Issue Date: October 20, 2002
The ins and outs of making a cake
(Yes, from "scratch")
No wonder cake mixes dominate the market. Boxed cakes almost seem to thrive on adversity. Oven temperature's off? Don't worry; the cake will be fine. Baked it in an odd-size pan? No problem; the cake will rise triumphantly. Your 3-year-old helped mix the batter? Relax; the texture will be perfect. Just dump, mix, pour and bake.
Not only are cake mixes easy, convenient and indestructible, but many cake lovers prefer the soft, tender crumb of a boxed cake to the firm, substantial texture of those made from scratch.
Boxed cakes taste good; they certainly have their place. But take one bite and you know they're not homemade. I wanted a cake that had all the buttery, rich flavor of the cakes from my childhood, with the delicate yet substantial texture of one from a box. In addition, this new cake had to be as simple, streamlined and foolproof as possible. In my search for an easy homemade cake, here's what I learned:
A combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch is one key to an ultra-tender cake. Check out the boxed-cake ingredients: Cornstarch usually is listed. (Oddly enough, I found cake flour produces a tender but less delicious cake. The process by which cake flour is processed leaves it acidic. In a simple butter cake, that unpleasant flavor comes through.)
Mix the butter with the flour instead of creaming it with the sugar, as most recipes ask you to do. Beating soft, room-temperature butter into the flour resulted in the tender cake I wanted. My attempts at using melted butter resulted in a greasy cake, and when I used cool, barely spreadable butter, the fat didn't coat the flour as well, resulting in a tougher cake.
Add the sugar at the end of the mixing process for a sweeter, more appealing cake. I made dozens of cakes, then asked visitors to taste them. Most cakes were missing only a few slices, but the ones made with the sugar added last were almost completely gone. My tasters were drawn to those cakes like a yellow jacket to a jar of jam.
And the last lesson in producing a melt-in-your-mouth cake: Don't overbeat the batter.
Next time you decide to make a cake, look around your kitchen: The ingredients are so basic, you might not have to go to the store. And the technique is simple, too: Beat soft butter into the dry ingredients. Beat in eggs mixed with milk and vanilla. Beat in sugar. Bake.
How easy is that?
Contributing Editor Pam Anderson is the author of "CookSmart" (Houghton Mifflin, $28).
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Quick-and-Simple Yellow Cake
2 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
3 large eggs
2 tsps. vanilla extract
2 sticks butter (16 Tbs.), softened
2 cups granulated sugar
Chocolate Frosting (recipe below)
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 8-inch cake pans.
Mix first four ingredients in a large bowl. Mix milk, eggs and vanilla extract in a 2-cup measuring cup. With an electric mixer, beat softened butter into dry ingredients, first on low, then increased to medium, until mixture forms pebble-size pieces. Add about 1/3 of the milk mixture; beat on low until mixture is smooth. Add remaining milk mixture in two stages; beat on medium speed until batter is just smooth. Add the sugar; beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Divide batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.
Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Set pans on a wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the pan perimeter and dump cakes onto rack. Let cool completely, at least 1 hour. (Cakes can be double-wrapped in plastic at room temperature for a day or frozen for a few weeks.)
Meanwhile, make frosting. Split each cake in half crosswise to make four layers. Starting with one of the cake tops, place it on a cake plate, top side up; frost. Place cake bottom on top, bottom side up; frost. Repeat with remaining cake to form four layers. Frost sides of cake. Serve. For the best texture, cake should be covered with plastic wrap and served within a few hours.
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Soft and Creamy Double Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup egg substitute, such as Egg Beaters (or 4 egg yolks with enough milk to equal 1/2 cup), plus extra milk, if necessary
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. instant coffee powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick (8 Tbs.) butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
3 cups confectioner's sugar (sifted only if it contains hard lumps)
4 tsps. light corn syrup
Mix egg substitute (or eggs and milk), cocoa, coffee powder, vanilla and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter in medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate and cocoa mixture; continue to beat until smooth.
Add confectioner's sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating slowly at first, until sugar has been incorporated into the mixture, then at medium speed until frosting is light and fluffy. Add corn syrup; beat until frosting is smooth and glossy. If frosting is stiff, add droplets of milk until it is spreadably soft.
(Frosting can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week and microwaved for a few seconds until just spreadable.)
Cake serves 12.
Per serving: 669 calories, 8g protein, 94g carbohydrates, 31g fat (18g saturated), 3g fiber, 590mg sodium.
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