White Cake with Butter Cream Frosting
WHITE CAKE recipe
(from the Refurbished Kitchenaid Cookbook)
3 cups sifted cake flour (regular flour will do; mix longer)
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening (1 stick)
1 1/2 cups milk
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
This was an exercise in trying out my brand new Lynda-style mixer.
The egg whites were left over from Michael's 'mousse, which used
about eight billion egg yolks.
1. Sift dry ingredients into bowl. Add shortening and 1 cup milk. Use the flat beater and slowly increase the mixer speed to 6 (i.e. pretty fast). I let it go for 2 minutes, but Lynda's grandmother suggests 10 (no, really). Stop and scrape the bowl sides down.
2. Add egg whites, remaining 1/2 cup milk, and vanilla. Start the mixer back up again and increase the speed to 6 (pretty fast) again. Let it go for 1 minute or until smooth and fluffy. Stop.
3. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by greasing the insides (sp. the sides) and laying down a circle of waxed paper on the bottoms. Pour batter into pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 35 minutes is probably a little too long. Clean mixer while you're waiting.
5. Remove from oven, let cool a bit, and then take out of pans as follows: hold a plate over the top of the pan, and invert. Let the layers cool until they are no longer warm. (A cookie tray is good for this.)
BUTTER CREAM FROSTING recipe (from my mom)
A little less than 1/2 cup soft butter (cut a stick and sit it in a bowl on the stove top while the cake is cooking)
4 cups sifted powdered sugar (I recommend you sift it _twice_)
4 tablespoons cream or milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1. Put butter and sugar in (now clean) mixer bowl. Move mixer speed slowly up to 4 (medium speed), and beat for 2 minutes. Stop.
2. Add cream and vanilla, and switch mixer to "Stir." When it's blended, move back up to medium to fast speed and let it go for about 3-4 minutes. (Otherwise there are lumps.) Taste it and keep mixing if it's not smooth.
Yields just about enough to frost two 9-inch layers. (Note that I didn't have enough, so I've increased the quantities in the above list: originally they were 1/3 cup, 3 cups, 3 tbsp, and
1 1/2 tsp.)
FROSTING THE CAKE
Put both layers ROUND SIDE DOWN on plates. Frost the top of the bottom layer. Now invert the top layer from its plate onto the top of the frosted bottom layer, then shove it around so it lines up. Frost the top of the top layer. Then frost the sides with any remaining frosting you have.
DAVE SAYS: I didn't make enough frosting, partially because I put too much on the bottom layer, partly because I had to use frosting as glue to repair the disintegrating top layer. I put the bottom layer round side up, which meant that the top kept sliding sideways and falling apart. Don't do that!
The resulting cake is awfully dense, but it would have been denser with regular flour. I'm not sure how to make it lighter and fluffier. It is mighty tasty, however.
EMILY SAYS: I thought this was a perfect white cake. It was sweet without being too sweet. Just the right amount of sugar. And I thought the texture was quite pleasing. It was firm without being tough or overly dense. I want to make this myself sometime.