Golden Sheet Cakes Food

GOLDEN SHEET CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 9-by-13-inch baking pans. Line with parchment, leaving an overhang on long sides. Butter parchment. Flour pans, tapping out excess.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla, then beat in eggs, 1 at a time.
• Beat flour mixture into butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Scrape bottom of bowl, and mix until smooth. Divide batter between pans.
• Bake, rotating halfway through, until tops of cakes spring back when pressed and a toothpick comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely, then lift cakes from pans using parchment. Remove parchment. Cakes can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature 1 day or refrigerated 2 days.

GOLDEN CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 15 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, beat together egg yolks and egg white. Beat the egg mixture into the butter and sugar.
• In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Stir flour into egg mixture alternately with milk. Stir in almond and vanilla extracts. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean.

VANILLA SHEET CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE-GANACHE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9‐by‐13‐inch baking pan. Beat butter with sugar, baking powder, and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and yolks, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition and scraping down sides as needed. Beat in both vanillas, then flour in three additions, alternating with milk and beginning and ending with flour. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with an offset spatula.
• Bake until a tester inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cool completely.
• Buttercream: Place chocolate in a heatproof mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream and corn syrup to a boil. Pour mixture over chocolate; let stand 2 minutes, then stir until smooth. Let cool 30 minutes.
• Beat, gradually adding butter, until all has been added and buttercream is silky and smooth. Continue beating, scraping down bowl as needed, until light and fluffy, about 1 minute more. Makes about 3 cups. Use immediately.
• Assembly: Spread buttercream evenly over cake. (Leftovers can be refrigerated, wrapped in plastic, up to 3 days.)

GOLDEN BEET CAKE WITH THE BEST CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Cake
• Place rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Butter two 8"-diameter cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper rounds and butter parchment. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Transfer one third of almonds (½ cup) to a small bowl; set aside. Sprinkle coriander, cardamom, and fennel over remaining almonds on hot baking sheet and toss until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to another small bowl; set aside.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to combine. Beat eggs, oil, sugar, and 2 Tbsp. cherry juice in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed until combined, about 2 minutes (a whisk and a large bowl also work). Reduce speed to low and add half of dry ingredients; beat until mostly combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and beat until just a few steaks of flour remain. Using a rubber spatula, fold in cherries, beets, and reserved spiced almonds until evenly distributed and any remaining flour streaks are incorporated. Divide batter between prepared pans and smooth surface.
• Bake cakes until tops spring back when lightly pressed and a tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 40-45 minutes (cake will be well browned). Transfer pans to a wire rack and brush or drizzle 2 Tbsp. cherry juice over each cake. Let cakes cool 20 minutes in pans. Run a knife or small offset spatula around edges of cakes and invert onto rack. Peel away and discard parchment paper rounds. Turn cakes right side up and let cool completely. Do ahead: Cakes can be baked 2 days ahead. Wrap tightly and chill, or freeze up to 3 months.
• Frosting and assembly
• Whisk sugar, flour, and salt in a medium saucepan to combine. Whisking constantly, pour in milk gradually to avoid lumps. Set over medium-high heat and cook, whisking often and scraping corners of pan, until mixture begins to thicken, about 4 minutes (slow bubbles will begin to form as the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan). Reduce heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute to cook off any floury taste. You should have a thick, glossy paste resembling rubber cement. Remove from heat and let cool, about 1½ hours. (If you're worried about floury lumps, pour hot mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl, pushing through with a heatproof rubber spatula.)
• Transfer sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. With motor running, beat in vanilla extract and almond extract (if using) on medium speed, then add butter, a piece at a time, beating until combined after each addition before adding more; repeat process with cream cheese. Turn off mixer, scrape down sides of bowl, then beat frosting until fluffy and lump-free, about 4 minutes. (Cover and chill until cold if you'd like the frosting firm enough to pipe decorations onto the finished cake.)
• Place a cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Top with 1½ cups frosting and spread to edges in an even layer. Place second cake, bottom side up, on top. Scoop 1 cup frosting on top of second layer and spread over top and sides until entire cake is covered in a thin layer (if bits of cake are still showing through, that's fine; this is only your crumb coat). Chill, uncovered, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day to firm up.
• Briefly beat remaining frosting to lighten, then scoop onto cake. Spread in an even layer across top and down sides of cake. Use an offset spatula or bench scraper to smooth sides and top. Sprinkle reserved toasted almonds in a cluster in the center of the cake. Do ahead: Sugar mixture can be made 3 days ahead; press plastic wrap or wax paper directly onto surface and chill. Let sit at room temperature 20 minutes before using. Frosting can be made 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Beat to lighten before using, about 4 minutes.

GOLDEN GRAND MARNIER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a small bowl, toss the chocolate chips and a few spoons of Grand Marnier until chips are moistened and shiny. Add the 1 ½ teaspoon flour and toss until evenly coated.
• In a medium bowl, lightly combine the eggs, ¼ cup sour cream, and vanilla.
• In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and orange zest and mix on low speed a moment to blend. Add the butter and remaining ¾ cup sour cream. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium high speed for 1 ½ minutes to aerate and develop structure. Scrape down sides. Gradually add egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients. Scrape down the sides, and fold in the chocolate chips.
• Scrape the batter into a well buttered bundt pan. Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until the cake tests done with a toothpick.
• Shortly before the cake is done, prepare the syrup: Heat the sugar, orange juice, and Grand Marnier until the sugar is dissolved. DO NOT BOIL. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, place the pan on a rack, poke the top all over with a wire tester, and brush on ½ the syrup. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Brush with the remaining syrup and cool completely before wrapping airtight.
• This cake can be made several days ahead and refrigerated, wrapped well. I like to glaze it with a Chocolate Cream Ganache before serving.