It can be difficult to soften a solid block of cold butter, but breaking it into smaller sections will help it soften naturally.
You can soften the butter more rapidly by cutting it into smaller cubes, or by grating it with a cheese grater.
This may seem odd if you've only ever used a grater for cheese, but it helps butter soften rapidly.
If using a cheese grater, we recommend using one of the larger sides rather than the smallest holes, as the butter will get caught if the holes are too small.
A second method for rapidly softening butter requires a little bit of elbow grease. Simply butter
The butter can be placed between two layers of wax paper and rolled out with a rolling tool.
This will render the butter significantly softer and simpler to work with
Another way to soften butter quickly is one that's going to require a little bit of elbow grease.