Softened

Softened is how a recipe asks for butter, and sometimes cream cheese, that has warmed up from fridge-cold until it is soft enough to beat. Properly softened butter is about 18 to 20°C (65 to 68°F). It is still cool to the touch, it holds its shape, and a finger pressed into it leaves a dent without sinking through. It is not greasy and not melting.

How to do it

1. Take the butter out of the fridge 30 to 60 minutes before you start, in a kitchen at about 20 to 22°C (68 to 72°F). On a hot day it can take less.
2. To speed it up, cut it into 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes and spread them on a plate. They soften in about 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Or put the butter between two sheets of parchment and roll it flat with a rolling pin. It softens in a few minutes.
4. Check it with a finger before you start.

How to tell it is done

• Your finger leaves a dent with little effort, but the stick does not bend or slump.
• The wrapper peels off cleanly and the surface looks matte, not shiny.
• A table knife slides through with light pressure.
• If it is shiny, oily, or bends when you lift it, it has gone too far.

Why it works

When you cream softened butter with sugar, the sugar crystals cut tiny air pockets into the fat. Butter at about 18 to 20°C is plastic enough to trap that air and hold it. Cold butter does not take in air. Melted butter cannot hold it at all, and the batter becomes a loose emulsion that bakes up flat and greasy.

Common mistakes

• Softening in the microwave. It melts unevenly, with a liquid middle and cold edges. If you must, use 5 second bursts and check each time.
• Leaving butter out all day in a warm kitchen. It gets too soft to cream.
• Adding cold eggs to softened butter. The butter firms up and the mixture looks curdled. Bring eggs to room temperature too.
• Using softened butter for pastry or biscuits (scones in the UK). Those need cold butter.

In recipes

You will see "1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened", "125 g butter, at room temperature" and "8 oz cream cheese, softened". "Very soft" butter, for some frostings and spreads, is warmer, about 22°C (72°F).