The Mastro’s Butter Cake is a beloved dessert that has captured the hearts and palates of many. For those who have had tasted this rich, decadent treat at one of the upscale Mastro’s Steakhouse locations, recreating it at home might sound like an exquisite challenge. But, with the right ingredients and technique, this iconic dessert can certainly become the piece de resistance of your own dining table!
Get ready for the smell of vanilla as it wafts through your kitchen as you bring this restaurant-quality dessert to life!
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Key Takeaways
- Recreating Mastro’s Butter Cake at home brings the upscale dining experience into your kitchen.
- The process is a blend of choosing quality ingredients, perfecting the batter, and precise baking.
- Enjoying the experience is just as important as the delicious results.
Gathering the Ingredients
For our butter cake, we’ll need the following:
- Granulated sugar and turbinado sugar: The granulated variety sweetens the cake batter, while turbinado sugar, with its larger crystals, is perfect for coating the ramekins.
- All-purpose flour: A staple for baking, ensuring our cake has the right structure.
- Eggs: These act as a binder and give the cake its rich texture.
- Salt: Just a pinch to balance the flavors.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter to control the salt level. We’ll also need a bit of butter flavored Crisco for that authentic Mastro’s taste.
- Sugar: Did I mention we need more? Because yes, sugar is essential for that sweet touch.
- Vanilla extract: The essence of flavor in any cake, vanilla adds that special aromatic touch.
- Baking powder: This gives our cake the lift it needs.
- Milk: Full-fat milk will add moisture and richness.
- Cream cheese: For that creamy dimension in our cake’s texture.
- Plus, 1 cup of butter: Because it’s never too much in a butter cake!
Here’s a handy checklist for your shopping run:
Ingredient | Quantity |
---|---|
Granulated Sugar | 1 ½ cups plus some for coating |
Turbinado Sugar | for coating |
All-Purpose Flour | 2 ½ cups |
Eggs | 2 large |
Salt | ½ tsp |
Unsalted Butter | 1 cup |
Butter Flavored Crisco | ½ cup for coating |
Sugar | Included in Granulated Sugar |
Vanilla Extract | 2 tsp |
Baking Powder | 1 tsp |
Milk | 1 ½ cups |
Cream Cheese | 8 oz |
Remember, quality ingredients matter. I prefer to pick up fresh, high-quality eggs and cream cheese from the local farmers’ market, and I ensure my butter is well-chilled before using. Now that we have everything set, we’re ready to move on to baking our Mastro’s Butter Cake!
Preparing the Delicious Batter
I’ll guide you through the process, ensuring that the cake turns out moist and flavorful every time.
Mixing Dry Ingredients
I start by taking 2 cups of flour (all-purpose), a pinch of fine sea salt, and if the recipe calls for it, baking powder, and I whisk them together until they’re well-mixed. This mixture prevents any unevenness in the finished cake.
Incorporating Wet Ingredients
I attach the paddle attachment to my stand mixer and cream together the sugar and butter, creating a fluffy and light mix, which usually takes around 2 minutes.
Next, I add eggs, one at a time, making sure that each is fully incorporated before adding the next.
Then, a pour of vanilla extract adds that lovely warmth.
My secret for an extraordinary Mastro’s Butter Cake is the cream cheese filling. I mix it until it’s just combined with the wet ingredients, taking care not to overbeat.
Alternating between the dry ingredients and milk, I start and end with the flour mixture. It’s crucial to mix until just combined; overmixing can make the cake tough.
Once the batter is ready, pour it into the baking dish.
Baking and Assembly Instructions
Preparing the Pan
If I’m using ramekins for individual servings, I make sure to coat them with a layer of Crisco, covering the bottom and all sides. Next, I sprinkle in turbinado sugar to give it a sweet, crisp edge. For a full-sized cake, a greased springform pan works best to ensure my butter cake can be easily removed once baked.
- Grease the ramekins or springform pan with Crisco.
- Coat with turbinado sugar, tapping out excess.
Baking to Perfection
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I preheat my oven to 350°F, ensuring it’s at the right temperature before the batter goes in. To ensure a smooth top, I carefully transfer the batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth out the top. My aim is to bake it until it’s golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. This is usually between 25 to 30 minutes for ramekins or a bit longer for a springform pan.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bake until golden, then test doneness using a toothpick. When it comes out clean from the center, it’s done.
Adding the Final Touches
Once my cake is done, I take it out of the oven and let it cool on a wire rack so it will set properly and not fall apart. Once it’s cooled down a bit, I then add any final toppings like a dusting of powdered sugar or a scoop of vanilla ice cream to make it irresistibly inviting.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Add toppings like powdered sugar or vanilla ice cream.
Mastros Butter Cake Copycat
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
servings15
minutes1
hourThe creamy layer of cream cheese nestled between the soft, sugary cake makes each bite simply divine.
Ingredients
Granulated Sugar: 1 ½ cups (plus extra for coating)
Turbinado Sugar: for coating
All-Purpose Flour: 2 ½ cups
Eggs: 2 large
Salt: ½ tsp
Unsalted Butter: 1 cup, softened
Butter Flavored Crisco: ½ cup (for coating)
Vanilla Extract: 2 tsp
Baking Powder: 1 tsp
Milk: 1 ½ cups
Cream Cheese: 8 oz, softened
Directions
- For the Cake:
- Preheat Your Oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch springform pan with some butter flavored Crisco and sprinkle granulated sugar to coat the bottom and sides. This gives the cake a lovely, sweet crust.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set this aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened unsalted butter and 1 ½ cups granulated sugar until light and fluffy. This should take about 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, ensuring each is well incorporated before adding the next.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to the creamed butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined; overmixing can make the cake tough.
- For the Cream Cheese Layer:
- Prepare Cream Cheese Mixture: In another bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add about ¼ cup granulated sugar and continue to beat until creamy.
- Assemble the Cake: Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pan. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the batter, then top with the remaining cake batter. Smooth the top gently.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing. Dust the top with a blend of granulated sugar and turbinado sugar for a nice crunch and a hint of molasses flavor.
Notes
- Serve this butter cake warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or topped with whipped cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here, I’ve gathered some of the most common questions to help you recreate that experience at home.
What are the essential ingredients for making a traditional butter cake?
For a traditional butter cake, you’ll need butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and a leavening agent like baking powder. Each ingredient plays a crucial role in creating that tender crumb and rich flavor we all love.
How do you achieve the distinctive taste and texture of a butter cake?
The taste and texture of a butter cake come from properly creaming together the butter and sugar, which incorporates air into the batter, and using high-quality ingredients. The rich flavor is amplified by the butter and vanilla extract, so I don’t skimp on these.
Can you recommend a good substitute for any uncommon ingredients in a butter cake recipe?
If your butter cake recipe calls for an ingredient you don’t have, like cake flour, I often use all-purpose flour with a little cornstarch as a substitute. It’s about using what’s available to you while maintaining the integrity of the cake’s texture.
What are some tips and tricks to ensure a butter cake comes out perfectly moist and flavorful?
My tips for a moist and flavorful butter cake include using room temperature ingredients and not overmixing the batter. I also like to add a little sour cream or yogurt to the batter; it really does wonders for the cake’s moisture.
What is the secret to replicating the famous dessert found in high-end steakhouses?
The famous butter cake from places like Mastro’s can be replicated with the right preparation technique and quality of ingredients.
Think pure vanilla extract and full-fat cream cheese for that signature luxurious texture.
How does the preparation of a butter cake differ from that of a pound cake?
A pound cake traditionally has equal weights of each main ingredient and is denser.
Meanwhile, a butter cake is lighter and fluffier. This is due to creaming the butter and sugar. It also often has a higher proportion of sugar and leavening agents.