High Altitude Dutch Butter Cake (Boterkoek)
This Dutch butter cake is more like a cookie than a cake, with a rich, buttery flavor, a subtle hint of lemon, and a texture like soft shortbread. Cut into thin wedges and serve with coffee.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- 9-inch Round Tart Pan with Removable Bottom (or a 9-inch springform pan)
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 large egg white
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray the inside of a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom with non-stick baking spray.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingers until fragrant. Add the softened butter. Beat on medium speed for three minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl down several times, until light and fluffy.
- Add the extracts, the whole egg, the egg yolk, and the salt. Beat on medium speed for about one minute, until well combined.
- Add the flour, and mix on low speed just until combined. The dough will be thick.
- Pile the dough into the prepared pan. Use a small offset spatula (or your hands) to press/spread the dough out into an even layer.
- Use a pastry brush to brush the top of the dough with the egg white.
- Drag the tines of a fork across the top of the dough to create a lattice pattern.
- Bake the cake at 375 for about 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. At 25 minutes, the center will be softer and slightly less done, if that's how you like it. I baked mine for a full 30 minutes for a deeper color on top.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack and cool completely, at least two hours, before removing the sides of the pan and cutting into wedges. Cut into 16 thin wedges with a sharp non-serrated knife.
Notes
Store leftover slices of boterkoek in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.
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