New York Times’ Chocolate Chip Cookie

Here’s another chocolate chip cookie recipe for you to try from the New York Times. It is a crispier cookie than most of my other recipes, but still very good. My husband, Matt was a huge fan and wants me to make them again really soon. The only problem is that I don’t have bread or cake flour on hand, so he’s going to have to wait until I go to the store.

My mom made these cookies few weeks ago and sent half of the dough with my sister to take back to Oklahoma State University for her fiance and their cross country friends. The other half of the dough went with me. I made a batch for my Matt to take down Texas A&M for him and his buddies to enjoy while they watched the Aggies play in their first football game of the season (we beat SMU by the way…Whoop!)

The hardest part in making these cookies is waiting for the dough to set up. Supposedly, the longer you wait to bake cookie dough, the better the taste, since all of the ingredients have time to combine and absorb each other’s flavors. Enjoy!

New York Times’ Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons

(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (we mixed in semi-sweet chocolate chunks)

Sea salt

Directions

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Scoop 6 (3 1/2-ounce) mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies
The New York Times

Overnight Chocolatey Oats

I know oats aren’t the most appetizing dish, but in my opinion, they are the most tasty breakfast item. Ever since I discovered Corner Bakery‘s Swiss Oatmeal (about 5 years ago), I’ve been making my version for breakfast at least 5 times a week. I love the smooth, sweet, chilled texture of swiss oatmeal with my favorite fruits….blueberries, apples, bananas, dried blueberries, craisins, pecans, Colorado honey, skim milk, and vanilla yogurt. Swiss oatmeal is usually my Sunday dinner as well.

For those that live in Texas, you know it can be hot, and we had the hottest and driest summer on record since 1980! Therefore, when I make breakfast, especially after a long run, I really enjoy a nice chilled bowl of swiss oatmeal. I am one of those people that cannot skip breakfast…I don’t think I have EVER missed it in my entire life! I really don’t understand how some people skip this most essential meal of the day! My question for those that skip breakfast is: You just went 9-12 hours without eating, how are you not starving?

This week, I discovered Peanut Butter Finger’s recipe for Overnight Chocolatey Oats. I love PB Finger’s blog because she is like me…loves running, smoothies, and oatmeal… and has oats for breakfast nearly every morning.

Her overnight chocolatey oats are super easy, healthy, and good. With only 5 ingredients, you can make it in minutes. If you are impatient like me, you can make the oats and eat them immediately rather than letting them sit overnight. The only difference is the texture…the oats thicken as they refrigerate. Instead of my Swiss Oatmeal, I made this chocolate version of chilled oats every morning for breakfast this week. It is perfect after a run, and extremely filling, especially if you use Greek yogurt as opposed to plain (it packs twice the amount of protein).

Enjoy!

Overnight Chocolatey Oats
Ingredients
1 cup Greek yogurt (I used non-fat vanilla)
1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup almond milk (I used skim milk)
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp brown sugar
bananas, optional

Directions
Combine all ingredients together and let sit overnight in the refrigerator. Enjoy the next morning, with sliced bananas (optional).

Yield: 1 serving
Peanut Butter Fingers

Chocolate Ice Box Pie

This Chocolate Ice Box Pie is version 2 of the pies we made over Labor Day weekend (version 1 was the Lemon Ice Box Pie.) The girls, my mom and I, ate the fruity, lemon version, while the boys, my dad and husband, opted for chocolate. Both are out of this world recipes from my Aunt Jolene, and both are spin-offs of each other…essentially the same recipe, just different ingredients.

No other recipe can beat this Chocolate Ice Box Pie. It is milk-chocolately, sweet, very smooth, and thick. It pairs perfectly with a dollop of whipped cream. You can make a homemade crust, or buy a pre-made one if you are pressed for time. As far as crusts go, my husband doesn’t eat the crust, so next time I made this, I ought to just pour the custard into individual ramekins to make pudding. (My husband sure is weird! For me, the crust is almost the best part… I can’t eat a single bite of pie without it).

Enjoy!

For the Foolproof Vodka Pie Crust recipe, click HERE.

Chocolate Ice Box Pie

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 stick buttter
1 tsp vanilla
1 oz. Baker’s unsweetened chocolate
1 oz. Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 Foolproof pie crust, baked and cooled.

Instructions

Mix flour and sugar. Scald milk in double boiler, add sugar and flour, gradually stirring constantly until thick.
Temper, and add well-beaten eggs and cook 2 minutes longer. Beat into mixture, the butter, melted chocolate and vanilla.
Pour into baked pie shell and let cool. Refrigerate until set. Serve with whipped cream.

Brownies for Dinner!

Well, I am very disappointed in myself…. I did not cook a single home-cooked meal this week (I guess my Father’s Day Lunch wore me out). Shame on me! Between Monday night kickball games, getting my car inspected, and my husband, Matt’s, late-night dinners for work, there was no opportunity for me to cook!

Tonight’s dinner was not special either…Matt went out to eat with his buddy while I squeezed in a 3 mile run after work. Sooo, at this point, I was officially “deprived” of cooking/baking all week. As a remedy, I decided to make Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts, Matt’s favorite. In addition, the weekends are Matt’s “cheat days”, meaning that he will drink Coke, eat whatever food or dessert he wants, and not feel bad about it at all! Come Monday, he’s back to his “diet” of eating healthy again.

I must say, these are the BEST brownies in the world! What makes them so good is the butter that is melted in a saucepan and then “browned” for 5 minutes to form little brown bits at the bottom of the pan. It makes these brownies so rich, fudgy, and chocolatey. The melted butter is something you could never pick out, but you will able to distinguish a distinctive and delightful additional flavor to these brownies. Enjoy!

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

10 Tbsp. (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned into cup to measure, then leveled)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs, chilled

1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup walnut pieces

Directions

1. Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325 degrees F. Line a 8 x 8 x 2-inch metal baking pan lined with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with nonstick spray.

2. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons of water, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon (generous amount) of salt. Stir to blend. Let cool for 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot).

3. Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Stir in nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

4. Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 brownies.

Do ahead: Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Yield: 16 brownies

Bon Appetit, February 2011

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Happy Father’s Day weekend! Today I wanted to show you a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake. I thought it very fitting for this special weekend, because what “Dad” doesn’t like cookie cake?

My family is notorious for making cookies. You can probably find 20 different cookie recipes on my blog! In the back of my mind, I’ve always wondered how to bake a cookie cake without it getting too crispy or overdone? I like my cookies gooey and soft, and always err on the side of underdone. In Flo Braker’s cookbook, Baking For All Occasions, my mom discovered this cookie cake recipe and we were curious to try it. The batter is like any regular cookie dough batter. The only difference is the baking time. Instead of baking cookies for 10 minutes in a 350 degree F oven, this cookie cake is baked for 30 to 40 minutes. Honestly, I don’t know why you couldn’t transform your favorite cookie dough batter into a cookie cake? Someone test it out and let me know!

I know a lot of people who hate “cake”, but love cookies. I’m not a big fan of the “cake” myself…the only reason I eat it is for the icing! Here, you can have the best of both worlds…cake and icing! Decorate your cookie cake for Father’s Day, Birthdays, Congratulations, or just leave it plain like we did.

Either way, enjoy this Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Ingredients
2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon or 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, or a combination

Directions
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch pan and set aside.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flours, sugars, salt, cinnamon (if using), and baking soda and mix on the lowest speed until just blended. Add the butter and continue to mix until small, moist crumbs form that look similar to streusel, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until the mixture begins to form a cohesive dough. Increase the speed to medium and add the chocolate chips and nuts. Beat just until they are incorporated, 20 to 30 seconds.
3. Spoon dollops of the thick dough evenly over the bottom of the baking pan with a rubber spatula. To distribute the dough evenly, lay a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper over the dough and pat it evenly with your fingertips.
4. Bake the cake until it is golden brown and feels more solid than soft when pressed in the center, 30-40 minutes. Be careful not to overbake, it will firm as it cools. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 30-35 minutes.
5. Slip a thin metal spatula between the cake and the pan and run the spatula along the entire perimeter of the pan. Lift the pan, tilt it slightly, and tap it on a counter to help release the cake. Invert the cake onto a wire rack and lift it out of the pan. Invert so it is right side up and let cool completely.

Yield: one 9 x 13-inch pan
Baking For All Occasions by Flo Braker

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Pie

If you love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, then you MUST try this pie! With 5 ingredients and only 10 minutes of prep time, what is your excuse for not making this? Instant chocolate pudding mix, cold milk, whipped topping, and chopped Reese’s makes up the pie filling, and a pre-made Oreo crust tastes just as good as a homemade one.

When I was in Houston this past weekend for Memorial Day, my aunt Jolene and I made this pie for our family. It was halfway gone within a matter of minutes, and was voted the favorite dessert of the night (it beat the 4-layer Hershey’s chocolate cake filled with whipped cream and strawberries and covered in a chocolate buttercream frosting that we also made that night.)

Feel free to substitute different chocolate candy bars such as Butterfingers, Milky Ways, or Snicker’s if you are not a fan of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Enjoy!!!

Question for my readers: What is your favorite candy bar?

Mine would actually have to be the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. When I went trick-or-treating as a little kid, I would get so excited to see that bright orange wrapper in my Halloween basket. Unfortunately I received hundreds of hard candy pieces and only about 4 or 5 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups each year. I would eat my Reese’s as slowly as I possibly could just so that I could savor each and every bite I had!

Unwrap the Reese’s candy and chop into small chunks.

Whisk together the pudding mix and milk. Let stand for 2 minutes. Fold in 1 cup of chopped Reese’s and whipped topping.

Spoon into crust. Freeze for 6 hours or overnight.

Remove from freezer 15-20 minutes before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and…

more chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Enjoy.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Pie
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 package (3.4 oz.) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped Reeses peanut butter cups, divided
1 carton (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 chocolate crumb crust (8- or 9-inches)

Directions
1. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft set. Fold in 1 cup chopped peanut butter cups. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Cover and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.
2. Remove from the freezer 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Garnish with the remaining peanut butter cups.

Yield: 6-8 servings
Taste of Home: Pies

Moist Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is only the second time I’ve eaten a chocolate and banana combination. My first experience was at my mom’s house when we made chocolate chip banana bread. I’m still not completely sure if I like the combination. Honestly, I think I’d opt for the plain-ole banana nut muffins, sans the chocolate.

However, for chocolate lovers out there who could eat chocolate on everything including steak, you will probably love these. These moist banana chocolate chip muffins fulfill exactly what their name suggests… MOIST! Trust me, you will not be disappointed with a dried out muffin. These are very moist, sweet, and have plenty of banana flavor in them. The recipe calls for chocolate chips, but all I had were chunks, so that is the one substitution I made. The only complaint I have is the lack of “crunch” in these muffins. Next time I would definitely add some toasted, chopped pecans or walnuts!

My little nephew Bear, absolutely loved these. The funny thing is that Bear doesn’t really like sweets. However, he LOVES my White Chocolate Cranberry Dream cookies and these moist banana chocolate chip muffins. I guess I’m a pretty good aunt! haha. Enjoy!

Sift together the flour, salt, soda, and cinnamon.

Mash the bananas.

Add the mashed bananas to the flour mixture. Next add the sugar, eggs, melted butter, and milk.

Stir in the chocolate chips (and next time I make these…chopped pecans.)

Pour into prepared muffin cups.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool in pan 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Moist Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1 /4 cups mashed bananas (about 3 large)

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup milk

2 small eggs

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used chocolate chunks because it was all I had)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with muffin papers.

2. Sift first 4 ingredients into a large bowl.

3. Combine bananas, sugar, butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Mix into dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over-mix. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, fill it until 3/4 full.

5. Bake until muffins are golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, for about 25 minutes (10 to 15 minutes for miniature muffins.) Cool muffins in tray for 5 minutes before transferring muffins to cooling rack to cool completely.

Yield: 12 muffins

Recipe from: Curious Foodie

Texas Sheet Cake

Texas sheet cake, the official state cake of Texas, is a huge, pecan-topped chocolate cake with three distinct layers of chocolaty goodness. It has a diverse range of textures created when the sweet chocolate icing is poured over the hot cake. When the cake has cooled, you’re left with an icing layer, a fudgy layer where the icing and hot cake have melded together, and a bottom layer of moist cake. This cake is easy to make (no mixer is required) and is great to take to potlucks and parties because as the name suggests, it’s baked in a sheet pan and serves a crowd.

My sister, Brittany made this recipe for her boyfriend and his Oklahoma State University teammates after (not before, or else they’ll get sick in their 2 mile race!) they run in the Track & Field: Big 12 Championships in Norman, Oklahoma. I know they will love Texas sheet cake, just like our whole family. My husband likes to call these “brownies with icing,” but Texas sheet cake really tastes more like cake, just like the name implies. Brownies are denser, and heavier. These are lighter, and cakey in texture, but no less chocolaty than brownies. Leave these in the refrigerator for a more intense flavor.

Enjoy!

Texas Sheet Cake
Ingredients
Cake
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups (14 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

Chocolate Icing
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
3 cups (12 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Directions
1. For the cake: Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs, yolks, vanilla, and sour cream in another bowl until smooth.
2. Heat the chocolate, butter, oil, water, and cocoa in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture until incorporated. Whisk the egg mixture into the batter, then pour into the prepared baking sheet. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.
3. For the icing: About 5 minutes before the cake is done, heat the butter, cream, cocoa, and corn syrup in a large saucepan over medium heat stirring occasionally, until smooth. Off the heat, whisk in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Spread the warm icing evenly over the hot cake and sprinkle with the pecans. Let the cake cool to room temperature on the wire rack, about 1 hour, then refrigerate until the icing is set, about 1 hour longer. Cut into 3-inch squares. Serve. (The cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Yield: 24 servings
The Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2009

My Chocolate Chip Cookies (similar to McAlister’s Deli Chocolate Chip Cookie)

Here is your classic American, buttery and irresistible chocolate chip cookie with crisp caramelized edges, a rich chewy center, lots of chocolate, and fresh, crunchy pecans. To me, these cookies taste just like McAlister’s Deli chocolate chip cookie. Flat, chewy, sweet, and addicting. The only difference is size… if you’ve ever tried a McAlister’s cookie, you’ll know that they’re about 5 inches in diameter!

What makes these chocolate chip cookies so good you ask? Melted butter, well-rested dough, the right temperature, and cookie sheets without paper liners. My mom made two batches of these cookies a few days ago, and her two batches of cookies turned out very different. The second batch was ten times better because the dough sat for nearly 36 hours (her first sat for only a couple of hours). For some reason, the longer you let the dough rest, the flavors come together better, and makes for a more intense, flavorful cookie. She also baked the second batch in a convection oven. She dropped the temperature down about 25 degrees F and turned the baking time back to 8 minutes. For those of you who don’t know (I didn’t either), a convection oven uses a fan in the back of the oven which cooks the food faster, and allows for more even baking. My mom said the cookies seemed to brown up on the top faster than they would in a traditional oven. She said it allowed for more even baking, because the oven heat came throughout the unit, rather than at the bottom, from the coils.

Experiment today with these chocolate chip cookies and tell me if they remind you of a delicious McAlister’s cookie! This recipe came from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich. Enjoy.

My Chocolate Chip Cookies (very similar to McAlister’s Deli Chocolate Chip Cookie)
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups (10.125 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
3/4 cup (5.25 ounces) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (5.25 ounces) packed brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2 cups (12 ounces) chocolate chips or chunks or hand-chopped chocolate

Directions
1. Combine the flour and baking soda in a bowl and mix together thoroughly with a whisk or fork.
2. In large bowl, combine the melted butter with the sugars, vanilla, and salt. Mix in the eggs. Stir in the flour mixture until just all the dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. If possible, let the dough stand for 1 to 2 hours, or (better still) overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
4. If necessary, remove the dough from the refrigerator to soften. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough and place them 3 inches apart on the ungreased or lined cookie sheet. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown at the edges an no longer look wet on top. Rotate the pans from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through baking time to ensure even baking.
5. Remove from the oven and let the cookies firm up on the pan for 1 to 2 minutes. For unlined pans, use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to racks to cool; for lined pans, set the pan or just the liners on racks. Cool completely before storing or stacking. May be kept in an airtight container for several days.

Yield: about 60 cookies
Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich

Basic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

The yellow cake is a 19th century classic that is the basis for many of today’s recipes. It is light, moist, and full of vanilla flavorings. This basic cake is easy to remember (1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, 4 eggs), simple to prepare, and foolproof, thus it was one of the first cakes taught to beginning bakers. We got this recipe out of The Perfect Cake by Susan G. Purdy.

My husband is a huge fan of yellow cake, so of course he loved it. One time he bought a yellow cake mix at the store with chocolate frosting from a jar (yuck) and had me make a yellow cake and chocolate frosting the “easy” way. I personally HATE cake mixes, unless you do something to it, like the Gooey Butter Cake (Neiman Marcus Cake) or Cherry Pineapple Pecan Cobbler, also known as Dump Cake. Plain old cake mix by itself is dry, flavorless, and dry…do I have to repeat myself? Dry!! The chocolate frosting in a can is too sweet, too thick, and not creamy. After making that awful cake, I really had no desire to ever eat a yellow cake again… until we tried this recipe. My mom made it, and it was the exact opposite of the box mix you buy at the store. Flavorful, moist, buttery, and a touch of vanilla are words that describe this homemade yellow cake.

This Basic 1-2-3-4 cake can be modified in many ways. You can make it an almond cake, an orange cake, a yellow cake, a chocolate cake, etc. based on the extra ingredients and modifications you use to personalize your cake. I used one of the variations in the book, the Basic Yellow Cake, and topped it with with my favorite chocolate icing recipe from The Junior League of Houston, Inc.’s cookbook, Stop and Smell the Rosemary.

Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Basic 1-2-3-4
Ingredients
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour (12 3/4 ounces; 360g)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks; 230g) at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar (14 ounces; 400g)
*4 large eggs, separated
*1 cup milk (we used whole milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
1. Prepare pans (two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans or one sheet 13 x 9-inches) by spreading solid shortening all over the bottom and sides of pans, then dust evenly with flour; tap out excess flour.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft and smooth. Add the sugar and beat until light and smooth. Ad egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters several times.
4. With the mixer on low speed, alternatively add the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in the vanilla. At this point, add any personal flavoring touches (grated lemon zest, coconut, etc.)
5. In another bowl, with a clean beater, beat the whites until stiff but not dry. Stir about 1/2 cup of whites into the batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining whites in several additions.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Smooth the batter level, then spread it slightly from the center toward the edges of the pan so it will rise evenly. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or just until a cake tester comes out clean and the cake tops are lightly springy to the touch.
7. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Top with a wire rack and invert; lift off pans. Completely cool layers before frosting. Or you can leave a sheet cake in its pan to cool, and frost and serve it from the pan (which is what we did).

*Variations (We used the variation below to turn the Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake into a Basic Yellow Cake)
Basic Yellow Cake: Prepare Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake but use 5 eggs; do not separate them. Add whole eggs in step 3. Increase milk to 1 1/4 cups.

**Note: For the lightest texture, follow the recipe as written, separating the eggs and beating the whites stiff. For an even simpler method with just a slightly more compact texture, you can beat in whole eggs in place of the yolks, omitting the beaten whites.

Yield: one 2-layer cake or one 9 x 13-inch cake
The Perfect Cake by Susan G. Purdy

Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
6 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 Tbsp brewed coffee
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions
Mix powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, butter, coffee, cocoa, and cinnamon. Spread frosting on top of two layers, then stack layers on serving plate. Hold together with wooden toothpicks. Add third layer. Frost top and sides. (We spread the frosting on a single layer, 9 x 13-inch cake).

Yield: one three-layer cake or one 9 x 13-inch cake
Stop and Smell the Rosemary: Recipes and Traditions to Remember: A Cookbook by the Junior League of Houston, Inc.