Yellow Cake

I don't really like yellow cake.  I think it has more to do with my love of chocolate cake than any antipathy towards yellow cake.  But it's also usually crumbly and fairly tasteless.  Until now.

I have a favourite chocolate cake recipe that I stole from what used to be RecipeZaar (now Food.com).  It is an amazing recipe, that I have had to do no tweaking to (almost unheard-of in my kitchen).  When people have requested a yellow cake, I've always gone with a boxed mix, since I didn't have a good recipe other than this chocolate one.  I decided last weekend that it was finally time to find a non-chocolate recipe good enough to serve with pride.  And rather than wade thru all the possibilities on all the websites, I thought: 'Why not go with what I already know is good?'.

So I converted my chocolate cake recipe to a yellow cake recipe.  I took out the cocoa, added more eggs and vanilla, and substituted butter for the oil, all in an attempt to add richness and flavour.  I made the recipe into cupcakes for a family reunion, but I had Arvid test them before serving them.  They were awesome!  I can't believe they turned out so good on the first try!  I was fully expecting to need a few more attempts to get it right, but they were perfect  - moist, rich, yummy, yellow cake goodness.

I no longer dislike yellow cake.

Sorry no pictures - it was a crazy weekend and I didn't have time.  I'll make them again and post pictures.

Here's the recipe:

Yellow Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups Sugar

2 ½ cups All-purpose Flour

1½ tsp Baking Powder

1½ tsp baking Soda

1 tsp Salt

4 Eggs

1 cup Milk

½ cup Melted Butter

4 tsp Vanilla Extract

¾ - 1 cup Boiling Water (¾ cup works in Calgary)

Directions:

1 – Preheat oven to 350°F.

2 – Grease (with shortening only!) and flour cake pans (or line cupcake molds with paper liners).

3 – In a large mixer bowl, stir together dry ingredients.

4 – Add eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla.  Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

5 – Stir in boiling water by hand.  Batter will be thin.

6 – Pour into prepared pan(s) – no more than 2/3 full or they will overflow.

7 – Bake:   30-35 minutes for 9-inch round pans

                35-40 minutes for 9x13 pan

                15-20 minutes for regular size cupcakes

                1 hour 15 minutes for 9” Pyrex bowl (cover for final 20 minutes)

        Until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.

8 – Cool 10 minutes in the pans.  Remove from pan to wire racks and cook completely before icing.

               

Makes:      2 - 9” round cakes, OR

                   1 – 9x13” rectangle cake, OR

                   24+ regular cupcakes, OR

                   1 – 9” Pyrex bowl cake, OR

                   1 – 8” round cake AND 12 cupcakes

                            

        DO NOT fill cake pans or cupcakes more than 2/3 full – they will overflow!