A very quick and simple way to make your own homemade butter using double cream. Everyone should give this a try. A great way of using up any left over double cream, or cream that is almost on its use by date, which you don't want to waste.
Butter is made through a churning process that separates the butterfat from the cream. The leftover liquid is buttermilk which can be used in all kinds of baking from cakes to scones.
Take a look in your fridge for left over double cream that is still in the ‘use by’ date. A bargain if you find cream in the supermarkets that is reduced in price. Tip: Making your own butter can often work out cheaper than buying from the store. Especially if you can buy the cream at a discounted price.
How much butter will I make?
Depending on the amount of cream that you use, you will produce about half the amount of weight in butter. So if you were to use 600ml of double cream, the butter will weight about 300g. More than enough to make a Victoria Sponge Cake
How to make butter.
If you have a large quantity, about 600ml, of double cream in your fridge that you don’t know what to do with. Rather than leaving it to go off or throw it away, make butter with it. It will also create buttermilk which you can use to make fresh scones or use in cakes.
Step by Step instructions.
- Pour the cream into a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream until the delicious yellow butter starts to separate from the left over liquid buttermilk. Once all the butter and buttermilk has separated, drain off the liquid. This is the buttermilk. Do not throw away.
- Squeeze the remaining butter with either butter pats, large wooden spoons or anything you can find, that will help you squeeze out any remaining buttermilk liquid. As much as you possibly can
- Shape into a manageable size. The butter is now ready to use and will keep in the fridge for just a couple of days. Especially if your cream was at or near the ‘use by’ date or if you haven't extracted enough of the buttermilk liquid from the butter and will start to go rancid.
Use the butter to make a Victoria Sponge cake. Or use the butter and the buttermilk to make scones. This way there is no waste at all.
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How to make your own fresh butter
Ingredients - Imperial /oz are approx weights which are calculated by a 3rd party app
- 600 ml Double cream or any large quantity of double cream
Instructions
- Pour the cream into a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream until the delicious yellow butter starts to separate from the left over liquid buttermilk.
- Once all the butter and buttermilk has separated, drain off the liquid. This liquid is the buttermilk. Do not throw away.
- Squeeze the remaining butter with either butter pats, large wooden spoons or anything you can find, that will help you squeeze out any remaining buttermilk liquid. As much as you possibly can.
- Shape into a manageable size. The butter is now ready to use and will keep in the fridge for just a couple of days. Especially if your cream was at or near the ‘use by’ date or if you haven't extracted enough of the buttermilk liquid from the butter and will start to go rancid.
- Use the butter to make a Victoria Sponge cake. Or use the butter and the buttermilk to make scones. This way there is no waste at all.
Lou Cox
Hi, this is brilliant, for some reason I thought you could only do this with milk but actually it would make more sense to use cream as you start out with less water. At what point would you add salt if you wanted make salted butter? Thank you, Lou
Lynn Hill
Hi Lou Using cream is the best option. I'm not too sure when you would add the salt. It's not something I've done. If you add it to the cream before whisking, most of the salt would remain in the buttermilk that is left. I'm guessing you would need to add salt when you bring the butter together and do it to taste. I would also use Sea Salt.