Vanilla Cake (from scratch)

2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and line two 6x3, or two 8x2, or one 12x3 cake baking pan(s) with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy and light in color, about two minutes on medium speed. Add the sugar and continue mixing until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, being sure each is well incorporated before add the next one. Add the vanilla.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour.
6. Once the mixture is well combined, stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl down. Turn mixer back on to medium speed and beat mixture for 1 minute.
7. Pour batter into the prepared pans and smooth with a rubber spatula.
8. Bake cakes for 45-50 minutes or until tested for doneness with a wooden skewer or a toothpick and the tester comes out clean.
10. Let cakes cool in cake pans for 15 minutes. Remove cakes and place on cooling racks until completely cooled to room temperature.
11. Wrap cooled cakes in plastic wrap and store at room temperature until ready to use.
12. Cakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days or frozen up to 1 month.

Chocolate Cake (from scratch)

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) each halved

7 ounces dark chocolate

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 ¼ cups strong hot coffee OR hot water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda)

½ teaspoon salt

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and line two 8x2 cake baking pans with parchment paper.
2. In a large microwave safe container, melt butter and chocolate. Heat butter and chocolate for 1 minute followed with 30 second intervals, whisking until completely melted.

3. Whisk in sugar and then cocoa powder until fully incorporated. Slowly add hot coffee in 3 increments whisking until smooth. Add vanilla and then the eggs one at a time.

4. In a mixer bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix with the wire beater until combined, about 30 seconds.

5. With the mixer on low speed, gradually pour in the chocolate mixture. Once it is all added, beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Scrape the bottom of the bowl and beat for 30 seconds more until smooth.

6. Pour into cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester just comes out clean.

7. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes and then turn out to a cooling rack to cool completely
8. Wrap cooled cakes in plastic wrap and store at room temperature until ready to use.

Doctored White Box Cake
recipe adapted from McGreevy Cakes
Makes about 2, 10″ rounds in 3″ deep pans OR 1, 10″ and 1, 12″ round in 2″ deep pans

Ingredients

• 2 boxes of white cake mix sifted (15.5 oz or 16.5 oz boxed both work fine)

• 2 cups flour (all purpose)

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 1½ tsp salt

• 2⅔ cup water

• 4 Tab oil (canola or vegetable)

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 cups sour cream

• 8 egg whites (separate the yolk from the whites… yolks not needed)

• For “Funfetti” cake, add 1 1/2 cup of rainbow sprinkles once the batter is mixed together

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350’F, and prepare your cake pans.

2. Mix first 4 (dry) ingredients together with a whisk, in a large bowl.

3. Add remaining ingredients and beat on low for 2 minutes. (I use beater blades in my Kitchen Aid. They’re perfect.)

4. Pour into greased and floured (or sprayed with “Pam”, the baking kind with flour in the ingredients) pans, about ¾ full.

5. Bake @325 for about an hour or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. (Start checking with a toothpick at about 50 minutes when using 3" deep pans... at about 40 minutes when using 2" deep pans.

Doctored Chocolate Box Cake
adapted from McGreevy Cakes
Makes about 2, 10″ rounds in 3″ deep pans OR 1, 10″ and 1, 12″ round in 2″ deep pans

Ingredients

• 2 boxes of chocolate cake mix sifted (the more chocolaty, the better, and I’ve used boxes that are 16.5 oz (468 g) or 15.25 oz (432 g), both work well)

• 2 cups flour (all purpose)

• 2 cups sugar

• ¼ cup cocoa (dark cocoa is best)

• 1½ tsp salt

• 2⅔ cup water

• 4 Tab oil (canola or vegetable)

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 2 cups sour cream

• 6 whole eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350’F, and prepare your cake pans

2. Mix first 5 (dry) ingredients together with a whisk, in a large bowl.

3. Add remaining ingredients and beat on low for 2 minutes. (I use the WHISK attachment on my KitchenAid Mixer)

4. Pour into greased pans, about ¾ full.

5. Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean

Doctored Yellow Box Cake
Makes about 2, 10″ rounds in 3″ deep pans OR 1, 10″ and 1, 12″ round in 2″ deep pans

Ingredients

• 2 boxes of yellow cake mix sifted ( I’ve used boxes that are 16.5 oz (468 g) or 15.25 oz (432 g), both work well)

• 2 cups flour (all purpose)

• 2 cups sugar

• 1½ tsp salt

• 2⅔ cup water

• 4 Tab oil (canola or vegetable)

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 2 cups sour cream

• 6 whole eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350’F, and prepare your cake pans

2. Mix first 5 (dry) ingredients together with a whisk, in a large bowl.

3. Add remaining ingredients and beat on low for 2 minutes. (I use the WHISK attachment on my KitchenAid Mixer)

4. Pour into greased pans, about ¾ full.

5. Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean

Chocolate Ganache

Dark Chocolate Ganache

16 ounces dark chocolate
16 ounces heavy cream

Milk Chocolate Ganache

16 ounces milk chocolate
8 ounces heavy cream

Method used for making ganache:

- Chop milk chocolate into small pieces and place in a large bowl.
- In a small sauce pan heat heavy cream over medium heat until it starts to steam. But try to not let it boil.
- Remove saucepan from heat and immediately pour heavy cream over the chocolate.
- Let sit for 2 minutes
- Stir chocolate and cream together until combined and no chunks for chocolate are left.
- Store ganache in airtight container at room temperature until ready to use.

• You can also use you food processor to make this ganache. Chop the chocolate up in your food processor. Once the cream is steaming and almost about to boil, pour the cream into your food processor and run it until it is smooth and completely blended. Pour ganache into a large bowl, let cool or until it reaches the desired consistency.

Easy Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients
can be easily doubled

2 Cups  (16oz) Heavy Cream

1 box of Chocolate Pudding Mix

• I use Godiva or Dove dark chocolate pudding. But feel free to use any flavor pudding you like. This recipe can be easily doubled.

• Pour heavy cream into bowl of a stand-in mixer with a whisk attachment or you can us a hand mixer.

• Whip heavy cream on medium high for about 2 minutes.

• Add packet of chocolate pudding and continue mixing on medium high until light and fluffy.

• Mousse can be used immediately or place mousse in an airtight container and store in fridge up to 2 days.

Easy Swiss Meringue

1 cup pasteurized egg whites

2lbs (8 cups) powder sugar

2lbs (8 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tsp of sea salt (optional)

1-2 tablespoons vanilla extract or any other flavor of your choice

Instructions

1. Place egg whites an sugar in a stand mixer.

2. Attach the WHISK and combine ingredients on low and then whip on high for 5 minutes ( I use a timer).
3. Once the meringue I light, white, fluffy ad shiny, add the butter in chunks. Add in salt and vanilla.
4. Whip on high for 8-10 minutes until its very white, light and shiny.

Tips:
- If the meringue is not fluffy enough, beat for another minutes or two before adding the butter
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature and is very soft. Otherwise it won’t mix well into the meringues. If you butter is not soft enough you can soften in the microwave 10 seconds at a time…make sure to not melt it though.

- When you add the butter to the meringue its going to look clumpy. Make sure to whip it until it is smooth.
- If your buttercream appears to have a lot of air bubbles. Switch out the Whisk attachment to the Paddle and whip buttercream on low for 15-20 minutes until its super smooth and has little to no air bubbles.