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| Photo by Anna Spiro/Absolutely Beautiful Things |
I equate summer with birthdays, holidays and fun. Perhaps that's why despite the heat, I adore summer so! In my family, we make a lot of cakes over the summer months, more than at other times of the year. Is there anything better than a simple flavored, but moist vanilla cake? You don't have to use the food coloring for the layers, but trust me, guests love it! You will hear squeals from “kids” of all ages if you make the extra effort. Go here for the original recipe. Here are the ingredients I use:
Vanilla Cake in Color:
Ingredients:
3 cups flour [I use 2 cups all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat], plus ¼ cup
more if needed to get a just right (not too stiff, or runny) batter. Eyeball it.
more if needed to get a just right (not too stiff, or runny) batter. Eyeball it.
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups milk
5 eggs
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter
4 teaspoons vanilla [I like to taste the vanilla. Get the good stuff from Mexico or Madagascar.]
gel food coloring, assorted: blue, red, purple, orange, etc. [Liquid food coloring is too weak.]
Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, add one ingredient at a time (except for the food coloring), and beat with a mixer until smooth.
2. Divide the batter, evenly, into 4 or 5 (your choice) separate bowls, and add a different food coloring to each bowl.
3. Pour into separate, well-greased cake pans. Bake each at 350 degrees F for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
4. Take out of the oven. While warm (not hot, it will fall apart; not cold, it will stick to the pan), remove the cakes from their pans and let cool.
5. Stack the cakes (bottoms up, i.e. the flat sides up) and frost in between each layer.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
Indredients:
3 cups confectionary sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted (½ stick)
½ cup milk, more or less. Add a little at a time.
3 teaspoons vanilla
Directions:
Throw the ingrediants into a bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth. Add as much confectionary sugar as needed to get a stiff, creamy icing. Frost the top, sides and each layer of the cake. Tip: Professional bakers usually frost a cake once, refrigerate it, then frost it again before they decorate it.
Serve at your next party and enjoy!
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