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All-Occasion Yellow Cake

Source of Recipe


From "The Gourmet Cookbook"






List of Ingredients



• 2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
  
• 2 tsp baking powder
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 3 large eggs, left at room temperature for 30 minutes
  
• 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 3/4 cup whole milk
  
• Chocolate Ganache Frosting or Seven-Minute Frosting (recipes follow)
  






Instructions



1. Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350° F. Butter and flour one 13- x 9-inch baking pan or two 9-inch cake pans, knocking out excess.
   
   
2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer (fitted with whisk attachment if using a stand mixer) at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and beat until thoroughly blended, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and milk alternately in three batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth; do not overmix.
   
   
3. Spread batter evenly in pan(s). Bake until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan(s) and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes (cake will still be pale in color, not golden brown). Cool for 5 minutes in pan(s) on a rack, then invert onto rack to cool completely. Spread chocolate or seven-minute frosting on cake.
   
   Makes one 13- x 9-inch cake
   or two 9-inch round cakes.
   
   ...........
   
   CHOCOLATE GANACHE FROSTING
   
   • 3/4 pound good bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped
   • 1 cup heavy cream
   
   Put chocolate in a heatproof medium bowl. Bring cream to a simmer in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, then pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate, covered, stirring occasionally until thickened but still spreadable, about 2 hours. (If ganache becomes too thick, let stand at room temperature, stirring once or twice, until slightly softened.) The ganache can be made up to 3 days in advance. Let stand at room temperature until soft enough to spread. (Makes about 2 cups.)
   
   .......
   
   SEVEN-MINUTE FROSTING
   
   • 2 large egg whites
   • 1 cup sugar
   • 1/4 cup water
   
   Combine all ingredients in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at low speed until mixture is warm and sugar is dissolved. Increase speed to high and beat until frosting is thick and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and beat until slightly cooled. (Makes about 4 cups.)