I am on the hunt for the perfect vanilla cake!
I made one this week and both the texture and the flavour were quite good. I did however find that the layers had no height to them and although the cake is rich and I don’t need a large slice I found the appearance was not what I would want it to be. I think a cake should be magestic and for that I need a bit more height.
I used a cream cheese icing which was good but was almost too rich and the recipe came out runnier than I would have liked and I had no extra ingredients to thicken it up with.
My biggest problem this time around was transport. I had iced the cake on a plate and had intended to wrap it in plastic wrap and bring it to work. Unfortunately we were completely out and the largest container I had was too small for the plate. Have you ever tried to move a completely decorated cake with a spatula? Messy. So although the cake was yummy it wasn’t the prettiest thing in town. No complaints were heard from my coworkers… of course their mouths were full! I will definitely be purchasing some of those cake boards for future cake experimentation.
Do any of you have a wonderful vanilla cake recipe you would like to share? I always bake from scratch with very basic of ingredients and I prefer to avoid recipes with oil or shortening. Feel free to add your recipe suggestions/links to my comments!
Posted by jeff on May 1, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I have usually had good success with this website when searching for gourmet recipes…maybe you can find some cake variations there? http://www.epicurious.com
Posted by Nikita on May 1, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Thanks Jeff!! I’ll have to check it out!
Posted by mich on May 1, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Can’t help ya out since I do by the box, but I did make Amish Sweet Bread today – fingers crossed it actually turned out.
(Sigh) wish I could partake in some of the cakey goodness you bestow upon your coworkers – sigh.
Mich
Posted by Nikita on May 1, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Oh, sweet bread sounds good!
Yeah, my coworkers looooove being my guinea pigs! I certainly can’t keep it at home… I’d just eat it all!
Posted by Melissa on May 26, 2008 at 11:28 am
I often keep sturdy cardboard pieces around and then double or triple them and cover them with heavy-duty foil when I need a cake board. I’ve also been known to do the same thing with my gigantic wooden cutting board.
Can’t help you with the vanilla cake recipe, but I do possess the ultimate pound cake recipe. It’s an “heirloom” recipe from a few generations back in my family and has made many a wedding cake. I can’t share it, though–I’ve been sworn to secrecy as one of two women in my generation of the family chosen to carry it along.
Posted by Nikita on May 27, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Thanks for the tip Melissa! I was looking at the cake boards at the stores and couldn’t believe they were charging so much for cardboard and tinfoil!!
As for the recipe, I understand the secrets. The family ones have to stay hush hush!