the first of many

...with many firsts!

i've always loved baking...

but in the beginning i started with cake mixes...(the horror!) not knowing that you could actually make them from scratch!

for anyone who hasn't made a cake a la betty crocker, they're idiot-proof. two eggs and some oil, mix it up and throw it in the oven. kinda hard to mess up...unless you decide to substitute sesame oil because mom forgot to buy more corn / canola oil.
s i g h...needless to say, that one ended up in the trash.

thankfully, this cake didn't turn out like the ill-fated sesame oil cake. i had a bunch of egg yolks left in the fridge and decided to try a bunch of new things all at once. normally, that would be a recipe for disaster but the cake gods were watching over me!

i've never made gold cake before or classic buttercream or worked with fondant. but it was ridiculously cold and snowing outside and i had some time to kill. ;) the fondant is actually satin ice, which made my first foray into the world of cake decorating stupidly easy. i couldn't tell you if it actually tastes good b/c we both peeled it off the cake. old habits die hard...

*warning: given the ingredients in this cake + frosting combo, i'd definitely apply the motto "everything in moderation" liberally...

gold cake

joy of cooking

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
8 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice or grated lemon zest
3/4 cup milk

1. grease and flour three 9 x 2-inch round pans (or line the bottoms with parchment paper). preheat oven to 375 degrees.
   
2. sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt together three times.
3. in large bowl, beat the butter until creamy (about 30 seconds). gradually add the sugar to the butter on high speed until lightened in color and texture (about 2 to 4 minutes).
4. in another large bowl, beat the egg yolks, vanilla and lemon juice (or zest) together on high speed. beat the egg mixture into the butter mixture.
5. add the flour mixture to the butter/egg batter in three parts, alternating with the milk (beginning and ending with the flour). beat on low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.
6. divide the batter among the pans and bake until toothpick comes out clean (about 20 minutes). let cool in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes.
7. slide a thin knife around the cake to detach from pan. invert cake and peel off paper liners (if using). let cool right side up on the rack.

classic buttercream

joy of cooking

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 large eggs (or 5 large egg yolks), room temperature
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1. in a heavy medium saucepan, cook the sugar, water and cream of tartar over medium heat until it begins to simmer while stirring. once it begins to simmer, stop stirring, cover and simmer for 2 minutes to dissolve the sugar.
2. uncover and wash any sugar crystals from the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush. cook, uncovered, until the syrup registers 238 degrees (soft-ball stage) on a candy thermometer.
3. meanwhile fill a wide, deep skillet with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer. in a medium, heatproof bowl (preferably stainless steel), beat the eggs on high speed until thick and pale yellow.
4. just before the syrup is ready, begin beating the eggs again on medium speed. beating constantly, pour the hot syrup in a thin, steady stream into the eggs.
5. set the bowl in the skillet of simmer water and stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. remove from the heat.
6. wash the beaters and then beat the hot mixture until it cools to room temperature.
7. add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until the buttercream is smooth and spreadable.*

*note: if the mixture looks curdled at any time, continue beating until smooth. if the butter is added too quickly, the mixture may become soupy. refrigerate it briefly and then resume beating.

mocha buttercream
joy of cooking

dissolve 1 tablespoon instant coffee crystals or instant espresso powder into 1 1/2 teaspoons water. stir most of the mixture into the buttercream...adding the rest to taste.
melt 2 ounces of chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate and let cool to lukewarm.
add the melted chocolate to the coffee buttercream.

*note: since i only used the mocha buttercream for the filling, i divided this mocha buttercream recipe ny roughly a third.