The 44 Week Experiment

As I was looking for a cake recipe, the other day, I stumbled on this website from Martha Stewart.  Here is the link (http://www.marthastewart.com/274212/layer-cake-recipes/@center/276954/great-cake-recipes)

It is SO Awesome.  There are the 44 favorite cake recipes.  So, I thought, "Meh.  Why not?" So, for the next 44 weeks I'm going to make a cake a week.  I'll tweek some of them to my family's taste but nonetheless.  It will be a tasty experiment.  So, week 1.

This cake (Martha's version anyway) has meringue on the cake.  We REALLY REALLY REALLY don't like meringue on cake.  So, we opted out and put whipped cream and berries on top. 

Cake with Blackberry Filling

Ingredients

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks (reserving whites for meringue, plus 1 additional white)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup milk

1 Cup ounces frozen Blackberries, thawed and drained

1/4 cup Blackberry preserves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper. Butter paper; dust with flour; tap out excess. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl, beat butter with 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla; beat until combined.

Alternately add flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat just until combined. Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake cakes side by side (not touching), rotating pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pans. Invert cakes onto a cooling rack; remove parchment. Cool completely, upside down. (Wrap in plastic, and store at room temperature, up to 1 day.)

In a small bowl, combine blackberries and preserves. On an ovenproof serving platter, place one cake layer, bottom side up; spread with raspberry mixture, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with second cake layer, bottom side up.

Baked and unassembled.

Assembled

Served with Whipped Cream and Berries on top.

Rach's notes and review:

This cake is pretty good.  It is a very basic go-to yellow cake.  Light and fluffy and good taste.  Nuthin' fancy but solid. 

Tip 1: Don't tap the pan before putting it in the oven (I usually tap to get the bubbles out).  This cake needs to be airy.

Tip 2: REFRIGERATE.  I learned this one the hard way.  Fermented berries are not delicious.