Golden Vanilla Cake

Hello everyone :)

Happy first post since forever ago, forever being exactly five months and four days, in this case :P

I thought I would find the time to update this blog, but after the first week of school, that idea went flat faster than the top of a souffle. Good idea. Great intentions. Horrible reality.

So, my Spring 2012 semester in a nutshell: Busy, busy, busy! 

Read a lot. Studied a lot. (Slept a little.) Dawdled a lot. Talked in class a lot. Annoyed my professors a lot. Drank a lot...of coffee. Had a heart-to-heart with various people in the most random places a lot. Avoided eye contact with people that I semi-know but not well enough to stop and say hi in order to avoid a greater form of awkwardness that would result from actually saying hi...a lot.

But most importantly, I learned a lot.

I learned, among many many things, that...

- Emory has a tiny campus, given that the "long ways" I take to avoid getting to work or class actually aren't that long.

- Korea's sense of national identity is complicated, conflicted, and very testy.

- You can survive on fewer hours of sleep than you thought you could. 

- I have the best cousins ever. And family understands you the way no one else can.

- When you have pulled an almost all-nighter, when you're in baggy shirt and sweats, when your hair is pulled back so your otherwise sexy glasses look really dorky, AND when you barely manage to walk into Starbucks for that crucial grande iced coffee an hour before your Soc midterm, you WILL run into a ridiculously hot Korean guy.

- Bagel with shmear is a college girl's best friend. And chocolate, too. Can't forget chocolate.

- Some people will always find reasons not to like you or be happy with you, and that's fine. Better to be one fake friend less than one fake friend more, in my opinion.

- Creative writing has a tendency to draw from within you your desires, fears, insecurities, vulnerabilities, and critical questions that drive who you are. And the real scary thing is that it often does this without you realizing it.

- God is, always and unequivocally, good.

:)

Now that you've somewhat caught up with my life, let's move on to the dessert of the day: Golden Vanilla Cake. 

You guys, I love love love this cake. 

After all the complicated... stuff... I've rambled on and on about above, this is just the right kind of simplicity I need in my life. No fancy ingredients- mainly your basic butter, flour, eggs, sugar, and milk. How much easier can this get?

Yet don't be fooled into thinking this cake tastes anything but ordinary. I don't know how to describe this yummy yummy cake except that it's fluffy yet dense, moist yet grounded, sweet yet delicate, simple yet versatile.

Trust me when I say this cake is DELICIOUS.

I baked this as a welcoming cake for the two little boys, Benjamin and Matthew, who came out to my mom's church on Sunday. But this makes for a wonderful birthday cake, base for a giant strawberry shortcake or a Boston Cream Pie.

OR this can even be your eat-straight-out-of-the-pan-cake... if you happen to be a busy college student who's figuring out how to change the world. Like a true badass.

Golden Vanilla Cake

*Makes one 9" x 13" cake, 24 cupcakes, two 9" round layers, or three 8" round layers

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups sugar
• 3 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups milk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour your choice of pan(s): one 9" x 13" pan, two 9" round cake pans, three 8" round pans, or the wells of two muffin tins (24 muffin cups). You can also line the muffin tins with papers, and spray the insides of the papers.

1) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.

2) Add the butter and beat with an electric mixer at low speed, until the mixture looks sandy.

3) Combine the milk and vanilla and add, all at once. Mix at low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds.

4) Scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl.

5) With the mixer running at low speed, add 1 egg. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds.

6) Repeat this procedure with the second egg. Continue adding the eggs, scraping after each addition, until all 4 are added.

7) After the last egg is added, scrape the bowl once more, then beat at medium-high speed for 30 more seconds.

8) Transfer the batter to the pans of your choice. For layers, divide the batter among the pans. Smooth out the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a tablespoon. For cupcakes, scoop by heaping 1/4-cupfuls into the prepared muffin tins.

9) Bake for 40 minutes for a 9" x 13" pan; 27 minutes for 9" layers; 24 minutes for 8" layers, or 23 to 25 minutes for cupcakes.

10. The cake is done when it's golden brown around the edges and just beginning to pull away from the edge of the pan. A toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.

11) Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a rack to cool before removing it from the pan. Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Ingredients: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/3 cup vegetable shortening 1/8 teaspoon salt 4 to 5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 to 1/3 cup milk or cream Directions: 1) In a large bowl, beat together the butter, shortening, and salt till fluffy. 2) Add about half the confectioners' sugar, and beat slowly until well blended. 3) Add the vanilla and half the milk or cream, and beat until fluffy. 4) Continue mixing in sugar and milk alternately until they've been completely incorporated. 5) Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. Source: Cake and Frosting recipe from King Arthur Flour