A Most Excellent White Cake

This delicious white cake bakes up high-and-mighty and is a staple for all kinds of celebrations. Tools: Two 9-inch round cake pans

Cocoa Chocolate Cake

This take on chocolate cake bakes up nicely and makes a sturdy foundation for dreamy chocolate decorations and accompaniments, which I explore in Chapter 12.
Tools: Two 9-inch round cake pans Preparation time: 15 minutes Baking time: 35 minutes Yield: 12 servings 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 cups sifted cake flour 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 2 cups granulated white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 4 eggs 2 cups whole milk

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans, and set
aside. 2 In a large bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Then whisk in the sifted cake flour. 3 In a large bowl, cream the butter. Add the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, and continue beating. 4 Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 5 With the mixer set on low speed, add the flour mixture and the milk to the egg mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Each addition should be mixed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl twice during beating. 6 Pour the batter into the prepared pans, and bake for 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached. 7 Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, and then invert the cakes onto racks to cool completely.

Delicious Yellow Cake Another staple for your repertoire, this yellow cake is popular for all occasions and pairs well with buttercream and milk chocolate frosting, which I cover in Chapter 8. Tools: Two 9-inch round cake pans Preparation time: 15 minutes Baking time: 40 minutes Yield: 12 serving 1 tablespoon baking powder 12 teaspoon salt 3 12 cups sifted cake flour 1 14 cups butter, at room temperature and cut into 12-inch pieces 2 cups granulated white sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 5 eggs 1 cup whole milk 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans, and set aside. 2 In a large bowl, sift together the baking powder and salt. Then whisk in the cake flour. 3 In a large bowl, cream the butter. Add the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, and continue beating. 4 Add the eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 5 With the mixer set on low speed, add the flour mixture and the milk to the egg mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Each addition should be mixed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl twice during beating. 6 Pour the batter into the prepared pans, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached. 7 Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, and then invert the cakes onto racks to cool completely.

Flavor-Friendly Sponge Cake This easy-to-bake cake stores, transports, and freezes well. I developed this version as an ideal base for soaking up flavored syrups, which I cover in Chapter 10. Tools: 9-x-13-inch cake pan Preparation time: 10 minutes Baking time: 30 minutes Yield: 12 servings 2 34 cups sifted cake flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 14 cups unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into 12-inch pieces 1 12 cups granulated white sugar 5 eggs 14 cup whole milk 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-x-13-inch rectangular cake pan, and set aside. 2 In a medium bowl, sift the baking powder over the cake flour, and whisk together. 3 In a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until smooth, light, and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 4 With the mixer set on low speed, add the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Each addition should be mixed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl twice during beating. 5 Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached. 6 Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, and then invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

The Best Carrot Cake Ever This cake is a moist, delicious treat that pairs well with cream cheese frosting (see Chapter 8). I usually steer clear of self-rising flour, but I actually developed the recipe for this cake when I was in the seventh grade, and old habits die hard. Tools: Two 9-inch round cake pans Preparation time: 20 minutes Baking time: 40 minutes Yield: 12 serving ingredients 2 cups sifted self-rising flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 cups granulated white sugar 3 cups grated carrot (about 8 medium carrots) 1 12 cups vegetable oil 4 eggs 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans, or spray a Bundt pan with a nonstick spray that contains flour. 2 In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. 3 Add the carrot, oil, and eggs to the dry ingredients. Mix until well blended, but dont overmix. 4 Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out with some crumbs attached. 5 Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, and then invert the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely. Vary It!: For the Best Light Carrot Cake Ever, substitute 1 12 cups lowfat yogurt for the oil.

Rich Pound Cake As far as decorations are concerned, this cake pairs well with basic confectioners sugar icing (see Chapter 9). Tools: 10-inch tube pan Preparation time: 15 minutes Baking time: 1 2 hours Yield: 12 servings 1 12 cups unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into 12-inch pieces 1 pound confectioners sugar 6 eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 34 cups sifted cake flour 1 Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan, and set aside. 2 In a large bowl, cream the butter and gradually beat in the eggs and confectioners sugar until light and fluffy. Then beat in the vanilla. 3 With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour, beating just until mixed. 4 Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 1 12 hours. 5 Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

White Velvet Cake One of my most popular cakes, this one sometimes comes out so perfectly you wont even have to level it! Plus the taste is so incomparable Ive also used it for wedding cakes. Tools: Two 9-inch round cake pans (or one 9-x-13-inch cake pan) Preparation time: 20 minutes Baking time: 45 minutes Yield: 12 servings 34 teaspoon salt 1 12 teaspoons baking soda 3 34 cups sifted cake flour 2 14 cups vegetable oil 2 14 cups granulated white sugar 3 eggs 1 12 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 12 cups buttermilk 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour the pans, and line them with parchment paper. 2 In a large bowl, sift the salt and baking soda over the cake flour, and then stir the mixture with a balloon whisk. 3 In a large bowl, mix the oil and sugar together, and then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. 4 With the mixer set on low speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Each addition of flour should be mixed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl twice during beating. 5 Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. 6 Cool the cakes in their pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, and then invert the cakes onto racks to cool completely. Table 7-1 breaks down the combinations for a variety of colors. I developed these color recipes by mixing many batches of frosting and colors, but mixing colors isnt an exact science. Brands of coloring gels differ slightly in the colors they offer (even if the hues share the same name), so use the information in this table as a jumping off point for your coloring endeavors, and then develop your own tried-and-true combinations. Table 7-1 Mixing Your Own Frosting Colors Final Color Components Colors Apricot 2 parts orange plus 1 part golden yellow (or egg yellow) Aqua 5 parts sky blue plus 1 part leaf green Avocado 4 parts lemon yellow plus 1 part leaf green plus a dab of Black Burgundy 5 parts rose pink plus 1 part violet Chartreuse 8 parts lemon yellow plus 1 part leaf green Copper 1 part golden yellow (or egg yellow) plus 1 part brown plus

1 part bright red Coral 3 parts rose plus 2 parts lemon yellow Dusty rose 5 parts rose plus 1 part violet Gold 10 parts lemon yellow plus 3 parts orange plus 1 part red or 4 parts golden yellow (or egg yellow) plus 1 part brown Gray a dab of black added to white frosting Jade 2 parts forest green plus 1 part leaf green Lavender 5 parts pink plus 1 part violet Mauve 5 parts rose plus 2 parts orange plus 2 parts red plus 1 part black Melon 3 parts rose plus 1 part orange Navy 1 part sky blue plus 1 part violet Plum 1 part violet plus a dab of bright red Raspberry 3 parts rose plus 1 part bright red Rust 8 parts orange plus 2 parts red plus 1 part brown Teal 9 parts sky blue plus a dab of lemon yellow