Ina Gartens White Cake Food

CLASSIC WHITE CAKE

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.

BIRTHDAY SHEET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
• To make the cake, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then the sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until smooth. Finish mixing by hand to be sure the batter is well mixed. Pour evenly into the pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan to room temperature.
• For the frosting, place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chips are completely melted. Off the heat, add the corn syrup and vanilla and allow the chocolate mixture to cool to room temperature. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the chocolate mixture and softened butter on medium speed for a few minutes, until it's thickened.
• Spread the frosting evenly on the cake. Have the children decorate the cake with chocolate candies.

PLAIN POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Cream the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, beat in the eggs, 1 at a time.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
• When the cakes are done, let them cool for 10 minutes. Take them out of the pans, place them on a baking rack and allow them to cool completely. Wrap well, and store in the refrigerator.

WHITE CAKE

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.

COCONUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans, then line them parchment paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with flour.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.
• Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.
• For the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract on low speed. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until just smooth (don't whip!).
• To assemble, place 1 layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, and spread with frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Serve at room temperature.

STRAWBERRY COUNTRY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter the bottom of two 8-inch cake pans. Then line them with parchment paper and butter and flour the lined pans.
• Cream the butter and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, then the sour cream, zests, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine just until smooth.
• Pour the batter evenly into the pans, smooth the tops, and bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then remove to wire racks and let cool to room temperature. If using 1 cake, wrap the second well and freeze.
• To make the filling for one cake, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until firm. Slice one of the cakes in half with a long, sharp knife. Place the bottom slice of the cake on a serving platter, spread with 1/2 the whipped cream and scatter with sliced strawberries. Cover with the top slice of the cake and spread with the remaining cream. Decorate with strawberries.

FLAG CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter and flour an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
• Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.
• Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
• For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.
• Spread three-fourths of the icing on the top of the cooled sheet cake. Outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like a red stripe. Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and icing until the flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.
• I serve this cake right in the pan. If you want to turn it out onto a board before frosting, use parchment paper when you grease and flour the pan.

TRADITIONAL INA GARTEN BIRTHDAY CAKE WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• The first thing we need to do is to preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare the pans we are going to use. We need either 2 9 inch cake pans or, if you wanted the more traditional look, 1 9 inch pan, 1 6 inch pan and 1 3 inch pan. This way, the cake will taper towards the top, looking like a small castle.
• To prepare them, butter and flour them so that it is easier to take the cake out once they are done. You could also line them with parchment paper if you prefer.
• Now to make the cake. Grab the room temperature butter and place it in a large mixing bowl with the sugar. With the help of a stand or hand mixer, cream it until fluffy on high speed with a paddle attachment. This will take approximately 5 minutes.
• Reduce the speed to medium and proceed to add the eggs in batches. We recommend no more than 2 at a time. Then mix thoroughly.
• Add in the sour cream, the vanilla extract, and the lemon zest.
• Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda together to avoid any lumps and have an even mix.
• Add in the dry ingredients slowly, making sure there is no powder splash. Continue to mix after you have incorporated all of it. You will know it is done once you scrape the sides and can tell there are no butter or flour pockets in it.
• Once your batter is ready, you will need to divide it proportionately into the cake pans. If you have a scale, this will be much easier, but one way to get the measurements right with weighting is the following.
• You can, first, divide the batter into two equal parts. One of these you will need to pour into the 9-inch cake mold. Remember they need to be buttered and floured or have some sort of parchment paper lining.
• You will be left with half the batter. You must then divide this into 3 equal parts. Use one of these for the 3-inch cake pan and the other 2 for the 6-inch cake pan. See? Very easy!
• Smoothe the tops of the batter with a spatula before baking. This will help so that there is not so much of a round top to be cut off the cakes before stacking them.
• As you could have imagined, they will need different baking times as the pans are different sizes. The 9-inch will take approximately 45 minutes to be done. The 6-inch, 35 to 40 and the 3-inch 30 minutes.
• Always check them a little bit before they are due and only take them out once a stick or knife comes out clean from the center.
• Cool the pans to room temperature before unmolding them and then let them rest top sides down on a cooling rack until they are completely cool. You could even, if you have enough space, place them in the fridge. This will make it easier to frost them, cut them and stack them.
• Now let's move on to the frosting. Go back to your electric or hand mixer and cream the butter for a few minutes.
• Once it is light and fluffy in texture, sift in the powdered sugar slowly while still mixing on low. Also, add the vanilla extract.
• Check the consistency. If it is too stiff, add in milk slowly to adjust it and make it just right. This depends on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen, so the quantities are just estimates.
• Set aside a quarter of the frosting and add food coloring as you desire. For a traditional look, we recommend you further divide this into 3 and use a bit of yellow, blue and red to make pastel colors.
• Once everything is done and the cakes are cool, check to see if their tops are level. If they are not, you will need to adjust them with a serrated knife before stacking them.
• Cut them into halves and place buttercream between them. Then stack them all together. You can chill the cake for a few hours at this point.
• Crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting before proceeding to actually frost it. This will help the buttercream stay smooth and look amazing. Then pipe in some decorations as you see fit.

BLACK AND WHITE ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar with the flour and sift them together 4 times. Set aside.
• Place the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until the eggs form medium-firm peaks, about 1 minute. With the mixer on medium speed, add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar by sprinkling it over the beaten egg whites. Beat on high speed for a few minutes until thick and shiny. Add the vanilla and continue to whisk until very thick, about 1 more minute. Scrape the beaten egg whites into a large bowl. Sift 1/4 of the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold it very carefully into the batter with a rubber spatula. Continue adding the flour in 3 equal additions, sifting and folding until it's all incorporated. Fold in the grated chocolate.
• Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, smooth the top, and bake it for 35 to 45 minutes, until it springs back to the touch. Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan on a cooling rack. When cool, run a thin, flexible knife around the cake to remove it from the pan.
• For the chocolate glaze, place the chocolate chips and the heavy cream in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate melts. Pour the chocolate over the top of the cooled cake to cover the top completely and allow it to drizzle down the sides. If you have chocolate glaze left over, you can serve it on the side with the cake.