YELLOW DOWNY BUTTER CAKE

This cake is one of the best butter cakes I have tried, from baker extraordinaire Rose Levy Beranbaum. I have made cupcakes with this batter and it works perfectly.
Using all egg yolks instead of whole eggs this cake has a rich yellow colour, a soft, fine texture and delicious flavour.

INGREDIENTS

6 large egg yolks

1 cup milk

2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups sifted cake flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon + teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (must be softened)

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180 C).

In a medium bowl lightly combine the yolks, 1/4 cup milk, and vanilla.

In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and the remaining 3/4 cup milk.

Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed (high speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to aerate and develop the cake's structure. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with a spatula. The pans will be about 1/2 full.

Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cakes should start to shrink from the sides of the pans only after removal from the oven.

Let the cakes cool in the pan on racks for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula and invert onto greased wire racks. To prevent splitting, re invert so that the tops are up and cool completely before wrapping airtight.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE

I love the fudginess of this cake. It is rich, decadent and easy to make. I got this recipe from a world renowned cake decorator....Toba Garrett (The Well Decorated Cake)


Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups (285 g) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (170 g) dark brown sugar, packed

1 cup (110 g) Dutch processed cocoa powder

2 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 1/4 cups (18 fl oz or 540 ml) buttermilk

1 cup (230 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

6 oz (168 g) melted semisweet fine quality chocolate

1.Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and parchment line two 8x2-inch (20x5-cm) baking pans.

2. Measure all ingredients (except the chocolate) into a large mixer bowl.

3. Blend for 30 seconds on LOW speed, scraping bowl constantly.

4. Blend in the melted chocolate and beat 3 minutes on HIGH speed, scraping the bowl.

5. Spoon into the pans and level them well with an offset spatula.

6. Bake layers for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Storage: Double wrap the cake in plastic wrap. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

This cake was made by a friend mine which I thought was probably one of the best cakes I have tried. It is very moist and can easily be made into cupcakes. The batter is very liquid but that does not affect the final cake.

SUPER MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE
2 cups sugar

1¾ cups flour
¾ cup cocoa
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare two 9-inch round baking pans with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium sized bowl using a whisk, mix together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
In a smaller bowl mix together eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingrediants and beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.
Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin) with a spoon or spatula. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

COTTON SOFT JAPANESE CHEESECAKE

A couple of my students brought this beautiful cake to my class. I was intrigued and asked them what type of cake it was. They told me it was a Japanese Cheesecake. It looked so delicate and mouth watering. I went home and tried a recipe I found online. I love cheesecake and wondered what made this one different. After baking it I discovered this is not your ordinary cheesecake. This is a very light, melt in your mouth cake. It is firm enough that you can treat it like an ordinary sponge cake, but far better than any sponge I have made. With a hint of cream cheese and lemon flavour I was sold. It is incredibly easy to make and it is perfect on it's own.
Here is the recipe I found online from Diana's Desserts.

COTTON SOFT JAPANESE CHEESECAKE

INGREDIENTS:

140g/5 oz. fine granulated sugar 6 egg whites 6 egg yolks 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar 50g/2 oz. butter 250g/9 oz. cream cheese 100 ml/3 fluid oz. fresh milk 1 tbsp. lemon juice 60g/2 oz. cake flour /superfine flour 20g/1 oz. cornflour (cornstarch) 1/4 tsp. salt METHOD:

1. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. Cool the mixture. Fold in the flour, the cornflour, egg yolks, lemon juice and mix well. 2. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form. 3. Add the cheese mixture to the egg white mixture and mix well. Pour into a 8-inch round cake pan (Lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper). 4. Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hours 10 minutes or until set and golden brown at 160 degrees C (325 degrees F). Makes 1 (8-inch) cheesecake, 12 servings.

VOLUME MEASURE OR WEIGHT?

I always encourage students to use a scale when baking. Unlike cooking, baking is a precise science. I try to convert any cup measurements of flour ,sugar, cornmeal etc to weight measurements. You have a better  baked product if you have measure ingredients correctly. Flour for instance will compact as it sits and depending on humidity and how hard you scoop it the weight can vary anywhere from 3-6 ounces. So I am going to give you  cup to weight measurements of commonly used items in baking. Although I am giving you liquid measurements in ounces and grams I tend to use cup measurements.

US

1 cup all purpose flour : 5 ounces
1 cup bread flour : 5.5 ounces
1 cup cake flour : 4.5 ounces
1 cup whole wheat flour : 5 ounces
1 cup white whole wheat flour : 5 ounces
1 cup corn meal : 4.5 ounces
1 cup corn starch : 4 ounces
1 cup couscous : 6.75 ounces
1 cup cocoa : 3.33 ounces

1 cup white granulated sugar : 7 ounces
1 cup powdered sugar : 4 ounces
1 cup light brown sugar : 7.5 ounces
1 cup dark brown sugar : 8.5 ounces
1 cup molasses : 16 ounces
1 cup corn syrup : 11.5 ounces

1 cup butter : 8 ounces
1 cup shortening : 6.75 ounces
1 cup vegetable oil : 6.75 ounces

1 large egg : 1.75 ounces
1 large egg white : 1 ounce
1 large egg yolk : 0.75 ounces

1 cup of powdered milk : 2.5 ounces

1 cup water : 8.3 ounces
1 cup milk : 8.5 ounces
1 cup buttermilk : 8.5 ounces
1 cup sour cream : 8.5 ounces
1 cup half & half : 8.5 ounces
1 cup heavy cream : 8.1 ounces

EUROPEAN

(Translate "~" to mean roughly)

* 1 ounce of anything = 28.3 grams

1 cup all purpose flour : 142 grams (~150)
1 cup bread flour : 156 grams (~160)
1 cup cake flour : 128 grams (~130)
1 cup whole wheat flour : 142 grams (~150)
1 cup corn meal : 128 grams (~130)
1 cup cocoa : 94 grams (~100)
1 cup white granulated sugar : 198 grams (~200)
1 cup powdered sugar : 114 grams (~110)
1 cup light brown sugar : 213 grams (~215)
1 cup dark brown sugar : 241 grams (~240)
1 cup molasses : 319 grams (~320)
1 cup corn syrup : 326 grams (~325)

1 cup butter : 227 grams(~230)
1 cup shortening : 191 grams (~190)
1 cup vegetable oil : 191 grams (~190)

1 large egg : 50 grams
1 large egg white : 28 grams (~30)
1 large egg yolk : 18 grams (~20)

1 cup of powdered milk : 71 grams (~70)

1 cup water : 235 grams
1 cup milk : 240 grams
1 cup buttermilk : 240 grams
1 cup sour cream : 240 grams
1 cup half & half : 240 grams
1 cup heavy cream : 230 grams

COOKIES FOR TEACHERS

This year I decided to make teacher's gifts as I am sure they don't need anymore nick knacks!! I have the most gorgeous apple copper cookie cutters. They do their job perfectly. So each cookie is iced with a fantastic royal icing which I got from a Canadian girl "Antonia 74". I know several cake decorators who use this recipe.

I also did some tulips for a little variety. The sugar cookie I used tastes fantastic and the bakes really well. I will post both these recipes for anyone wanting to try them. I hope the teachers love these as much as my kids liked the one's that didn't make the cut.

SUGAR COOKIE
This sugar cookie is easy to make, tastes great and doesn't spread during baking.

6 cups (840g/30oz) all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups (452g/16oz) unsalted butter
2 cups (400g/14oz) white granulated sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt

Directions :
1.Cream butter and sugar till pale in colour and well mixed-about 3-5 minutes.
2.Add the eggs one by one and mix well after each addition. Then add the vanilla extract.
3.In a separate medium sized bowl mix together the rest of the dry ingredients. I like to use a hand whisk and mix them well.
4.Now add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix till just incorporated. Do not over mix the dough as you don't want a tough cookie.
5.Now divide the dough into two equal portions and wrap them in plastic wrap. It is easiest to form them into flat discs, as it makes it easier to roll out later.
6.Refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours. This dough freezes well if you wanted to make it ahead. Then just let it thaw in the refrigerator before use.
7.When you are ready to bake these cookies preheat your oven to 350 C (180F)
8. Roll out your dough to the desired thickness and cut out your shapes. Re roll the dough that is left and continue.
9. Bake cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet for about 8-10 minutes. This also depends on the thickness of your cookie. I like to roll mine about 1/2 inch thick. You may need to keep them in a little longer if they are any thicker. Other indicator to tell when they are ready is when they start browning very slightly on the outside of the cookie.
10.When done take the cookies out and place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack. Let them sit for a couple of minutes then carefully transfer the cookies with a cookie lifter to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before you ice them.

HINTS:
*When rolling out the dough, roll it in between two pieces of parchment paper. This way there is no mess and you don't need to add any extra flour to stop the dough sticking.
*I like to cut out my shapes and place them on the cookie sheet and place them in the fridge till my last cookies are baked. This helps the cookies cool and there for don't spread while baking.
*Instead of icing cookies you can sprinkle some granulated sugar on them and bake them as normal.


ROYAL ICING

3/4 cup (6oz) warm water
5 tablespoons meringue powder
1 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 kg (2.25lb) powdered icing sugar

Directions:
1.Pour the warm water and meringue powder into the mixing bowl and give a 30 second whisk, till frothy and thickened.
2.Add cream of tartar and whisk for another 30 seconds.
3.Add all the powdered icing sugar and with the paddle attachment on the lowest speed mix the icing till it is thick and creamy, about 10 minutes.
4.Cover icing with plastic wrap to prevent the icing crusting and drying.
5. Tint icing with gel colours and for flooding add water to desired consistency.

HINTS:
*Make sure your mixing bowl and beaters are clean with no traces of fats. Any kind of fat will break down your icing and will not be usable.
I like to wash all my utensils in just plain white vinegar water. Add about 5 tablespoons of vinegar to about 2 litres of water.

"COACH" BAG

Hand painted Coach handbag for a 50th birthday. I baked a 11x15" cake which was cut and layered with Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Covered in fondant and painted with petal dust and vodka. The birthday girl loved the cake...phewww!