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Sponge Cake with Chocolate Cream
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La Belle Cuisine
Great American Cakes
by Barbara Kafka
Yellow Cake Layers
“This is probably America's favorite layer
for any kind of cake;
it is what the
cake-mix people try to
imitate and never get right.”
Makes two 8-inch layers
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter,
softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Into a bowl sift together the flour, baking
powder, and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter,
add sugar gradually, beating, and beat the mixture until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the
flour mixture and the milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with
dry ingredients, add the vanilla, and beat the batter until it is smooth.
Divide the batter between 2 lightly greased and floured 8-by-1 1/2-inch
round cake pans, smoothing the top, rap each pan on a hard surface twice to
expel any air bubbles, and bake the layers in the middle of a preheated
350-degree F. oven for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in
center comes out clean and the layers pull away slightly from the sides of
the pans. Let the layers cool in the pans on a rack for 8 minutes, run a
thin knife around the edge of each pan, and invert the layers onto the
racks. Let the layers cool completely.
White Cake Layers
Makes two 8-inch layers
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
2/3 cup milk
4 large egg whites, room temperature
Into a large bowl sift together the flour, 1
cup sugar, the baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the
flour mixture, add the sour cream and the milk, and stir the mixture until
it is just smooth. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat the whites
until they are frothy, add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar gradually, beating
constantly, and beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Stir one fourth
of the whites into the sour cream mixture and fold in the remaining whites
gently but thoroughly. Divide the batter between 2 lightly greased and
floured 8-by-1 1/2-inch round cake pans, smoothing the top, rap each pan on
a hard surface twice to expel any air bubbles, and bake the layers in the
middle of a preheated 350-degree F. oven for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a
tester inserted in center comes out clean and the layers
pull away slightly
from the sides of the pans. Let the layers cool in the pans
on a rack for 8
minutes, run a thin knife around the edge of each pan, and
invert the layers
onto the racks. Let the layers cool completely.
Spongecake Layers
“Spongecake is the American version of
génoise but a good deal lighter. It can
be served as a tea cake with
confectioner's sugar sprinkled on top or as a layer
cake.
It is often the
basis of the New York strawberry shortcake that is made
without biscuits. Spongecake is also good with flavored buttercreams.”
Makes two 9-inch layers
3/4 cup sifted cake flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
7 large egg yolks
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- or -
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
7 large egg whites, room temperature
Line the bottoms of 2 greased 9-by-1 1/2-inch round cake pans
with rounds
of parchment paper or wax paper, grease the paper, and dust the
pans with
flour, knocking out the excess. Into a bowl sift together flour
and cornstarch.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat the yolks at
medium speed untill
they are thickened slightly, add 1 cup of the sugar
gradually, beating, and
beat the mixture for 2 minutes, or until it is very
thick and pale. Fold in 1 tablespoon boiling water and vanilla. Sift half
the flour mixture over the
yolk mixture, fold it in, and sift and fold in
the remaining flour mixture.
In another large bowl with the electric
mixer beat the whites at medium
speed until they are frothy, add the
remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, beating,
and beat the whites until they just
hold soft peaks. Stir one fourth of the
whites into the yolk mixture and
fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
Divide the batter evenly
between the prepared pans, smoothing the top,
and bake the layers in the
middle of a preheated 350-degree F.
oven for
20 to 30 minutes, or until the
layers pull away from the sides of
the pans
and are springy to the touch.
Let the layers cool in the pans on
racks
for
10 minutes, run a thin knife
around the edges of the pans, and
invert
the
layers onto the racks. Remove
the parchment or wax paper
and let the
layers cool completely.
Angel Food Cake
Banana Cream Cake
“There are lots of wonderful gooey cakes
and pies, often the result of a
luscious layer of custard topped with fruit.
This is one of them.”
Two 8-inch yellow cake or white cake layers
1 cup Custard Cream (recipe follows)
1 banana, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 recipe Caramel Glaze (recipe follows)
On a cake plate arrange 1 of the cake
layers, bottom side up, and spread
the top with the Custard Cream. In a
small bowl to the banana slices with
the lemon juice and arrange them in an
even layer on the custard cream.
Put the remaining cake layer, bottom side
up, on the banana and chill the
cake, covered loosely, for 30 minutes, or
until it is cold. Pour the Caramel
Glaze over the cold cake, letting it drip
down the side, and let it cool to
room temperature. Makes 1 gooey cake.
Custard Cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour
6 large egg yolks
2 cups milk [scalded]
A pinch of coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a small bowl whisk together the sugar and
flour. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the yolks until they are
thickened slightly, add the sugar mixture, beating, and beat the mixture
until it is blended well. Add the milk, scalded,
in a slow stream, beating,
transfer the custard to a heavy saucepan, and
cook it over moderately low
heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil.
Boil the custard,
stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, strain it through a fine
sieve into a
bowl, and stir in the salt and vanilla. Let the custard cool, its
surface
covered with plastic wrap, and chill it, covered with the plastic
wrap, for
1 hour, or until it is cold. The custard cream may be made 1
week in advance
and kept covered and chilled. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Caramel Glaze
In a heavy skillet cook 1 cup sugar
over moderately high heat, stirring
constantly with a fork, until it is
melted completely and is a golden caramel, remove the skillet from the heat,
and dip the bottom of it into a wide bowl
of cold water for 5 seconds to
stop the cooking. Add 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into
pieces, and 1/4 cup heavy cream carefully to
the caramel (the
caramel will harden when the cream is added), Cook the caramel over moderate
heat, stirring, until it is dissolved completely and
smooth, and let it cool
to lukewarm, or until it is thickened but still liquid
enough to pour. Pour
the glaze over a filled and chilled 2-layer cake,
letting it drip down the
side, and let it cool to room temperature. Makes
enough to glaze two
8-inch
layers.
Coconut Cake
1 large coconut without any cracks, and
containing milk
1 recipe White Mountain Frosting
Two 8-inch white cake layers
Pierce the eyes of the coconut with an ice
pick or a skewer, drain the milk,
and reserve it for another use. Bake the
coconut in a preheated 400-degree
F oven for 15 minutes, break it with a
hammer, and remove the flesh from
the shell, levering it out carefully with
the point of a strong knife. Peel off
the brown membrane with a vegetable
peeler and grate the coconut meat
coarse with a hand-held grater.
In a small bowl stir together 1/2 cup of the
grated coconut and one fourth
of the White Mountain Frosting. On a cake
plate arrange one of the cake
layers, bottom side up, and spread the top
with the coconut frosting. Put
the remaining cake layer, bottom side up, on
the coconut frosting, spread
the remaining White Mountain Frosting
generously over the top and side
of the cake, and sprinkle the remaining
grated coconut on the top and
onto the side of the cake, pressing it in
slightly.
White Mountain Frosting
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 large egg whites, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Onto a sheet of wax paper sift together
sugar and cream of tartar and in a
small saucepan combine the sugar mixture
with 1/2 cup water. Bring the
mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring
until the sugar is dissolved, and
boil it, covered, for 2 minutes. While the
sugar syrup is boiling, covered,
for 2 minutes.
While the sugar syrup is boiling, covered,
in the large bowl of an electric
mixer beat the whites until they are
frothy. Boil the syrup, uncovered, until
it reaches the soft-ball stage (240
degrees F. on a candy thermometer).
While the syrup is getting to the
soft-ball stage, beat the whites at moderate speed until they just hold
stiff peaks. Add the hot syrup to the whites in a
slow stream, beating
constantly, and beat the frosting at high speed until it
is cooled and holds
stiff glossy peaks. Beat in the vanilla and 1/4 cup
boiling water and beat
the frosting until it is cooled to room temperature.
Makes enough to frost
two or three 8- or 9-inch layers or a 10-inch
tube cake.
Palm Beach Cake
1 coconut without any cracks and
containing
milk
Two 8-inch white cake layers
3/4 cup lemon curd
1/3 cup thinly sliced, seeded, and
finely
chopped
lemon,
including the rind and pith
1 recipe White Mountain Frosting
[Refer to the Coconut Cake recipe above for the preparation
of the
fresh coconut.]
On a cake plate arrange one of the cake
layers, bottom side up, and spread
the top with the lemon curd. Sprinkle
the chopped lemon evenly over the
curd. Put the remaining cake layer,
bottom side up, on the lemon filling,
spread the White Mountain Frosting
over the top and side of the cake,
and sprinkle the grated coconut to taste
on the top and onto the side of
the cake, pressing it in slightly.
Lemon Curd
1 stick (1/2
cup) unsalted butter,
cut into pieces
1/2 cup
sugar
1/4 cup
fresh lemon juice
2 1/4
teaspoons freshly
grated lemon zest
3 large
eggs, beaten lightly
In a heavy
saucepan melt butter with sugar, lemon and zest, over
moderately low heat,
stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the butter
mixture in a stream to
the eggs, whisking, transfer the mixture to the pan,
and cook it over
moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until the curd
is thick enough to
hold the mark of the whisk and the first bubble appears
on the surface.
Transfer the curd immediately to a small bowl, let it cool,
its surface
covered with plastic wrap, and chill it, covered with the plastic
wrap, for
1 hour, or until it is cold. The lemon curd may be made 1 week
in advance
and kept covered and chilled. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.
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Frosting Collection
Let them eat cake - with frosting!
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Coconut Pineapple Cake
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Mrs. Kaplan's Chocolate Cake
Ultimate Chocolate Cake Collection
Mammy's Red Velvet Cake
Mammy's Hummingbird Cake
Toasted Pecan Caramel Cake
White Chocolate Cake
Walnut-Spice Layer Cake with
Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
The Essentials
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