Bake and Shake: So I don't have to panic and yell at Google each time I need the recipe

I made a lot of birthday cakes this summer, and the most popular one was this one, by far. I didn't take pictures, because I was usually partying it up and didn't even get to eat or watch people eat it, but for my reference (and yours, if you want a fail-safe recipe that always, always turns out a beautiful, fluffy, delicious delicately crumbed yellow cake. And the icing is SPECTACULAR). I usually flavor both the cake and icing heavily with almond extract, rather than vanilla, and I use a vanilla bean for both, dividing it in half. This results in a cake that tastes and smells like a dream.

Yellow Cake to end all Yellow Cakes
Adapted from this recipe

2 1/2 cups + 2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter, which is what I usually do)
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter, cubed
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/3 cups whole milk, room temp
1 teaspoon apple-cider vinegar
1 teaspoon pure Almond Extract
Seeds from half a vanilla bean, scraped

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Add the vinegar to the milk, and let stand for five minutes. Butter and flour two nine-inch round cake pans. Wonder at your own glory.

Whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder and soda, salt and add the cubed butter. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly and fine, and then add the eggs, milk, almond extract and vanilla, beating until a smooth, silky batter comes to life. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, you want a uniform texture. Rub a bit of batter between your fingers, and if you can't feel sugar granules, you're good to go. Or just taste it.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on your oven, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for twenty minutes, run a knife around the edges and then turn out onto a rack and cool completely. Meanwhile, make some delicious frosting.

Alternates:
Add poppyseeds/lemon/orange zest
Replace Almond extract with Vanilla

Frosting so delicious you'll gross yourself out

1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
2 sticks/1 cup of softened butter (use salted, if your favorite brand isn't too salty, or one salted and one unsalted)
1 pound/16 ounces powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure Almond Extract
Seeds from half a vanilla bean, scraped

Whip together the cream cheese and butter with a hand or stand mixer until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, cup by cup, until desired sweetness level is achieved. Then add the almond extract and vanilla bean seeds and mix until combined. Frost the cooled cake generously, as follows -- big plop in the middle, build up a nice rim around the edge and fill in any lopsided bits. Top with second layer and smooth a thin layer over the entire cake. Let rest for five to ten minutes, then frost with remaining frosting and swoop, swirl or smooth until you're happy with it all.

Alternate frostings:
Ganache
    - Pour 3/4 cup of hot cream over a bag of best quality chocolate chips (Ghiradelli), add 1 Tablespoon of hot coffee,     and whisk until smooth. Add one Tablespoon of honey, and chill until thickened. Remove from fridge, and whip         (loosen with more hot coffee, if needed) until spreadable. Frost cake -- double recipe, usually. Also, add orange         zest for oomph and dudes.
Whipped Cream/Cream Cheese Frosting hybrid
    - Whip one cup of cold, heavy cream with two Tablespoons of granulated sugar until stiff peaks form, but not butter     territory. Meanwhile, beat 8 oz of cream cheese with 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and     2 to 3 cups of powdered sugar, then fold in the whipped cream mixture gently. Frost, and serve/eat within 48 hours,     chill leftovers.
    - Substitute whipped cream for sour cream.

Comments

This cake is absolutely fantastic. I made it this weekend for my father-in-law's birthday and everyone loved it. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!

Posted by: Leta | November 16, 2008 at 06:04 PM

Anu, because I was out of cornstarch. If you like, you can add it in -- all but the very first time, I've left it out (and subbed in the same amount of AP flour, as called for in my version of the recipe) and still had excellent, wonderful results. It is one of those fail-safe recipes, for me anyway.

Posted by: L. | October 08, 2008 at 04:31 PM