Beat softened butter with sugar

[ItWillBeOK4]

How soft does the butter need to be for that? I'm going to use an electric whisk. I have just taken the butter out of the fridge now, when can I start?

Or should I microwave it or something?

Pretty inexperienced baker as you can tell!

If the butter has been in the fridge, I cut it into (equal-sized) cubes and microwave it for 10 seconds max.

Don’t microwave the big block, as the outsides will melt, and the middle will still be rock hard.

It should be soft enough that when you press with your finger, you can push down into a dip.

I use the all in one method, much easier than creaming the butter & sugar, but if you use this method, you need to beat it until it pales in colour.

I never soften the butter for baking, I just beat it with the mixer a bit before adding the sugar. I don’t even cut the butter into equal pieces I literally squish the beaters into the chunk of butter.

Take your eggs out of the fridge too (I never put eggs in the fridge anyway); they need to be at room temp.

Bit late now as you've probably made your cake,
But I melt the butter, makes for a lovely moist cake

I cut into smaller cubes and microwave for a short amount of time. Do it in 10 second bursts until its soft enough

Thank you all, by the time I had put DC to bed the butter was nice and soft. Yet when I started mixing with the sugar it was just making lumps so I think it was still too hard. I got there eventually, but it said to beat until light and fluffy but I only got to sort of cupcake icing consistency. Hopefully it will be OK! I was making frangipane so should be forgiving enough!

I’m sure it will be fine!

If you cream with softened butter rather than rock hard, you reach the pale, light and fluffy consistency much more quickly.