What should I bake right now?

What should I bake right now?

There are millions of pages all over the internet that give you recipes but where do you go when you don’t know what to bake? Well, you just found it.

CAKE.

There are millions of cakes, filled and layered, soft and gooey, chocolate and vanilla, strawberry and banana. Overwhelming right? Well, I’m about to give you one of the best, simplest, yummiest, cakes ever found.                                                                                                    

Ingredients for a sweet, moist, and delicious vanilla cake.

• 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1 cup of butter, softened* **
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup of buttermilk (if you don’t have any on hand you can just use normal milk)

* If you don’t have room temperature butter, place your butter, seem up, on a plate  microwave for 10 seconds, then turn over and do it again. If it is still not soft enough repeat till it works, having the butter makes it a unbelievably easier to work with.

** I personally use salted organic butter which I think turns it the best, but either salted or unsalted will work.

How to create the goodness.

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Butter two 9″ pans and set them aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set this aside as well
3. In a large mixing bowl, using a electric mixer, beat butter and sugar for 5 minutes* until thick and fluffy. Scrape down bowl as needed.
4. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition then scraping down the bowl. Add 4 tsp of vanilla extract and beat to combine.
5. Reduce mixers speed and the flour mixture in thirds alternating with one cup of buttermilk** allowing the flour and buttermilk to incorporate with each addition. Beat until the mixture is mixed and smooth.
6. Divide the batter into the 2 pans, and bake on the center rack at 350*F for 28-30 minutes. Leave the cakes alone for 10 minutes before you run a knife around the pan to loosen the edges and throw it onto and cooling rack until its completely cool! If your cakes are even a tiny bit warm they will melt the cream and that’s not the kind of cake you want, trust me.

*This is the estimated time it takes so you don’t have to follow if your mixer is much stronger and faster than mine. The butter and sugar just need to be nice and fluffy. 🙂

**If you don’t have buttermilk, this is how you make it. One cup of regular milk with one tsp of apple cider vinegar but white vinegar works as well. That simple, you’ll never have to buy buttermilk again!!!

Ingredients for buttercream frosting.

• 1 1/2 cup of butter (I still prefer salted butter but as I said earlier either butter works. Organic butter also enhances the flavor. If you want a amazing recipe, use organic ingredients. You WILL see the difference I guarantee)
• 4 1/2- 5 cups of powdered sugar (or added to taste)
• 1/4 of a tsp of fine salt
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 Tbsp of whole milk

How to create even more goodness.

1. In a large bowl, beat butter on high speed for 5 minutes or until lightened in color and whipped, scraping down the bowl as needed.
2. Slow down the mixer and add the powdered sugar one heaping Tbsp. at a time. Add to taste or the 4 1/2 cups until fully mixed.
3. Add the salt and vanilla until they are fully incorporated.
4. Add the milk, one Tbsp. at a time, until desired consistency. Then mix for a minute more to make sure its all well mixed.

Well that’s what you should bake right now!!!                                                                         Get to it!

 love, Julie 🙂