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Layer by Layer: Once a cook masters basic butter cakes, watch out! Some steps to guide you
Journal Photo by Jennifer Rotenizer
Ollie Cherry, the owner of Cherries Cafe in Clemmons, shows the popular chocolate cake sold at her restaurant.
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Published: October 1, 2008
When it comes to dessert, a sheet cake does the job, but a layer cake is to be admired.
Tall and stately, a layer cake also has the advantage of offering a taste of both cake and frosting in every bite.
Layer cakes are also known as butter cakes because they are high in fat, particularly in relation to the number of eggs used.
Plain or vanilla layer cakes can be of three types: white, made with egg whites; yellow, made with whole eggs; and golden, made with egg yolks.
When done right, layer cakes are moist, rich, tender and light.
A 1-2-3-4 cake is a good example of a butter cake: 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour and 4 eggs. But formulas and recipes vary.
Butter cakes can be made with shortening, but most bakers strongly prefer butter for its flavor.
Besides butter, a layer cake typically will contain sugar, eggs, flour, salt, milk, a chemical leavener such as baking powder, and flavorings.
Layer cakes are most often made by the creaming method. This involves beating softened butter and sugar together until it's light and fluffy. Then eggs are gradually incorporated into the butter-sugar mixture. The leavener is stirred into the flour, then the flour mixture and milk are gradually added, alternating each to achieve a smooth, well-mixed batter. Flavorings are often, but not always, stirred into the batter at the end.
Of course, variations on layer cakes are endless. There is no one, two or even three ways to make one. The popular milk-chocolate cake at Cherries Cafe in Clemmons uses a mixture of melted chocolate, butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and vanilla that is mixed with eggs, then a flour mixture and milk. And part of that same chocolate mixture is used for the frosting.
Other frostings include a boiled icing (sometimes called a seven-minute frosting) and sweetened whipped cream. But the most common is probably buttercream.
The simplest type of buttercream is nothing more than softened butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and a little cream or milk that are beaten until light and smooth.
Because butter cakes made with the creaming method and frosted with buttercream are so common, the following outlines all the steps for making one. Many of the steps are the same for other cakes, and once a cook masters a basic butter cake, he or she can make almost any kind of cake.
Prepping the pans and oven
□ Preheat the oven. Use a separate thermometer set in the oven, in addition to the factory installed thermometer, to make sure that the temperature is accurate and that the cake acheives its proper height and texture. "An oven by its nature is not very accurate," said Nick Malgieri, a New York baking instructor who has written such books as Perfect Cakes and this year's The Modern Baker. Oven temperature is one of the most important factors in producing the proper height and texture of a cake.
□ Put an oven rack in the center position, where the cakes will bake the most evenly.
□ Use shiny aluminum pans for nice, even browning.
□ Use identical pans for layers of the same size.
□ Grease and flour the pans to prevent the cake from sticking to them. An alternative is to grease the pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper or buttered wax paper.
Creaming
□ Use butter that is softened and ideally about 60 degrees, a bit cooler than room temperature. Too warm, and the butter won't trap enough air bubbles. Too cold is a problem, too. "Then you're going to have lumps in the creamed mixture," said Ollie Cherry, a co-owner of Cherries Cafe. "And you'll have holes in the cake if the batter isn't creamed properly."
□ Beat softened butter with sugar on medium speed in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. It will take about 3 minutes with a stand mixer, longer with a hand-held mixer or a wooden spoon. When done the mixture will be fluffed in volume and the butter color will pale to a very light yellow. Too little creaming will result in poor volume. Too much creaming coarsens the texture of the cake.
Eggs
□ Use eggs that are room temperature to help ensure a good rise.
□ Add the eggs gradually for a tender cake. Mix each egg well, before adding the next.
□ If the batter looks curdled, that means that the eggs are colder than the creamed mixture. This is not fatal; just beat the batter some more to smooth it.
Flour and milk
□ Cake flour is finer than all-purpose, but both work pretty well.
□ "You can't be sloppy on measuring for a cake," Malgieri said. Measure that flour carefully.
□ Combine flour with any other dry ingredients, such as salt and baking powder.
□ Alternate adding portions of flour mixture and milk (or other liquids) to help keep the batter light and creamy. Start with the dry ingredients so that the flour gets coated with fat particles, for minimal gluten formation and thus a more tender cake. Add the liquid slowly. The flour typically will be added in three additions and the milk in two additions, so the mixing will begin and end with flour.
□ Such flavorings as vanilla extract are often stirred in right after the milk and flour.
Get ready to bake
□ Divide the batter as evenly as possible to produce layers with the same thickness. This will often achieve even cooking. Professionals weigh the pans on a scale, Malgieri said, but eyeballing it generally works fine.
□ Smooth the tops to ensure that they bake to an even height all around.
□ Space pans apart in the oven to allow heat to circulate.
□ To protect against hot and cool spots in the oven, rotate the cake pans from front to back and vice-versa halfway through the baking time.
□ Check for doneness a few minutes before a recipe says a cake will be done. A cake can go from perfect to overdone in about 2 minutes. Opening the oven won't hurt the cakes. "You just have to watch them, because every oven's different," Malgieri said. "If they overbake, they'll certainly be dry."
□ Use a toothpick to check doneness. Stick it all the way in the center of the cake. When it comes out clean, the cake is done.
Cool it
□ Transfer the layers from the oven to a wire rack.
□ Cool cakes in the pans about 10 minutes.
□ Gently run a knife around the edges to loosen the sides, if necessary, then invert the pan onto the rack and tap it to remove the cake.
□ Let the cake cool completely before frosting. Cherry said she thinks that a lot of people make the mistake of trying to frost a warm cake. "If you do, the frosting will slide right off," she said.
Assembly and frosting
□ Check the cake layers to make sure they are even. If one is larger than the other, or if one has a domed top, take a long, serrated knife and carefully cut horizontally from the tops to get two layers of identical size. (If making more layers, the same knife would be used to cut the layers in half.) Don't worry if the trim isn't perfect. Icing will cover it up.
□ Place one layer, bottom side down, on a cake plate or cardboard circle. If you have a turntable or lazy Susan, use it to make turning the cake easier.
□ Ideally use a thin metal offset spatula with a rounded tip for maneuverability, but a plastic spatula will work.
□ Spread a thin layer of frosting over the top of the first layer. This will serve as a base coat to help make a smoother finished coat. Then spread a thicker coat over that base. To make the edges even, hold the spatula vertically and turn it around the sides. For a 9-inch cake, use ½ to ¾ cup of frosting for the first layer.
□ Place the second cake layer so that the top goes on the inside of the cake, and the layer's bottom will be on top. Press down gently. Frost the sides, again starting with a thin layer, which will help seal in crumbs. Put the frosting on the back side of the spatula, hold the spatula vertically and move around the sides in a circle.
□ Frost the top the same way as for the middle, using smooth gliding strokes.
□ For a smooth appearance, or to get rid of any irregular spots after applying all the frosting, dip the spatula in hot water, quickly wipe it dry, and gently go over the frosting. "That way the frosting softens and you can make it really smooth if you want that look," Cherry said. But to create swirls, avoid using a hot spatula. The warmth will melt away the decorative ends of frosting.
□ If the frosting gets too warm, put it in the fridge for a few minutes.
"The nice thing about most frosting," Cherry said, "is you can manipulate it. You can play with it."
Basic Yellow Cake
Recipe adapted from The Perfect Cake (Broadway Books, 2002) by Susan Purdy.
3 cups (12.75 ounces) sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
1¼ cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and smooth. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl at least once, about halfway through. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed about 30 seconds after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl frequently.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add about a third of flour mixture and mix a few seconds. Add about half of the milk, then another third of the flour mixture and mix a bit more. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add remaining milk, mix a few seconds, then add remaining flour mixture. Stir in vanilla and mix until batter is well mixed.
5. Divide batter evenly among the prepared pans. Smooth the tops and make sure they are level by spreading from the center to the edges. Place pans in center rack of oven and bake 30 to 35 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake tops are lightly springy to the touch.
6. Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run knife around edges of cake if necessary to loosen. Place and hold wire rack on tops, then carefully invert cakes. Remove pans and let cakes cool completely, about 1 hour.
Variations:
□ Lemon Cake: Stir in 1 teaspoon lemon extract and 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest after adding the milk and flour mixture.
□ Almond Cake: Stir in 1 teaspoon almond extract after adding the milk and flour mixture.
□ Spice Cake: Add 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon cloves and 1 tablespoon cocoa to the flour mixture.
Basic Quick Buttercream Frosting
Recipe adapted from The Perfect Cake (Broadway Books, 2002) by Susan Purdy. Note that the optional egg yolk is not cooked in this recipe. If desired, use a pasteurized egg for the yolk.
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg yolk (optional)
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound (4 to 4½ cups) confectioners' sugar
5 to 6 tablespoons heavy cream or milk, as needed
1. In an electric mixer, cream the butter until soft, then beat in the egg yolk, if using, along with the salt and vanilla. Add about ¼ cup of the sugar and mix on low speed until smooth. Alternately add cream and remaining sugar, blending until smooth between each addition. Scrape down sides of the bowl after each addition. Add a bit more cream if the frosting is too stiff to spread.
Variations:
□ Chocolate Buttercream: After adding the first ¼ cup of sugar, beat in 4 to 6 ounces melted and cooled semisweet or milk chocolate.
□ Almond: Omit the vanilla and use ¾ teaspoon almond extract or to taste.
□ Lemon: Omit the vanilla and use 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Reduce the amount of cream or milk by the amount of lemon juice added.
□ Pineapple: Omit the vanilla and use 1 teaspoon lemon juice plus 2/3 cup drained crushed pineapple.
□ Sour Cream: Substitute sour cream for the heavy cream.
□ Coffee: Increase the vanilla to 2 teaspoons. Dissolve 2 teaspoons instant coffee in the vanilla before adding to the frosting.
Milk Chocolate Cake
Recipe adapted from Cherries Cafe's cookbook, Secrets.
4 ounces sweet chocolate
¼ cup warm water
1¼ cups (2½ sticks) butter, softened, divided use
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 32-ounce package confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2¼ cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the chocolate and warm water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the chocolate is melted and smooth, stirring often. Remove from heat.
2. Combine 1 cup of the butter with the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the chocolate mixture and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Remove 3 cups of the mixture and set aside for the frosting. (Leave remaining cream-cheese mixture in the mixer bowl.)
3. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
4. Add the remaining ¼ cup butter to the remaining cream-cheese mixture. Beat until fluffy with the electric mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently.
5. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Pour batter evenly among the 3 prepared pans. Bake 25 minutes, or just until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then remove cakes from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
7. When the cakes are completely cool, spread the reserved frosting between the layers, assemble the cake, and frost the top and sides.
Banana Rum Coconut Layer Cake
Recipe adapted from The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri.
Cake:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
⅔ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (about 2 large or 3 small) mashed ripe bananas
⅔ cup milk
1 tablespoon dark rum
Whipped-cream frosting:
2½ cups cold heavy whipping cream
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon dark rum
2⅔ cups (one 7-ounce package) sweetened shredded coconut
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with disks of parchment paper or buttered wax paper.
2. For the cake, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Mix well. Set aside.
3. Combine the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
5. In a separate bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, milk and rum until blended.
6. Decrease mixer speed to lowest setting and add ⅓ of the flour mixture. Stop and scrape down sides of the bowl and paddle. Beat in half of the banana mixture. Repeat, adding more flour mixture, then remaining banana mixture. Then beat in remaining flour mixture.
7. Scrape sides of the bowl and the paddle, then beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
8. Divide batter evenly among the 2 pans and smooth the tops. Bake just until well-risen and deep golden, and feel firm when pressed in the center with a fingertip, 25 to 30 minutes.
9. Cool in pans on wire rack for 5 minutes. Unmold, turn right side up again, and cool completely on wire rack.
10. For the frosting, whip the cream with the sugar and rum on medium speed in an electric mixer until the mixture reaches firm peaks. Place one cake layer on a platter or cardboard round and spread it with a little less than half of the whipped cream. Invert the second layer onto the frosted top of the first layer so that the smooth bottom of the cake is on top.
11. Spread remaining cream all over the outside of the cake. Press the coconut against the side of the cake to adhere. Scatter more coconut over the top of the cake and use a spatula to gently sweep across the coconut to make it even.
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