Baking With Kids

VANILLA CAKE
Makes 16 Servings

2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup whole milk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9" round cake pans; line bottom of pans with parchment.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together; set aside. Put butter in a medium sized bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until light and fluffly, scraping down butter as needed. Add eggs one at a time, mixing just until blended. Add vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 3 additons, alternating with milk in 2 additions; mix thoroughly.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow layers to cool in pans for 10 to 20 minutes minutes. Run a butter knife or flat metal spatula around edge of pans and turn layers onto a wire rack to cool completely. Frost cake as desired.

CHOCOLATE CAKE
Makes 22-24 Servings

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9" round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment*.

Sift cocoa, flour, baking soda and salt together; set aside. Put butter in a medium sized bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Add sugars and continue beating until light and fluffy, scraping butter down as needed. Add eggs one at a time, mixing just until blended. Add vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions. Mix thoroughly. Pour batter into prepared pans and bke 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Allow layers to cool in pans for 10 to 20 minutes. Run a butter knife or flat metal spatula around edge of pans and turn layers onto a wire rack to cool thoroughly. Frost cake as desired.

*I use unsweetend cocoa powder instead of flour when preparing pans for baking chocolate cakes