Shortbread Base

This basic shortbread recipe is great to use for a wide variety of dishes. It makes great cookies, pie crusts, cut-outs, square bases, cheesecake bases, or cake bases. I most recently use it for my traditional miniature German Black Forest Cake (here). It is sweet, buttery, and not too dry or crumbly. The dough is so easy to work with, it holds together well, it lasts a long time, and may be refrigerated before baking or frozen after baking. It is also really quick, easy, and requires only four common ingredients. 

Shortbread Base
1/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoons icing (powdered) sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
scant 1 cup all-purpose (plain) flour

Beat the butter and sugar. Add the cornstarch and flour. Roll out into desired shapes. Bake at 325◦F for about 15 minutes.
This recipe makes a very small batch, the perfect amount for a five inch cake base.