my go-to cake
First, I am going to make a shameless plug for one of my favorite cook books, “Apples for Jam” by Tessa Kiros. There are more then 400 pages in this book with hundreds of recipes and many, many beautiful photographs. And not only are there hundreds of recipes, but almost everyone I have tried, we have liked. And one cake that I have made more then any other is the vanilla cake. I don’t really love cake. I mean, I like cake when I am in the mood, but if I am going to have cake, I would choose pound cake or a really good german chocolate cake. This cake leans toward being more like a pound cake. However it is still round and quicker then a pound cake.
Vanilla cake
2 1/4 sticks butter, softened
1 c. plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 c. all-purpose, unbleached flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. milk (or half and half)
Frosting:
7 tablespoons butter, softened
1 2/3 c. confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 tablespoons milk
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 9 1/2 in. springform cake pan.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the vanilla and then sift in the flour and baking powder. Beat well adding milk (or half and half), a little at a time. The batter will be thick and creamy.
3. Scrape into cake pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer poked into the center of the cake comes out clean.
4. Cool and then frost. If you want a double layer I would make an extra batch of frosting. You may end up with extra, but I’m sure you could find some other purpose for it.
*I usually don’t even bother to slice through and make a double layer cake. I just frost the cake after it has cooled.
5. Frosting: Beat the butter and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar. Add the vanilla and then 3 tablespoons of milk, slowly adding in the remaining tablespoon if needed.
Cuts into 10-12 slices.
*I am still having issues with my side bar and categories. I really, really hope to get it fixed this week. Sorry for the inconvenience, especially if looking for other recipes. Thank you Matheau for helping me with my sidebar-you are the best!