Twelve Steps to Perfect Chocolate Layer Cake

Twelve Steps to Perfect Chocolate Layer Cake

Most chocolate cake recipes follow this basic sequence of steps.
  • 1. ADJUST OVEN RACK
    Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
    WHY? If baked on a rack that's too high, the cake will overbrown. Too low? No browning at all.
  • 2. CUT PARCHMENT
    Trace the outline of the cake pan on parchment paper. Then cut out parchment circles to line the pans.
    WHY? To ensure the baked cakes release easily from the pans.
  • 3. GREASE AND FLOUR
    Grease the pans. Line with parchment circles. Grease the parchment and flour the pans, shaking out extra flour.
    WHY? To doubly ensure that the cakes will not stick.
  • 4. COMBINE LIQUIDS
    Combine the eggs, milk, and vanilla in a measuring cup.
    WHY? Combined, the wet ingredients are easier to incorporate. Plus, it's easy to see how much liquid you’ve added in step 7.
  • 5. WHISK DRY INGREDIENTS
    Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
    WHY? For layer cakes, whisking aerates as effectively as sifting.
  • 6. BEAT IN BUTTER
    With the mixer on low speed, add the softened butter, one piece at a time, until only pea-size pieces remain.
    WHY? This "reverse creaming" ensures a cake with a tender but tight crumb.
  • 7. ADD LIQUID IN 2 PARTS
    Pour in half of the milk-egg mixture and beat until fluffy. Then add the remaining milk mixture.
    WHY? The liquid will be absorbed more efficiently, for a lighter cake with no streaks of flour.
  • 8. SCRAPE INTO PANS
    Divide the batter evenly between the greased, lined, and floured pans.
    WHY? The layers will bake evenly and be of equal height.
  • 9. TAP ON COUNTER
    Gently tap the pans on the counter to settle the batter.
    WHY? Tapping releases air bubbles that may have formed during mixing; they could cause tunnels in the cake.
  • 10. BAKE AND ROTATE
    Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking.
    WHY? Switching the pans ensures that the layers bake evenly despite any hot spots in the oven.
  • 11. COOL IN PANS
    Leave the hot cakes in the pans for 10 minutes.
    WHY? The cakes need a few minutes to cool and firm slightly, sot they won't break apart when you remove them from the pans.
  • 12. TURN CAKE OUT
    Flip the cakes out of their pans onto a wire rack. Flip onto a second wire rack so that the cake layers are right side up.
    WHY? The rack lets air circulate underneath, so the cakes won't steam and get soggy as they cool.
Wacky Cake
While the name implies comical roots, Wacky Cake was actually born out of the seriousness of wartime rationing. At various times during the world wars, eggs, butter, sugar, and milk were all in short supply, so inventive home cooks and home economists did their best to create dishes with limited ingredients. Wacky cake is a moist chocolate cake prepared, miraculously enough, without eggs or butter. The cake relies on the last-minute combination of vinegar and baking soda for leavening. The reaction between the two causes the batter to bubble vigorously, and thus, rise. The cake has to be prepared in its baking pan; otherwise it doesn’t rise nearly as well. We made wells in the dry ingredients, added the wet ingredients—oil, vinegar, and vanilla—to the wells, and then added water and stirred quickly (but not too much) to blend the batter just moments before we put it into the oven. Streaks of flour remained in the quickly mixed batter.
Serves 6 to 8
This moist cake gets even better when served with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup natural cocoa powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup water
  • Confectioners' sugar
Instructions
  • 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 8-inch-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • 2. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in pan. As shown in photo 1, make 1 large and 2 small craters in dry ingredients. Add oil to large crater and vinegar and vanilla separately to remaining small craters. Pour water into pan (photo 2 below), and mix until just a few streaks of flour remain (photo 3 below). Immediately put pan in oven.
  • 3. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Cool in pan, then dust with confectioners’ sugar. (If tightly wrapped, cake will keep for 3 days at room temperature.)                                                                                    

  • A Wacky Mixing Method
    • 1. Using a spoon, make 1 large and 2 small craters in the dry mix.
    • 2. Pour the vegetable oil into the large crater, then the vinegar and vanilla into the smaller craters. Pour the water over all the ingredients.
    • 3. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix the batter, taking care not to overmix; the batter should still contain a few streaks of flour
    Sandra

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