This one is from Cook's Illustrated, you may need to double the frosting recipe. I'm not quite sure how much it makes. It's always better to have more rather than less:
Adding the butter pieces to the mixing bowl one at a time prevents the dry ingredients from flying up and out of the bowl. 4 large eggs, room temperature 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 1/4 cups sifted plain cake flour 11/2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, each stick cut into 8 pieces 1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease two 9 by 1 1/2-inch cake pans with vegetable shortening and cover pan bottoms with rounds of parchment paper or wax paper. Grease parchment rounds, dust cake pans with flour, and tap out excess. 2. Beat eggs, milk, and vanilla with fork in small bowl; measure out 1 cup of this mixture and set aside. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment; mix on lowest speed to blend, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running at lowest speed, add butter one piece at a time; mix until butter and flour begin to clump together and look sandy and pebbly, with pieces about the size of peas, 30 to 40 seconds after all butter is added. Add reserved 1 cup of egg mixture and mix at lowest speed until incorporated, 5 to 10 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add remaining egg mixture (about ½ cup) in slow steady stream, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer and thoroughly scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Beat on medium-high until thoroughly combined and batter looks slightly curdled, about 15 seconds longer. (To mix using hand mixer, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Add butter pieces and cut into the flour mixture with a pastry blender. Add reserved 1 cup of egg mixture; beat with hand mixer at lowest speed until incorporated, 20 to 30 seconds. Increase speed to high, add remaining egg mixture, and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Stop mixer and thoroughly scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Beat at high speed 15 seconds longer.) 3. Divide batter equally between prepared cake pans; spread to sides of pan and smooth with rubber spatula. Bake until cake tops are light golden and skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. (Cakes may mound slightly but will level when cooled.) Cool on rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around pan perimeter to loosen. Invert cake onto large plate, peel off parchment, and reinvert onto lightly greased rack. Cool completely before icing. Old-Fashioned Chocolate Frosting The trick with this recipe is cooling the chocolate mixture until it thickens but is not stiff. 1/2 cup heavy cream 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons light or dark corn syrup 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter at cool room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 1. Place the cream in a small saucepan over low heat until it is just simmering and small bubbles are forming around the edges of the pan. Remove from heat; add the chocolate, and whisk mixture until homogeneous, shiny and smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl and cool until the mixture thickens but is not stiff. You may refrigerate the bowl to speed up the cooling process, checking about every 15 minutes. Do not allow the mixture to harden. 2. To the bowl add the corn syrup, butter and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until well-combined, about one minute. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat on low to combine. Increase the speed to high and beat for about 5 minutes more or until the mixture has lightened in color and the texture is spreadable. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease? Network for Good is THE place to support health awareness efforts! http://us.click.yahoo.com/OCfFmA/UOnJAA/E2hLAA/QXMplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CAKE-RECIPE/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
