Boterkoek, or Dutch butter cake, is a toothsome snacking cake and classic of Dutch cuisine. With almost as much butter as flour, Dutch butter cake is rich and dense. It’s closer to a large cookie than a cake, but then the Dutch word for cookie, koekje, also means little cake. The top of the cake, humbly adorned with a crosshatch pattern, gets crisp and shiny in the oven. It’s almost like an oversized sablé breton, but soft and tender in the middle.
How to Make Boterkoek:
Dutch butter cake is a straightforward cake, mainly featuring as the name suggests, butter. It can be left plain, or flavored with vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon or orange zest.
Boterkoek starts by creaming together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. The butter should be softened to room temperature first, ensuring it aerates properly and dissolves the sugar.
Add the room temperature egg and vanilla extract or other flavoring and beat until it emulsifies completely.
Finally, gently stir in the flour and salt, mixing on low just until the dough comes together. It will be thick like sugar cookie dough.
Press the dough into the greased baking tin. Use a spare piece of parchment paper or some plastic wrap over the top of the batter so it doesn’t stick to your hands.
You know the boterkoek is done when the top starts to color, the edges are golden, and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. The texture should be soft, but baked through, with crisp-chewy edges, almost like a blondie.
When it cools, cut the boterkoek into small squares or narrow wedges. It’s dense and hearty and you really won’t regret portioning one modest indulgence at a time.
Ingredients:
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