How to easily soften cold butter in minutes

Food magazine editor Sophie Gray solves a common dilemma - how to turn rock hard cold butter into softened butter for easy creaming while baking biscuits, cakes and slices.

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“When the butter is hard is there an easy way to soften it for baking? Or could I just use melted butter?”

Creaming the sugar and butter aerates it. The sugar crystals cut into the butter as you whip in air. The raising agent then expands those air pockets giving you a light, fluffy result when baked. If the butter has melted, it can’t form air bubbles and the sugar just dissolves. If the butter is too cold, it’s not pliable enough to cream.

To soften butter for creaming, cut into cubes and place on a plate. Pour 2 cups of water into a microwave-safe jug. Microwave water for 2-3 minutes or until boiling. Remove water from microwave. Place butter into the microwave and quickly close, trapping the hot air inside. After around 10 minutes the butter should be soft.

TIP: Spray measuring equipment with non-stick spray before measuring sticky ingredients like honey or golden syrup. Demerara sugar can be used to replace white or raw in most recipes, but its crunchy golden crystals come into their own in crumble toppings, with coffee or on grilled fruits.

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