Dutch Buttercake (Boterkoek). This is a moist, soft butter cake, famous in the Netherlands. Often served with a cup of coffee. Easy to make and very popular! Dutch Buttercake (Boterkoek) is so delicious! It's an easy cake to make with simple ingredients.
This cake originates from Holland, and is called 'Boterkoek', or Buttercake.
It is traditionally made in a round tin and has characteristic lines on the surface which are a little crispy once cooked. Of course, you could make this in a rectangular tin and cut it into finger pieces. Whatever you like! It's a simple, straightforward recipe, and I would advise you to make two as it will get eaten very fast!
You can swap half of the flour for ground almonds or desiccated (flaked) coconut. Both of these also give a delicious flavor to this moist cake.
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When I lived in Holland, this Dutch Buttercake was very often served alongside a cup of coffee, particularly if you were visiting friends, they would often make or buy this cake and as soon as you walked through the door, you had the wonderful aroma of fresh ground Dutch coffee and a freshly baked Dutch buttercake.
In fact, this is so popular in Holland, you can even buy the ready mixed packages and simply add the butter and egg. I never tried the boxed version as my friend kindly gave me her family recipe and this is what I'm proud to share with you today!
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
25 - 30 minutes
Yield
8 Slices
You will need
A 23 cm / 9 inch tin with a removable base (easier to get the cake out) or use parchment paper.
Ingredients
½ cup or 150 g butter
1 cup or 200 g caster (cake) or regular sugar if you cannot get castor. US name is 'superfine' sugar.
1 ½ teaspoons almond extract
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ cups or 200 g plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
A handful of flaked almonds (optional)
NOTE: You can swap 75 g or ½ cup of the flour amount for the same amount of ground almonds or desiccated (flaked coconut) This will also give a lovely flavor.
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F / Gas 4. Grease and line your tin.
2. Mix together butter, sugar and almond extract until light and fluffy.
3. Add the beaten egg to the mixture but LEAVE a teaspoon or so in the bowl for glazing at the end. Combine the egg with the mixture, and add the flour and baking powder. Combine until smooth.
4. Place mixture in the baking tin and gently push evenly with your hands or back of a spoon. Get it level.
5. Use a sharp knife and score the surface of the mix in a criss-cross pattern, like the photo.
6. Mix the teaspoon of egg with a teaspoon of water, and brush on top of the buttercake.
7. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds, and bake for 25-30 minutes until just golden and test with a toothpick it comes out clean.
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our Dutch Buttercake recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Recipe Card
Dutch Buttercake (Boterkoek)
Dutch Buttercake (Boterkoek). This is a moist, soft butter cake, famous in the Netherlands. Often served with a cup of coffee. Easy to make!
Ingredients
- ½ cup or 150 g butter
- 1 cup or 200 g caster (cake) or regular sugar if you cannot get castor. US name is 'superfine' sugar.
- 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 ½ cups or 200 g plain flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- A handful of flaked almonds (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F / Gas 4. Grease and line your tin.
- Mix together butter, sugar and almond extract until light and fluffy.
- Add the beaten egg to the mixture but LEAVE a teaspoon or so in the bowl for glazing at the end. Combine egg with the mixture, and add the flour and baking powder. Combine until smooth.
- Place mixture in the baking tin and gently push evenly with your hands or back of a spoon. Get it level.
- Use a sharp knife and score the surface of the mix in a criss cross pattern, like the photo.
- Mix the teaspoon of egg with a teaspoon of water, and brush on top of the buttercake.
- Sprinkle with the flaked almonds, and bake for 25-30 minutes until just golden and test with a toothpick it comes out clean.
Notes
You can swap 75 g or ½ cup of the flour amount for the same amount of ground almonds or desiccated (flaked coconut) This will also give a lovely flavor.
Recommended Products
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Hiware Springform Pan Set of 3 Non-stick Cheesecake Pan, Leakproof Round Cake Pan Set Includes 3 Pieces 6" 8" 10" Springform Pans with 150 Pcs Parchment Paper Liners
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 378Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 196mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 1gSugar: 26gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate
Delicious Dutch Recipes
Here's a selection of the delicious Dutch recipes I made during my time living in Holland
Dutch Farmhouse Cake - It's delicious! There's apples, cinnamon, spices and the way you make it is very different! So easy it's untrue!
Dutch Apple Pie - Loaded with apples, raisins, cinnamon and the most delicious pastry I've ever eaten! Be sure to have a lovely cup of coffee to go with a slice of pie in true Dutch tradition!
Dutch Apple Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce, this is a delicious dessert, wonderful served warm. Lovely chunks of apple, laced with cinnamon and then served with a drizzle of warm butterscotch sauce. So Yummy!
Delicious Cake Recipes using Almonds
If you like almonds as much as we do, try out these other cake recipes using ground almonds in the cake batter. Delicious!
Moist Pecan Almond Loaf Cake. The flavor combo is just divine!
This Raspberry and Almond Cake is an easy recipe with soft almond sponge with a scattering of fresh raspberries throughout and topped with toasted almonds. A delicious afternoon tea treat.
Chocolate Almond Pound Cake. Delicious, rich chocolate cake with added melted chocolate and ground almonds to take this cake to another level of deliciousness!
Cherry Almond Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a lovely soft cake and great tasting. Perfect for parties too!
Almond Joy Cake. A delicious chocolate cake with almond and a coconut frosting. Always a hit and so popular!
Cherry Frangipane! What a delight to bake and eat. It's a lovely recipe and so full of flavor. The filling is a lovely soft almond cake with cherries on the top, baked in a pastry case. Delicious!
Lemon Frangipane. This is a really nice coffee time cake to make. Have as a dessert, warm or cold with a squirt of whipped cream or like me, a blob of vanilla ice cream! It's really yummy! Delicious!
Blueberry Frangipane. A delicious almond cake bursting with juicy blueberries. This is a really nice coffee time cake to make.
Apple Frangipane. This is a really nice coffee time cake to make. Goes great with a nice cuppa! Or you can have as a dessert, warm or cold with a squirt of whipped cream or like me, a blob of vanilla ice cream! It's really yummy! Delicious!
Gold Miner's Almond Joy Cake. A super moist, delicious and rich cake loved by all! Loaded with chocolate, marshmallows,coconut, almonds... this is a pretty amazing cake and perfect for parties too!
Gurmeet Kaur
says:Just found this recipe on Facebook. Baked it last night. It was gone in a few mins. My family loved it. Thank you.
ceerock
says:hi, this looks lovely but i’m a bit confused–i’m supposed to brush a wet batter with egg? how is that possible? and the pic does not see to include almonds on top, is that correct?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Cynthia, yes, you brush the top of the batter with egg, it will go golden and have a light crisp to it once it begins to bake. You are correct, the photo does not show the almonds on top. That is an option in the recipe if you like. In Holland, you can get the cake with and without the almonds, so I pop it in the recipe as an option. Personally, I prefer without, that is why you don;t see them in my photos.
Hope that helps!
Don Or Janet Cook
says:Really delicious! Brings back memories of my vacation with sis-in-law to Holland. Such yummy baking there. Thank you for the recipe.
lovefoodies
says:Thank you! I’m glad it brought back fond memories. Here in Holland it is extremely popular… always appears at coffee time when you visit friends!
Hopefully you will get to visit Holland again soon :)
Bea Long
says:You know I am such a fan on google. I do love the fact that you have both measurements. I myself am a big fan of cooking by weight. What a difference! Once you start weighing the ingredients it is so hard to go back to measuring cups. No comparison. This recipe is so delicious and I sure wish I had taken your advice and made 2. I didn’t even get a picture of the cake and it was gone!!
lovefoodies
says:Hi Bea! Nice to see you!!
I fully agree with you regarding weights as opposed to measures, particularly when baking, for the accuracy.
I am so happy you enjoyed the cake, it certainly is one of those, where, once you have a slice you want to have another! They do freeze very well too, so if you get to make again, you can freeze some for another day!
Thanks for writing in, I appreciate it very much!
Maxwell de Voogdt
says:I’m about to make these for the school party, I’m s8o glad that you have an easy recipe. I looked all over the Internet for one.
lovefoodies
says:Hi Maxwell, I’m glad you found the recipe!
Please enjoy!
Sophia
says:Are there alternative extracts I could use? I’m not a big fan of almond anything. I’m hoping I can make this for a holiday potluck!
lovefoodies
says:Hi Sophia, yes of course! I have used vanilla, lemon and also orange extract. So feel free to choose. Just keep the quantity the same. If using lemon or orange, you can also add a little zest into the batter if you wish!
Have fun with your potluck!
Nanny Pat
says:I am quite late in adding a comment about this delicious cake of Mary’s, and did try it and it is marvelous too…I did pat it down, and no problem….I even cut some of the cake in 3 or 4 ” x 1/2″ logs, and dipped one end in melting choc. and they were a huge hit..and used some for a base for strawberries, and whipped cream…quite elegant…so versatile, and use your imagination…you will love it…Have to make it again soon, as keeping getting requests for it…Enjoy, and pass recipe on, it is a Keeper…Nanny Pat
lovefoodies
says:So glad you enjoyed it and I love your creativity!
Bonnie
says:I already made this several months ago. It was so good. You are right, you need to make 2 it goes so fast. I am going to make another one today. Can’t wait to eat it
lovefoodies
says:Hi Bonnie, so happy you like it! I usually make 2, and freeze one in two portions as there’s only two of us but it stops us eating it all at once!!!
Please enjoy and happy baking!
Bonnie
says:Thank you. That is a great idea, making 2. I doubled it and made one. Yes, I will have to eat it all. Next time I will do 2 individual ones and freeze one. Good idea.so I don’t eat it all.
Angiel Andre Bielomaz
says:Baking this right now, the only changes I did… I used everything organic ingredients, also used Gluten free All Purpose Baking Flour…. can’t wait to taste them yummies!
lovefoodies
says:hey Angiel, sounds good! I’ve never used gluten free flour for this recipe so please let me know how it turns out in case anyone else would like to use it too! I’m sure you will love it!
Angiel Andre Bielomaz
says:It turned out really good, I can eat the whole thing… thx for this yummy recipe<3
lovefoodies
says:owww so happy!!!!! and yes, it’s one of those cakes you just can’t stop eating!!!! next time you make one, try with a little ground almonds, gosh, they are lovely too! Glad it went well :)
DMJ
says:Thank you!! I was sitting here wondering how it would be gluten free.
Becca Heflin
says:This looks SO delicious, Mary! I’m not a fan of almond extract, so I’m thinking I’ll swap it out for lemon extract. Your scoring is beautiful!
lovefoodies
says:Thanks Becca, yes, lemon is also nice, and making the plain version is also yummy! Enjoy!
Teresa Cullip
says:Just took this out of the oven. Although it doesn’t look quite as pretty as your picture, I was surprised at my attempt!! Can.t wait to eat it!! I love baking and love trying new recipes. This recipe was very easy.
lovefoodies
says:Hi Teresa, thanks for letting me know. Everybody’s buttercake always looks different, so don’t worry! It will taste wonderful I am sure!
Karen @ BakingInATornado
says:I just love when something so pretty ends up being so easy. I know my whole family will love this one.
lovefoodies
says:Karen, all my recipes are easy for sure! :) Thank you very much :)
Karen
says:I used to live in the Netherlands and loved boterkoek. So glad to find a recipe for it. Thank you
Jeff
says:Since I didn’t have almond extract on hand, I tried making this with the coconut substitution noted, as well as pandan extract instead of almond. I used sweetened coconut instead of almond slice, laying it quite thickly so it gave a nice crunchy topping. I found that using shredded coconut in the cake as suggested (despite the fact that I put it through a blender to make it as fine as I could) seemed to adversely affect the consistency and baking time. However, the result – while slightly undercooked – was still promising, so I was wondering if you have any thoughts on how else to add coconut flavour. Would something like powdered coconut milk work as a substitute?
lovefoodies
says:Hi Jeff, firstly it’s refreshing to see you have tried using other flavours! Regarding the consistency after adding the shredded coconut into the batter, I am assuming it was too ‘dry’? I would advise keeping what you did but also either adding an extra egg to the mix, or 2-3 tablespoons of coconut milk to ‘loosen’ the batter slightly. Of course cooking times may vary since the recipe is changed, but you can keep an eye out by using the clean toothpick guide when the time is nearly up.The other option if you wanted to have a coconut flavour is just by adding coconut extract to the batter and not adding any shredded coconut. this will give you the flavour you’re after, but you won’t have that slightly chewy texture in the cake if there is no shredded coconut in it. As a tip, if ever you need to ‘loosen’ a cake batter, start by adding 1 tablespoon of milk at a time, stir and see if it is the consistency you need. I hope this helps!
KJB
says:Can’t seem to get the pretty scoring down pat. Every time I have done it, the lines sink in and close over so that you can’t even see the scoring. Advice?
lovefoodies
says:Hi KJB,
I imagine the mix is too ‘wet’ or too soft so your lovely lines are sinking. If you take a look again at Step 4, it says to push the batter in the case with your hand /back of a spoon, so in other words, it should be quite ‘stiff’, allowing you to make the lines. Are you working in a hot kitchen? I’m wondering if the batter is melting as you are making it? If you have used the correct measures, that is the only other reason why I can see the batter becoming too ‘wet’ or melted so you can’t make those lines. I know many others included me, have made this cake without any problems, so it does work!
Mary
Bon
says:Def will try this one!!!
kelly
says:Have you tried it? How was it?