Layer Cake Recipes

Steps:

• For the cake layers
• 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, stir together the butter and sugar until well combined.
• 2. Add the egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
• 3. In a separate bowl, stir together the baking powder, salt, and flour.
• 4. Sift the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and stir.
• 5. Gradually add the milk and stir until the batter is smooth.
• 6. Grease and flour two 9-inch baking pans, pour the batter in, and bake until a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove
• For vanilla buttercream icing
• Beat the butter on high until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and milk and beat while gradually adding the sugar. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before frosting the cake.
• For colored flower frosting
• Beat the butter on high until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and milk and beat while gradually adding the sugar. Beat again. Divide the mixture among four bowls and stir a couple of drops of food coloring into each. Cut the tips off disposable plastic pastry bags and insert metal flower tips. Fill each bag of the way with colored frosting, then cinch the open ends with rubber bands. To decorate as pictured above, squeeze rosettes onto a 9-inch parchment round and let the frosting set for a few minutes. Using a thin metal spatula, transfer the flowers from the parchment to the frosted cake.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment. Tip all the sponge ingredients, apart from the food colouring, into a mixing bowl, then beat with an electric whisk until smooth.
• Working quickly, weigh the mixture into another bowl to work out the total weight, then weigh exactly half the mixture back into the mixing bowl. Pick two of your colours and stir a little into each mix. Keep going until you are happy with the colour - the colour of the batter now will be very similar to the finished cake, so be brave! Scrape the different batters into the tins, trying to spread and smooth as much as possible - but try not to waste a drop of the batter - a rubber spatula will help you. Bake on the same oven shelf for 15-20 mins until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Don't worry if that sponges are thin, there are many layers.
• Gently turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool. Wash the tins and bowls thoroughly, and start again from step 1 - this time using another two colours. Unless you're making the optional pink layer, repeat one more time to get 6 sponges, all of different colours. Leave them all to cool.
• To make the icing, very briefly beat the vanilla and soft cheese or mascarpone with an electric whisk until smooth. Sift in the icing sugar and gently fold in with a spatula. Be careful - the more you work it, the runnier it will get, increasing the chance of splitting.
• Smear a little icing on your cake stand or plate - just a splodge to stick the first sponge. Start with the red, then spread with some icing right to the very edge. Repeat, sandwiching on top the orange, yellow, green, blue and finally purple sponges. Spread the remaining icing thickly all over the sides and top of the cake. For more expert advice on how to create the perfect rainbow cake, check out our tips, below.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment. Tip all the sponge ingredients, apart from the food colouring, into a mixing bowl, then beat with an electric whisk until smooth.
• Working quickly, weigh the mixture into another bowl to work out the total weight, then weigh exactly half the mixture back into the mixing bowl. Pick two of your colours and stir a little into each mix. Keep going until you are happy with the colour - the colour of the batter now will be very similar to the finished cake, so be brave! Scrape the different batters into the tins, trying to spread and smooth as much as possible - but try not to waste a drop of the batter - a rubber spatula will help you. Bake on the same oven shelf for 15-20 mins until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Don't worry if that sponges are thin, there are many layers.
• Gently turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool. Wash the tins and bowls thoroughly, and start again from step 1 - this time using another two colours. Unless you're making the optional pink layer, repeat one more time to get 6 sponges, all of different colours. Leave them all to cool.
• To make the icing, very briefly beat the vanilla and soft cheese or mascarpone with an electric whisk until smooth. Sift in the icing sugar and gently fold in with a spatula. Be careful - the more you work it, the runnier it will get, increasing the chance of splitting.
• Smear a little icing on your cake stand or plate - just a splodge to stick the first sponge. Start with the red, then spread with some icing right to the very edge. Repeat, sandwiching on top the orange, yellow, green, blue and finally purple sponges. Spread the remaining icing thickly all over the sides and top of the cake. For more expert advice on how to create the perfect rainbow cake, check out our tips, below.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Butter 2 (9-inch) cake pans with 1 tablespoon of butter. Line with parchment paper and butter the paper with 1 tablespoon of butter. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, with a mixer, cream the remaining 1 1/2 sticks of butter with the sugar. Add the yolks 1 at a time, beating well after the addition of each.
• Into a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Alternating with the milk, add to the egg mixture, beating.
• In a bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold with the vanilla into the batter. Pour into the prepared cake pans and bake until golden and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Turn out the cakes, remove the paper, and let cool completely.
• To ice the cake: Place 1 cake layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread the icing on top of the layer, spreading out to the edge of the cake. Top with the second cake layer. Ice the top and sides of the cake with the icing. Decorate with toasted, sliced almonds.
• Cream the shortening and butter together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the lemon juice and salt. Gradually add the sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add the meringue powder - the mixture will appear dry. Add the milk and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 to 8 minutes. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth or plastic wrap.
• Recipe courtesy Toba Garrett

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Butter and flour the sides of two 9-inch round cake pans.
• Line each pan bottom with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit pan.
• Into a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt together 3 times, and set aside.
• Using a mixer with the whisk attachment on medium speed, beat the butter until its light and fluffy (about 3 to 5 minutes).
• Add sugar and beat until blended.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg.
• Beat in the vanilla extract.
• On low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk (starting and ending with the flour), scraping the bowl as needed.
• Beat just until blended.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans, bake for 25 to 30 minutes (or until firm to the touch and golden).
• Remove from the oven, place pans on cooling racks and let cakes cool in the pans.
• Remove cooled layers from pans, remove parchment from bottoms and frost as desired.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round pans; cover bottoms with parchment. Prepare cake batter from 1 pkg. cake mix as directed on package. Pour half into separate bowl. Add dry raspberry gelatin mix to batter in one bowl; mix well. Stir dry orange gelatin mix into remaining batter. Pour into prepared pans.
• Bake 28 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans 15 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.
• Repeat with remaining cake mix and dry gelatin mixes, washing cake pans between uses.
• Mix sour cream and sugar in large bowl until blended; gently stir in COOL WHIP. Stack cake layers on plate, spreading 1/3 cup COOL WHIP mixture onto each cake before covering with next layer. Frost top and side of cake with remaining COOL WHIP mixture. Refrigerate 2 hours.