Yellow Butter Cake For Vanilla Pecan Sand Castle Food

VANILLA-PECAN SAND CASTLE

Steps:

• Mix 2 1/2 pints ice cream in an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Quickly spoon ice cream into a 5 1/2 cup (5 1/2-by-5-inch) sand-castle mold, filling completely. Smooth surface. Cover with plastic wrap. Freeze until set, at least 10 hours (or up to 3 days).
• Trim domed top from the chilled yellow butter cake to make it level. Cut cake in half horizontally. Place the bottom layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Mix remaining ice cream with the electric mixer until smooth.Working quickly, spread about 2 1/2 cups ice cream over bottom layer; top with second layer. Spread remaining ice cream over top and sides of assembled cake. Chill in freezer until set, at least 4 hours (or overnight).
• Process cookies to form fine crumbs. Mound crumbs on a serving platter, reserving 1/4 cup for garnish. Reserve 16 pecan halves for garnish; break remaining nuts into small pieces.
• Transfer assembled square cake to the platter, centering it on top of the crumbs. Dip castle mold into a bowl of lukewarm water for about 15 seconds, being careful not to let water reach the rim. Pat mold dry. Remove plastic wrap; unmold ice cream castle onto the center of cake.
• Working quickly, line edges of castle with pecan halves and pieces. Chill cake in freezer at least 1 hour (or up to 5). Just before serving, sprinkle reserved cookie crumbs over castle. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before cutting.

YELLOW CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter one 10-inch tube pan. Dust the bottom and sides of pan with flour, and tap out any excess. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar, and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until well incorporated, occasionally scraping down the sides of bowl.
• Mix together buttermilk and vanilla. Slowly add the sifted flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not overbeat.
• Pour batter into prepared tube pan, and until cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan, and cool completely on wire rack. Cake can be stored in freezer, double wrapped with aluminum foil, for up to 1 month.

RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, and dust with breadcrumbs, tapping out excess. In a small bowl, stir together raisins, flour, and zests; set aside.
• With an electric mixer, beat ricotta, sugar, and salt until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture, and beat just until smooth (do not overmix).
• Pour mixture into prepared pan; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until cake is browned and jiggles only slightly when shaken, 60 to 70 minutes. Cool completely in pan; unmold to serve. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

BASIC YELLOW CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Cut two 9-inch rounds of parchment paper to line the bottoms of two 9-inch (2 inches deep) round cake pans. Butter and line pans. Butter linings. Dust pans with flour, tapping out excess. Set aside.
• Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Return bowl to mixer; fit mixer with the paddle attachment. Add eggs, yolk, water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake, switching positions of pans and rotating halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 42 minutes. Let cool in pans on wire racks 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of cakes to loosen. Unmold; peel off parchment. Let cool completely, top sides up, on racks.
• Trim tops of cake layers with a long serrated knife to make them level. Using a small offset spatula, evenly cover top of one cake layer with 1 1/2 cups frosting; spread frosting so that it extends just beyond edges of cake.
• Place second cake layer, cut side down, on top; press gently to make it level. Frost top and sides of assembled cake with remaining frosting.

YELLOW BUTTER CAKE FOR VANILLA-PECAN SAND CASTLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square cake pan. Line bottom with parchment paper; butter parchment. Dust pan with flour, and tap out excess. Sift cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
• Add eggs, milk, and vanilla to flour mixture. Mix on low speed until almost combined. Mix in the melted butter. Raise speed to medium. Mix until smooth, about 30 seconds.
• Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Run a knife around edges to loosen. Invert, and unmold onto wire rack. Peel off parchment. Flip cake; let cool completely. If using cake for the Vanilla-Pecan Sand Castle, wrap cake in plastic, and refrigerate until cold, up to 2 days (or freeze up to 1 week).

FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Stir together dried fruit, candied ginger, peel, and 1/2 cup liqueur. Let stand at room temperature 3 hours or overnight.
• Cut parchment paper to line the bottom of a 7-by-3-inch or 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. Coat pan with cooking spray; line with parchment. Spray lining. Flour pan; tap out excess.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, spices, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle; mix on medium speed until smooth. Mix in eggs (1 at a time), molasses, and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture; mix until smooth. Mix in fruit, nuts, and coconut.
• Pour batter into pan. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 2 1/2 hours for 9-inch cake or 2 3/4 hours for 7-inch cake. If desired, brush with up to 1/2 cup liqueur. Unmold; let cool.

APPLE SPICE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; set aside.
• Working over a large sheet of parchment paper, sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; gather sifted ingredients into center of sheet; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine vegetable oil, sugar, and eggs; mix on high speed until lemon yellow.
• Fold reserved parchment in half lengthwise; with mixer on medium speed, gradually shake in dry ingredients until just incorporated.
• Add apples and, if desired, nuts, to batter; mix to combine. Add vanilla, mixing until incorporated.
• Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 75 to 90 minutes.
• Remove from oven, and cool slightly on a wire rack.
• Invert cake onto rack; turn cake right-side up to cool completely on rack, and serve drizzled with caramel sauce.

ITALIAN RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set rack in the middle of the oven.
• Butter and flour a 9-by-2-inch springform pan and tap out excess flour. Place on a rimmed baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, sift sugar and flour.
• In a large bowl, combine ricotta and zest and whisk until smooth. Add sugar and flour mixture and gently mix to combine.
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, and whisk to combine. Add the vanilla and salt.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for about 55 to 60 minutes, until a light golden color. Make sure the center is fairly firm and the point of a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator until chilled, at least 2 hours.