Basic layer cakes and icing

Recently I came across some notes that I had made years ago. My husband and I were visiting my oldest Sister. We, discussed ‘Basic Layer Cakes’. I have to tell you that she was smarter than the rest of us girls put together. She was a very creative person and a good old southern cook. Coming home I hurriedly wrote down the notes… (I am a serious note taker.) These have been round and round in our family. I thought you might enjoy. Take care and I will be seeing you around…Agnes

Tips:

•For a good moist layer cake: Completely cool layers. Before icing, put the following mixture over the cool layers. Heat until the sugar is dissolved: 1 cup milk, 3 ½ tablespoons sugar, and drop of vanilla. Cool and divide among the layers by spooning over the tops of layers.

•Layers will freeze well. Always stack with wax paper between layers and wrap tightly with plastic wrap then foil or brown paper.

Basic 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Layer Cake

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour (2 cups self-rising and 1 cup all-purpose)

4 large eggs

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons flavoring of choice

Cream butter and sugar. Whisk or sift flour. Beat eggs into butter and sugar one at the time. Add flavoring to milk and beat into batter alternately with flour. Begin and end with flour. When mixed well, divide among 3 or 4 cake pans that have been greased and floured. Bake in 325 degree preheated until done. Turn out and cool before icing with your favorite icing.

Basic Seven Layer Cake: Cake Layers:

2 cups cake flour or very good all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

Pinch of table salt

2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup Crisco vegetable shortening (room temp)

1 and ¼ cups whole milk

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon good vanilla

Grease and flour 7 9-inch cake pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the mixing bowl and use a whisk to mix all together. Beat in the Crisco and half the milk. Beat on medium speed for about 2 and ½ minutes. Beat in eggs—one at the time and then beat in rest of milk. Beat for a couple more minutes on medium speed. Divide batter among the seven pans. The layers will be thin…so watch…it will not take long to cook.

If you want to make white-white layers…change as this directs: Increase eggs to 6, separate and reserve the yolks for a filling. Beat the whites with ½ cup of the sugar and ½ teaspoon cream of tartar. Fold into batter once other ingredients are mixed in.

Icing

1.Chocolate

1 and ½ sticks of butter

2/3 cup powdered cocoa

¾ cup milk

3 cups sugar

Put cocoa and sugar in a bowl and whisk together. In a sauce pan, melt butter and stir in milk. When milk is warm, stir in the cocoa and sugar mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and cooking until the sugar melts. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Remove from heat and beat with a whisk until creamy enough to spread. Stack layers with icing between each layer. Pour over top and cover the sides.

2.Lemon Cheese Filling

6 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon butter

Grated rind of 2 large lemons and juice of 3 large lemons.

1 cup water

In the top of a double boiler beat the yolks until creamy and lemon-colored. Gradually beat in sugar and flour. Add butter, lemon rind, juice, and water slowly. Stirring constantly to prevent scorching…cook until the mixture starts to thicken. Stack cake with filling only between layers (don’t put on top layer.) Cover the top and sides with white divinity like frosting.

3.Caramel Icing

1 ½ cups packed brown sugar

1 ½ sticks butter

¾ cup sweetened condensed milk (about ½ can.)

1 ½ tsp vanilla

Dash salt

3 to 4 cups 10X sugar

Mix brown sugar, butter, milk and salt in a heavy sauce pan. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Beat and add vanilla and 10X sugar. Cool slightly. If mixture is too stiff add a few drops of milk and stir until you get it to the consistency that you need. Stack layers, putting icing on top and sides. Icing will be almost like candy when cold.

4.Non-Cream Cheese Icing: (Note: for those people that don’t like cream cheese, this can be substituted on any cake calling for cream cheese icing.)

Mix 3 tablespoons flour and 1 cup milk. Cook until thick, stirring often and set aside to cool. Put in mixing bowl and cream until fluffy: ¾ to 1 pound butter, 1 cup sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla. Beat the cool thickening mixture into the butter /sugar mixture and add as much 10x sugar as needed to make a good spreadable icing. Stir in 1 small can of coconut and/or 1 cup chopped pecans. Spread on top and sides of layers.

Recipe for Laughter: The Blarney Stone:

A group of Americans was touring Ireland. One of the women in the group was constantly complaining. The bus seats are uncomfortable. The food is terrible. It’s too hot. It’s too cold. The accommodations are awful.

The group arrived at the site of the famous Blarney Stone. “Good luck will be followin’ ya all your days if you kiss the Blarney Stone,” the guide said. “Unfortunately, it’s being cleaned today and so no one will be able to kiss it. Perhaps we can come back tomorrow.”

“We can’t be here tomorrow,” the nasty woman shouted. “We have some other boring tour to go on. So I guess we can’t kiss the stupid stone.”

“Well now,” the guide replied, “it is said that if you kiss someone who has kissed the stone, you’ll have the same good fortune.”

“And I suppose you’ve kissed the stone,” the woman scoffed.

“No, ma’am,” the frustrated guide said, “but I’ve sat on it.”

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