Boterkoek

Boterkoek is a staple with coffee. A cross between a cake and a biscuit - so rich and dense with that buttery almond flavour so beloved by my Dutch friends. Serve in thin wedges.

INGREDIENTS

200 g unsalted butter, room temperature

90g white sugar and 100g caster sugar

250g self-raising flour

1 pinch salt

1 tsp almond essence

1 egg

Blanched or slivered almonds

METHOD

1.    Line a springform cake pan with greaseproof brown paper.  Grease the sides. Preheat your oven to 175°C

2.    Whisk 1 egg in a bowl. Reserve 1 tbsp.

3.     Cream butter and the two sugars until fluffy and white. Add essence. 

5.     Add sifted flour and mix well. Add the egg and mix well again.

7. Put the dough into the tin, flatten. Brush the top with the reserved egg, and dot with slivered or blanched almonds. 

You are now ready to bake in the oven. This is a stepped process because you want your boterkoek to be dense.

8.    Bake for about 15 minutes. Open the oven door and with the back of a spoon gently pat the dough down.  Continue baking for 10 minutes, and open the oven again and repeat with your spoon as above. Continue for a further 5 minutes. 

9. Now that the dough is a little firmer, I use a plate that fits into the pan to push the dough down yet again. Check the colour.  Continue baking until it is golden and firm in the middle.  Leave to cool in the pan.

Serve. The conversation is as important as the coffee and the cookery!