The Best Cake Recipes Ever!

1 cup water
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 stick sweet butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups less 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 egg whites

For Frosting

2 Tablespoons margarine
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 Tablespoons heavy cream (have used whole or canned milk)
1-1/4 cup confectioner sugar (sifted)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Knock out excess flour. Pour boiling water over chocolate and butter. Let stand until melted. Stir in vanilla and sugar. Whisk in egg yolks, blending well. Mix together sour cream and baking soda, then whisk into batter. Add flour and baking powder and mix well. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Stir 1/4 into batter thoroughly, then scoop remaining egg whites on top of batter and fold in gently. Pour batter into prepared pan. Set in middle of rack in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until edges pull away from sides of pan and cake tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Unmold and cool completely before frosting.

Frosting: Place all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk until smooth, adding more sugar if needed.

This cake, like most of Paula's recipes, is rich and delicious. It's very dense, so maybe you won't eat a huge piece. Uh, huh.....:)

CAKE

Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake but substitute 1 cup canned, unsweetened coconut milk for regular milk, recipe follows

Filling
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup flaked, sweetened coconut

Frosting
1 recipe 7-minute Frosting
Flaked, sweetened coconut, for sprinkling

Follow directions for Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake, substituting coconut milk for regular milk. While cake is baking, prepare filling. Stir together sugar, sour cream, milk, and coconut in a bowl until well blended. Remove cake layers from oven and allow cake to remain in pans as you prepare to stack and fill. Remove first layer and invert onto cake plate. Using the wrong end of a wooden spoon, poke holes approximately 1-inch apart until entire cake has been poked. Spread 1/3 of filling mixture on cake layer. Top with second layer, repeat process. Top with last layer and repeat process again. (As I stack layers together I stick them with toothpicks to prevent cake from shifting).
Prepare 7-Minute Frosting. Frost top and sides of cake. Sprinkle top and sides of cakes with additional coconut.

Yield: 1 (3-layer) cake
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ease of preparation: Easy

Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups sifted self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4 inches above counter, then dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks. Cool completely and spread cake layers with your favorite frosting to make a 3-layer cake.

Yield: 3 layer cakes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 to 30 minutes
Ease of preparation: Easy

7-Minute Frosting:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
2 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Place sugar, cream of tartar or corn syrup, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1 minute. Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. (If this happens, it could cause your frosting to become grainy). Beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla.

3 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups sugar
5 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease 16-cup tube pan. Dust pan with cake flour; tap out excess flour.
Sift flour, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl at medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Beat in lemon juice and peel. Using rubber spatula, mix in dry ingredients. Mix in sour cream. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Cut around cake in pan. Turn out cake.

Carefully turn cake right side up on rack and cool completely. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Wrap in foil and let stand at room temperature.)

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
3 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1-2 ounces red food coloring

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the frosting:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1 pound box confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
For the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans. In a medium bowl or on a piece of waxed paper, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk. Beat in food coloring and vinegar, then add vanilla. Spread the batter evenly in the pans.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

For the Frosting:

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter. Beat in confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Stir in pecans, if using. Use frosting to fill and ice cake.