Yellow cake

Got this from American test kitchen! Takes a few steps but tastes better than the box cake mixes I think!

Fluffy Yellow Layer Cake
from the Episode: Everyone's Favorite Cake


Nonstick cooking spray can be used for greasing the pans (proceed with flouring as directed). Bring all ingredients to room temperature before beginning. Frost the cake with our Foolproof Chocolate Frosting (see related recipe) or your favorite topping.

Makes two 9-inch cake layers
2 1/2 cups cake flour , plus extra for dusting pans
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1 3/4 cups sugar (12 1/4 ounces)
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
1 cup buttermilk , room temperature
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks , room temperature
3 large egg whites , room temperature


1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch-wide by 2-inch-high round cake pans and line bottoms withparchment paper. Grease paper rounds, dust pans with flour, and knock out excess. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 1/2 cups sugar together in large bowl. In 4-cup liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and yolks.

2. In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium-high speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. With machine running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; continue to beat until stiff peaks just form, 30 to 60 seconds (whites should hold peak but mixture should appear moist). Transfer to bowl and set aside.

3. Add flour mixture to now-empty mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment. With mixer running at low speed, gradually pour in butter mixture and mix until almost incorporated (a few streaks of dry flour will remain), about 15 seconds. Stop mixer and scrape whisk and sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium-low speed and beat until smooth and fully incorporated, 10 to 15 seconds.

4. Using rubber spatula, stir 1/3 of whites into batter to lighten, then add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans. Lightly tap pans against counter 2 or 3 times to dislodge any large air bubbles.

5. Bake until cake layers begin to pull away from sides of pans and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen cakes from sides of pans with small knife, then invert onto greased wire rack and peel off parchment. Invert cakes again and cool completely on rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

Chocolate Frosting

I got this one from Americas test kitchen! I LOVE this frosting (I otherwise hate frosting)

Chocolate Frosting

This frosting may be made with milk, semisweet, or bittersweet chocolate. For our Fluffy Yellow Layer Cake (see related recipe), we prefer a frosting made with milk chocolate. Cool the chocolate to between 85 and 100 degrees before adding it to the butter mixture. The frosting can be made 3 hours in advance. For longer storage, refrigerate the frosting, covered, and let it stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.

Makes 3 cups to frost one 9-inch 2-layer cake
20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened (60 to 65 degrees)
1 cup confectioners' sugar (4 ounces)
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
Pinch table salt
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces milk chocolate , melted and cooled slightly (see note)
In food processor, process butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add corn syrup and vanilla and process until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl, then add chocolate and pulse until smooth and creamy, 10 to 15 seconds. Frosting can be used immediately or held (see note).

Turkey/chicken tetrazzini recipe

Turkey/chicken tetrazzini recipe

8 oz. noodles, broken into small pieces and cooked per box directions
1/4 c. (half stick) butter
1/4 c. flour
1 & 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 c. milk
1 c. chicken broth
2 c. cut up, cooked chicken or turkey
parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook the noodles per box directions and drain. While noodles are cooking, melt butter in a pan, then stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk and chicken broth and cook over low/med heat, stirring frequently, until mixture begins to thicken. After noodles are drained, put them back in the pan, adding turkey/chicken as well as the creamy sauce. Stir all together and place in lightly greased 9x13" pan. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top, if desired, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Artisan Bread (no kneading at all)

This one is even easier than the soft bread just looks like more! SOOOO yummy

Artisan Bread

3 c. warm water
1 & 1/2 Tbsp salt (kosher or sea salt is recommended, but not necessary)
1 & 1/2 Tbsp yeast
6 c. flour
cornmeal

Supplies You Will Need

pizza stone (or overturned baking sheet)
cutting board or rimless cookie sheet (or pizza peel!)
broiler pan or shallow pan
2 c. water
serrated knife
extra flour

Combine warm water and salt and yeast, stir to combine. Add 6 c. of flour and stir either by hand, food processor, or mixer until mixture is evenly combined/moist. Dough will be sticky. DO NOT KNEAD; just make sure the dough is moist throughout and that's good enough--it doesn't take long at all. Cover LOOSELY in a large container or bowl (I used saran wrap, but make sure you grease the top of the saran wrap as mixture can rise high and stick to the plastic wrap...don't ask how I know! ;)), leaving a little space for the gases to escape. Allow mixture to rise for at least 2 hours, up to 5 hours. At this point you can work with the dough, but it will be REALLY sticky. A better method is to refrigerate the dough for 2 or 3 hours and then it is MUCH easier to work with (again, don't ask me how I know! ;)).

Now is when things get easy. The above mixture will make about 4 1-pound loaves of bread, so when you're ready to bake, take a small handful of flour and sprinkle it on top of the dough mixture. Then remove 1/4 of the mix, which will be about the size of a grapefruit. It'll look really small, but it really bakes up. You'll want to dust the chunk of dough with a little bit of flour. Remember, don't KNEAD the dough, all you have to do is pull the dough from the top and kind of fold it under the bottom so you have a round loaf. Then set it on a rimless cookie sheet that is liberally sprinkled with cornmeal. Now you let the bread rest for 40 minutes.

But WAIT! Put the remaining mixture into the refrigerator--it will last for up to 2 weeks. Just continue the same process in the future--when you want a chunk of dough, sprinkle all the dough with a bit of flour, then remove a grapefruit-size chunk, and refrigerate remaining dough.) After 20 minutes, preheat your oven to 450 degrees and put a pizza stone (or an upside down cookie sheet if you don't have a stone) on the middle rack. Place a broiler pan or shallow pan on the very top rack of the oven, making sure there's enough room for your bread to rise while it bakes. (I actually had to move my bread-baking rack to the bottom rack, which worked out just fine.) Allow the pizza stone to heat up for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, your bread has now had a chance to rest for 40 minutes. It won't necessarily look like it's risen at all. No big deal. Now you sprinkle the top of your loaf of bread with flour--be generous. Then take a serrated knife and slash the top of the bread, about 1/4" in depth. I just slashed it like a cross or an "x." The flour allows you to slash the bread even though it's very sticky.

At this point you are ready to put your bread in your hot oven on the hot stone. Taking your cookie sheet, with a quick forward shake of your wrist, the dough should slide off and onto the pan. (It takes a little practice...my first loaf had one section where it stuck to the cookie sheet, so my loaf was slightly oblong rather than round...still tastes good no matter what shape the bread is though! That's why you want to be liberal with the sprinkling of cornmeal!) As soon as you get the dough on the stone, pour 2 cups of water into the shallow pan you have on your top rack and shut the door quickly so the steam stays in the oven. Now you bake your bread for 30 minutes. Because this is a high-moisture bread, no matter how dark the crust gets (and mine got to be a very deep golden color--not brown, nice and golden), the inside will remain super soft and you don't have to worry about it drying out.

When the bread is finished, take it out of the oven and let it cool on a cooling rack. (We did not let it cool last night--couldn't wait!) The crust will be super crispy. As it starts to cool, some of the crispiness might decrease, but once it is fully cooled, the crispy crust returns.

Once you try this, you will realize how flavorless other breads are that you have made. Not necessarily dinner rolls, but breads--it's the crust that gives it so much flavor and crunch, yet the inside is so amazingly soft, you won't believe it!

Soft bread (no kneading involved at all)

OK once you make this bread you will never buy store bread again! SOOOO easy and so good!! My friend got this from a bread book! Looks like a lot of steps but honestly it only takes about 10 minutes to make

3 c. warm water
1 & 1/2 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 stick butter, melted (plus additional for brushing the top crust)
7 cups flour

Mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and melted butter with the water in a 5 qt bowl or lidded (not airtight) food container. Mix in the flour with your stand mixer, just til all the ingredients are combined--you don't need to knead it. Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temp until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours. Refrigerate dough for at least 3 hours (it is MUCH easier to handle when it's been refrigerated!!!), keeping it covered, but not airtight. Dough can remain in fridge for up to 7 days.

On baking day, lightly grease a non-stick loaf pan with butter (it will stick to any other kind of pan, so use non-stick pans and make sure you put a thin coating of oil or butter on it so you don't have any problems). Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a cantaloupe-size piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all 4 sides. Elongate the ball into an oval. Drop the dough into the prepared pan. You want to fill the pan slightly more than half full. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Dust the loaf with flour and slash the top, using the tip of a sharp knife. Brush the top surface with melted butter. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the bread near the center of the oven for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from pan and let cool on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing, or it will be nearly impossible to achieve reasonable sandwich slices.

Blueberry coffee cake

Blueberry coffee cake.

My friend usually doubles the recipe and bake it in a 9x13" pan.

1/4 c. butter, softened (half stick)
2/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1 c. + 2 Tbsp flour, divided
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. milk
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw if using frozen)
1 pkg (3 oz.) cream cheese, cubed

Topping: 2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. butter

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Combine 1 c. flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Toss blueberries with remaining (2 Tbsp) flour. Stir blueberries and cream cheese into batter. (The batter will be thick.) Transfer to a greased 8" baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Easy coffee cake!

Easy Coffee Cake

2 c. flour
1 & 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 c. butter
2 eggs
2/3 c. milk
1 c. fruit (berries) OR 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2 Tbsp cinnamon

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter & cut in until it resembles coarse crumbs. **Set aside 3/4 cup of this mixture and save!!** Combine the eggs and milk, then add to the dry ingredients.

Pour batter into 8x8" pan. Put berries/cinnamon sugar mix on top, pour reserved dry batter on top of berries/cinn mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Scones

There are really light and fluffy not hard as rocks!

Cranberry Scones

2 c. flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional, but gives it a nice flavor!)
1/2 c. cold butter
1 c. cranberries or what ever you want to put in
3/4 c. buttermilk (don't forget you can use 3/4 c. milk and a splash of vinegar to make your own buttermilk...or screw it all and just use plain milk, you really can't taste the buttermilk difference!)

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter til mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cranberries and buttermilk just until moistened. Turn onto a floured surface and knead gently 6-8 times. Pat into an 8" circle and cut into 12 wedges. Place 1 inch apart on greased baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Best eaten when freshly baked.

Granola

Thank you Tricia for this recipes (and almost all the others I have on here!)

This one is really easy and so yummy! I use it as a breakfast and a snack!

Granola

1/3 c. honey
1/4 c. maple syrup (I usually swap the measurements for the honey and maple syrup b/c I don't like a heavy honey flavor, but this is how the original recipe was written)
1/3 c. veg oil
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
4 c. rolled oats
3/4 c. chopped pecans or nut of your choice
3/4 c. shredded coconut
1 c. dried fruit of your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a high-sided cookie sheet; prep sheet if not non-stick. Mix honey, maple syrup, oil, water, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt in a large measuring cup. In a large bowl, combine the liquid mixture with the dry ingredients, except for the dried fruit, and mix until everything is coated with the honey mixture. Spread the mixture evenly over the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the granola is golden brown. Baking time will vary depending on the depth of granola in the cookie sheet. After the baking is complete, add the dried fruit.