How to Soften Butter Quickly

A lot of cake recipes ask for ‘softened’ or ‘room temperature’ butter. This is so the butter is soft enough that it can be easily and evenly combined with other ingredients and/or beaten to incorporate air. ‘Softened’ butter should be soft enough that it can be spread on bread without tearing it! You will need to take your butter from the fridge at least an hour or so before you need to use it to reach this consistency; I often leave mine out overnight, depending on the weather. Cutting the butter into small cubes or coarsely grating it will help it soften more quickly and evenly. Don’t be tempted to soften butter in the microwave, you are likely to end up with partially melted butter that is unsuitable to use.