I a so glad everyone has enjoyed the results of my taste test. I have scheduled the next one for 5/27. Ill post the results asap!!

WBH White Cake
Bake at 350
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat at high speed until light and fluffy:
6 oz (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt

On a piece of wax paper, sift together:
3 1/3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with:
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a separate bowl beat until foamy:
3/4 cup egg whites (6 to 8 large egg whites)

Continue beating at high speed while gradually adding:
1/2 cup sugar

When stiff peaks form, fold the whites into the cake batter with a rubber spatula. Blend just until the whites are evenly distributed.

Pour 3 1/2 cups of the batter into one prepared pan and the reamining batter into the other. Bake the less full pan for 20-25 minutes and the fuller pan for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes before turning them out our their pans.

also.. do you have to make 2 different sized cakes? Or can you make them the same size and bake for the same amount of time? Thanks for any advice.

The pans are for two - 9" rounds. she tells you to put different amounts in each pan so one layer is larger for the bottom and the short layer can be used for the top. The baking time is 20-25 minutes for the pan with less batter in and 300-35 for the one with more batter in. Did I confuse you?

I just finished reading the whole thread! So informational and interesting. I have a question for anyone. How do the scratch cakes (the recipes CupofButter used in particular) hold up to carving? Are they so fluffy that they would fall apart or crumble badly when carved into a 3-D cake? TIA

Does anyone have the recipe for the Double Chocolate cake. Ive been needing a good recipe for a chocolate cake. Thank you for the great information you have provided.

love this! thanks!

I haven't carved much, just a little and scratch cakes, to me at least, are FAR easier to carve for exact reasons stated above - denser and less crumbly.

melissa

This is a great idea, thank your for sharing!

CupOfButter - thanks for posting the results. I have to do a half chocolate and half butter cake this weekend so I will be trying two of the winning recipes from your taste test. I've been looking for a good chocolate cake recipe.

I do have a great recipe for a scratch Italian Cream Cake, if you're interested, I'll post it. It always gets such rave reviews that I have never tried a different recipe though it is a bit time consuming so I'd love to know how it stacks up against the competition.

Great idea for the taste testing, btw.

Gina

Thanks czyadgrl and Berryblondeboys! I'm going to get started trying out the scratch recipes! My whole family is going to be able to perform at SeaWorld before I'm done

Thanks for sharing this info CupOfButter!! I have tried so many scratch cake recipes for white/yellow cakes that I had given up hope that I could find a good one. Now I have hope again!!

Can you give us the recipe of the traditional BC that you used for the taste test? I'm curious to see if it's the Wilton class BC or a modified version.

For anyone that's interested, here's the recipe for the Italian Cream Cake.

Italian Cream Cake:
Vegetable cooking spray
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp butter extract
1 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 egg whites
Lemon rind strips (optional)

1 Coat bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cakepans with cooking spray (do not coat sides of pans); line bottoms of cakepans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray, and dust with flour; set aside.

2 Beat butter at medium speed of an electric mixer until butter is creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3 Combine 2 cups flour and baking soda; stir well. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in pecans and next 3 ingredients.

4 Beat egg whites at high speed of mixer until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat). Fold egg whites into batter; pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 23 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes on wire racks. Loosen cake layers from sides of pans using a narrow metal spatula, and turn out onto wire racks. Peel off wax paper, and cool completely.

I have also tried so many recipes, I now have hope again to. Thanks for sharing.

I do have a couple questions.
In The Cake Bible it says chocolate recipes call for water instead of milk becouse the protiens in milk solids cause a bitter taste, (have yu found this at all)? I do see this recipe also calls for water though.

Does anyone substitute buttermilk for the powdered or use the vinegar or lemon juice alternative in whole milk??? I have never used real buttermilk, just wondering if it make a huge difference.

I always use the powdered buttermilk and cant tell a difference. Ill post Monday about my new taste test results!!

Thank you, that's good to know, it's more practical to keep powder on hand.

I just did a search on baking 911 for the fluffy yellow cake, is this just the "yellow cake" I found one that says it has box type qualities, is this the one?

yes the recipe is the same except the one I have has everything doubled.

Thanks for the ideas and the recipes

Hi CupofButter,

I just checked the site you gave for the Choc cake recipe and it's the same on I've been using for twenty years. Mine came from a cookbook I have titled "Chocolate Cookery" by Mabel ?

It's my standard choc cake and I always get compliments on it. I use the coffee because it makes it not so sweet. a nice contrast to the sweetness of forsting.

CupofButter, do you mind if I ask where you're from (where you did the taste testing)? I know that different areas seem to be partial to different flavors so I am curious.

Thanks.

Thank you. I have never found a yellow recipe. I'm going to start scratch again.

Wow this information is so awesome. I've been using WASC forever. But maybe now i'll have to try some scratch cake recipes after these results! Thanks so much for sharing.

I just made the WBH white cake and it was the best white scratch cake yet, no need to add a simple syrup even a couple days later it was still just as good. The egg whties were an extra step but SO worth it. This is a keeper, thanks so much for sharing.

Trying the fluffy yellow next can't wait.

I made the WBH vanilla cupcakes and I think they came out a little dry - I measured all my ingredients by weighing them on a scale.... so I don't know why they were dry... any ideas? has anyone tried that particular recipe?

I just bought the WBH book, I have only made the banana cake and the chocolate butter cake. Both were great. I'm, glad I read this thread and glad I bought the book.

I had a tasting June 2nd, just to let my neighbors and a few other taste my cakes. I got quite a few orders and new customers. All cake recipes from scratch. WBH choc butter cake, yellow cake, sweet potato cake (recipe from food network/Cassandra Thomas), champagne cake (from ultimate cake decorating guide/Madeira cake w champagne added), red velvet cupcake( sarah's recipe).