Rich and Tender Yellow Cake

Rich and Tender Yellow Cake 

This is simplified from Cook's Illustrated Best Recipe cookbook, page 471.

4 large eggs, room temp
1/2 C whole milk, room temp
2 tsp vanilla 
2 1/4 C cake flour
1 1/2 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened, each stick cut into 8 pieces

1.  Preheat oven 350.  Grease 2 9" cake pans with Crisco, and cover the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper.  Grease the paper, dust pans with flour, and tap out excess.  (This is tedious but important!).  If making mini cupcakes, just swirl a little butter or Crisco into each cup.

2.  Beat eggs, milk, and vanilla with a fork in a large pyrex ball.   

3.  In mixer, combine dry ingredients.  With mixer running low, add the butter one piece at a time to "cut in" the butter.  Mix about 30 seconds after all butter has been added, until the mixture looks "sandy and pebbly."

Add the egg mixture, all but about 1/2 C, and mix on low til incorporated.  Then increase speed to medium high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.   Scrape sides and bottom of bowl.  Add remaining egg mixture in slow steady stream.  Scrape sides of bowl, beat again briefly until batter is thoroughly combined.  Mixture may look curdled and this is OK.  

4.  Divide batter into pans and smooth out with spatula. Bake until light golden and skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.   Cool on rack 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges to loosen cake.  Invert cake onto cooling rack.  Cool completely and then frost and enjoy! 

Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes

These are so fun to make "mini" - modified slightly from a Barefoot Contessa recipe.   Let the butter, eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream come to room temp before beginning.

12 T butter

2/3 C sugar
2/3 C brown sugar

2 extra-large eggs
2 tsp vanilla

1 C buttermilk
1/2 C sour cream

(optional 1/4 tsp espresso powder)

1 3/4 C flour
1 C cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1.  Preheat oven to 350.
2.   Cream butter and sugars til light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs.  Mix well.
3.   In separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and sour cream.
4.   In anoher bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
5.   On low speed, add the wet and dry mixtures alternately to the butter mixture, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture.  Give the mixture a few folds with a rubber spatula to make sure it is smooth.
5.  Fill cupcake liners or mini cupcake tins.  For regular cupcakes, bake about 20-23 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Bake much less for mini cupcakes.  Cool for 10 minutes in pan, and then let cool completely before frosting.  These cupcakes freeze really well!