Butter ... it's brilliant !

Butter ... it's brilliant!
Well we think so because we just love butter in our house, but did you know that "butter is made when lactic-acid producing bacteria are added to cream and churned to make an emulsion. It doesn't sound very enticing but the flavour of butter is hard to beat.

Butter can be bought salted or unsalted. Salt is used for preservation and for flavour but the latter also varies according to the breed of cow and its feed.

Butter is around 80 per cent fat, great if you live the LCHF lifestyle ... but some people prefer to use alternatives. However, low-fat spreads are generally not suitable for baking so read packaging carefully.

Some cake recipes replace butter with a mild-tasting oil such as sunflower oil which is ideal for those with a dairy intolerance or allergy. Cakes made in this way tend to be moister and last longer but they don't have the rich, buttery taste.

When storing butter keep it wrapped in its foil packaging or a butter dish in the fridge. Keep it away from pungent foods as it has a tendency to pick up the flavours.

For rubbed in cake mixtures, use butter straight from the fridge. For creamed cake mixtures, you'll need to take the butter out of the fridge a few hours before you are planning to use it as it needs to be soft in order to cream it together well with the sugar."

There are many recipes that use butter, this one is low carb and delicious!

Brown Butter Sponge Cake

This is a popular recipe ... and is so enjoyable with a cup of tea or coffee.

Ingredients:
2 cups of (4 sticks) unsalted butter melted and lightly browned
6 large eggs
2 cups of finely milled almond flour
2 cups of sugar substitute
1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of sea salt

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350º F / 180º C / Gas mark 4-moderate. Lightly grease a 10-inch spring-form pan with butter.
2. Melt and lightly brown the butter in a saucepan and allow to cool completely.
3. Beat all the eggs and sugar substitute in a stand-up mixer on high until mixture is thick and a shade of pale yellow, about 6 minutes.
4. Add the almond flour by ¼ cup increments into the egg and sugar-substitute batter folding gently with a rubber spatula. *Do not over stir, mix only to combine. Also add the baking powder and sea salt.
5. Once the batter has been mixed add the now cooled melted brown butter gently fold into the batter until fully incorporated.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
7. Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
8. Allow this cake to cool completely before serving. Store in the refrigerator.

Cake makes 16 servings at 3.2 net carbs per slice

Recipe idea seen on Fit To Serve blog

For help with measurement and conversion, see charts here

We bring a variety of recipes ideas to this blog, but please note, not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan