1–2–3–4 Cake
Adapted from Paula Deen
A delicious, easy, all-purpose yellow cake that stays nice and moist.
Cake Batter Ingredients:
1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 cups self-rising flour*, sifted
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp butter flavoring (optional)
*An easy substitute for self-rising flour is to add 1-1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt for EACH cup of flour. That’s what I did.
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans. Here’s how! On parchment paper, trace around the bottom of each pan and trim just inside the line. Spray pan with cooking spray, then line with trimmed parchment. Spray again, making sure to coat entire pan. You can smooth it out with a pastry brush if you want. Then sprinkle with flour, tapping the edge of the pan with the heel of one hand as you rotate the pan with the other. This ensures that the flour is evenly distributed over the entire surface. Don’t skip this step. You’ll be sorry – trust me!
Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. This will take a few minutes. Scrape the bowl and continue mixing.
Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes, scraping down the bowl a couple of times to make sure it’s all getting mixed in and fluffy.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape.
Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and butter flavoring and continue to beat until just mixed.
Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4 inches above counter, then dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks lined with plastic wrap. Wrap tightly and put in the freezer for at least 1 hour prior to decorating.
Buttercream Frosting
1 cup sugar
6 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 tsp vanilla extract (you could use any flavoring you want)
Directions:
Measure sugar and flour into a medium sauce pan. Whisk together to incorporate the flour into the sugar. This makes it easier to dissolve. Add milk to pan and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. It will seem like nothing is going to happen, when all of the sudden, it thickens up. Cook for just a few minutes after it begins to set up. Keep stirring; you don’t want it to burn-and it will.
Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Once cooled, combine with butter in large mixing bowl or stand mixer and whip like crazy (use whisk attachment). Beat for at LEAST 5 minutes (closer to 10) until the mixture is light and fluffy. (The original instructions I got from the woman that gave this to me said, “beat the hell out of it.”)
Use immediately. It can be kept in the fridge, but it hardens considerably and will need to warm up a bit before being spreadable.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: www.tastingtable.com
Recipe adapted from Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes, by David Lebovitz (Ten Speed Press) Yield: about 4 dozen cookies
INGREDIENTS
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups nuts (such as walnuts, pecans, almonds or macadamia nuts), toasted and coarsely chopped
14 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into roughly 1/2- inch chunks
DIRECTIONS
Combine flour, soda and salt it small bowl.
In large mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine butter and both sugars. beat until smooth-does NOT need to be light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time scraping sides of bowl as needed, then add in vanilla.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat on low JUST until incorporated. Add nuts and chocolate, blend on low until just mixed in or mix them in by hand with spoon.
Scrape dough out onto the counter that’s been dusted with flour. Divide in 4 pieces and shape into logs. Wrap tightly in wax paper, then in plastic wrap. Place in fridge and chill overnight or at least a few hours. You can also put the logs in a freezer bag and have dough on hand when the urge strikes. They’ll keep at least a month tightly wrapped.
The next day (or two or three – it’s SO handy to have this dough made ahead!), preheat the oven to 350°F, unwrap dough logs and slice in 1/4” slices, keeping them as close to the same size as possoble so they bake up evenly. Place on parchment lined baking sheets a couple of inches apart.
Bake about 10 minutes, checking half way to see if the pans need to be turned to bake evenly. Cookies should be lightly browned and centers just set.
Let cool on pans about 5 minutes then transfer to cooling racks.
Cookie Dough Filling (to make ‘dough’ balls)
Source: fakeginger.com
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
7 ounce sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up. Can make ahead and keep in fridge a few days before use.
Source is http://www.somethingshinyblog.com/2011/10/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-cake.html?m=1
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