Boterkoek - Dutch butter cake

Another one NOT for the lactose intolerant. Sorry! This sumptuous cake is one I don't make too often, as it's murder for the waistline, but hey, why else am I a mystery writer if not to murder things?

I say cake... It's actually more of a soft-baked cookie. The koek bit is in fact where the word cookie comes from, so that makes sense, right?

So, once again, eat small bits (at a time). Here we go!

Ingredients:

• 240 g / 2 cups all purpose flour
• 160 g / 3/4 cups soft, light brown sugar (in Holland, I'd use a white version called basterd sugar, so my UK version turns out slightly browner than the yellow Dutch one, but just as good!)
• 200 g / 14 tbsp butter or ghee
• 1 egg
• vanilla extract (again, in Holland I'd use vanilla sugar, but in the UK, extract is easier to find)
• zest of 1 lemon

Steps:

1. Preheat the over to 200°C / 390°F.
2. Mix together the flour, sugar, zest and extract.
3. Beat the egg lightly, then add 2/3 to the mix.
4. Use two knives to cut the butter into the flour mix. 
5. Once the pieces are quite small and covered in flour, use your hands to quickly form a ball of dough. Don't worry if there are still unintegrated blobs of butter.
6. Press the dough into a shallow, greased pan of 24 cm / 9.5 inch diameter. If you have a tin with a spinning lever, use that one. The koek should be about 1 cm / 0.5 inch thick.
7. Use a fork to make a criss-cross pattern on the top, then brush with the remaining egg.
8. Bake in the middle of the oven for 12 minutes. Then cover with foil and bake for another 12 minutes.
9. Use a flat plate, or a well-covered hand, to press down on the koek while it's still hot.
10. Let cool and enjoy!