Happy Easter!

Hope you’re all enjoying a beautiful Easter!

As usual I’ve managed to go a bit overboard with the holiday as an excuse to bake in bulk.  That said, I did most of it in advance so I can now focus on my most favorite of holidays, Easter, instead of cake layers.

…after a brief post!: this cake is a blast to make (if time consuming…Will and I made it a weekend affair!), as well as the best vanilla cake I’ve ever had (somewhat like my mom’s famous hot milk cake in taste/texture).  I’d certainly recommend it without the inside kitsch (let’s be honest, that’s what it is–), though there is something amusingly delightful about a food-dyed surprise.

(Think I got enough parentheses in there?)

Love and joy to all of you this Easter day!

P.S….That slope is what happens when you don’t level your cake layers!!!  An elementary aspect of beautiful cake making, and a duty I’ve usually shirked in my prioritizing–sometimes exclusively–deliciousness over aesthetics.  (LCB fail!  Need to start making myself adhere to the standards drummed into my head last summer!)

I’m giving directions for the whole ordeal, but at heart this is a fantastic and simple cake to be made given any opportunity.

Also, Will thought it’d be fun to mix it up a bit and make the egg a different flavor than the rest of the cake, so, we added a tiny hint of orange extract to the color mixtures…definitely a fun/good idea!

Perfect Vanilla White Cake

(adapted from Magnolia’s vanilla cupcake recipe, found here)

Yields 24 cupcakes or 1 cake

– Ingredients –

For the cake:

1 1/2 c self-rising flour

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour

1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 c sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

1 c milk

1 t vanilla

For the icing:

1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened

6 to 8 c powdered sugar

1/2 c milk

2 t vanilla (it will be more pristine if you can use a clear extract)

1 t almond extract (optional)

– Directions –

1) Preheat oven to 350 F.  Butter three 9″ pans and line bottoms with parchment paper; butter the parchment too.  In a small bowl, combine the flours.  Set aside.

2) In a large bowl, cream the butter until smooth.  Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

3) Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into cake pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (for round cake), or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Wait 5 minutes before inverting the cakes onto a wire cooling rack; let cool completely before putting in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour (they’re easier to carve that way; I left mine in for a few hours).

4) Make the icing: First of all, double the recipe (if making the egg)!  Place the butter in a large mixing bowl.  Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla (and almond, if using).  Beat until smooth and creamy.  Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition, until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency.  You may not need to add all the sugar.  (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.)  Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

5) Assemble!  The best thing to keep in mind before you start carving is that it’s best to take this slowly, and not get overzealous with the knife…much better to carve a little bit more here and there than to take away too much!  Take out a large bowl that you can put the scraps in, since you’ll need them for the actual egg.

6) Ultimately you want your bottom layer to have a wide bowl cut out from the center, the middle layer to have a tapering hollow, and the top layer to have a narrow bowl.  Before carving, use a ruler to determine the exact center of the cake, and what the diameter of the egg should be.  Then draw the egg circumference on paper, cut it out and use it as a guide to trace the circle with a knife on the top center of the cake.  Now there’s not really a way to describe how to do the carving, just do what seems geometrically right, keeping track of how far you are from the bottom of the cake.  A toothpick inserted in the center of the bowl you carve is a good way to do this, and you can mark it with a pencil so you can do the same with the top layer.  This will ensure that the egg is centered within the cake.

7) Divide the cake scraps into four bowls, and put a bit of icing and a drop of orange extract into each.  Mix with a fork until you have an even consistency, and add food dye one drop at a time, mixing well after each drop (we used the neon colors–blue, pink, purple, and green).

8)  Place the bottom layer on a serving platter, and put the blue mixture into the carved bowl, followed by half of the green mixture.  Ice the edges around the green.

9) Place the middle layer on top of the bottom, and fill with the purple mixture.  Top with the remaining half of the green; ice the edges around the hollow.  Fill the top layer’s hollow with the pink mixture, and…okay to be honest, don’t remember how exactly we finagled this top layer on, flipping it upside down (when I said this was a “weekend affair,” I meant that we did this late night alongside many Paulaners).  I suppose it works best if you have two people, one to pick up the cake, the other to hold the filling in place as you flip it over and transition it.

10) Finally!  Ice the entire cake with a crumb coat and put in the refrigerator for at least an hour before putting on the final smooth coat of frosting.  And then cut yourself the largest slice of cake you’ll ever kid yourself into thinking you can get through.