Golden Cakes Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Lightly butter springform pan.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Beat butter and 3/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in extracts. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined.
• Spread batter evenly in pan, then scatter nectarines over top. Stir together nutmeg and remaining 1/2 tablespoon sugar and sprinkle over top. Bake until cake is golden-brown and top is firm but tender when lightly touched (cake will rise over fruit), 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove side of pan and cool to warm.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 (9- by 2-inch) round cake pans and line bottoms of each with rounds of wax or parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Add half of flour mixture and mix at low speed until just blended. Add sour cream, mixing until just combined, then add remaining flour mixture, mixing at low speed until batter is smooth.
• Divide batter between pans, smoothing tops. Bake in middle of oven until cake is springy to the touch and a tester comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove paper, and cool completely.
• Trim tops of cooled cake layers with a long serrated knife if necessary to make flat and level. Halve each layer horizontally with serrated knife to make a total of 4 layers.
• Put 1 cake layer on a cake plate and spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Layer remaining cake layers using 3/4 cup frosting between each layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 15 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, beat together egg yolks and egg white. Beat the egg mixture into the butter and sugar.
• In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Stir flour into egg mixture alternately with milk. Stir in almond and vanilla extracts. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean.

Steps:

• Cake
• Place rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Butter two 8"-diameter cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper rounds and butter parchment. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Transfer one third of almonds (½ cup) to a small bowl; set aside. Sprinkle coriander, cardamom, and fennel over remaining almonds on hot baking sheet and toss until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to another small bowl; set aside.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to combine. Beat eggs, oil, sugar, and 2 Tbsp. cherry juice in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed until combined, about 2 minutes (a whisk and a large bowl also work). Reduce speed to low and add half of dry ingredients; beat until mostly combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and beat until just a few steaks of flour remain. Using a rubber spatula, fold in cherries, beets, and reserved spiced almonds until evenly distributed and any remaining flour streaks are incorporated. Divide batter between prepared pans and smooth surface.
• Bake cakes until tops spring back when lightly pressed and a tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 40-45 minutes (cake will be well browned). Transfer pans to a wire rack and brush or drizzle 2 Tbsp. cherry juice over each cake. Let cakes cool 20 minutes in pans. Run a knife or small offset spatula around edges of cakes and invert onto rack. Peel away and discard parchment paper rounds. Turn cakes right side up and let cool completely. Do ahead: Cakes can be baked 2 days ahead. Wrap tightly and chill, or freeze up to 3 months.
• Frosting and assembly
• Whisk sugar, flour, and salt in a medium saucepan to combine. Whisking constantly, pour in milk gradually to avoid lumps. Set over medium-high heat and cook, whisking often and scraping corners of pan, until mixture begins to thicken, about 4 minutes (slow bubbles will begin to form as the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan). Reduce heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute to cook off any floury taste. You should have a thick, glossy paste resembling rubber cement. Remove from heat and let cool, about 1½ hours. (If you're worried about floury lumps, pour hot mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl, pushing through with a heatproof rubber spatula.)
• Transfer sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. With motor running, beat in vanilla extract and almond extract (if using) on medium speed, then add butter, a piece at a time, beating until combined after each addition before adding more; repeat process with cream cheese. Turn off mixer, scrape down sides of bowl, then beat frosting until fluffy and lump-free, about 4 minutes. (Cover and chill until cold if you'd like the frosting firm enough to pipe decorations onto the finished cake.)
• Place a cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Top with 1½ cups frosting and spread to edges in an even layer. Place second cake, bottom side up, on top. Scoop 1 cup frosting on top of second layer and spread over top and sides until entire cake is covered in a thin layer (if bits of cake are still showing through, that's fine; this is only your crumb coat). Chill, uncovered, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day to firm up.
• Briefly beat remaining frosting to lighten, then scoop onto cake. Spread in an even layer across top and down sides of cake. Use an offset spatula or bench scraper to smooth sides and top. Sprinkle reserved toasted almonds in a cluster in the center of the cake. Do ahead: Sugar mixture can be made 3 days ahead; press plastic wrap or wax paper directly onto surface and chill. Let sit at room temperature 20 minutes before using. Frosting can be made 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Beat to lighten before using, about 4 minutes.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in candy bars, chocolate chips, nuts and coconut. , Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. , Cool in pan 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Chill before slicing. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.