Over the past several months I have noticed on the PBS cooking shows, Cooks Illustrated and Cooks Country they have been baking cakes using the reverse creaming method. This method basically is mixing the dry ingredients together in a bowl first, then adding the softened butter or shortening and mixing it into the dry ingredients much like you would do if making a pie crust only you mix it in more thoroughly, until it resembles wet sand. Next mix the eggs and liquid ingredients together and add at once to the dry mixture, mix on low for 30 secs. then switch speed to med. and continue mixing for 2 mins., much like you would do with a cake mix. Bake just as you normally would. I have made my last 5 cakes this way and they really come out much better than using the traditional creaming method. It's really easy, almost as easy as a cake mix. I haven't even bothered to drag down the big Kitchen Aid stand mixer, I just us my Kitchen Aid hand mixer. Here is the basic yellow cake recipe I devised, I have adapted it to make Chocolate, Burnt Sugar and Spice Cake as well.
2/3 cup butter, not unsalted, softened
2 cups AP flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temp.(this really makes a difference)
1 cup whole milk, room temp
1 tsp. vanilla
I bake this batter in 2 - 8" cake pans ( I have WIlton pans, they are a littlle deeper). I spray the pans with cooking spray, line the bottoms with wax paper and spray again, Bake at 350 F for approx. 30-33 mins.
Cool in pans on a rack for 10 mins. then turn out of pans and cool thoroughly before frosting.
For enough batter to make 2 - 9" layers or 3 - 8" layers just increase butter to 1 cup, flour to 3 cups, sugar to 2 cups, baking powder to 4 tsp., salt to 3/4/ tsp., 4 eggs instead of 3, milk tp 1 1/3 cups, and vanilla to 1 1/2 tsp.
I always make my own butter cream frosting using the basic recipe on the powdwered sugar bag, I don't measure, but I do increase the amounts to 1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar and butter to 3/4 cup and I use 1/2&1/2 instead of milk, I eyeball the amount of liquid until its the right consitancy. Of course I also add vanilla or another flavoring. This gives a generous amount of frosting. For chocolate frosting add approx. 1/3 cup cocoa ( or more to taste )
I have attached some picures below.
Eddie[this post was last edited: 8/25/2016-00:02]
2/3 cup butter, not unsalted, softened
2 cups AP flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temp.(this really makes a difference)
1 cup whole milk, room temp
1 tsp. vanilla
I bake this batter in 2 - 8" cake pans ( I have WIlton pans, they are a littlle deeper). I spray the pans with cooking spray, line the bottoms with wax paper and spray again, Bake at 350 F for approx. 30-33 mins.
Cool in pans on a rack for 10 mins. then turn out of pans and cool thoroughly before frosting.
For enough batter to make 2 - 9" layers or 3 - 8" layers just increase butter to 1 cup, flour to 3 cups, sugar to 2 cups, baking powder to 4 tsp., salt to 3/4/ tsp., 4 eggs instead of 3, milk tp 1 1/3 cups, and vanilla to 1 1/2 tsp.
I always make my own butter cream frosting using the basic recipe on the powdwered sugar bag, I don't measure, but I do increase the amounts to 1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar and butter to 3/4 cup and I use 1/2&1/2 instead of milk, I eyeball the amount of liquid until its the right consitancy. Of course I also add vanilla or another flavoring. This gives a generous amount of frosting. For chocolate frosting add approx. 1/3 cup cocoa ( or more to taste )
I have attached some picures below.
Eddie[this post was last edited: 8/25/2016-00:02]
