Who here makes ScratchSF vanilla cake recipe????? - Page 2

2 beans for $10....oh nooooooo! Vanilla Products USA, go find their website. Excellent beans. Juicy plump, and a lot of them! Make some extract while you're at it. Never have to buy that again either!

Actually, with the homemade extract, how long it takes depends on how much you're making.  At least that's what I've read.  If you're only making a quart or less, it takes less time for it to mature.  I've read a couple recipes on line that said it was ready in a month for the smaller amounts.  To me, that seems like it would be weak, but I've never tried it.  I usually make it in a 1.75 liter bottle of vodka, so it sits for 6 months and I shake it up  once or twice a week.  Homemade extract is sooooo good!  It's all I use now.  I also get my vanilla beans from the Vanilla Products USA.  Good quality beans and the price isn't overly expensive -- especially for how many you get!  They are currently out of the Tahitian beans, though.  I just ordered a week ago (between the 2nd and the 5th of this month) and no Tahitian beans were available.  Their delivery is quick, too!  I was informed via email that my order was shipped the same day I placed the order.  I already have a new batch brewing with the beans I just ordered.

As to someone saying that ScratchSF's white cake recipe calls for a vanilla bean (or am I mixing it up with a different recipe being discussed?), the copy of the recipe I got from her post mentions extract, but not even a particular flavor.  I've used both vanilla bean paste and homemade vanilla extract, however, and it was very tasty.

Danilou, I can't remember how much crumbled oreos I put into the cake batter, but it didn't make it heavy.  Everyone who ate it said it was light, tender and delicious.  I didn't want to overdo with the oreos, but wanted enough of the taste in there to satisfy my youngest son as cookies and cream is one of his favorites.  As to the princess extract...I can't really explain what the flavor is, but it's good.  I've been told that it's very similar to what is called "Wedding" flavor.  I've never found the wedding flavor around here, but found the princess flavor at our local cake supply store.  It's light in flavor, definitely different from vanilla or almond, but not citrusy.  I bought some to try and my nieces and nephews went crazy over it when I tried it.  I, too, like the flavor of it, but just don't know how to describe it.  It also didn't change the color of the cake that I could notice, but the flavoring itself is a little dark.  Not brown like vanilla, kind of like there's a hint of red in there, but if it changes the color at all, it's very slight.

FromScratchSF's vanilla cake is my go to vanilla cake as well.  The last time I made it, I used the yolks and butter in one recipe and the leftover whites and shortening in another, but used the same flavorings (homemade vanilla and Neilsen-Massey vanilla bean paste).  The recipe using the yolks and butter is richer and preferred by my family.  The egg white recipe is good as well, light and fluffy and seemed a tad sweeter.  I participated in the white cake scratch-off and have also tried, many, many other recipes to find a go-to vanilla cake and this recipe won hands down.  Not only because it tastes great, but because it bakes up great every time (a problem I had with other recipes) and makes equally good cupcakes.  I haven't, however, tried any of the variations yet.

Definitely  my GO TO white cake recipe.  I have made  both egg white and yolk versions with butter.  I used this recipe for the best Amaretto cake I ever made. Love it for cupcakes.  I made a baby shower cake with it in the spring (white cake with strawberry filling) and the mother-to-be and husband were thrilled with how delicious and moist the cake was - no leftovers.  I have had this fail on me twice and never did figure out why.  I suspect my oven caused one pan to cook lopsided while the other was perfect and I had another cake collapse once which I suspect I didn't cook long enough.  I have requests by family and friends for it all the time.
 

Threads like this make me LOVE you all and brighten my day so much!  

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danilou 

Thanks for that, did you find the egg white version had a slight eggy taste? The first time I made it I thought it was the buttermilk, so the next time I made it with regular milk, it was a little better.  I want to try Gerle's version with chopped up Oreo's. I'm not sure if they would sink to the bottom at all. Imagine chopped up honeycomb, or chopped up mint slice biscuits. Yummo!

I think it has an egg-y taste right out of the oven, but it seems to go away after several hours when the flavor of the cake matures.  Of course, how much extract or flavoring you add really makes a difference too.