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You like your martini dirty, so why not your butter? This dirty martini butter cake stacks thick slabs of good butter with a briny whipped filling full of blue cheese and chopped olives. Cut a slice, pile it on toasted bread, and start shaking the martinis.
Table of Contents
How to Serve a Dirty Martini Butter Cake
Take it out of the fridge 10 to 15 minutes before serving so it’s easier to slice. Set it out with a sharp knife and a basket of toasted bread. Slice it like a cake and lay a slab on each piece of bread so you get the butter planks and the olive filling in every bite.
The blue cheese-stuffed olives, edible flowers, and dill flowers on top can be eaten with the butter or pushed to the side. If you want extra olives, set a small bowl of stuffed Castelvetranos next to the cake.
Piping Tips
- The Cup Trick: Put your piping bag in a tall glass and fold the top edges over the rim. The bag stays wide open, so you can scoop the whipped butter all the way to the bottom without getting it on the sides or your hands.
- The Proper Grip: Always squeeze from the very top of the bag. Twist the top tight against the butter and hold that twist between your thumb and index finger. Never squeeze from the middle. You’ll get an uneven flow, and the heat from your palm starts melting the butter before it hits the cake.
- The Bottom Border: Use an open star tip. Hold it slightly above the surface, squeeze out a small star, stop squeezing completely, then pull straight up and away. Repeat that same rhythm all the way around the base.
- The Side Swirls: I used a basketweave tip (size 48) for the curved swirls on the sides. Hold it at a 45-degree angle, apply steady, even pressure, and curve the tip as you go.
A Little Boozy
Adults-Only Appetizer
The vodka goes straight into the whipped filling and the butter cake never gets heated, so none of the alcohol cooks off. It’s only 1 1/2 teaspoons in the whole cake, but it’s still in every bite. If kids are at the party, keep this one on the adult table.
Alcohol-Free: Leave the vodka out of the filling. Everything else stays the same.
Similar Recipes
Layered Herb Butter Cake: Butter planks stacked with a whipped chive, dill, lemon zest, and parm filling, decorated with radishes and edible flowers.
Dirty Martini Terrine: Blue cheese, vodka-soaked Castelvetrano olives, and chives layered inside a cream cheese butter and set in a loaf mold.
Radish Herb Butter Terrine: Butter layered with paper-thin radishes, chives, and dill, then chilled and sliced.
The Perfect Pairings
Milky Dirty Martini: The drink version of this butter cake. Pour one while everyone digs in.
Maple Miso Glazed Short Ribs: Tender short ribs braised in a sweet and savory maple miso glaze. The braise does the work while you host.
Arugula Fennel Salad: Shaved fennel and arugula in a honey dijon dressing. Make the dressing ahead and toss it right before dinner.
Potato Puree: Silky potatoes boiled in milk. Spoon the short ribs right on top.
Espresso Eggnog Panna Cotta: Layers of spiced eggnog and espresso under a boozy espresso caramel. It’s made ahead and served cold.
Make-Ahead and Storage
This is a good one to get out of the way before the party. Build, frost, and pipe the butter cake up to 3 days ahead, then wrap it tightly and keep it in the fridge. Butter picks up smells from everything around it, so don’t skip the wrap.
Hold off on the olives, edible flowers, and dill flowers until the day you serve it. Once it’s fully decorated, it’s good for 1 day in the fridge, covered well.
On party day, top it, then take it out of the fridge 10 to 15 minutes before you slice it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Slice it like a cake and lay a slab on toasted bread or a cracker.
Up to 2 hours at room temperature, or 1 hour if it’s above 90°F. Then put it back in the fridge.
Yes. Leave the vodka out of the filling. Nothing else changes.
Yes. Fully decorated, it keeps for 1 day in the fridge if you cover it well. Without the toppings, you can make it up to 3 days ahead. Add the olives, edible flowers, and dill flowers right before serving.
Look in the produce section near the fresh herbs at specialty grocers, or order them on Amazon.
Stick with unsalted. The blue cheese, olives, and olive brine already bring plenty of salt.
Equipment
- parchment paper
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- plastic wrap
- Offset spatula
- open star piping tip
Ingredients
Butter Cake
- 8 oz unsalted butter brick, cold
- 8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tbsp cream cheese, room temperature
Dirty Martini Filling
- 1/3 cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled, adjust to taste
- 3 tbsp chives, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp vodka
- 1 1/2 tsp olive brine
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 pinch salt
To Decorate
- 8 Castelvetrano olives, pitted
- 2 tbsp blue cheese, for stuffing
- edible flowers
- dill flowers
- toasted bread or crackers, for serving
Instructions
- Butter Planks: Place the cold 8-ounce butter brick in the freezer for 15 minutes. Slice the frozen brick lengthwise into 3 even planks. Place the planks on parchment paper and refrigerate.8 oz unsalted butter brick
- Whipped Butter: Combine the room temperature butter, heavy cream, and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Whip for 5 to 6 minutes until fluffy. Set aside one third of the whipped butter for frosting.8 oz unsalted butter, 2 tbsp heavy cream, 2 tbsp cream cheese
- Dirty Martini Filling: Pat the chopped olives dry well with paper towels and add them to the remaining two thirds of the whipped butter. Add the blue cheese, chives, vodka, olive brine, lemon zest, white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Whip again until fully incorporated.1/3 cup Castelvetrano olives, 1/4 cup blue cheese, 3 tbsp chives, 1 1/2 tsp vodka, 1 1/2 tsp olive brine, 1 lemon, 1/4 tsp white pepper, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1 pinch salt
- Assemble the Butter Cake: Spread half of the filling evenly over the first butter plank. Place the second plank on top and spread with the remaining filling. Top with the third plank and press the stack together gently. Scrape the sides smooth with a knife. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.
- Prepare the Olives: Stuff the olives with blue cheese, letting it mound slightly out of the top. Slice half of the olives into thin rounds and pat dry. Leave the remaining olives whole.8 Castelvetrano olives, 2 tbsp blue cheese
- Frost the Cake: Unwrap the butter cake and spread a thin layer of the plain whipped butter over all sides with an offset spatula. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set.
- Decorate: Transfer the remaining plain whipped butter to a piping bag fitted with an open star tip. Pipe a border around the bottom edge of the cake. Press the sliced olives, edible flowers, and dill flowers into the sides. Arrange the whole olives, a few olive slices, and edible flowers on top.edible flowers, dill flowers
- Serve: Let the cake sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve with toasted bread or crackers.toasted bread or crackers
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
