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If you never learned how to bake a cake without a mix, you may think that cake recipes are complicated. Assembling a basic yellow cake from butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, milk, and vanilla takes less time than running to the store to buy a mix. You'll also be sure there are no artificial ingredients or preservatives in a cake you make from scratch. Read on to learn how to make a cake!
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How to Make a Cake Tips
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature before creaming. You should be able to press your finger into it easily.
- You can use a non-stick spray that incorporates flour, such as Baker's Joy, rather than manually greasing and flouring each pan.
- If your cake layers come out uneven - check to make sure your oven is level.
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Cook from Scratch with Registered Nutritionist Linda Miner
This video features a registered nutritionist discussing the ingredients found in packaged cake mixes. She reads the label of a commercial mix, reading the ingredient list emphasizing the additives and unhealthy ingredients that most mixes include. She then demonstrates how simple and easy it is to make a cake from scratch.
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Introduction
It's fairly easy to grab a layer cake mix at the supermarket, and with just four ingredients—the mix, water, oil and eggs—make a cake. It's not that much more difficult to make a great tasting layer cake from scratch. This basic yellow cake recipe includes only eight ingredients—most of which you probably have in your kitchen already! -
Step 1: Ingredients Needed to Make a Cake
- To make two 9 inch cake layers, you'll need
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (cake flour is ok--but do not use self-rising cake flour)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Step 2: How to Make a Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, making sure the center rack is in the center of the oven, not raised or lowered.
- Grease and flour the cake pans.
- Combine flour, baking powder, and salt
- Beat the egg whites until stiff.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg yolks and vanilla to the butter and sugar, mixing well.
- Add one fourth of the flour mixture, followed by 1/3 cup of milk, mixing well after each addition. Continue adding flour and milk, ending with flour.
- Fold in the egg whites.
- Pour half of the cake batter into each prepared pan.
- Tap pan lightly on the edge of the counter to release any trapped air bubbles.
- Place in oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until cake is pulling away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing.
- Cool cakes on wire racks completely before frosting.
Step 3: How to Make a Cake Variations
- To make a chocolate cake, add 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa to the flour mixture.
- To make a citrus cake, add 2 tablespoons finely grated orange rind and 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind when you add the eggs and vanilla.
- To make a spice cake, use light brown sugar instead of granulated sugar, and add 1 teaspoon each cinnamon, ginger and cocoa, 3/4 teaspoon ground pepper and 1/8 teaspoon each allspice, cloves and nutmeg to the flour mixture