YELLOW BUTTER CAKE

YELLOW BUTTER CAKE

Yields: two 10x2-inch round layers or one 14x2-inch round pan

3 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound plus 4 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) soft unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs plus 2 large yolks
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups whole milk

1. Position oven rack in the middle of your oven. Preheat oven to 350
degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of your baking pan or pans. Line the
bottom of each pan with parchment paper and butter the paper.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Put the
butter in the large bowl of your mixer and mix on low speed for 15 seconds.
Slowly add the sugar. Increase the speed to medium and beat the butter and
sugar for 2 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy and lightens from a yellow
to a cream color. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl during
this mixing. Add the eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat for 2 more minutes
at medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl again. Add the vanilla
extract to the milk. Decrease the speed to low and add the flour mixture and
the milk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (3 flour
2 milk). Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl after the last
addition of flour. The batter is ready when the final addition of flour is
mixed completely into the batter. If any flour is clinging to the sides of
the bowl, stir it into the batter.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan or pans and smooth the top of the
batter with an off-set spatula. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes for the 10-inch
pans. The finished cake should feel firm to the touch. Check with a
toothpick, placed into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean it is
done. It will also start to pull away from the sides of the pan.
4. Cool the cake completely in the pan or pans on a wire cooling rack.
5. When completely cool, run a knife around the pan edge and then invert
onto a cake board or the cooling rack
NOTES & TIPS: Again, this cake freezes well. Wrap in SARAN WRAP AND FOIL.
FREEZE UP TO 3 MONTHS. To fill and frost frozen cake layers, defrost the
layers until they are thawed just enough to cut easily. COLD LAYERS SPLIT
AND HANDLE WELL. If you are not going to freeze the cake, refrigerate for a
day before frosting or icing your cake.