So, Ingredients!
(Yea that's right rainbow mixing bowls and a squid whisk, save your jealousy for my KitchenAid stand mixer)
1/2 cup butter
1+1/2 cups sugar
4 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1+1/3 cups buttermilk
*Some important tips on your ingredients!
Though it goes against your health class, EVERYTHING should be at around room temperature. This includes your butter, eggs, and buttermilk! If you forget to put out your eggs and buttermilk before, just float them in a bowl of warm (not hot) water, but if you forget your butter, you best just reschedule and wait for it to soften. DO NOT microwave your butter to soften it. All of this is important because it helps to add air to the mixture, which is the most important part of your cake. You want a light, fluffy cake, not a dense pound cake (For now). Room temperature helps to keep things soft and easy to whip together.
So now that everything is prepped and at room temperature its time to cream (blend together) your sugar and butter. Beat the crap out of this until it is so airy and and smooth that it will be nestled happily within the dreams of Paula Deen.
(See how desperately she wants to eat that? Just don't follow her example, it's not really tasty right now)
Once you have butter/sugar heaven in a bowl add your egg whites ONE AT A TIME. This is important to add more air to the mix.
Then add your vanilla, the mix should be nice and smooth now, and it smells good!
(still looks delicious, but no eating, it still doesn't taste good yet)
Now combine your baking soda, powder and salt into the flour mix. This is a good time to whisk up your flour which adds even more air! And this keeps you from having to sift it.
(The Squisk approves of this flour mix)
Now add your flour mix and buttermilk at about a cup at a time alternating between the two and making sure to blend well between each. (one cup flour, mix, one cup buttermilk, mix, repeat till its all gone). This gets a little difficult to pull off by yourself. O.o
(but my stand mixer makes it easy for me)
Now you should have a beautiful, smooth, fluffy mixture that tastes like heaven.
(delicious, delicious heaven)
Set up your pan (2 8in rounds if you are on the single batch). This usually involves some grease and flour, but I find that too messy so I use Baker's Joy, a flour based spray. It's important that it's flour based, regular Pam will DESTROY a cake.
(A thin layer is good enough, and you don't have all that nasty grease to deal with)
Pour your batter into your pan. And here's a pro tip: Tip your pan a bit so that the batter comes up on the sides of the pan.
(really hard to do with a 12x12 pan and one hand btw)
If you do it right you get this little border of cake along the sides
This acts as a guide for the cake to rise up with, and it keeps your cake level when it bakes. (instead of making a silly dome that you later have to cut off to keep your cake flat)
Now bake your cake at 350F for about 30 minutes (if you have a large cake bake at 325F for about 40 minutes and then 350 for 10 minutes) Now this isn't a souffle, its not gonna fall, but try not to bring any marching bands through your kitchen, and don't slam your oven door. In fact, don't open your oven at all until you are sure it's nearly time for the cake to come out. It should look golden and happy, no jiggling in the middle. Try your best to guess if it's time to take it out and start testing it with a toothpick, otherwise you'll mess up the temperature of your oven and your cake will take longer to bake.
(The cake says "EAT ME!" But it's very hot...>.>)
Let your cake sit out and cool, set it up on something that allows airflow under the pan as well in order for it to cool a little faster. When it is warm, but not too hot to the touch, wrap it up in plastic wrap. This will keep the moisture in the cake, rather than it all seeping out in the form of steam and heat.
(this is a trick that Shekey and I discovered together and it works WONDERS)
Then put it in your fridge and COMPLETELY cool it, it should be cold, fridge temperature cold. Mine is gonna hang out in the fridge overnight.
(It gets to hang out with our drinks and make friends!
)Tomorrow I will show you how to decorate your cake!
