Sarah Phillips

MelissaH, Getting back to cake business, how did your luscious-sounding cake-dessert turn out? I'm very curious!

Do you accept C.O.D.??? Anyway, I forgot to tell you...I love your "blog"...my teenaged kids had to explain what it was.....(I'm a little behind the times or perhaps all of the flour in the air from my recipe inventions have done something to my brain cells....Or, when you are really a "housewife in the suburbs", as I am, it takes awhile to get up to speed on this modern lingo"-stuff....teenagers are great for translating things like "lol" and what other web lingo-abbreviations mean, as well......) I love to read about your experiments...and I know you are a chemist from your signature! I think it's great that you are experimenting...that's how some of the greatest, classic American recipe inventionshave been created.....where would we be without chocolate chip cookies, for example...just think! Anyway, let me know how things progress! It's fun to read about "your adventures in the kitchen with the ultimate butter cake recipe!" or "Adventures in the Kitchen with Melissa" (It could be a Food TV show...just imagine....it would be hilarious....I don't dare ask you what the "hired gun" thing in your signature means.....Perhaps, hat could be a whole other show....)!

Hi, Melissa... Well, that would be my main and biggest suggestion.... And, second, when you substituted part of the milk with sour cream, an acidic ingredient, you started to throw off the balance of the cake, even as you even suggested....Bake-from-scratch cake recipes are the hardest to bake (that's why foolproof cake mixes are so popular)...Substitutions, mismeasuring, oven tempratures being off, mixing methods not being followed properly will throw off a cake recipe......So, when you play recipe "chemist" and try new things, which is lots of fun to do, expect mishaps and cake mistakes! I still think you need some all-purpose flour mixed in with the almond flour in the topping. It's because ap flour has gluten-forming proteins while almond flour does not. The cake does not need magic cake strips...It bakes up flat....Muffin tops or peaked, cracked cake tops come from oven temperatures that are too hot among other things. (P.S. I use the same pans you do, too!) But, the biggest problem is that your oven is broken...Other pastries may bake fine in in, but cakes rely upon consistent hot air so they can rise against gravity and set properly! Think of fluid cake batter as filled with tiny hot air balloons that need to be fueled with a heat source so they can rise and expand....if the heat source is too hot or inconsistent, the tiny "air balloons" will fall all over the place, be misshapen, rise sideways, rise too fast in groups, burst, deflate, and when the cake sets, freezing them in their place as they are, the cake's shape will be misshapen, too!

Well, there's a million ways to do things...I am anxious to hear how the cake turns out and how it tastes! Do let all of us know!

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! (And I'm so glad my estimates worked out--the topping on your cake looks just like mine, except for the choice of fruit.) Makes me smile that I could (in a way) repay you for your excellent butter cake recipe. ← AAWWWW! My teens got into the cake last night and it is almost gone, except for a small piece which I had for breakfast with a cup of cafe latte. (I feel like a blimp, but a happy blimp!) The cake is almost better the second day -- nice and moist and buttery...The cinnamon-oat topping tasted delish!....Thanks goodness it's summer so I can wear my "tent" dress today.........I can enjoy my day feeling like a beached whale, filled with the most wonderful homemade cake....And, thanks again!

YUMMY! Let us know how it turns out! Just a suggestion -- (For one cake layer...) I would keep in the 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, and then blend in 1/3 cup almond flour. Mix it in with 1/2 cup white sugar instead of dark brown. And, add in 1/3 cup quick-cooking oatmeal. And, don't forget to cut in the 5 TBSPS butter! Chop the cherries into smaller pieces....Add in no more than 2 to 3 tablespoons of chopped cherries because they are baking on top of the cake and will have a tendency to burn. Toss the cherry bits in a little vegetable oil so they won't (make sure they aren't dripping in oil-- just a very very light coating).....Maybe toss in 1/4 cup almond slices, too. Add almond and vanilla extract to the cake (it's in the recipe)..... Just a thought

Thanks! I'm going to try the cake with your topping -- for the oatmeal, I'll use quick-cooking oats (not instant), which are typically used in these types of applications...ok?! I'll let you know how mine turns out! ← Lorna, WOWIE! HELP! I can't stop eating this cake..... I made the Ultimate Butter Cake Recipe with your W*O*N*D*E*R*F*U*L topping recipe idea and WOW....it's so delicious....I can't stop eating it and my family is raving about it! The single 9-inch layer cake served on a platter. A delicious cake slice! I mixed the dry ingredients of your recipe (1/3 cup flour, 2/3 cup quick-cooking oatmeal, 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon). I then "cut-in" 5 tablespoons of cold butter (Post #59), until the mixture resembled fine crumbs with pea-size pieces of butter remaining. (You don't want to leave large chunks of butter throughout). I then gingerly tossed the mixture with 2 heaping tablespoons of fresh blueberries. (Thanks CanadianBakin' for your fresh berry idea!) I filled the baking pan with batter (I made 1/2 of the Ultimate Butter Cake Recipe or enough for 1, 9-inch pan, see Post #51) and then sprinkled to top with your recipe for the topping mixture and baked it in a 350 degree preheated oven! The cake layer sprinkled all over with the topping mixture, right before it gets baked! Do not delay....Get the cake right into a well-preheated oven to bake. The recipe baked for 55 minutes or until lightly browned. I inserted a toothpick in the center of the cake and removed it, and it had a few moist crumbs attached, but not batter -- so, it was done. I cooled the cake in the pan for 15 minutes on a wire cake rack and then unmolded it onto the rack to cool completely. (Yes, the topping did not fall off!) Unmolded cake cooling on cooling rack. <<NOTE: When making 1 layer, the mixing times are much shorter, so watch your butter/sugar mixture and final batter very carefully so you don't overmix them....The mixer mixes the ingredients in a short amount of time because you have less ingredients in the bowl! >> The cake is simply, absolutely tender, moist and buttery and the topping lends a nice toasted oat-crunch with a ground cinnamon/fresh blueberry flavor! This cake will be delicious served with coffee or iced tea and I'm going to serve it as a luncheon dessert or a coffee cake and play around with the toppings! It simply smelled wonderful while it baked, too! Simply brilliant Lorna! (Now only if I can only stop slicing off tiny pieces of this cake and eating it tonight, I'll be ok....good thing for pj's with elastic waists!) YUMMY!

Thanks! I'm going to try the cake with your topping -- for the oatmeal, I'll use quick-cooking oats (not instant), which are typically used in these types of applications...ok?! I'll let you know how mine turns out!

Hi jayhay, Now that I have a new digital scale, I reweighed my all-purpose flour, by fluffing it up in the cannister and spooning it into the dry measuring cup and levelling it to top. (A digital scale is more accurate than the first type of scale I weighed the flour with.) I have seen recipes using weights from 4 ounces to Rose Levy Beranbaum's in her book, The Cake Bible, where she uses 4.25 ounces and above. I weighed the flour a couple of times and came up with weight measurements closer to what you had. In my recipe, I would use 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (spoon into measuring cup and level to top) = 4.41 ounces or 125 grams (125 grams = 4.4092452 ounces) I am sorry for any inconvenience that I may have caused you! Also, do you want me to help trouble shoot what may have caused the one cake layer to crumble? Let me know....I don't mean to offend anyone when I give "what may have gone wrong" advice -- it's what I do.....If the second layer came out ok, it was not because of the difference in measuring the flour......

I never use a recipe when I make crumble! Just some flour, approx. twice the amount of oatmeal, a scoop of sugar, and cut in maybe 1/4 cup of butter. Then I just mix in the fruit and sprinkle a generous layer over the cake. My favourite is when I leave out the fruit, add chopped nuts and brown sugar and cinnamon though. ← Lorna, do you use fresh or dried fruit in your topping? and about how much in relaltion to the other ingredients? I've just got a job providing food for 75 at a mid-morning celebration and that sounds like it might be a nice option. ← Ling aka Lorna??!! I want to know, too because I want to try my Ultimate Butter Cake Recipe with your delicious sounding topping! So, I take it you fill the cake pans with batter and then sprinkle the topping evenly over it. And, then bake the cake layers for an extra 15 minutes as you wrote in post # 45 (the usual baking time is for 40 to 45 minutes -- see post #40) -- so, I'll bake the cake layers for a total of 55 to 60 minutes?! How do you unmold the cake layers from the pan? -- the usual way or does the topping fall out all over the place if you invert the layers before you place them upright, again ???? So, do you cool the cake layers in their pans??? Let me know... I am anxious to try your really great-sounding Ultimate Butter Cake Recipe innovation!

I'm anxious to hear everyone's feedback. Thanks for taking the time to bake my recipe! And, Happy Birthday to hubbie!

Hi, Melissa H, The cake bakes best in 2, 9-inch pans. Crowding the oven with 2, 8-inch pans isn't a great idea when baking cakes, anyway.... So, you have two options, mix the batter for 2, 9-inch pans. Bake one layer at a time. Place the batter in both pans, and while one bakes, put the other in the fridge. When the first layer is done baking, put the second one in the oven to bake! Don't let the batter from the second layer sit at room temperature -- it contains dairy products which are perishable and the chemical leaveners in the recipe (baking powder) start reacting immediately whern moistened in the recipe. The cold from the refrigerator will slow its reaction, but FOR BEST RESULTS, bake the layer right when the first one comes from the oven...... Or, make half of a recipe. The recipe calls for 3 large eggs. So, you'll need 1 1/2 large eggs. Do you know how to halve one large egg? For half an egg, crack an egg in a small bowl and beat it. Let the bubbles subside. One large egg = 4 tablespoons. Measure 2 tablespoons = 1/2 a large egg! It may be hard to measure because the whites in eggs are slippery, but do the best you can. Save the rest in the refrigerator and toss later in an omelet or scrambled eggs! When baking 1, 9-inch pan, keep the oven temperature the same as called for in the recipe and the baking time should remain CLOSE to the same, BUT watch the baking time carefully....sometimes the cake layer may be done 5 to 7 minutes faster! DON'T open the oven door all the way to check because you may cause the layer to have a slight dip in the center, which it won't recover from if it's almost baked...When you open an oven door, the oven's temp drops some 50 to 100 degrees F!

Thanks and you're welcome, Ling! Enjoy! And, I do love the idea of the topping you made for it. Do share your recipe. I'd love to try it! YUM! YUM!

BRAVO! .... Your tarts look simply delicious and beautiful!

Thanks for trying my cake recipe and having a cake testing! What a great idea! It's not normal for my recipe to go through a significant shrinkage as it cools from the oven. The cake's top should settle into a flat cake layer as it cools, but the cake should not shrink a lot, as you describe. And, it's not normal for the cake to have a "cornbread-like" texture, either, as you said. I know the information is coming from me....but, these types of issues have to do with mixing... (coarse crumb, shrinkage) Perhaps, I need to modify the mixing instructions in my recipe...... http://baking911.com/cakes/problems.htm For my own information.... What kind of flour did you use in my recipe? I'm just curious! And, is your recipe a white cake or yellow butter cake? I can't tell....For my own notes, have you ever used the mixing method before that you used in my recipe? The Ultimate Butter Cake is supposed to be moist and "incredibly tender" as JeAnne posted in post #3......and denser, but not like a pound cake.... But, as we know, everyone has their own point of view .....Thanks again for taking the time to try my recipe. I appreciate it! ~

Back on post #23 on this thread, Wendy suggested that I add some photos to the recipe: "I just wanted to add: if you can add a photo or two to your post I think that really helps. What your batter looked like before you baked your cake, then after it's baked gives tons of clues.........besides being all around helpful to all." There are more photos taken on mixing and baking the Ultimate Butter Cake with THE CHEMISTRY BEHIND MAKING BUTTER AND POUND CAKES on http://www.baking911.com/cakes/butterpound.htm Here's the edited recipe: The Ultimate (Yellow) Butter Cake Recipe Makes 2, 9-inch cakes. Recipe By :Sarah Phillips, Baking 9-1-1, Simon and Schuster, c 2003 I created the Ultimate Butter Cake to be a rich, moist and tender treat because I was tired of eating dry, flavorless cakes. It has a fine to medium crumb in texture and is somewhat dense, but much lighter than a pound cake. Many brides have selected this for use in a wedding cake because it can be made in so many flavors (and is quite flavorful) and doesn't need a lot of trimming. It can be easily filled and frosted with many types of recipes and decorated or served plain with fruit. It's now my family's favorite all-occasion cake! The cake is a good keeper, keeping several days at room temperature well-wrapped in plastic wrap or frozen for up to two or three months, wrapped in plastic and then placed in an airtight bag or container. Ingredients: 4 cups unbleached all purpose flour -- spoon into measuring cup and level to top 3 tsps baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter (use cold; does not have to be at room temperature ) 2 cups sugar -- or superfine sugar 3 large eggs -- (use cold; does not have to be at room temperature ) 1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk (use cold; does not have to be at room temperature) 1 tbsp vanilla extract with 1/2 tsp almond extract or 1 teaspoon orange or lemon extract or 1 tablespoon grated orange or 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon peel or 1/4 teaspoon citrus oil NOTE: Cake is mixed using a 325 watt KitchenAid Mixer. If you are using a more powerful one, adjust the mixing times downward or use the descriptions rather than mixing times with the instructions, otherwise the baked cake will fall apart and/or crumble or dome in the middle from overmixing. Instructions: Position the oven shelf in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 and grease two 9-inch, preferably light colored, heavy NOT nonstick pans. (If you use dark, nonstick baking pans or ovenproof, Pyrex glass pans, be sure to reduce the oven heat by 25 degrees F). In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Beat the butter with a stand mixer low until softened. (If the butter is cold, it will warm quickly from the beaters). Add the sugar in a steady stream at the side of the bowl. Increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes until light yellow and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape the side and bottom of the bowl with a large rubber spatula. ~ This is what the final creamed butter and sugar should look like. Be sure to scrape down the side and bottom of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula before proceeding to the next step. ~ With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time and beat for 20 seconds after each addition. After the eggs have been added, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the mixture for 2 minutes. (If the eggs are cold, the batter will curdle slightly. It's ok. It will come together as the batter warms from the beaters. ) Set the kitchen timer to help you keep track of the time. The mixture will become fluffy and aerated. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in 3 equal portions, alternating with the milk in 2 equal portions, beginning and ending with the flour. Add the flour and liquid ingredients in increments quickly; do not wait in between additions too long as you don't want to overmix the batter. (If the milk is cold, the batter will curdle slightly. It's ok. It will come together when you add the flour.) WITH THE MIXER STILL ON LOW, add in extracts and beat for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until smooth. The batter should be thick and fluffy. Stop the mixer, and remove the bowl. With a large rubber spatula, give the batter ONE or TWO quick folds to incorporate any stray flour or milk left at the sides and bottom of the bowl. Then, STOP! ~ The final batter should be light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula as directed in the step above! ~ Divide the batter in the prepared baking pans (should fill 1/2 full) and lighty smooth the tops. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top feels firm and gives slightly when touched and will shrink sslightly from the side of the pan. The cake will be slightly browned. If you insert a toothpick in the middle and remove, there should be a few moist crumbs attached, but not batter. The cakes will have a slight dome and small cracks on top right when it comes from the oven, but as the cakes cool, they will flatten on top and the tiny cracks will disappear. ~ The cake will be slightly domed with tiny cracks when it first comes from the oven. ~ Remove cakes to cool on wire racks for 10 to 15 minutes and then unmold onto wire cake racks to cool throughly. Be careful, the cakes are delicate when warm. ~ The cake layers will flatten as they cool. I took the cake layer from the pan when it was still too hot. Note a thin layer of the cake still left in the pan in the background of this picture...... I should have let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes instead of 10, and then unmolded it to the wire cake rack! ~

chantal, If you are baking recipes from a US cookbook, then US all-purpose flour has a gluten protein percent of 12%.... If Canadian cake flour is at 11%, then I would try using Canadian cake flour or you may have to play cake-baking chemist and make your own flour blend....Start with 50% Canadian all-purpose flour and 50% Canadian cake flour per cup. But, if you are baking a recipe from a Canadian cookbook and it calls for all-purpose flour, then use 100% Canadian all-purpose flour per cup! Yes, overmixing can cause a cake to be heavy and crumbly...but, if you have the wrong flour or ingredients, it's nearly impossible to get a light, tender cake given the recipe you have..... When I set out to develop the Ultimate Butter Cake Recipe, I wanted to use every day, easily accessible ingredients, such as all-purpose flour and milk. I knew that it was becoming increasingly hard for home baker's (my audience on baking911.com) to find bleached cake flour and buttermilk in the supermarket or they didn't want to purchase the ingredients and use a small amount (from my research). These two ingredients are key to making tender butter cakes. (bleached cake flour is a low gluten flour = tender, fine crumbed cake; bleached flour = more mixing tolerance = tender cake; buttermilk = (acidic) tenderizer = tender, moist cake is paired with baking soda = enhances flavor in recipes, more browning) Anyway, it was technically more difficult for me to create a tender, moist everyday Ultimate butter cake using all-purpose flour and milk, with more flavor, because it also required the use of baking powder (less flavor enhancer than baking soda). All-purpose flour is a higher gluten flour and can lead to heavy, dense cakes as you have been experiencing in your own "home-kitchen" labs when you use a higher-gluten Canadian flour....cakes will become crumbly and dry and fall more easily ....(That's why I always say that substitutions don't always work.....) To achieve a tender and moist texture in my Ultimate Butter Cake Recipe, it was a b*i*t*c*h to do, given the ingredients I wanted to use, and took a lot of development time on my part....Phew! So...the type of flour will always (and of course, other ingredients) have a great impact on the type of cake you are going to get. Cake formulas fascinate me...and of course, mixing and baking methods have an impact, as well....

This is good to know, thanks, Sarah. I will also go this route when I get the time to try your recipe. ← Ruth and kdl1221, I've been thinking more about the bleached versus unbleached all-purpose flour substitution.... I am interesting in finding out the outcome you guys have when baking the recipe with bleached all-purpose flour because I don't get consistent results when substituting unbleached ap flour with bleached in ALL recipes..... Wendy noted the same in Post #11....Theoretically, the substitution should be fine "according to the substitution charts", but I wrote the recipe specifying unbleached ap flour.....I do know that cake flour will NOT work.... Hmmm..interesting......I will bake my Ultimate Butter Cake using bleached all-purpose flour and let you know my results, too...

Hi kdl1221, I'm glad you took a look at my site...Thanks! Anyway, you can substitute all-purpose unbleached flour with all-purpose bleached flour, one for one, but you will notice some slight differences in texture and, of course, the cake will be whiter. Don't use cake flour! ~ But, you can bake the cake using your bleached all-purpose flour.....

Dee, The differences in the protein content in flour will make a BIG difference in the outcome of th flour. When you baked my Ultimate Butter Cake, using Canadian All-purpose flour, which is different than US all-purpose flour, you could see the results.... National brands of US all-purpose (bleached and unbleached) flour have a protein content of about 12 % . http://www.baking911.com/pantry/flour,grains.htm Unfortunately, flour manufacturers don't always print the gluten protein percent on their packages. See if you can match the protein percent, then my recipe will have a better chance of succeeding.

I edited the recipe to include how long to mix the batter after the flour is added. See below where the recipe has been edited with: ADDED>>>WITH THE MIXER STILL ON LOW<<<<, add in extracts and beat for ADDED>>>30 seconds<<<< to 1 minute or until smooth. The batter should be thick and fluffy. ADDED>>Stop the mixer, and remove the bowl. With a large rubber spatula, give the batter ONE or TWO quick folds to incorporate any stray flour or milk left at the sides and bottom of the bowl. Then, STOP! <<<<< I know it's intimidating making a recipe, but the only way to learn is to make mistakes and to practice. What I always suggest is to make the cake and bake it. See what happens...I hate to sound wasteful, but that's the only way to learn...The cake won't "blow up".... I can't tell you how many cake inventions I have made have ended up becoming something else because I made a mistake .....Cake mistakes have turned into trifles, Petits Fours, "cake bites", snacks, "cake fixing paste" etc. I don't throw the cake out, unless it's so disgusting that my own dogs won't eat it (they've become picky over the years), but I reinvent it into another dessert! Here's the edited recipe: The Ultimate (Yellow) Butter Cake Recipe Makes 2, 9-inch cakes. Recipe By :Sarah Phillips, Baking 9-1-1, Simon and Schuster, c 2003 I created the Ultimate Butter Cake to be a rich, moist and tender treat because I was tired of eating dry, flavorless cakes. It has a fine to medium crumb in texture and is somewhat dense, but much lighter than a pound cake. Many brides have selected this for use in a wedding cake because it can be made in so many flavors (and is quite flavorful) and doesn't need a lot of trimming. It can be easily filled and frosted with many types of recipes and decorated or served plain with fruit. It's now my family's favorite all-occasion cake! The cake is a good keeper, keeping several days at room temperature well-wrapped in plastic wrap or frozen for up to two or three months, wrapped in plastic and then placed in an airtight bag or container. Ingredients: 4 cups unbleached all purpose flour -- spoon into measuring cup and level to top 3 tsps baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter (use cold; does not have to be at room temperature ) 2 cups sugar -- or superfine sugar 3 large eggs -- (use cold; does not have to be at room temperature ) 1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk (use cold; does not have to be at room temperature) 1 tbsp vanilla extract with 1/2 tsp almond extract or 1 teaspoon orange or lemon extract or 1 tablespoon grated orange or 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon peel or 1/4 teaspoon citrus oil NOTE: Cake is mixed using a 325 watt KitchenAid Mixer. If you are using a more powerful one, adjust the mixing times downward or use the descriptions rather than mixing times with the instructions, otherwise the baked cake will fall apart and/or crumble or dome in the middle from overmixing. Instructions: Position the oven shelf in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 and grease two 9-inch, preferably light colored pans. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Beat the butter with a stand mixer low until softened. (If the butter is cold, it will warm quickly from the beaters). Add the sugar in a steady stream at the side of the bowl. Increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes until light yellow and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape the side and bottom of the bowl with a large rubber spatula. With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time and beat for 20 seconds after each addition. After the eggs have been added, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the mixture for 2 minutes. (If the eggs are cold, the batter will curdle slightly. It's ok. It will come together as the batter warms from the beaters. ) Set the kitchen timer to help you keep track of the time. The mixture will become fluffy and aerated. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in 3 equal portions, alternating with the milk in 2 equal portions, beginning and ending with the flour. Add the flour and liquid ingredients in increments quickly; do not wait in between additions too long as you don't want to overmix the batter. (If the milk is cold, the batter will curdle slightly. It's ok. It will come together when you add the flour.) ADDED>>>WITH THE MIXER STILL ON LOW<<<<, add in extracts and beat for ADDED>>>30 seconds<<<< to 1 minute or until smooth. The batter should be thick and fluffy. ADDED>>>Stop the mixer, and remove the bowl. With a large rubber spatula, give the batter ONE or TWO quick folds to incorporate any stray flour or milk left at the sides and bottom of the bowl. Then, STOP! <<<<< Divide the batter in the prepared baking pans (should fill 1/2 full) and lighty smooth the tops. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top feels firm and gives slightly when touched and will shrink sslightly from the side of the pan. The cake will be slightly browned. If you insert a toothpick in the middle and remove, there should be a few moist crumbs attached, but not batter. The cakes will have a slight dome and small cracks on top right when it comes from the oven, but as the cakes cool, they will flatten on top and the tiny cracks will disappear. Remove cakes to cool on wire racks for 10 minutes and then unmold onto wire cake racks to cool throughly. Be careful, the cakes are delicate when warm.

Dee, Thanks for trying my cake recipe. Sorry it didn't turn out for you. The way you describe the cake's outcome sounds like a problem with the type of flour used (are you in the United States and did you use all-purpose unbleached flour?) and/or a measuring issue.....But, it sounds like the gluten-development in the cake didn't develope or over-developed somehow...... Sinking means that there was a measuring or mixing problem, the cake wasn't baked enough, or the protein level of the flour wasn't high enough Crumbly means that there was a problem with the protein level of the flour, there was a measuring and mixing problem. But, since you are an experienced baker, I have a feeling that there is a problem with the flour perhaps or a mixing problem!??? Also, what kind of mixer are you using? I know that if you don't use a home mixer or one that I specified in the recipe, the cake will crumble and fall apart as you described....See the recipe and there's a note right before the beginning of the instructions about mixing....."NOTE: Cake is mixed using a 325 watt KitchenAid Mixer. If you are using a more powerful one, adjust the mixing times downward or use the descriptions rather than mixing times with the instructions, otherwise the baked cake will fall apart and/or crumble or dome in the middle from overmixing." More powerful mixers will create problems with recipes intended for home bakers. I had a professional baker email me that my cake recipe worked fine for her in her home mixer, but when she made it in the professional, more powerful mixer at work (in her bakery), she described that the cake crumbled. I told her that she had to adjust the mixing times downward and the cake turned out fine....It's because of the type of flour used in the recipe...read on... P.S. Then, you may point out the Margret Braun's recipe you posted a few threads up works for you....The reason Margaret Braun's recipe works in the same mixer is that her recipe uses bleached cake flour versus my recipe which uses unbleached all-purpose flour. Cake flour is bleached giving it a higher mixing tolerance (bleaching improves baking performance) ...meaning it can be overmixed and not effect the recipe. All-purpose UNBLEACHED flour cannot, thus it is more sensitive to overmixing....So, I bet you used a more powerful mixer when you made my cake than one I specifed in the recipe causing mine to rise and fall, and then crumble when cut...I'm just taking a guess...... The reason I developed my Ultimate Butter Cake Recipe using all-purpose flour (and milk) is that it is a readily available ingredient..... bleached cake flour and buttermilk are not......

Thank you, Ruth, you're right! Any mis-measurement in flour will cause a problem in any cake recipe. If you add too much flour to a recipe, then you would get results such as flat and heavy.

The ratio of ingredients distinguishs a butter from a pound cake. Pound cakes are more dense than a butter cake. American butter cakes are thought to have derived from British pound loaf yellow cakes. (I hope I said that in the right order!) I like to use Rose Levy Beranbaum's definition of a butter cake, Cake Bible, page 23: "The American butter cake contains 6 to 12 percent solid butter (not including the liquid and milk solids in the butter) or other shortening, 18 to 36 percent liquid (usually milk or water), 27 percent flour or a combination of flour and cocoa, 27 to 40 percent sugar, 5 to 10 percent egg, and a small amount of flavoring, and leavening such as baking powder and/or baking soda." She also has a chart in The Cake Bible in the Section on understanding cakes which RLB tells you to "some degree what the cake will be like. She doesn;t take into account the large ranges she describes above, though: PERCENTAGES OF MAJOR INGREDIENTS IN BASIC CAKE TYPES: (Cake, Bible, page 470) CAKE TYPE: % LIQUID % EGG % FLOUR % SUGAR % FAT * Basic Butter 24 10 27 27 12 Pound 12 22 22 22 22 *(total fat exclusive of the milk solids and water contained in the butter. RLB considers butter to have 81% fat and 15.5 % liquid.) It's late in NY, so I'll give you a BRIEF description of a yellow vs white cake: yellow cake contains whole eggs and/or egg yolks while a white cake contains egg whites. Egg whites are drying, thus a white cake is usually drier than a yellow cake. Egg yolks contain fat = more flavor. Tomorrow, I'll do more research on the topic, if necessary....Good night!

Fern, My digital scale is broken and I re-weighed the flour using my old-fashioned one...but, yes, 1 CUP unbleached all-purpose flour (spoon into measuring cup and level to top) = 4 ounces. (Someone can double check with their digital scale for me if they so desire!!)