I grew up during a time when you would never think of going to someone’s house for dinner without bringing a cake. My mother had a repertoire of her favorites that she could whip up in no time. Every week, she would bake us a chocolate sheet cake with fudge icing that we would slowly whittle away at, a sliver a day. It’s one of the quintessential tastes of my childhood. If by chance there was a slice left that got a little dry, my dad would just put it in a bowl and pour milk over it. We wouldn’t dream of wasting a crumb.
Cake is such an important part of our culture. We slice into delicious and beautifully decorated cakes to commemorate birthdays, weddings, baby showers, and whatever else we’re celebrating. At Magnolia Bakery, we bake thousands of cakes each year to help make these occasions special. In this chapter, I’ve included some of our best-selling ones, as well as some of my personal favorites for you to enjoy.
Almost all the cakes in this book are two-layer 9-inch cakes. I tend to prefer thicker layers, but you can also use the same amount of batter to make three thinner 9-inch layers. You’ll just need to reduce the baking time by 15 to 20 minutes. Either way, these cakes will serve up to sixteen people, depending on how big you cut the slices.
CAKE (AND CUPCAKE) BAKING TIPS
Cake and cupcake batters are easy to make and easy to mess up. Most failures are caused by undermixing or overmixing. Follow these simple tips carefully and you will be baking cakes and cupcakes like a pro in no time.
Make sure that all the ingredients are properly mixed: Scraping the bowl and paddles after each step of the recipe is very important for proper mixing. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl, being sure to get all the ingredients from the bottom and sides as well as from the paddle.
Be careful not to undermix the batter: When a recipe calls for creaming butter until light and fluffy, it will be 3 to 5 minutes, or until the butter is very light in color and the ingredients are about double in size. I suggest setting a timer so that you can get used to what 5 minutes feels like. Stop the mixer (and timer) halfway and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and the paddle. If your ingredients are not properly mixed, you won’t get that lift that your cakes need. When adding dry ingredients, be sure they are thoroughly blended, leaving no streaks of flour.
At the same time, you want to be careful not to overmix: When a recipe calls for mixing just until combined, stop the mixer before the ingredients are fully mixed. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in any remaining ingredients with a rubber spatula.
HOW TO GREASE AND FLOUR A CAKE PAN
Grease the pan all over with butter or shortening, being sure to get into the corners. Place a little flour (or cocoa, if making chocolate cake) in the pan and shake to cover the bottom and sides. Invert the pan over a piece of paper towel and give it a firm tap to remove any excess. Line the pan with a parchment paper round.
HOW TO FILL THE BAKING PANS: For smooth, even cake layers, fill the pan a little more than halfway with batter, unless the recipe states otherwise. Smooth the batter with an offset spatula then gently tap the pan on the counter a couple of times to remove any air bubbles.
COOLING THE CAKE IN THE PAN: Don’t be tempted to remove the cake from the pan right away! Allow your cakes to cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. Loosen the cake from the sides of the pan with a small knife. Invert the pan over the cooling rack or a sheet pan, firmly tap the bottom, and the cake should fall right out. If you used a parchment liner, be sure to remove it at this stage. Using another rack or pan, turn the cake right side up and place on the cooling rack to finish cooling. Once completely cool, you can continue to assemble and decorate your cake or wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.
STORING CAKE LAYERS: If you are not going to use your cakes immediately, wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap or foil (I do both when freezing) and store for up to 2 days at room temperature. You can freeze the layers for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature when ready to decorate.
SETTING UP THE CAKE FOR ICING: These are the basic instructions for setting up all your cakes. If you are using a cake board, tape the board to the cake turner, or wet a small piece of paper towel and place the board on top of it. Both these techniques keep the board from slipping. If you are placing your cake on a decorative serving plate, arrange four overlapping strips of parchment paper around the plate, which helps to keep the plate clean while you are icing the cake. When you are done icing your cake, pull the strips away to leave a clean serving plate.
LEVELING THE CAKE LAYERS: If your cakes have rounded during baking, you may need to level them off. Using a large serrated knife, slice off the rounded top part only.
Leveling a cake layer.
ASSEMBLING THE CAKE LAYERS: These basic instructions apply to all cakes, as shown in the photos below. Place the first layer top side up on a cake turner or serving platter. Add 1 to 1½ cups buttercream or icing in the center. Using an icing wand, spread and smooth the buttercream to the edges. Top with the second cake layer, top side up. Use about 3 cups icing to finish the top and sides of the cake You may need more buttercream for specific designs, which are discussed in each recipe.
Assembling the cake layers.
CUTTING LAYERS IN HALF FOR A 4-LAYER CAKE: To cut each cake into 2 layers, it’s easier to slice if your cake layers are chilled first. This will firm them up with less chance of a breakage while slicing. Place one layer at a time on a flat surface. With a long, sharp serrated knife, working your way around the cake, score the outside edge as a marker before you fully cut through the cake.
Carefully and slowly cut through the cake with a sawing motion while holding your other hand on the top of the cake. Once you have completely cut through the cake, carefully lift the layer with two knives crisscrossed over each other and move it to a flat surface. Place the bottom cake slice on a cake turner. Start assembling your cake layers before cutting into the second layer. You want to use the layers immediately, so they don’t dry out.
CRUMB-COATING A CAKE: If you had to cut away the domed top or the sides of your cake layers, you may have loose crumbs and will need to “crumb coat” your cake. Assemble the layers with whatever filling you are using. With a pastry brush, swipe any loose crumbs on the top and sides. Use an icing wand to spread a thin layer of buttercream all over your cake, covering it so that you don’t see any cake. Crumbs are okay at this point. Transfer the cake to the refrigerator until the buttercream is firm, about 30 minutes. Finish icing the cake, this time making it pretty and smooth.
USING A PIPING BAG: If you haven’t used a piping bag before, practice on a piece of parchment paper until you are comfortable applying the right amount of pressure. Write some words and draw some lines on the paper to use as a guide. Purchase tips and couplers so that you can easily switch to new designs using the same color. There are plenty of videos online to help you perfect your piping game; also see How to Fill a Piping Bag. Both Ateco and Wilton make decorating tips, although the numbering systems are not directly transferable from one brand to the other. I used all Wilton tips in this book: #1M (large open-star tip), #2A (round tip), #12 (round tip), #22 (open-star tip), #30 (closed-star tip), #32 (open-star tip), #104 (petal tip), #199 (open-star tip).
TIPS FOR DECORATING YOUR CAKE
I’ve included some basic decorating instructions with each cake recipe and named the technique for each design as follows. In this chapter, I recommend specific buttercreams to complement the cake flavor, but you can use any combination you enjoy. I love our chocolate cake with just about any of our buttercreams and icings. Experiment and see what you like—from classic American buttercream to a cream cheese icing, the possibilities are endless!
NAKED CAKE
- Ultimate Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
- Hummingbird Cake
- Lemon Cake with Lemon Meringue Buttercream
- Razzy Cake
SPACKLE CAKE
- Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Buttercream
- Banana Chocolate Chip Cake
SMOOTH SIDES
- Everyone’s Favorite Vanilla Cake
- Chocolate Cake with Caramel Meringue Buttercream
- Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Buttercream
- Confetti Cake
HORIZONTAL SWIPES
- Super-Rich Chocolate Cake
- Pumpkin Spice Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
- Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Meringue Buttercream
- Caramel Cake with Caramel Meringue Buttercream
STARS & ROSETTES
- Red Velvet
- Everyone’s Favorite Vanilla Cake
STORING CAKES: Most cakes do not need to be refrigerated. The cold dry air is not good for cakes, especially if any cake is exposed, as with the naked cake designs. Rubbermaid Servin Saver Cake Keeper is the ideal way to store cakes. Its airtight seal keeps cakes from drying out and the buttercream from crusting. If your cake is iced with a cream cheese icing, I recommend keeping it in the refrigerator. Place it in the refrigerator first to firm up, then either cover loosely with plastic wrap or place in a cake keeper. Bring your cake to room temperature before serving.