Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients
Cake

2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 cups sugar 2 large large eggs, at room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups all-purpoise flour 1/4 cup regular cocoa powder (not Dutch process 1 teaspoon ba!ing soda 1/2 teaspoon ba!ing powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups buttermil!, at room temperature 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar 1 teaspoon red food colouring paste (preferred over li"uid colour #

Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 1/2 pac!ages (12-o$ cream cheese, at room temperature 4 cups icing sugar, sifted 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
Cake 1% &reheat the oven to 3'()*% +rease two ,-inch s"uare pans and line the pans with parchment so that it comes up the sides as well% 2% -sing electric beaters or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth, then add the sugar and beat until light and fluff.% /dd the eggs one at a time and beating well after each addition, beat in the vanilla% 3% 0n a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, ba!ing soda, ba!ing powder and salt% /dd this alternatel. with the buttermil!, starting and ending with the flour% 1tir the white vinegar and food colour together and add this to the ca!e batter on low speed, but mixing until blended in% 1crape the batter into the prepared pans and spread to level% 4% 2a!e the ca!es for about 3' minutes, or until a tester inserted in the centre of the ca!e comes out clean% 3ool the ca!es in their pans for 2( minutes, then turn them out to cool completel.%

Frosting 1% *or the frosting, beat the butter until fluff., then beat in the cream cheese until well blended and smooth% /dd the icing sugar in 2 additions, beating first on low speed and then increasing% 2eat in the vanilla% 2% 4o assemble the ca!e, place the first la.er of ca!e on .our platter or plate and spread a generous amount of frosting on the top% 4op this with the second ca!e la.er and frost the top and then the sides% -se .our spatula to create an. swirls or patterns .ou wish, then chill for at least 2 hours before slicing to serve% 4he ca!e will !eep, refrigerated, for up to 3 da.s% #*or an alternative made without food colouring, replace 5 cup of the buttermil! with 1/3 cup of finel. grated raw beets% 1tir the beets in with the buttermil! and follow the recipe as above%

Almond Butter Cake

Recipe - 14'g all-purpose flour - '(g ground almonds (almond meal - 1 1/2 tsp ba!ing powder - 1/2 tsp salt - 16(g butter, softened - 16(g sugar - 1 large egg, plus one large egg .ol! (0 used 2 small whole eggs and it was fine - 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract - 12 tbsp whole mil! 1% &reheat oven to 17()3% 2utter and line a 7-inch ca!e pan% 2% 0n a medium bowl, whis! together flour, almond meal, ba!ing powder and salt% 3% -sing a mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until fluff. for about about 2 minutes% 4% 2eat in egg, egg .ol! and vanilla until well-combined% '% 8n low speed, add flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with mil!%#
* Split the flour into 1/2, 1/4 and 1/4 portions (approximately). The first time you add in the flour, use the 1/2 portion. The reason for this is because the first addition of flour ill be fully coated ith the fat and does not form !luten (!luten is hat ma"es a ca"e tou!h), so it is a !ood idea to add more flour at the first sta!e. # found $oy of %a"in! to be an excellent resource for butter ca"es.

9% 1witch mixer to medium and beat for 1( to 1' seconds, :ust until batter appears uniform% 6% &our batter into prepared pan and smooth top with spatula or !nife% ,% 2a!e for about 4( minutes, or until it reaches a dar!-gold color and an inserted ca!e tester comes out clean% 7% ;et to rest in pan for ' minutes, then remove to a ca!e stand or platter% 1ift with icing sugar if desired%

Orange-Almond Cake
0ngredients

9 navel or other sweet oranges -nsalted butter, room temperature, for pan 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan 1 3/4 cups finel. ground blanched almonds (about 9 ounces 1 1/2 teaspoons ba!ing powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 9 large eggs 2 cups sugar

Directions
1. Step 1
&lace whole unpeeled oranges in a large saucepan or stoc!pot, and cover with cold water% 2ring to a boil over high heat% <educe heat, and simmer gentl., 2 hours% Drain= set oranges aside to cool% (>avel oranges ma. have a few seeds% ?alve the coo!ed oranges, and remove an. stra.s before using the rest of the fruit%

Step 2
&reheat oven to 3'( degrees% 2utter and flour a 7-inch springform pan= set aside% ?alve coo!ed oranges, and remove an. seeds% &lace 6 halves in a food processor, and pulse until pureed but still chun!.% 4his should .ield about 3 cups= set aside%

Step 3
0n a small bowl, whis! together the ground almonds, flour, ba!ing powder, and salt= set aside% 0n the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whis! attachment, beat the eggs with 1 cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluff.% 1tir in orange puree until :ust combined% 1tir in flour mixture= pour into prepared pan%

Step 4
2a!e until ca!e is golden brown and a ca!e tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour% 4ransfer pan to a wire rac!% /fter 1' minutes, run a small spatula or paring !nife around edge to loosen ca!e= let cool completel.%

Step
@eanwhile, ma!e orange toppingA 3hop remaining ' orange halves into 1/2- inch pieces, and set aside% 0n a medium saucepan, combine remaining cup sugar with 3/4 cup water% 2ring mixture to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved%

 Step !
/dd chopped oranges to saucepan, and reduce heat to medium% 1immer gentl. until most of the li"uid has evaporated and thic!ened into a s.rup, about 1' minutes% <emove from heat, and set aside to cool completel.%

Step "
4o assemble, remove ring from pan= transfer the cooled ca!e to a serving platter% /rrange chopped oranges and an. remaining s.rup over top of ca!e% 3ut into wedges, and serve% 8r store, covered, in the refrigerator up to 2 da.s%

Nigel Slater's Extremely Moist Chocolate-Beet Cake

Ingredients

, o$s #eets (fresh 6 o$s dark c$ocolate (fine, 6(B 1/4 cup espresso (hot 6/, cup #utter 11/, cups all%purpose &lour 11/4 tsps #aking po'der 3 tbsps cocoa po'der (good "ualit. ' eggs 1 cup super&ine sugar popp( seeds (3rCme fraDche and, to serve cr)me &ra*c$e (and popp. seeds, to serve

@ethods A 1% ;ightl. butter an ,-inch springform ca!e pan and line the base with a round of ba!ing parchment% ?eat the oven to 3'( degrees *% 2% 3oo! the beets, whole and unpeeled, in boiling unsalted water% Depending on their si$e, the. will be tender within 3( to 4( minutes% Eoung ones ma. ta!e slightl. less% Drain them, let them cool under running water, then peel them, slice off their stem and root, and process in a blender or food processor until a coarse purFe% 3% @elt the chocolate, bro!en into small pieces, in a small bowl set over a pot of simmering water% DonGt stir% 4% Hhen the chocolate loo!s almost melted, pour the hot espresso over it and stir once% 3ut the butter into small pieces -- the smaller the better -- and add to the melted chocolate% &ush the butter down under the surface of the chocolate with a spoon (as best .ou can and leave to soften% '% 1ift together the flour, ba!ing powder and cocoa% 1eparate the eggs, putting the whites in a large mixing bowl% 1tir the .ol!s together% 9% >ow, wor!ing "uic!l. but gentl., remove the bowl of chocolate from the heat and stir until the butter has melted into the chocolate% ;et sit for a few minutes, then stir in the egg .ol!s% Do this "uic!l., mixing firml. and evenl. so the eggs blend into the mixture% *old in the beets% Hhis! the egg whites until stiff, then fold in the sugar% *irml. but gentl., fold the beaten egg whites and sugar into the chocolate mixture% / large metal spoon is what .ou want here= wor! in a deep, figure-eight movement but ta!e care not to over-mix% ;astl., fold in the flour and cocoa% 6% 4ransfer "uic!l. to the prepared ca!e pan and put in the oven, decreasing the hea immediatel. to 32' degrees *% 2a!e for 4( minutes% 4he rim of the ca!e will feel spong., the inner part should still wobble a little when gentl. sha!en% 4est with a ca!e tester or toothpic! too -- if it is still gooe. in the center, continue ba!ing :ust until moist crumbs cling to the tester% ,% 1et the ca!e aside to cool (it will sin! a tad in the center , loosening it around the edges with a thin icing spatula after half an hour or so% 0t is not a good idea to remove the ca!e from its pan until it is completel. cold% 1erve in thic! slices, with crCme fraDche and popp. seeds%

angerine Cake !ith Citr"s #la$e

Ingredients
For t$e Cake

1 cup (2 stic!s unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan 3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled , plus more for pan 1 teaspoon ba!ing soda 1 teaspoon fine salt 2 cups granulated sugar 9 large eggs 2 tablespoons finel. grated tangerine $est, plus 1/2 cup tangerine :uice (from 9 tangerines 2 tablespoons orange-flavored li"ueur, such as +rand @arnier 3/4 cup low-fat plain .ogurt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For t$e +la,e

1 1/2 cups confectionersI sugar 3 tablespoons tangerine :uice (from 2 tangerines

1. Step 1
&reheat oven to 3'( degrees% @a!e ca!eA 2utter and flour a 12-cup 2undt ca!e pan% 0n a medium bowl, whis! together flour, ba!ing soda, and salt%

2. Step 2
0n a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar on medium-high until light and fluff., ' minutes% /dd eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition% 2eat in tangerine $est and :uice and li"ueur% Hith mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions .ogurt, and beat to combine= beat in vanilla% 4ransfer batter to pan, smooth top, and firml. tap pan on a flat surface to remove air bubbles%

3. Step 3
2a!e until a toothpic! inserted in center of ca!e comes out clean, '' to 9( minutes% ;et cool in pan on a wire rac!, 3( minutes% 0nvert ca!e onto rac! set in a rimmed ba!ing sheet and let cool completel.% (Hith a serrated !nife, trim ca!e to sit flat, if necessar.%

4. Step 4

@a!e gla$eA Hhis! together confectionersI sugar and tangerine :uice until smooth% 1poon gla$e evenl. over ca!e and let set 1 hour%