King Arthur Flour: Classic Yellow Cake with Fudge Frosting

Recipe at King Arthur Flour

Baking Banter Discussion

What makes this cake classic? In our book, a "classic" yellow cake — read, '60s box-mix style, like Mom used to make — is marked by its pleasing moistness, its easy sliceability (no crumbling, please) and simple vanilla flavor. This cake has it all, and more: the fudge frosting on top is, well, the icing on the cake!

Recipe summary

Hands-on time: 20 mins. to 30 mins.

Baking time: 30 mins. to 35 mins.

Total time: 1 hrs 20 mins. to 1 hrs 35 mins.

Yield: one 9" round layer, 8 to 10 servings

Tips from our bakers

• One small tweak transforms this recipe into one for Boston Cream Pie: split the cake into two rounds before frosting; fill with about 2 cups of your favorite pastry cream filling or vanilla pudding, and frost as directed.
• The frosting is easy to put together, but you need to work quickly once you add the hot butter mixture to the confectioners' sugar. It pours easily when warm, flowing across the cake and down its sides, then drying to a glossy sheen. But if you dub around, and let it cool, you're going to be applying frosting to cake with a spatula — and it won't look nearly as pretty.
• Can you substitute sour cream for the yogurt? Sure. Full-fat is best; and low-fat is OK, but avoid nonfat — the cake's texture will suffer.
• The frosting recipe makes a generous amount. It'll flow over the sides of the cake and pool a bit around the edge of the plate. To keep things neat, slip strips of parchment or waxed paper between cake and plate; frost the cake; and when the frosting is done oozing, gently tug the strips of paper out, taking the frosting with them and leaving a clean plate. Enjoy the extra frosting on ice cream, or just as is...

CAKE

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 2/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt; low-fat is OK, but please don't use nonfat*
• *Buying yogurt in 6-ounce containers? Substitute one 6-ounce container + 1/4 cup (2 ounces) milk.

FROSTING

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, natural or Dutch-process
• 1/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt; low-fat is fine
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder, optional but good
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" round cake pan that's at least 2" deep; for extra protection against sticking, line the pan with parchment, and grease the parchment.

2) To make the cake: Beat together the sugar and butter until thoroughly combined.

3) Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl after each. After you've added the second egg, beat at high speed for 2 minutes; the batter will lighten in color and become fluffy.

4) Add the vanilla, almond extract, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, stirring to combine.

5) Starting and ending with the flour, alternately add the flour and yogurt to the mixture: 1/3 of the flour, half the yogurt, 1/3 of the flour, the remaining yogurt, and the remaining flour. Beat gently to combine after each addition. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and beat briefly.

6) Spoon the batter into the pan. Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, until it's golden brown on top, the edges are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

7) After 10 minutes, turn the cake out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely before frosting.

8) To make the frosting: Sift the confectioners' sugar into a mixing bowl.

9) Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the cocoa and yogurt.

10) Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and espresso powder. Add to the confectioners' sugar in the bowl, beating until smooth.

11) Quickly pour over the cooled cake, while the frosting is still warm.

Yield: one 9" cake, 8 to 10 servings.

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Just A Pinch Recipe Club: Corn Casserole

This recipe, from suppermomma5 at Just a Pinch Recipe Club, is going to be one of our new Thanksgiving traditions. I may have baked it too long because we can eat it with our fingers like corn bread. John likes it that way, so I'm fine with that. It is easy to make and great to eat!

Ingredients

1 can(s) regular sized can of creamed corn, undrained
1 can(s) regular sized can of corn, drained
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix or use following substitution
2 large eggs
1 stick butter, melted
2 to 3 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c sour cream

Jiffy substitution
2/3 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 c cornmeal

Directions

1 Combine all but half of the cheese in a bowl.
2 Pour into a large, greased 13x9 baking dish.
3 Bake at 350' until center is set & casserole is slightly golden, 35-40 minutes.
4 Sprinkle with remaining cheese & bake 5-10 more minutes.

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Bon Appetit: Raspberry-Crème Fraiche Tart

I made my own crème fraiche because the store doesn’t have it and nobody knew what it was. I made it because of a Bon Appetit recipe for raspberry cream pie that looked good, tasted great, but was impossible to cut. We ended up chopping the cookie crust up and smashing the whole thing. My hope is that I can make this crème fraiche tart before the bears eat the newest crop of raspberries (they are busy eating apples and cherries right now). I have not tried this recipe yet: let’s hope it works out better than the other pie.

8 TO 10 SERVINGS

RECIPE BY Deborah Madison

PHOTOGRAPH BY Brian Leatart

JUNE 2000

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup crème fraîche*
• 2 cups fresh raspberries
• Powdered sugar (optional)

*Available at some supermarkets. If unavailable, heat 1 cup whipping cream to lukewarm (85°F). Remove from heat; mix in 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Cover; let stand in warm draft-free area until slightly thickened, 24 to 48 hours, depending on temperature of room. Chill.

PREPARATION

• Place baking sheet in bottom of oven. Preheat oven to 375°F. Wrap outside of 11-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom with foil. Using electric mixer, beat butter, 1/2 cup sugar and salt in large bowl until blended. Add 3 eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; beat until smooth. Add flour; beat just until blended. Spread batter over bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of pan.

• Beat 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and crème fraîche in bowl until well blended. Spread custard over batter. Arrange berries 1/4 inch apart atop custard. Sprinkle tart with 2 tablespoons sugar.

• Bake tart until set and brown around edges, about 45 minutes. Cool. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely with foil; chill. Serve at room temperature.

• Remove pan sides. Place tart on platter. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

• Hungry for More? If you have a question about this recipe, contact our Test Kitchen at askba@bonappetit.com. To see more recipes like this one, check out our Berry Desserts Slideshow.

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Foodista: One-Pot Chili Mac

Now that school has started again, I need recipes that I can make ahead. One pot is great, also. This has everything we like tossed in all together. I haven’t tried it yet.  Recipe by Leah Rodrigues. Recipe at Foodista. Photograph by jeffreyw.

We have all had Hamburger Helper at least once in our day.  Some of us may have fond memories of the convenience food while others not so much.  This recipe will change your mind about chili mac.  Homemade chili is cooked with noodles and finished with a mountain of cheddar cheese.  This one-pot meal can be made any night of the week.  Try making this version of chili mac at home and let me know if you prefer it to the boxed variety.

Chili Mac

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
chili powder to taste
1 – 6 oz can tomato paste
1 – 15 oz can kidney or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups elbow macaroni
2 cups mild cheddar shredded cheese
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes, or 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
olive oil
freshly chopped cilantro, as garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat a large skillet. Drizzle with olive oil. Add ground turkey, onions, bell peppers and garlic. Cook until beef is browned and vegetables are tender.

2. Add cumin, paprika, oregano, cilantro and salt and pepper to ground turkey. Add chili powder at this step if you want a spicier dish. Add tomato paste, beans, diced or canned tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and add macaroni.

3. Turn to a simmer and cover. Cook until macaroni is tender, about 10 minutes. Add cheese and mix until blended.

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Recipe.com: Two Baby Back Ribs Recipes

I have never made ribs before and I think I have only had them a couple of times. The time has come to try them and I have chosen these two recipes to use separately or in combination. From recipe.com.

Fred's Finest Baby Back Ribs
http://www.recipe.com/freds-fines…

No offense to those chicken folks but here's the "finger lickin' good" meal. These ribs are mouth-happy perfection. The key is slow-roasting heat combined with moisture to create steam that melts away some of the fat and softens the meat. I like to start these in the oven, but if you prefer to do it entirely on the grill, I've provided that method too. No matter which way you start the ribs, finish them over direct heat to get a nice carmelization of the sauce.

Ingredients
6 racks baby back ribs, roughly 12 pounds (spareribs will also work)
1/4 cup  Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon  brown sugar
1 tablespoon  paprika
1 teaspoon  chili powder
1/4 teaspoon  cayenne
1/4 teaspoon  kosher salt
  Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup  water or apple cider
1 cup  barbecue sauce (use your favorite)
2 tablespoons  honey, or as needed

Directions

TO OVEN-ROAST THE RIBS:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F.

Rinse the ribs and pat them dry. Remove the membranes from the back of the ribs. Place the ribs on a baking sheet and brush the ribs generously with the mustard. Combine the sugar, paprika, chili powder, cayenne, and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle this mixture over both sides of the ribs. Grind fresh pepper over the ribs.

Place the ribs in an aluminum roasting bag and add the water. Seal the bag tightly, place on a baking sheet, and put in the oven. Slowly cook the ribs for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the bag from the oven and let the ribs cool in the roasting bag for 30 minutes. Open the bag away from you in case there is residual steam. The ribs are ready for the next step when you can grab them with a pair of tongs, lift them up, and they bend easily.

OR TO GRILL-ROAST THE RIBS:

Set up your grill for indirect cooking. Add some wood chips or hunks of wood, like hickory or oak, to your smoke box, or make a foil-smoking packet. Let some smoke build in your grill, then place the ribs (brushed with the mustard and rub) on the grill, bone side down, and adjust the temperature to low. You want the temperature to stay at about 200 degrees F, so check with an oven thermometer. Smoke for about 3 hours, replenishing the wood chips as needed. About every 45 minutes, spray the ribs with apple cider. The ribs are ready for the next step when you can grab them with a pair of tongs, lift them up, and they bend easily.

TO FINISH THE RIBS:

Oil the grill racks. Preheat your grill using all burners set on high and with the lid closed for 10 to 12 minutes.

When the grill is hot, reduce the heat to medium and place the ribs, meaty side down, on the grill. Close the lid and cook for about 15 minutes, then turn. Brush the seared side with the barbecue sauce, cover again, and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Turn, brush with sauce, cover, and let them enjoy the heat for another 10 minutes. Brush the same side with sauce again, cover, and cook for no more than 5 minutes. Uncover, drizzle the ribs with the honey, and let them stay on the heat a couple of minutes more to allow the honey to glaze. Remove and serve to hoots and hollers.

TIP

Make Ahead: You can grill- or oven-roast the ribs several days ahead and even freeze them. If you do freeze them, let them cool completely (in the roasting bag, if they're oven-roasted) then drain off any liquid, wrap them well in foil or the roasting bag, and stick them in the freezer. Thaw before finishing the ribs.

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Sweet & Spicy BBQ Baby Back Ribs
http://www.recipe.com/sweet-and-spicy. . .

Ingredients

• 1 cup  catsup

• 1/4 cup  mild-flavored molasses

• 1/4 cup  lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons  soy sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon  crushed red pepper

• 3 to 3-1/2 pounds  pork loin back ribs or meaty pork spare ribs

• 1/2 teaspoon  onion salt

• 1/2 teaspoon  pepper

Directions

1  For glaze, in a small saucepan combine catsup, molasses, lemon juice, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper. Heat and stir until bubbly. Cool, cover, and chill for up to 5 days.

2 Cut the ribs into serving-size pieces; place in a Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover ribs. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Drain ribs; cool slightly. Season ribs with onion salt and pepper.

3 To grill ribs, in a covered grill arrange preheated coals around a drip pan. Test for medium heat above drip pan. Place precooked ribs on grill rack over the drip pan, but not over the coals. Cover and grill for 45 to 50 minutes or until ribs are tender, brushing occasionally with glaze during the last 10 minutes of grilling. Heat the remaining glaze on the grill or stovetop until bubbly; pass with ribs. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 661, Total Fat 41 g, Saturated Fat 16 g, Cholesterol 162 mg, Sodium 1654 mg, Carbohydrate 34 g, Fiber 1 g, Protein 40 g. Daily Values: Vitamin A 8%, Vitamin C 29%, Calcium 9%, Iron 27%.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

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Cabot Creamery: Make-Ahead Spaghetti Pie

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground turkey or extra-lean ground beef
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes with Italian herbs
1 (8-ounce) container Cabot Light Sour Cream
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
6 ounces grated Tomato Basil Cheddar (about 1 1/2 cups), divided*
4 cups hot cooked spaghetti (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
Cooking spray

1. Cook meat in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in salt, pepper, and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until thickened.

2. Meanwhile, combine sour cream, garlic and 1/2 cup cheddar in a small bowl. Place spaghetti noodles in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate or 2-quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Spread sour cream mixture over spaghetti noodles. Spoon meat mixture over sour cream mixture, using slotted spoon. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

*Note: If Tomato-Basil Cheddar is unavailable, substitute equal amount of Sharp Cheddar tossed with 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian herbs.

Nutrition Analysis
Calories 340, Total Fat 14g, Saturated Fat 7g, Sodium 400mg, Carbohydrates 32g, Dietary Fiber 3g, Protein 23g, Calcium 250mg

Makes 8 servings

Recipe from Cabot e-mail newsletter

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Bon Appetit: Crème Fraiche

My creme fraiche sitting for 24 hours with the pickle jars and some wild apples.

Nobody sells creme fraiche here, so I had to make it for a special raspberry cream-like pie from Bon Appetite that I want to make. It seems an extravagant ingredient to make (the recipe calls for 1/4 cup and the 1 cup batch you make lasts only 10 days). But that's life. This recipe is from Bon Appetite. Do not use ultra pasteurized cream!Here's the directions . . .

With a tangy flavor and thick consistency, crème fraîche is the natural result of letting cream skimmed off the top of milk ferment at a warm temperature-or at least it is in its native France. In America, we pasteurize milk, killing off the bacteria that would cause fermentation. To make crème fraïche with American cream, you have to add buttermilk or sour cream; they contain bacteria that thicken cream.

Similar to sour cream, crème fraîche makes a delicious topping for desserts and adds body and flavor to sauces and pasta dishes.

How to make your own crème fraîche:

Combine 2 tablespoons of buttermilk with 1 cup of whipping cream in a glass container. Cover and let it sit at room temperature (about 70ºF) for 8 to 24 hours. Don't despair if your cream doesn't thicken after 22 hours; sometimes it happens nearly all at once. When it has thickened, stir well and refrigerate up to 10 days

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Bon Appetit: Bread and Butter Pickles

We have dozens of wonderful cucumbers from the garden this summer. John made 6 pints of relish (the recipe will come later), and today we made pickles. The photos are my own from when we made the pickles using this recipe. The recipe can be found at http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/08/bread-and-butter-pickles. We tasted the pickle juice after we finished canning the pickles. It was wonderful, with a great “bite.” We can’t taste the pickles for one week.

These old-school sandwich pickles strike the perfect sweet-sour balance.

MAKES ABOUT 2 QUARTS

RECIPE BY Kevin West

AUGUST 2011

John has made a knife that uniformly cuts 1/4 inch slices,
which was perfect for the cucumbers.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 pounds Kirby cucumbers, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch rounds (about 8 cups) (We used the small cucumbers from the garden, about 4-6 inches long.)
• 2 cups thinly sliced red onions (We used a combination of red and yellow.)
• 1/3 cup pickling salt
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 cups (packed) light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon celery seeds
• 2 Fresno chilies or red jalapeños, pricked with a toothpick (We used green because no red was available. We also cut them into thick slices.)

The cucumbers, onions and salt are ready for the refrigerator.

PREPARATION

• Toss together cucumbers, onions, and salt in a large bowl. Add 3 cups ice; set aside for 2 hours. Drain; rinse well and drain again.

• Combine vinegar and the remaining ingredients with 1 cup water in a large pot; bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cucumbers and onions; return to a boil.

• Ladle hot vegetables and pickling liquid into 2 clean, hot 1-quart jars, dividing equally. Press vegetables to completely submerge in liquid, leaving 1/2 inch space on top. Wipe rims, seal, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

After several hours, I drained and rinsed the mixture.

Hungry for More? If you have a question about this recipe, contact our Test Kitchen at askba@bonappetit.com. To see more recipes like this one, check out our Summer Sides Slideshow.

• NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

  1 tablespoon contains:
  Calories (kcal) 19.4
  %Calories from Fat 0.0
  Fat (g) 0.0
  Saturated Fat (g) 0.0
  Cholesterol (mg) 0.0
  Carbohydrates (g) 4.4
  Dietary Fiber (g) 0.4
  Total Sugars (g) 3.5
  Net Carbs (g) 4.0
  Protein (g) 0.2
  Sodium (mg) 60.9

The sterilized pint jars.

The lids waited in a hot water bath.

The first jar is filled.

Seven pints are put into the hot water bath.

The jars have to be covered with boiling water in the canner.

The pickles!

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Food52: 12 Fun Things to Cook with Your Kids - Blog - food52 - food community, recipe search and cookbook contests

12 Fun Things to Cook with Your Kids - Blog - food52 - food community, recipe search and cookbook contests

This is good stuff!



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12 Fun Things to Cook with Your Kids - Blog - food52 - food community, recipe search and cookbook contests

12 Fun Things to Cook with Your Kids - Blog - food52 - food community, recipe search and cookbook contests

This is good stuff!

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Foodista: Homemade Pop Tarts

Image Source: jamieanne
Recipe by Leah Rodrigues

Foodista tends to over-define. Thus, by clicking “water” in the recipe below you can learn what water is. This is helpful if you don’t know how to blend pastry dough, so we take the good with the ridiculous. Put real fruit or pie filling in these!

We know Pop Tarts as the breakfast treat that comes from a cardboard box.  But, we can actually make these at home.  They are more delicious and healthier for you (no preservatives and artificial coloring).  This is the basic recipe; however, you can customize your pop tarts to your favorite flavor.  Add cinnamon apples for apple pie flavor or chocolate.  Whatever flavor you find in a box is possible at home (maybe with the exception of blue raspberry).

Pop Tarts

Ingredients:

4 cups Flour
1 3/4 cups Vegetable Shortening
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vinegar
1/2 cup Cold Water
16 tablespoons Jam -- any flavor, divided

Directions:

In a large bowl, cut flour and shortening together with pastry blender or two butter knives, until completely blended (mixture will resemble crumbs). Add sugar, baking powder, salt, egg, vinegar and cold water. Mix with hands until mixture forms a ball.Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Divide dough into fourths, refrigerating the portions you are not working with yet.

Take first 1/4 of dough and roll out onto a floured surface. Cut into rectangles using a sharp knife. It is helpful to make a template the size you wish your pop tarts to be, from cardboard or heavy plastic, so they will be a uniform size. Spread on tbsp. jam on one half of the rectangles, leaving a half inch or so on the edges without jam. Cover with the other half of the rectangles. Crimp edges with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 12 - 15 minutes or until the pie dough is evenly browned and cooked through. Cool completely and place into zip baggies for storage until you are ready to eat them. Repeat with remaining dough and jam until it is all completed.

Variation: Glaze pop tarts with a simple glaze made from powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Be sure to let glaze dry hard before placing pop tarts into storage baggies.

Pop-Tarts may be stored up to one week as you would store bread, or frozen for up to 3 months before use.

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