on pan. No fuss, no muss, hardly any clean up.

Single Serve Ground Beef Meals for one

Yield: 1

Author: Marie Rayner

This is a delicious way to divide and cook one pound of ground beef to serve four very different, and deliciously unique meals for one.

Ingredients

You will need:

• 1 pound (454g) lean ground beef or steak mince
• 1 medium onion, peeled and finely minced

For the meatloaf:

• 4 ounces (115g) of the beef (from above)
• 1/4 cup (15g) soft white breadcrumbs
• 1 large free range egg yolk, lightly beaten (freeze the white for another time)
• 2 TBS finely chopped onion (from above)
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder, divided
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 TBS milk
• 2 TBS ketchup
• 1/2 TBS brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard powder

For the browned meat/gravy:

• 3/4-pound (345g) ground beef/minced steak
• the remainder of the onion (see above)
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 TBS of flour (for the gravy)
• 1 cup (240ml) beef stock (for the gravy)

For the Nachos:

• 1/2 TBS taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup (65g) grated Jack cheese
• 12 to 15 tortilla chips
• your favorite nacho toppings
• sour cream and salsa to serve

For the Cottage Pie:

• 1/2 of the hamburger gravy
• 1/4 cup of frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 medium russet potatoes
• a knob of butter
• salt and black pepper to taste
• a small quantity of warm milk (you will use half of the mashed potatoes to serve with the meatloaf)

For the Maritime Poutine:

• 1/2 of the hamburger gravy
• 1/4 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 of a bag of a (four-serving size) French fries, cooked (I use my air fryer)
• 1/2 cup (65g) grated Mozzarella or Mozzarella/Cheddar blend cheese

Instructions

1. For the meatloaf, preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Have ready a small baking dish.
2. Gently mix together the beef, onion, breadcrumbs, egg yolk, milk, 1/4 tsp of dry mustard powder, salt, pepper and Worcestershire Sauce until well combined. Don't over work the meat or you will have a tough meatloaf.
3. Gently pack into a ramekin and then tip the shape out onto your baking dish.
4. Whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar and 1/4 tsp of the dry mustard powder. Spread this over top of the meatloaf.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Serve hot with mashed potatoes and a vegetable.
6. While the meatloaf is baking pop the potatoes into a saucepan of lightly salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for fifteen minutes until fork tender. Drain well and then mash together with the knob of butter, milk and some seasoning. Keep warm. (Half of this will be used to top the Cottage pie and half to serve with the meatloaf.)
7. Crumble the remaining ground beef into a dry skillet. Add the onion and garlic. Season with some salt and black pepper. Dry scramble until cooked through and evenly browned. Remove one third of this and set aside for the nachos.
8. Sprinkle the flour over top of the remaining meat in the pan. Cook, stirring for one minute to cook out the flour taste. Slowly stir in the beef stock. Continue to cook, stirring, over medium heat until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Cook for two to three minutes over low heat.
9. Remove half of the beef gravy and spread it into a small pie dish. Add the frozen peas to the remaining beef gravy in the saucepan and set aside to keep warm.
10. Top with the frozen mixed vegetables. Spoon half of the mashed potatoes over top and rough them up a bit with a fork. Pop onto a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until heated through and bubbling. Serve hot.
11. For the Maritime Poutine, cook your French fries as per your desired method. Spread onto a plate. Top with the hamburger pea gravy and the cheese. Allow the cheese to melt and serve immediately.
12. For the nachos, spread the tortilla chips out onto a baking sheet. Stir the Taco seasoning into the browned ground beef. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over top of the tortilla chips. Sprinkle with cheese and your desired toppings.
13. Bake in the oven until heated through and the cheese has melted. Serve hot with salsa and sour cream.

Did you make this recipe?

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This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com. 

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Italian Chopped Salad for One

 

I know it may not look like it, but salad is one of my favorite things to eat.  I could quite happily fill up on a salad and nothing else.

Fresh and crisp, filled with lots of different colors, tastes and textures, and with a punchy tangy vinaigrette dressing, Italian Chopped Salad is one of my favorite ways to go when it comes to salad!

 

Not only are salads like this great to enjoy as a meal all on their own, with perhaps some crackers, bread sticks or crusty bread, but they make great portable lunches.

I suggest if you are bringing it for lunch however, that you store the dressing separately in a tightly closed container and dress your salad just prior to eating.

If you were to dress it too far ahead of time you run the risk of a soggy salad. The leaves would wilt for sure.  

 

Truth be told however; a few wilted leaves have never stopped me from enjoying a salad. I could eat it like a pickle. Yes, I do love salads that much! 

I was really craving a salad today so I asked my sister when we were out and about to stop at the Super Store so that I could get some salad fixings.  Now all I have to do is make sure that I get them all used up.

When you live on your own that is a problem sometimes, getting everything used up before it goes off.  I hate waste.

 

I love these shopping jaunts I go on with my sister.  We started off at the French Bakery in Kingston called Marie et Guy's.  I could not resist a sour dough baguette, a lemon brioche bun and some delicious little Bretonne cookies.  Oh boy.  Just like shortbreads but with jam in the middle.

And then we hit Pierces' farm market in Aylesford.  They have the most amazing selection of squashes and pumpkins. I picked up a few different squashes.

Next was Walmart and finally the Super Store.  The best part of course is getting to do all of this with my sister. This is the first time we have lived this close to each other in about 45 years.  Its just wonderful.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD FOR ONE

This is the bare bones basic list. You can of course add to it or take away from it. Replace things you don't like with things that you do enjoy.

• 1 cup diced lettuce (romaine or iceberg)
• 2 TBS diced green pepper
• 2 TBS chopped red onion
• 6 grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 TBS Kalamata Olives (mine were tiny)
• 1 TBS hot pepper rings
• 6 slices of pepperoni, thinly cut into shreds
• 2 TBS chopped mild hard Genoa salami
• 2 TBS diced provolone or Swiss cheese 

 

I didn't like the look of the Romaine lettuce today, so I bought Iceberg. I think Iceberg is a lettuce that gets an undeservedly bad rap.  It may not be as green as some other lettuces, but I love its crisp crunch and if you get a really good one, it has lots of flavor.

I bought the salami at the deli-counter. I think the girl was a bit rude actually. She didn't like having to cut my piece of salami an inch thick.  She said it was difficult, more difficult than thin slices.

Sorry but that's your job and if the piece you are working with is not thick enough to do that safely, then open a fresh log.  Simple.  It's not rocket science.

 

I bought a small punnet of grape tomatoes.  I am so pleased with them. They are sweet, sweet, sweet. I could eat them like candy.

I already had some Kalamata olives here at home. I always keep them in the house. This latest bunch I bought on Amazon. Dry brined. You can find them here. They are tiny and I think just the right size.

 

Everything else I already had in my fridge/larder.  I always buy the Pizza Delight dry cured Pepperoni and keep it in the refrigerator to make pizzas with.

I also usually have Swiss cheese in the fridge. You can also use Provolone.  I had a jar of pickled hot banana peppers in the fridge as well. I find them come in handy for making sandwiches also. 

  

 

I also always have the ingredients for the dressing in the house. It makes enough for about six salads, but that's okay. You can keep it in the refrigerator and use it as and when you want a quick and delicious dressing.

You can easily make your own Italian seasoning if you don't have any. 

Make Your Own Italian Seasoning: Mix together 3 TBS dried basil, 3 TBS dried oregano, 3 TBS dried parsley, 1 TBS garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.

It comes in very handy for all sorts. 

Of course, you can just use a good bottled Italian Dressing if you don't want to make your own from scratch.  I just like to make my own.  It's not difficult and makes a much more manageable amount for me.  I am sick of throwing salad dressing away because it's gone out of date.

Sometimes I haven't even opened it and I need to throw it away. I would just much rather make my own from scratch. No waste there.

 

Of course, making this salad is easy, easy, easy.  Just lay the lettuce in a bowl and top with your toppings.  Then drizzle with the dressing and toss.  Easy peasy, and oh so delicious!

This is great to enjoy at home for a hearty lunch, or a light supper, or to take to work or school.  I think it is one of the tastier salads that I make actually!  Sorry, I don't mean to brag.

If you love salad as much as I do for lunch or supper, you might also enjoy one of these:

CHICKEN TACO SALAD - The dressing is the real star here. You can make it as spicy or not as you desire. It's easy to keep this low fat as well if you stick to low fat ingredients!

CLASSIC COBB SALAD - A deliciously interesting way to get in some of your five a day! Based on the classic from the original signature dish of the Hollywood Brown Derby. It boasts a delicious vinaigrette dressing.

Italian Dinner Salad for one

Yield: 1

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min

A quick and easy combination of fresh vegetables, cheese and cured meats. Loaded with plenty of flavor, this makes a fabulous lunch or light supper. The dressing makes enough for about 6 salads, but will keep well in the refrigerator to use another time. Just bring to room temperature prior to using.

Ingredients

• 1 cup diced lettuce (romaine or iceberg)
• 2 TBS diced green pepper
• 2 TBS chopped red onion
• 6 grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 TBS Kalamata Olives (mine were tiny)
• 1 TBS hot pepper rings
• 6 slices of pepperoni, thinly cut into shreds
• 2 TBS chopped mild hard Genoa salami
• 2 TBS diced provolone or Swiss cheese

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 2 TBS good balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp each, salt and black pepper
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 2 TBS grated Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

1. I like to lay all of the salad ingredients out attractively in a single serving pasta bowl. I place the lettuce on the bottom of the bowl and then lay out the other ingredients like spokes on a wheel.
2. To make the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together until well combined. Alternately you can place them into a jar and give them a good shake.
3. Drizzle about 1 TBS over your salad and then toss everything together to coat.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it # marierayner5530

 
  

This content (written and photography) is the sole content of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.   

Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!

 

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