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!
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!
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.
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 (65 -70 degrees F)http://www.joyofbaking.com/Butter.html
- 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 or lemon extracthttp://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,186,138160-234205,00.html
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.http://healthy.hillbillyhousewife.com/3eggyellowcake.htm
- 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
References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
Make sure your butter is at room temperature before creaming. You should be able to press your finger into it easily
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Fact:
You can use a non-stick spray that incorporates flour, such as Baker's Joy, rather than manually greasing and flouring each pan
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Fact:
If your cake layers come out uneven, check to make sure your oven is level
