To take it from plain to party-ready, simply top slices with a ricotta-mascarpone cream, sliced almonds and an ample amount of fresh berries. Depending on the time of year, feel free to swap the berries for whatever produce is in season.

How long should I cool a cake before frosting?

These include several specialized sprinkles and even methods to print pictures and transfer the image onto a cake. These light and airy cakes make for limitless variations. Foam cakes typically contain no fat or leavening, aside from the fat provided by eggs.

Topped with a flavorful brown butter maple glaze, you’ll welcome a slice any time of day. For example, if you baked 2 round cakes, instead of having 2 thick layers, slice them in half to make 4 thin layers of cake. If you’d like thin layers, use a serrated knife or cake leveler to cut each cake in half horizontally. This will also double the number of layers your cake will be. If your cakes baked faster in the center and domed up, you’ll need to slice off the excess tops so each layer is even. Hold a serrated knife so the blade is horizontal and gently saw across the top of the cake so it’s completely flat. For example, if your recipe calls for baking the cakes for 30 minutes at 350 °F (177 °C), turn the oven down to 325 °F (163 °C) and bake them for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 340 °F (171 °C) and grease your cake pan. Use a round, square, loaf, or bundt cake pan for this recipe—the choice is up to you! Rub the inside of the pan with butter, and then sprinkle a layer of flour on top. Tap the excess flour into the trash, and turn on the oven.For a quicker alternative, mist the pan with a cake spray .

Although clear examples of the difference between cake and bread are easy to find, the precise classification has always been elusive. For example, banana bread may be properly considered either a quick bread or a cake. Yeast cakes are the oldest and are very similar to yeast bread. Such cakes are often very traditional in form and include such pastries as babka and stollen. They can be made with butter or vegetable shortening. One egg cake was an economical recipe when using two eggs for each cake was too costly. One company patented a cake-bread mix to deal with this economic situation and thereby established the first line of cake in a box.

Unsulphured molasses or dark molasses is best for baked goods. Do not use blackstrap because it is too intense. For very smooth sides, run a bench scraper against them so the frosting level is even. You can also buy and use a double boiler, which similarly nests two saucepans. This process is called “greasing” and prevents the cake from sticking to the pan while it bakes.

The cake certainly needs a while to bake, and it’s best to leave it in the oven longer than to take it out early. The top will have a slight jiggle and should be entirely golden brown before removing the cake from the oven. It may not look like much straight out of the oven, but as the cake cools and settles, the layers will become more pronounced. The overall texture is light, with a simple flavor and just a hint of sugar. It’s delicious on its own, or it can be topped with berries and powdered sugar. Add one teaspoon of pure vanilla, almond or even lemon extract to enhance the flavor further.

Read more about double chocolate loaf cake here.

Taking inspiration from cinnamon-spiked Mexican chocolate, the recipe layers the spice on top of the graham crackers, into the fluffy whipped cream and as a finishing garnish. Scatter some almonds on top for crunch or add a dash of cayenne for a kick. Tint the vanilla batter with any color you like to create this showstopping checkerboard cake. High-quality butter and vanilla extract will yield the best flavor, as does using room temperature ingredients.

Coffee cake

Add egg yolks and 1 cup (225 g; 7.9 oz) of sugar to the bowl. Whisk till the yolks and sugar over the simmering water until the sugar dissolves, about 3 or 4 minutes. Coffee cake gets an autumnal makeover,t thanks to the addition of chopped Granny Smith apples and warming chai spices. Ground cardamom, cinnamon, allspice and cloves show up in both the cake batter and the streusel topping as a complement to the sweet-tart apple and tangy cake batter. Store-bought pound cake is a last-minute entertaining shortcut.

Vanilla Pound Cake

Clean up any crumbs or drops of frosting from the plate. Next, carefully lift the second layer with the offset spatula or your hand, and place it on top of the first frosted layer, top side down. If the layer is not centered, use your hands to gently move it into place. Drop a dollop of frosting in the center of the cake plate. This frosting is the “glue” that will help keep the bottom cake layer in place as you frost. Press the teeth of the serrated knife into the side of the cake layer at the middle mark around the entire perimeter of the cake layer. These indentations will act as a guide for the knife as you move it through the layer.

How to Make a Layer Cake with Pictures