Courier Cookbook White Cake

A true white cake that is moist and fluffy is not an easy task. First, the color white is difficult to create given our penchant for butter, eggs and vanilla, all of which are yellow. That might be perfect for a yellow cake, but sometimes, only white will do. Also, white cakes tend to be dry and flat. Not ideal. Here are two tried-and-true recipes that will take the risk out of white cake. Fill and top your cake with your choice of fruit, vanilla buttercream frosting, whipped cream, chantilly cream, coconut, burnt sugar or caramel. I recommend making a tres leches cake.

Submit your favorite frosting, icing, filling, or topping to [email protected] for next week's edition.

The Perfect White Cake

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated White Layer Cake

Ingredients:

2-1/4 cups cake flour, sifted (add an extra 2 Tbsp. at high altitude)

1 cup milk at room temperature

6 large egg whites at room temperature

2 teaspoons almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, clear, if possible

1-3/4 cups sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 sticks unsalted (very pale) butter, softened but still cool and cubed

Directions:

-Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8-inch cake pans or one 9 X 13-inch pan with butter, then parchment paper, then butter again.

-Make sure milk and eggs are room temperature.

-Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into a medium bowl and mix with a fork until blended.

-Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter, cut into cubes and continue beating on low for about 1-2 minutes.

-Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to flour mixture and beat at medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes. -Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat for about 1 minute.

-Pour batter evenly between two prepared cake pans.

-Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 27 to 30 minutes.

-Let cake cool down for 10 minutes, then loosen it from the pan with a knife and turn over on a rack.

-Allow cake to cool to room temperature before frosting.

-Remove brown edges carefully if you want true white (recommend cream topping or you will have a mess of crumbs).

White Cake

Submitted by Ann Rose

Ingredients:

4 egg whites at room temperature

2 egg yolks

½ tsp. cream of tartar

2-½ C. cake flour (add an extra 2 Tbsp. at high altitude)

3 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

½ C. unsalted butter, softened (choose the whitest butter you can find)

1-½ C. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla (clear, if possible) or almond extract

2 Tbsp. heavy cream

1 C. milk

Directions:

-Heavily grease and lightly flour bundt pan (10-inch tube pan) or two 9-inch cake pans.

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff. Set aside.

-Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

-Beat butter and sugar at medium speed.

-When creamy and smooth, beat in egg yolks, vanilla and heavy cream.

-Stir in dry ingredients until just combined.

-Add milk.

-Fold in beaten egg whites.

-Pour batter into pan(s). Bake for 45-55 minutes.

-Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then loosen edges with a knife and turn over on a rack to cool.