Recipe Mondays
Our youngest little girl is going to be turning two this February, so I’ve started thinking about her birthday. Another reader recently asked me for the white cake recipe I use too. So, here it is. I’ve tried tens of white cake recipes over the years. And, this is the one I will pass down to my children. Though, it is not mine. Sometime, when I have time, I would like to make a few changes, and I will share that one too.
When I am not inclined to bake a cake from scratch, at times I am not, then I buy a box, and make my own buttercream frosting. But! I often find that going to the grocery store to buy a cake box takes more time than just making it in the morning while the kids are eating their breakfast. A final note, there is no perfect white cake recipe, that doesn’t use only egg whites, and cake flour. You just can’t get around these two buggers with white cake. I’ve tried everything.
With love, from Dina
White Cake Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated Magazine
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 3/4 cup white sugar
6 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups cake flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350.
Using a stand-alone, or hand-mixer, beat sugar and butter, on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Combine rest of wet ingredients together, and set aside. And, combine rest of dry ingredients, and set aside. Butter and flour your cake pans, I used 2 9-inch rounds. Add a little bit of the wet ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture while continuing to beat on medium. Now, a little of the flour/dry mixture. Continue alternating, until done. Divide among your cake pans. And, bake until a toothpick comes out clean. 2 9-inch rounds take 23-25 minutes.
My Buttercream Frosting Recipe
This is actually an Italian Merigue buttercream. But, it is the only recipe I use to frost and decorate birthday cakes. It is the PERFECT eating (tasting) recipe & the PERFECT decorating recipe. Two birds with one stone. I actually have this recipe on All Recipes, for those of you that would like to read the good reviews first. It will give you plenty extra to color and decorate. If I have extra, I squeeze it into a ziplock bag, and stick it into the freezer, where it will keep for months. And, when I get a “Mommy, can you make me some icing for my cupcake?” I just pull it out of the freezer, and I’m done!
6 egg whites
2 cups white sugar
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (if a little cold in center, that’s fine)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, optional
If buttercream looks like it is breaking down, continue beating and it will come back together. If it will not thicken after you are done beating, this means the mixture was still too warm when you started adding the butter. Stick it in the fridge for 1/2 hour to an hour. And, do it again. It will come together.
Above, after beating egg whites and sugar – make sure it’s cool before adding butter!
Above, what it looks like when it is done!
