Boterkoek (Dutch Butter Cake)
A fuss-free Dutch dessert built around dulce de leche and dark chocolate — roughly 75 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 10 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for oven and whisk. At medium difficulty across 10 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (2)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
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How to make it
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350˚F (conventional oven).
- Place the softened butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until creamy.
- Add the flour and salt and knead by hand until you have a smooth dough. Divide into two pieces.
- Line the base of a square or round cake tin with baking parchment (not a springform tin) and place the first half of the pastry on top. Flatten with your fingers and a spoon.
- Using a teaspoon, sprinkle dollops of dulce de leche over the base. Sprinkle with the chopped chocolate and cover with the second half of the pastry.
- This is a bit trickier, but if you don’t get it right, don’t worry, it’ll be fine once it’s baked! Brush the pastry with the beaten egg.
- Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. It will be wobbly. That's because butter cake only firms up when it cools.
- Cut into small pieces when it has cooled completely!
- Notes
- Storing: Store in an airtight container outside of the fridge for about 2-3 days or in the fridge for 5 days. Freeze for up to three months.
You'll use: Oven · Whisk · Mixer
Watch how it's made
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Ingredient substitutions
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
What to serve with Boterkoek (Dutch Butter Cake)
- Kapsalon Lamb
- Bitterballen (Dutch meatballs) Beef
- Stamppot Pork
- Snert (Dutch Split Pea Soup) Side
Tips & common questions
How long does Boterkoek (Dutch Butter Cake) take to make?
About 75 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 10 steps and 7 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of butter?
Try olive oil (¾ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Boterkoek (Dutch Butter Cake) vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Recipe data for Boterkoek (Dutch Butter Cake) via TheMealDB (open database). ▶ Video. Original source. Consomee adds the scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.