Boterkoek – Dutch Butter Cake
Boterkoek means “butter cake” in Dutch, and all that that implies. You’ll love this rich, buttery treat that is not really a cake, but is not quite a cookie either.
Dutch Boterkoek is comfort food at it’s finest. The recipe includes just 5 very basic ingredients and takes about 10 minutes to assemble. The flavor is simple yet deep. It’s like a hug for your taste buds.
All about Boterkoek (Dutch Butter Cake):
Based on it’s name, obviously there is a very high butter content in this dough, there’s almost as much butter as flour.
Lots of butter not only means deliciousness, it also means this is a very tender dough. The high fat content keeps the gluten strands “short” and underdeveloped. A “short” dough is a very tender dough.
This is also true of Shortbread Cookies. But the difference between shortbread and Boterkoek is the amount of sugar in the dough.
My basic shortbread cookies have half the weight of sugar to butter.
Dutch Butter Cake has as much sugar as it has butter. Remember that sugar does much, much more than merely sweeten a recipe.
Sugar tenderizes and it absorbs and retains moisture. So that means Dutch Butter Cake is even more tender than shortbread cookies, and it’s very, very moist. Maybe that’s why is called a cake rather than a cookie?
One of my favorite things about Boterkoek is the super crisp and chewy crust that forms around the edges of the cake. The crust is also thanks to the high sugar content in the dough.
One final note about the sugar. The traditional Dutch recipe uses a type of sugar not available in the United States. Basterdsuiker is moister than American granulated sugar.
For my Dutch Appletaart I use a mixture of brown and white sugar to emulate the texture of brown basterdsuiker.
Since I wanted only white sugar in the Boterkoek, I use superfine sugar. Superfine sugar will dissolve more readily in the dough, releasing more moisture. It’s a pretty good substitute and this recipe is Dutch-husband approved.
Scroll through the step by step photos to see how to make Dutch Butter Cake (Boterkoek):
I’ve seen Boterkoek recipes that add almond extract, vanilla or lemon zest for flavor. Personally I want my boterkoek to taste like butter so I don’t add any extraneous flavorings. If you’re less of a purist than I am, feel free to add the flavoring of your choice.
Want more authentic Dutch recipes?
- Dutch Apple Tart
- Dutch Sugar Bread
- Dutch Speculaas Cookies
- Dutch Savory Pancake
- Dutch Stroop Waffels
- Dutch Breakfast Cake
- Dutch Filled Speculaas Cake
- Dutch Spekkoek (Thousand Layer Cake)
You might also like: Classic Shortbread Cookies, Chocolate Shortbread Cookies, Coconut Shortbread Cookies, Rose Shortbread Cookies, Lemon Filled Shortbread.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a star rating and a quick comment. Ratings and comments help my recipes show in search results. Thanks!
Boterkoek
Ingredients
- 10 oz all purpose flour (2 cups, see note)
- 8 oz superfine sugar (1 cup (see note))
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 8 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 egg (whisked)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Line the bottom of a 9" tart pan or spring form pan with a parchment paper round.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 10 oz all purpose flour, 8 oz superfine sugar and ¼ teaspoon table salt. Toss in 8 oz unsalted butter and use your fingers or the mixer paddle to work the butter into the flour until there are no large lumps of butter.
- Remove 1 tablespoon of the whisked egg and set it aside. Add the rest of the egg to the dough and mix just until it comes together.
- Press the dough into the prepared pan. Smooth until the top is level and flat.
- Brush the reserved egg onto the top of the dough. Use a fork to create a lattice pattern on top of the dough.
- Bake until the edges and top of the cake are golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
- Cool completely in the pan. Cut into 16 wedges to serve.
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Love your recipe thank you
This looks amazing! I have question.
Do you grease the pan with butter, or is that not necessary? I just noticed it’s not in the recipe. Also, if mixing in the butter with the stand mixer, do you mix it in on low?
Thanks!
No need to grease the pan. Since there’s plenty of butter in the dough it doesn’t stick. I would start the mixer on low so the ingredients don’t pop out of the bowl. You can up the speed a bit as the mixture comes together.
Thank you for your reply.
I made it tonight! It was delicious! It is a simple dessert, but rich in flavor. The only mistake that I might have made is that I did add the whole tbsp of whisked egg on top of the dessert (I am assuming now that I was not supposed to do that), so it did have a slight eggy taste on the top, but I did not mind it at all. I felt that it added to the flavor of the treat without being overpowering. I know some might not like it, but for me, it added to the flavor. Let me know though if that was an error on my part.
Also, can you freeze boterkoek? Let me know, since it is quite a lot for one person to eat.
Thank you again for a delicious, simple treat.
Yes, I used the full tbsp of reserved egg wash for the top. The egg gives the cake a glossy finish. You can certainly freeze boterkoek. I would recommend wrapping individual slices so you can just defrost as many as you want to eat at a time.
Thank you! I am glad I did it right. I just read that usually with egg wash, you are not supposed to add the whole thing. But I thought it was perfect for this dessert. It gives it a glossy finish, but I also loved how it gave the dessert a subtle, custard flavor (like an egg tart) and a bit of a crunch on top. It complements the soft texture underneath very nicely.
Thank you again for all your advice. I am sure I will make this again in the future.
Eileen’s recipe is an absolute favorite of ours. I make it over and over.
Thanks Eileen!
I’ve made this recipe as written and it turned out wonderfully but I need to make it for a large crowd. Do you think I can double it and bake in a 9×13? I usually added a layer of almond paste, it’s soooo yummy.
Yes, I think that would work. A layer of almond paste is always a good thing!
Making this in honor of my granddaughter Hollands 10th birthday. My Mother-in-laws recipe is exactly this, but she did add vanilla. My husband lived in Amsterdam as a child and then my daughter did as well. My grandson was born there. Hope the kids like it as much as we do.