Cooks Illustrated Yellow Layer Cake
Submitted by anna on August 21, 2002 at 3:18 pm

DESCRIPTION
Cook's IIlustrated Yellow Layer Cake

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under cakes

INSTRUCTIONS
1 tbs solid vegetable shortening
2 1/2 cups (12.5 oz) bleached all-purpose flour, plus 2 tbs for flouring pans
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temp.
1 cup milk, room temp.
1 tsp vanilla extract

Set oven rack in middle position. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of two 9 x 1 1/2 inch of 2 inch round cake pans with 1/2 tbp shortening each. Sprinkle one tbs of flour into each pan; roll pans in all directions to coat. Invert pans to remove excess flour.

Sift together remaining flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer at med speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat, scraping sides as necessary, until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl.

Combine milk and vanilla. With mixer on low, add some of the dry ingredients followed by a little of the milk mixture. Continue alternating dry with liquid, ending with dry ingredients. Scrape down sides throughout the mixing process.

Divide the batter even between the two cake pans. Spread to pan walls and smooth tops. Arrange pans 3 inches apart in oven. Bake until firm in center when lightly pressed and cake needle inserted in center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes.

Cool cakes in pans set on rack for 5 minutes. Loosen from sides of pans with knife and invert onto greased racks. Reinvert. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Notes:
1. I made this exactly like the recipe said, but I would use Baker's Joy instead of the shortening/flour for the pans.
2. I beat the eggs 20 seconds after each addition.
3. I have a new conventional oven and it took slightly longer than 35 minutes, so you may need to adjust.
4. I used superfine sugar.

• This topic was modified 8 years, 5 months ago by rottiedogs.