Cake
The mere mention of cake conjures up happy memories, whether it makes you reminisce about a favorite birthday or recall sharing a wedge of sweetness with a loved one in a late night bakery. Cakes are one of the easiest desserts to make from scratch with just a few basic ingredients and simple baking pans designed to make creating different shapes and sizes easy and successful.
Start by choosing which kind of cake you want to make. You can bake single or multiple layers, flavor them with favorite fruits and nuts, fill them with jam or preserves, top them with a simple sprinkling of powdered sugar, or decorate them with drizzled icing or thick, creamy frosting. Whatever cake you choose, the goal is to make it moist, delicious, and attractive.
Family Cakes
Chocolate cake is the most preferred cake, covered with chocolate or vanilla frosting. The easiest version is a single layer made in a 9X12 glass or metal baking pan, although it’s hard to beat the dramatic presentation of three or four layers of cake and frosting. Other family favorites include carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, banana nut cake, and coconut cake, all of which can be made in single or multiple layers. Butter-rich pound cake is good baked in a tube pan or you can make a Bundt cake in a special pan that imprints the cake’s surface with a fancy design. Pound and Bundt cakes are traditionally dusted with powdered sugar or drizzled with icing or liqueur that barely penetrates the crust and adds extra flavor.
Celebration Cakes
Birthdays are traditionally celebrated with a cake topped with candles for the honoree to blow out while making a secret wish. Birthday cakes are usually made in the flavor preferred by the person being honored and often include requests for devil’s food, angel food, or ice cream cakes. Another popular request for birthdays is candy bar cakes that have favorite candies in the cake itself or are topped with pieces of candy bars.
Holiday cakes are often the centerpiece of buffet tables and decorated to reflect the season. Easter cakes are frequently decorated like Easter baskets, Thanksgiving cakes typically reflect the flavors of fall, and Christmas cakes with holiday flavors such as peppermint are common choices.
Breakfast Cakes
Admittedly not the healthiest breakfast choice, some cakes just naturally pair well with coffee, tea, or milk. Breakfast cakes include coffee cakes, which can be simple white cake with <
