Attention all you bakers out there!

sarawifenow

Surprise, surprise. Another food question from me.

 

Not to brag, but I can cook anything and I am pretty good at it. Baking on the other hand? Forget about it! I do boxed mix.

 

I really want to make H's birthday cake from scratch this year. Does anyone have any good recipes for simple yellow/white cake? I am high elevation (5535 ft), so I am not sure if this matters or not.

 

Thank you!

 

ETA: I want to do a yellow/white cake and will do raspberry filling in between layers and then frost with buttercream and top with coconut and white chocolate shavings.

wandajune6

Funny that you mention this- I'm a great baker but never make yellow or white cakes. I'm a chocolate girl and never saw the point. DH loves yellow cake and has been hinting around for one. I've been looking for a good recipe so I'm following this!

larrygaga

I really only know how to bake gluten free so I'm useless

sarawifenow

@wandajune6--We will learn together!

 

Side question: What is the trick to making not tough cakes? I've heard there is a secret but I am not privvy to it apparently.

theartistformerlyknownas

This is the best white cake I've tried so far. (I didn't use any of the garnish/etc. just the cake recipe. You can skip the white chocolate and nuts, if you want to keep it "pure.") 

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/white-chocolate-macadamia-cake-raspberries-white-chocolate-buttercream.aspx

The trick to keeping cake light and fluffy is to not overmix the flour. You want to beat the everliving hell out of the butter and eggs, but once you get to adding the flour you want to only lightly stir just as much as necessary to incorporate it with no dry spots. You should also weigh the flour rather than measuring it.

lacqueredlover

Tricks to making moist, not tough cakes:

hand mix, dont' use an electric mixer because it tends to dry out cakes because of too much gluten formation.

Increase the oil by 50% and use milk instead of water in any recipe.  That way there is more oil to keep it moist and not evaporate as quickly like water does.  If the recipe doesn't call for any oil, throw 1/4 cup in anyway.

Check it 10 mins before it says to take it out because different ovens bake differently and it can easily dry out your cake.

cafarrie

someone on one of the dinner threads the other day mentioned something about a homemade raspberry coconut cake didn't they?!?!!  Maybe I'm crazy though bc I can't find it....

Anyway, I've used this recipe before and had good luck with it! http://www.rockrecipes.com/white-velvet-cake/ 

I've also been dying to try this raspberry pistachio cake but haven't had a good occasion for it yet!!!   http://camillestyles.com/uncategorized/recipe-for-a-food-flowers-fete/

littlemushroom

I don't have a recipe, but the trick to avoiding tough cakes is not over mixing the batter. There should still be some lumps. Mix just until everything is incorporated. For me, that means I stop when I first think "OK, maybe 30 more seconds should do it." It is already done at that point.

sarawifenow

Thank you all! Ok; Oil, no over mixing, mix by hand, use recipes on here. Got it!

amelisha

What everyone else said, and I will add the following:

Bring your ingredients to room temperature before you use them.

Don't open your oven unless absolutely necessary when you're baking.

For high elevation baking, adding 1/2 tsp extra leavener has always served me well.

I'd also not mix entirely by hand. I combine my wet ingredients with the stand mixer and beat them very well before adding the dry ingredients by hand.

raissyrais

What you want to make is fairly simple! Here is my simple buttercream recipe:

250g unsalted butter

500g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Add a few drops of food colouring of your choice (or yellow) if you want a lemony yellow!

ETA: @pinkrevenge?

sarawifenow

@cafarrie--I can't get the link to work on the white velvet cake. =(

BrandNewJ

I also usually make chocolate or beer cake so I'm not helpful there, but it will echo PPs with keeping the oven closed unless absolutely necessary and keeping liquid and dry ingredients separate til the end and then gently fold it with your hands.

I do frosting the same way as @raissyrais. Icing sugar is powdered sugar in case you're from the US. 

For the raspberry filling, I use jam and fresh raspberries. Mush the raspberries slightly into the jam so you can have some texture. It's the only part I don't do from scratch yet because I don't make jam and I don't like using anything too liquid-y because it'll come out the sides. 

Have fun! ILOVE baking! 

ETA: michaels sells these tin foil looking fabric strips in their baking section. If you let them soak in water and pin it around your cake pan, the batter will bake evenly every time so you have less trimming to do once the cake has cooled. It's one of my favorite cake products because I hate trimming the cake, it never ends up as even as I need. 

wandajune6

I can't offer any advice that the PPs haven't already mentioned

OliveOilsMom

Lovelight Yellow Chiffon Cake

2 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbl baking powder
1 tsp salt

Make meringe first.  Separate egg whites into mixing bowl and set on high, whip until fluffy and frothy, then slowly add 1/2 cup sugar.  Mix until thick and white.  Set aside.  In bowl, combine flour, remaining sugar, salt, baking powder.  Add liquid ingredients (egg yolks, milk, and oil) and blend slowly.  Once mixed, add in the meringe and using a spatula mix in the meringe by hand. Do not over mix, having some streaks of batter with white meringe is ok!  The meringe will help the cake stay light and fluffy.  Cook at 350 for 45 mins for a bundt cake or 30 mins for layers. 

Sometimes I will add a little cinnamon to the batter depending on my mood!  Also, don't get discouraged by the meringe, it can be difficult to get that right the first few times.  When my mom started to teach me baking I was horrible at making the meringe!  But I will just set the egg whites up on high in the mixer and walk around gathering the rest of my ingredients, pre heating the oven, then go back to the mixer to add the sugar.

amelisha

BrandNewJ said:

ETA: michaels sells these tin foil looking fabric strips in their baking section. If you let them soak in water and pin it around your cake pan, the batter will bake evenly every time so you have less trimming to do once the cake has cooled. It's one of my favorite cake products because I hate trimming the cake, it never ends up as even as I need. 

You can also just cut up an old towel, soak it in water, and wrap the strips around the outside of your pan. I always do this and my cakes bake perfectly flat, and the towel strips were free and fit around any size pan. I just use a safety pin. I did all the layers of the cake below like that and that's what it looked like with zero trimming.

sarawifenow

I don't understand what you guys mean by towel strips? Do you put the cake batter over them? I really am that clueless when it comes to baking.

amelisha

sarawifenow said:

I don't understand what you guys mean by towel strips? Do you put the cake batter over them? I really am that clueless when it comes to baking.

You wrap wet strips of towel (as tall as your pan) around the outside of your pan and secure with a safety pin. It prevents the outside of the cake from baking faster than the middle so the layers bake flat and the inside isn't wet while the edges are dried out.

sarawifenow

amelisha said:

sarawifenow said:

I don't understand what you guys mean by towel strips? Do you put the cake batter over them? I really am that clueless when it comes to baking.

You wrap wet strips of towel (as tall as your pan) around the outside of your pan and secure with a safety pin. It prevents the outside of the cake from baking faster than the middle so the layers bake flat and the inside isn't wet while the edges are dried out.

Ahhh ok!

BrandNewJ

amelisha said:

BrandNewJ said:

ETA: michaels sells these tin foil looking fabric strips in their baking section. If you let them soak in water and pin it around your cake pan, the batter will bake evenly every time so you have less trimming to do once the cake has cooled. It's one of my favorite cake products because I hate trimming the cake, it never ends up as even as I need. 

You can also just cut up an old towel, soak it in water, and wrap the strips around the outside of your pan. I always do this and my cakes bake perfectly flat, and the towel strips were free and fit around any size pan. I just use a safety pin. I did all the layers of the cake below like that and that's what it looked like with zero trimming.

Thanks! Didn't know you could just make them! Great tip

CMGragain

Altitude makes a BIG difference in cakes.  Add 2T flour to any recipe.  That's all I know.  I haven't baked a cake since DH retired.

sarawifenow

@OliveOilsMom--That recipe seems easy enough! So you add the wet ingredients to the dry? I always thought it was the opposite! Am I reading that right? Also, with the meringe, how long can it sit before I would need to mix it up again? I just don't want to make it too far in advance and then it be flat when it's time to add it to the rest of it.

 

Also, thank you, @CMGragain, I will add the extra flour!

OliveOilsMom

sarawifenow said:

@OliveOilsMom--That recipe seems easy enough! So you add the wet ingredients to the dry? I always thought it was the opposite! Am I reading that right? Also, with the meringe, how long can it sit before I would need to mix it up again? I just don't want to make it too far in advance and then it be flat when it's time to add it to the rest of it.

 

Also, thank you, @CMGragain, I will add the extra flour!

@Sarawifenow I have never had a meringe break while waiting to finish the batter and combine them.  If the meringe is done correctly, it shouldn't fall or break in anyway for an extended period of time.  I will usually empty the meringe on a paper plate and then use the same mixing bowl (without washing it - its just meringe!) and dump in the dry ingredients.  Some recipes say to add dry to wet and vice versa, this particular one is adding the wet to dry ingredients. I have a kitchen aid mixer, so I put the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and turn on low.  I will put all the wet ingredients into a 2 cup liquid measuring cup and pour them all in at the same time.  Then I turn on high for 5 seconds and usually that is good to sufficiently blend the batter.  Then remove the bowl from the mixer and mix in the meringe by hand. 

I hope that explained further, let me know if you need anything else clarified!

cafarrie

sarawifenow said:

@cafarrie--I can't get the link to work on the white velvet cake. =(

Sorry!!! It didn't work as a clicky when i tried, but if you copy and paste the text it should be fine!!!

phira

Honestly, I'm good at baking (and candy making) but cakes are tougher than cookies or brownies. You definitely need to pay attention to how long you're mixing. Altitude always makes a difference with baking, but I don't live at high altitude, so I don't know what you should do differently.

My buttercream frosting recipe = 1 box powdered/icing/confectioner's sugar + 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup) + 1 tsp vanilla extract + 3-5 tablespoons of milk (however much you need to make the frosting smooth and spreadable). Sometimes, I add 1 tsp of lemon extract to make lemon buttercream. Warning: this recipe is extremely sugary and while my family LOVES that ... your mileage may vary.

RebeccaB88

Check your oven temperature to make sure it's accurate!  I always keep an oven thermometer in my oven, just to make sure it's accurate.  A too hot or cool oven can be disastrous.

I don't add extra oil to cakes. I think it makes them taste greasy, not moist.  An extra egg or two, especially the yolk, half cup of sour cream, or a half cup of yogurt works better for me. And definitely milk instead of water, or even half and half or cream or buttermilk.

Use cake flour, not all purpose. And make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before you start. 

I love this recipe:

http://odetogoodness.com/2010/01/16/yellow-cake-with-easy-chocolate-frosting/

theartistformerlyknownas

Clearly the answer is to make 6 different cakes incorporating everyone's advice. You know, for science.

sarawifenow

lolo883 said:

Clearly the answer is to make 6 different cakes incorporating everyone's advice. You know, for science.

Of course! Then everyone will just have to fly to Denver and eat ALL the cake!

RebeccaFlower

You've gotten great advice, but if you're looking for a cookbook to keep on hand, I love the Martha Stewart Cakes book.