Basic White Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
• In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper; butter paper, and dust with flour, tapping out any excess. Set aside.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl, and set aside. Combine milk and vanilla in another bowl, and set aside. Beat butter in the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment until pale and creamy. Add sugar in a steady stream, and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the milk mixture and starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Be careful to avoid overbeating. Set aside.
• In a clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold a third of the whites into batter until combined. Fold in remaining whites in 2 batches.
• Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with a metal spatula. Bake until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to wire rack; cool 15 minutes before unmolding. Butter wire rack. Loosen cake sides with a paring knife, and invert cake onto greased rack. Reinvert to prevent it from splitting. Cool completely before using or storing in the freezer.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
• In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch-round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper; butter the parchment and dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess.
• Whisk 3 cups flour, the baking powder and salt in a bowl until combined. Beat 2 sticks butter and the sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium; beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. (The mixture may look separated at this point.) Beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with flour, until just smooth.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are lightly golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. Remove the parchment. Trim the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife to make them level, if desired.

Steps:

• Measure sifted cake flour, baking powder, and salt; sift together three times.
• In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add 1/2 cup sugar gradually, and continue beating only until meringue will hold up in soft peaks.
• Beat butter until smooth. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar, and cream together until light and fluffy. Add sifted ingredients alternately with milk a small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Mix in flavorings. Add meringue, and mix thoroughly into batter. Spread batter in a 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan which has been lined on the bottom with parchment paper.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. This cake may also be baked in two 9 inch round pans for 30 to 35 minutes, or in three 8 inch round pans for 25 to 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9-inch pan.
• Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in vanilla extract with last egg. Combine flour and baking powder, and add to butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven until cake springs back to the touch, 30 to 40.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Generously grease and flour a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
• Place cake mix, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla in mixing bowl.
• Blend with mixer on low speed for 1 minute.
• Stop machine, scrape down sides of bowl.
• Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more.
• Scrape down sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined and thickened.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Place pan in oven.
• Bake the cake until it is light brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 35-40 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven and place on wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.
• Run a dinner knife around edge of cake and invert it onto wire rack.
• Allow cake to cool completely, 30 minutes.
• Frost as desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease two 9-inch x 1 1/2 inch cake plans line bottoms with parchment paper grease bottom and flour entire pan.
• Prepare magic cake strips if using.
• In a medium bowl lightly combine the egg whites, 1/4 cup milk, and vanilla, beat lightly with a fork to combine In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend.
• Add the butter and remaining 3/4 cup milk.
• Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.
• Beat for 90 seconds at medium speed to develop cake structure.
• Stop mixer, scrape down the sides.
• Gradually add the egg/milk/vanilla mixture in 3 batches, beating 20 seconds after each addition.
• Stop mixer, scrape down the sides and give it a final mix by hand.
• Pour the batter in the prepared pans and smooth surface.
• (Pans will be half full.) Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in center.
• (The cakes should start to shrink from the sides of pans after taking them out of the oven.) Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a buttered rack.
• Reinvert cakes so that tops are right side up.
• Cool to room temperature and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and butter the parchment. Flour the pans and tap out the excess.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, 1 cup sugar and the vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until pale and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce the speed to low; beat in the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until smooth and glossy, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until foamy. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/3 cup sugar until stiff glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes. Fold half the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the rest. Divide the batter between the pans.
• Bake the cakes until lightly browned, beginning to pull from the sides and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 15 minutes in the pans. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out the cakes onto the rack; remove the parchment and let cool completely.

Steps:

• The fine moist crumb of this cake complements any type of filling and frosting -- the perfect celebratory cake.
• Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Combine egg whites, milk and vanilla extract. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to butter mixture then add half the milk mixture. Continue to alternate beginning and ending with flour mixture. Scrape bowl and beater often. Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and smooth top with a metal spatula. Bake cake(s) about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean. Cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack, remove paper and let cool completely.
• Variation:
• CLASSIC YELLOW CAKE Substitute 3 large eggs and 1 egg yolk for all of the egg whites above.
• 2 (9-inch) diameter by 1 1/2-inch deep layer pans or 1 (13 by 9 by 2-inch) pan, buttered and bottoms lined with parchment or waxed paper.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350F degrees.
• Grease and flour 9x13 pan.
• Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl.
• Beat in shortening.
• Add milk and vanilla.
• Beat for 2 minutes.
• Beat in egg whites, beat until very smooth.
• Bake for 35 minutes, or until done.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease two 12-inch x 1 1/2 (or 2) inch cake plans line bottoms with parchment paper grease bottom and flour entire pan.
• Prepare magic cake strips if using.
• In a medium bowl lightly combine the egg whites, 1/4 of the milk, and vanilla, beat lightly with a fork to combine In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend.
• Add the butter and remaining milk.
• Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.
• Beat for 90 seconds at medium speed to develop cake structure.
• Stop mixer, scrape down the sides.
• Gradually add the egg/milk/vanilla mixture in 3 batches, beating 20 seconds after each addition.
• Stop mixer, scrape down the sides and give it a final mix by hand.
• Pour the batter in the prepared pans and smooth surface.
• Bake 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in center.
• (The cakes should start to shrink from the sides of pans after taking them out of the oven.) Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a buttered rack.
• Reinvert cakes so that tops are right side up.
• Cool to room temperature and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition., Spread evenly into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Spread frosting between layers and over the top and sides of cake.