Sarah Phillips

FROSTED FRESH CHERRY LAYER CAKE RECIPE with ALL-PURPOSE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING by Sarah Phillips Serves 12 as Dessert. Sarah Phillips, President and Founder, baking911.com The Frosted Fresh Cherry Layer Cake Recipe is a moist cake that's chock-full of fruit. It also offers a solution to help frustrated bakers who want to incorporate fresh fruit in their butter cakes. Many have asked for a recipe over the years on my Ask Sarah Message Board for Baker’s on my website. I have explained to home bakers that you can’t take any butter cake recipe and simply add fresh fruit to the batter; that it is hit or miss whether you have success or failure. Its inclusion adds additional sugar, juice and sometimes pectin and/or acidity, sometimes causing the cake to dip in the middle, not bake all the way through or become rubbery. It takes a specially formulated recipe and a delicate folding method to mix in the fresh fruit at the end, resulting in a luscious and moist cake. My Frosted Fresh Cherry Layer Cake is just such a recipe. Additionally the Frosted Fresh Cherry Layer Cake can also be described as a “do-it-your-own-way” cake. It bakes well with canned crushed, drained pineapple or fresh ripened, peeled and pitted, chopped peaches or plums instead of cherries. Just make sure you don’t add more than 1 cup that the recipe specifies, otherwise the cake layers won’t bake right. And you can always flavor the cake any way you like; eliminate or substitute the almond extract with another extract, such as orange or lemon or instead or throw in a tablespoon of grated lemon or orange peel. On occasion, I have also added a cup of toasted, roughly chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts. The layers bake up just fine, as long as you keep the oven temperature and the baking time the same. INGREDIENTS: 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; spoon into dry measuring cup and level to top 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup pitted and chopped fresh, frozen or canned cherries; pit and chop cherries the size of small peas and then measure in a liquid measuring cup 1 cup whole or 2% milk, room temperature; measure in liquid measuring cup 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 1/3 cups sugar or superfine sugar 4 large eggs, room temperature NOTES: It’s best to use an electric stand mixer for this cake because it is more powerful than a hand-held electric one. Extra horsepower is needed due to the large amounts of ingredients that it has to mix. INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Position oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease two (2) 8 x 2 - inch pans. You may also line the greased pans with greased parchment paper. Set aside. >Sarah Says: For cake baking, a heavy, shiny metal pan works the best. Darker, nonstick or heavy, ovenproof glass pans conduct the oven’s heat more and darken and toughen the cake’s crust. To compensate, lower the oven’s temperature by 25 degrees F 2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Add the vanilla and almond extracts to the measured milk and combine. Set aside. >Sarah Says: Be sure your baking powder and/or baking soda (and salt) are evenly distributed throughout the flour so that the cake doesn’t develop uneven air holes as it bakes, which can cause it to crack or fall apart. Mix them together with a large mixing spoon so they all get distributed. (A fork allows the dry ingredients to slip through the tines of the fork causing uneven mixing). Make sure you reach down to the bottom of the bowl. 3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar: beat the butter on low speed with a paddle attachment until softened. Add the granulated sugar in a steady stream at the side of the bowl until combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes until creamy, light in color and fluffy. During beating, stop the mixer and scrape the bowl often. 4. With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time and beat 20 seconds after each addition until combined. Beat the mixture for one minute on medium until it is smooth and fluffy. Stop the mixer during mixing and scrape the bowl often. 5. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in 2 equal portions, alternating with the milk mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix after each addition until JUST combined. With the last addition of flour, mix until almost incorporated. Stop the mixer and take off the mixer bowl. Add the chopped cherries and FOLD with a large rubber spatula until JUST combined. DO NOT OVERMIX. Scrape the bowl and divide the batter evenly into the greased pans. Lightly smooth the tops. >Sarah Says: If you overmix wheat flour when moistened, it produces too much gluten. Too much gluten toughens and dries a cake when baked. It also causes the cake to develop a peak in the middle and deep cracks on the top as well. If this happens, cut the cake into small, bite-size pieces and frost each one. Place on a serving platter and serve anyway – no one will know! 6. Bake the layers for 40 - 45 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick in the middle of each cake layer and remove. It should have a few moist crumbs attached, but not batter. Lightly touch of the tops of each cake with a cupped hand until the top feels firm and gives slightly. The cake shrinks a little from the sides of the pan. It should also smell done. >Sarah Says: Shallow cracks will develop in the top of the cake layers during baking. This is normal. Upon cooling, the cake’s top will settle down and most of the cracks will seem to disappear. The ones that are left will be trimmed anyway before frosting and won’t show. Take the cake layers immediately from the oven to a wire cake rack and let them sit for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula or sharp knife. Invert onto wire cake rack and place upright with the support of another wire cake rack to cool completely. >Sarah Says: A cake layer is fragile when hot when taken right from the oven and will crack easily and fall apart if unmolded too soon from its pan. Letting it sit for 10 minutes in its pan allows it to cool a bit before unmolding, preventing this from happening. If your cooling rack has short legs and sits close to the countertop, condensation easily forms between the two making the underside of the cake wet. So, prop up your cooling rack by placing a same height glass under each corner. Then air can easily circulate around the cake to cool it and no condensation will form. Frost and Serve the Cake: When cake layers have cooled, optionally frost with the All-Purpose Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ALL-PURPOSE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING RECIPE by Sarah Phillips Makes 4 cups; Frosts two 8- x 2-inch round layers This recipe makes a really buttery, creamy and delicious buttercream that goes well with any cake. After frosting the cake, smooth it with an icing spatula or table knife dipped in warm water and then dried before using. An all-butter frosting such as this one won't hold up as well for a summer wedding as one made with some shortening, so I have provided the amounts you need. INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened or 1 cup shortening and 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter for warm weather frosting 3 3/4 cups (1 pound) powdered sugar (more if needed); spoon into dry measuring cup and level to top 2 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk 1 teaspoon clear or pure vanilla extract INSTRUCTIONS: 1. With a stand mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until smooth, light and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and beat until incorporated. 2. Add the smaller amount of heavy cream and beat well on medium-low speed. Add the vanilla extract. Add more cream until the mixture is stiff and creamy. Beat an additional 3 minutes on low speed until fluffy. Adjust consistency with more powdered sugar or milk. 3. Trim the cake layers so they are flat. Fill and frost the cake. STORAGE: The icing and filling that covers your cake determines how you store your cake. The All-Purpose Buttercream Frosting Recipe is not perishable because the sugar in it acts as a preservative. The Frosted Fresh Cherry Layer Cake Recipe is a good keeper and stays moist from the cherries. It can be stored, unfrosted or frosted, at room temperature for about 3 days. (Butter cakes should not be refrigerated because it dries the cake.) Store the unfrosted layers wrapped individually with plastic wrap and then in foil. Cover the frosted cake with a cake keeper or an inverted bowl so as not to mar its finish. The unfrosted or frosted layers can be frozen for about 2 months. Wrap the layers well in plastic wrap and then in foil before freezing. Place the frosted cake in a cake box and then wrap the box in plastic and then again in foil. Or, freeze the frosted cake without a wrapper until hard. Wrap in plastic and then in foil. Thaw the unfrosted or frosted cake in its wrappers at room temperature. Information and recipe copyright Sarah Phillips, 2004 Keywords: Cake, Topping/Frosting ( RG1360 )

FROSTED FRESH CHERRY LAYER CAKE RECIPE with ALL-PURPOSE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING by Sarah Phillips Serves 12 as Dessert. Sarah Phillips, President and Founder, baking911.com The Frosted Fresh Cherry Layer Cake Recipe is a moist cake that's chock-full of fruit. It also offers a solution to help frustrated bakers who want to incorporate fresh fruit in their butter cakes. Many have asked for a recipe over the years on my Ask Sarah Message Board for Baker’s on my website. I have explained to home bakers that you can’t take any butter cake recipe and simply add fresh fruit to the batter; that it is hit or miss whether you have success or failure. Its inclusion adds additional sugar, juice and sometimes pectin and/or acidity, sometimes causing the cake to dip in the middle, not bake all the way through or become rubbery. It takes a specially formulated recipe and a delicate folding method to mix in the fresh fruit at the end, resulting in a luscious and moist cake. My Frosted Fresh Cherry Layer Cake is just such a recipe. Additionally the Frosted Fresh Cherry Layer Cake can also be described as a “do-it-your-own-way” cake. It bakes well with canned crushed, drained pineapple or fresh ripened, peeled and pitted, chopped peaches or plums instead of cherries. Just make sure you don’t add more than 1 cup that the recipe specifies, otherwise the cake layers won’t bake right. And you can always flavor the cake any way you like; eliminate or substitute the almond extract with another extract, such as orange or lemon or instead or throw in a tablespoon of grated lemon or orange peel. On occasion, I have also added a cup of toasted, roughly chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts. The layers bake up just fine, as long as you keep the oven temperature and the baking time the same. INGREDIENTS: 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; spoon into dry measuring cup and level to top 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup pitted and chopped fresh, frozen or canned cherries; pit and chop cherries the size of small peas and then measure in a liquid measuring cup 1 cup whole or 2% milk, room temperature; measure in liquid measuring cup 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 1/3 cups sugar or superfine sugar 4 large eggs, room temperature NOTES: It’s best to use an electric stand mixer for this cake because it is more powerful than a hand-held electric one. Extra horsepower is needed due to the large amounts of ingredients that it has to mix. INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Position oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease two (2) 8 x 2 - inch pans. You may also line the greased pans with greased parchment paper. Set aside. >Sarah Says: For cake baking, a heavy, shiny metal pan works the best. Darker, nonstick or heavy, ovenproof glass pans conduct the oven’s heat more and darken and toughen the cake’s crust. To compensate, lower the oven’s temperature by 25 degrees F 2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Add the vanilla and almond extracts to the measured milk and combine. Set aside. >Sarah Says: Be sure your baking powder and/or baking soda (and salt) are evenly distributed throughout the flour so that the cake doesn’t develop uneven air holes as it bakes, which can cause it to crack or fall apart. Mix them together with a large mixing spoon so they all get distributed. (A fork allows the dry ingredients to slip through the tines of the fork causing uneven mixing). Make sure you reach down to the bottom of the bowl. 3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar: beat the butter on low speed with a paddle attachment until softened. Add the granulated sugar in a steady stream at the side of the bowl until combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes until creamy, light in color and fluffy. During beating, stop the mixer and scrape the bowl often. 4. With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time and beat 20 seconds after each addition until combined. Beat the mixture for one minute on medium until it is smooth and fluffy. Stop the mixer during mixing and scrape the bowl often. 5. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in 2 equal portions, alternating with the milk mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix after each addition until JUST combined. With the last addition of flour, mix until almost incorporated. Stop the mixer and take off the mixer bowl. Add the chopped cherries and FOLD with a large rubber spatula until JUST combined. DO NOT OVERMIX. Scrape the bowl and divide the batter evenly into the greased pans. Lightly smooth the tops. >Sarah Says: If you overmix wheat flour when moistened, it produces too much gluten. Too much gluten toughens and dries a cake when baked. It also causes the cake to develop a peak in the middle and deep cracks on the top as well. If this happens, cut the cake into small, bite-size pieces and frost each one. Place on a serving platter and serve anyway – no one will know! 6. Bake the layers for 40 - 45 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick in the middle of each cake layer and remove. It should have a few moist crumbs attached, but not batter. Lightly touch of the tops of each cake with a cupped hand until the top feels firm and gives slightly. The cake shrinks a little from the sides of the pan. It should also smell done. >Sarah Says: Shallow cracks will develop in the top of the cake layers during baking. This is normal. Upon cooling, the cake’s top will settle down and most of the cracks will seem to disappear. The ones that are left will be trimmed anyway before frosting and won’t show. Take the cake layers immediately from the oven to a wire cake rack and let them sit for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula or sharp knife. Invert onto wire cake rack and place upright with the support of another wire cake rack to cool completely. >Sarah Says: A cake layer is fragile when hot when taken right from the oven and will crack easily and fall apart if unmolded too soon from its pan. Letting it sit for 10 minutes in its pan allows it to cool a bit before unmolding, preventing this from happening. If your cooling rack has short legs and sits close to the countertop, condensation easily forms between the two making the underside of the cake wet. So, prop up your cooling rack by placing a same height glass under each corner. Then air can easily circulate around the cake to cool it and no condensation will form. Frost and Serve the Cake: When cake layers have cooled, optionally frost with the All-Purpose Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ALL-PURPOSE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING RECIPE by Sarah Phillips Makes 4 cups; Frosts two 8- x 2-inch round layers This recipe makes a really buttery, creamy and delicious buttercream that goes well with any cake. After frosting the cake, smooth it with an icing spatula or table knife dipped in warm water and then dried before using. An all-butter frosting such as this one won't hold up as well for a summer wedding as one made with some shortening, so I have provided the amounts you need. INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened or 1 cup shortening and 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter for warm weather frosting 3 3/4 cups (1 pound) powdered sugar (more if needed); spoon into dry measuring cup and level to top 2 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk 1 teaspoon clear or pure vanilla extract INSTRUCTIONS: 1. With a stand mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until smooth, light and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and beat until incorporated. 2. Add the smaller amount of heavy cream and beat well on medium-low speed. Add the vanilla extract. Add more cream until the mixture is stiff and creamy. Beat an additional 3 minutes on low speed until fluffy. Adjust consistency with more powdered sugar or milk. 3. Trim the cake layers so they are flat. Fill and frost the cake. STORAGE: The icing and filling that covers your cake determines how you store your cake. The All-Purpose Buttercream Frosting Recipe is not perishable because the sugar in it acts as a preservative. The Frosted Fresh Cherry Layer Cake Recipe is a good keeper and stays moist from the cherries. It can be stored, unfrosted or frosted, at room temperature for about 3 days. (Butter cakes should not be refrigerated because it dries the cake.) Store the unfrosted layers wrapped individually with plastic wrap and then in foil. Cover the frosted cake with a cake keeper or an inverted bowl so as not to mar its finish. The unfrosted or frosted layers can be frozen for about 2 months. Wrap the layers well in plastic wrap and then in foil before freezing. Place the frosted cake in a cake box and then wrap the box in plastic and then again in foil. Or, freeze the frosted cake without a wrapper until hard. Wrap in plastic and then in foil. Thaw the unfrosted or frosted cake in its wrappers at room temperature. Information and recipe copyright Sarah Phillips, 2004 Keywords: Cake, Topping/Frosting ( RG1360 )

Here's the 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.) Add in extracts and beat for 1 minute or until smooth. The batter should be thick and fluffy. 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.

It's always hard to pin point exactly what went wrong, because there are so many variables in baking. The obvious variables have already been mentioned so I'm just going to convey a little of my experiences. This might sound a little goofey but I have to admit it's taken me many observations/attempts/sucesses/failures on how I mix my butter cakes to get the texture right. When I read a recipe that tells me to slowly or lightly mix together my flour into my creamed butter............sometimes, I'm too gentle (always fearing building up gluten). What happens is I don't actually build enough gluten in my batter........and that really does effect how my cake bakes and what the final texture is. You can see it in the finished cake, the structure is different and it seems to take forever for the cake to test done. ← Wendy, you bring up some good points about cake making that I have thinking about for a long time.... A cake will usually sink in the middle because it's underbaked, as chefpeon said....Or, sometimes if you open the oven door before it's done baking, let's say in the last 10 minutes of baking, and the oven's temperature drops by as much as 100 degrees F, the cake will dip in the middle and never recover, even if it's fully baked in the end....... But, as you pointed out Wendy, a cake will also sink in the middle if the recipe is unbalanced.....Case in point --- There's been a lot of questions scattered throughout egullet.org as to why zucchini bread dips in the middle -- the same recipe can be baked and sometimes it will dip!!..... The variable that's throwing the recipe off is that zucchini contains different liquid amounts, making the bread dip in the middle. The author of the recipe has unaccounted for this variable when he or she wrote the recipe. The baker can easily correct the recipe themselves so the bread won't dip....(P.S. There's a trick that author's can follow when writing recipes that call for fresh ingredients so they won't fail for MOST consumers....) But, with cakes, the recipe is probably unbalanced.....or there can be a mis-measurement with the ingredients, the butter can be too warm when creaming, etc etc! But, with an experienced baker such as yourself, the fault probably lies with the recipe. It's VERY difficult to write a good butter cake recipe -- one that's moist, with good flavor, texture and color, with a fine crumb! (Even in NYC, where I reside, it's hard to find a good, moist piece of butter cake for dessert on a restaurant menu!) And, yes, Wendy, I agree that it does take practice to get the right mixing times and speeds just right to get the right cake texture. It does make a difference. I hope someday you get a chance to try my Ultimate Butter Cake Recipe! It's in my Baking 9-1-1 Book! I'd love to know what you think!

I've done a lot of research into the room temperature ingredients and baking recipes, especially butter cakes. I write about it in my Baking 9-1-1 Book, Simon and Schuster (Fireside), 2003....that it isn't necessary to begin with room temperature ingredients. Page 14 from my book: Old-fashioned recipes were hand-mixed, hence the ned for warmer ingredients do they'd mix faster. Today, we use electric mixers most of the time and they warm the ingredients. This may sound blasphemous, but I think the whole room temperature thing os old-fashioned. I usually use ingredients cold from the refrigerator except for temperature-sensitive ingredients such as chocolate. In the case of creaming butter and sugar, cold butter will take longer to get to the right consistency before you add the sugar, but it will get there. (.....about 30 to 60 seconds!)..... I just taped a presentation on making my Ultimate Butter Cake and Ultimate Chocolate Cake Recipe inventions, using ingredients right from the refrigerator versus room temperature, and the effects it had on the cake. This is for the presentations I will give at the King Arthur Flour Company's Education Center, November 4 and 5 and at French Culinary Instute in December 14.

YUMMMYUMMM...Yes, you could accent the mango mousse with freshly grated nutmeg (grate it on top, perhaps) and sprinkle with a little bit of toasted coconut (maybe). You can also flavor white chocolate with coconut flavored oil, if desired.... http://www.lorannoils.com/Productsdetail.a...Name=Flavorings They have some really neat flavorings...... I still think there's room for some orange (juice or finely chopped peel) mixed in the mango mousse if using nutmeg..... Are you inviting (drooling) guests.... slurp!

You're welcome. How do I add the recipe to recipe gullet?

Ruth, I just noticed your post. I just posted a cake recipe for my FROSTED FRESH CHERRY LAYER CAKE RECIPE in the cherry thread. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=70874 Look at post #24. My recipe makes really moist and good, solid butter cake. (I'm a firm believer that there's nothing wrong with serving a nice, thick slice of a moist and flavorful <mango> butter cake for a birthday cake......) You can use chopped mango in the recipe instead of cherries or use 1/2 and 1/2 cherries and mango or whatever fruit combination you desire! The recipe lends itself well to any type of flavoring. Fresh nutmeg and lemon zest comes to mind....<or lime and lemon zest without the nutmeg, I think....> YUM! You can even add 1/2 cup coconut (plus 1/2 cup white chocolate chips) to my recipe, as well without adjusting anything else. You could frost it with a white chocolate ganache filling and frosting, which would go well in terms of texture with a moist "fruit" cake, such as mine. There are recipes for it. I also have one in my baking911school.com called the White Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Frosting. http://www.baking911school.com/index_masterlist.htm Look under Icings, Frostings, etc. It can be flavored in any way desired. I would recommend using vanilla beans!

Here's a Frosted Fresh Cherry Layer Cake Recipe I created. (Wendy, I own the copyright. Also, I don't know how to post this on recipe gullet. Please help!) FROSTED FRESH CHERRY LAYER CAKE RECIPE Makes two 8- x 2-inch round layers by Sarah Phillips The Frosted Fresh Cherry Layer Cake Recipe is a moist cake that's chock-full of fruit. It also offers a solution to help frustrated bakers who want to incorporate fresh fruit in their butter cakes. Many have asked for a recipe over the years on my Ask Sarah Message Board for Baker’s on my website. I have explained to home bakers that you can’t take any butter cake recipe and simply add fresh fruit to the batter; that it is hit or miss whether you have success or failure. Its inclusion adds additional sugar, juice and sometimes pectin and/or acidity, sometimes causing the cake to dip in the middle, not bake all the way through or become rubbery. It takes a specially formulated recipe and a delicate folding method to mix in the fresh fruit at the end, resulting in a luscious and moist cake. My Frosted Fresh Cherry Layer Cake is just such a recipe. Additionally the Frosted Fresh Cherry Layer Cake can also be described as a “do-it-your-own-way” cake. It bakes well with canned crushed, drained pineapple or fresh ripened, peeled and pitted, chopped peaches or plums instead of cherries. Just make sure you don’t add more than 1 cup that the recipe specifies, otherwise the cake layers won’t bake right. And you can always flavor the cake any way you like; eliminate or substitute the almond extract with another extract, such as orange or lemon or instead or throw in a tablespoon of grated lemon or orange peel. On occasion, I have also added a cup of toasted, roughly chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts. The layers bake up just fine, as long as you keep the oven temperature and the baking time the same. INGREDIENTS: 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; spoon into dry measuring cup and level to top 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup pitted and chopped fresh, frozen or canned cherries; pit and chop cherries the size of small peas and then measure in a liquid measuring cup 1 cup whole or 2% milk, room temperature; measure in liquid measuring cup 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 1/3 cups sugar or superfine sugar 4 large eggs, room temperature NOTES: It’s best to use an electric stand mixer for this cake because it is more powerful than a hand-held electric one. Extra horsepower is needed due to the large amounts of ingredients that it has to mix. INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Position oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease two (2) 8 x 2 - inch pans. You may also line the greased pans with greased parchment paper. Set aside. >Sarah Says: For cake baking, a heavy, shiny metal pan works the best. Darker, nonstick or heavy, ovenproof glass pans conduct the oven’s heat more and darken and toughen the cake’s crust. To compensate, lower the oven’s temperature by 25 degrees F 2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Add the vanilla and almond extracts to the measured milk and combine. Set aside. >Sarah Says: Be sure your baking powder and/or baking soda (and salt) are evenly distributed throughout the flour so that the cake doesn’t develop uneven air holes as it bakes, which can cause it to crack or fall apart. Mix them together with a large mixing spoon so they all get distributed. (A fork allows the dry ingredients to slip through the tines of the fork causing uneven mixing). Make sure you reach down to the bottom of the bowl. 3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar: beat the butter on low speed with a paddle attachment until softened. Add the granulated sugar in a steady stream at the side of the bowl until combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes until creamy, light in color and fluffy. During beating, stop the mixer and scrape the bowl often. 4. With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time and beat 20 seconds after each addition until combined. Beat the mixture for one minute on medium until it is smooth and fluffy. Stop the mixer during mixing and scrape the bowl often. 5. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in 2 equal portions, alternating with the milk mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix after each addition until JUST combined. With the last addition of flour, mix until almost incorporated. Stop the mixer and take off the mixer bowl. Add the chopped cherries and FOLD with a large rubber spatula until JUST combined. DO NOT OVERMIX. Scrape the bowl and divide the batter evenly into the greased pans. Lightly smooth the tops. >Sarah Says: If you overmix wheat flour when moistened, it produces too much gluten. Too much gluten toughens and dries a cake when baked. It also causes the cake to develop a peak in the middle and deep cracks on the top as well. If this happens, cut the cake into small, bite-size pieces and frost each one. Place on a serving platter and serve anyway – no one will know! 6. Bake the layers for 40 - 45 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick in the middle of each cake layer and remove. It should have a few moist crumbs attached, but not batter. Lightly touch of the tops of each cake with a cupped hand until the top feels firm and gives slightly. The cake shrinks a little from the sides of the pan. It should also smell done. >Sarah Says: Shallow cracks will develop in the top of the cake layers during baking. This is normal. Upon cooling, the cake’s top will settle down and most of the cracks will seem to disappear. The ones that are left will be trimmed anyway before frosting and won’t show. Take the cake layers immediately from the oven to a wire cake rack and let them sit for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula or sharp knife. Invert onto wire cake rack and place upright with the support of another wire cake rack to cool completely. >Sarah Says: A cake layer is fragile when hot when taken right from the oven and will crack easily and fall apart if unmolded too soon from its pan. Letting it sit for 10 minutes in its pan allows it to cool a bit before unmolding, preventing this from happening. If your cooling rack has short legs and sits close to the countertop, condensation easily forms between the two making the underside of the cake wet. So, prop up your cooling rack by placing a same height glass under each corner. Then air can easily circulate around the cake to cool it and no condensation will form. Frost and Serve the Cake: When cake layers have cooled, optionally frost with the All-Purpose Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. All-purpose Buttercream Frosting Recipe Makes 4 cups; Frosts two 8- x 2-inch round layers This recipe makes a really buttery, creamy and delicious buttercream that goes well with any cake. After frosting the cake, smooth it with an icing spatula or table knife dipped in warm water and then dried before using. An all-butter frosting such as this one won't hold up as well for a summer wedding as one made with some shortening, so I have provided the amounts you need. INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened or 1 cup shortening and 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter for warm weather frosting 3 3/4 cups (1 pound) powdered sugar (more if needed); spoon into dry measuring cup and level to top 2 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk 1 teaspoon clear or pure vanilla extract INSTRUCTIONS: 1. With a stand mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until smooth, light and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and beat until incorporated. 2. Add the smaller amount of heavy cream and beat well on medium-low speed. Add the vanilla extract. Add more cream until the mixture is stiff and creamy. Beat an additional 3 minutes on low speed until fluffy. Adjust consistency with more powdered sugar or milk. 3. Trim the cake layers so they are flat. Fill and frost the cake. Storage: The icing and filling that covers your cake determines how you store your cake. The All-Purpose Buttercream Frosting Recipe is not perishable because the sugar in it acts as a preservative. The Frosted Fresh Cherry Layer Cake Recipe is a good keeper and stays moist from the cherries. It can be stored, unfrosted or frosted, at room temperature for about 3 days. (Butter cakes should not be refrigerated because it dries the cake.) Store the unfrosted layers wrapped individually with plastic wrap and then in foil. Cover the frosted cake with a cake keeper or an inverted bowl so as not to mar its finish. The unfrosted or frosted layers can be frozen for about 2 months. Wrap the layers well in plastic wrap and then in foil before freezing. Place the frosted cake in a cake box and then wrap the box in plastic and then again in foil. Or, freeze the frosted cake without a wrapper until hard. Wrap in plastic and then in foil. Thaw the unfrosted or frosted cake in its wrappers at room temperature. Information and recipes copyright Sarah Phillips, 2004

Sarah, you should know how you saved my life with your egg conversion chart--I make the swiss meringue buttercream and I bought a different size of egg once or twice and I was making a huge quantity and just knowing where to get the information easily was a true godsend. I have your book too--I need to try that zucchini chocolate cake! You da' bomb!!! ← WOW~ Thanks you so much. Thanks for getting my Baking 9-1-1 Book! Let me know how you like it! ~ Please note http://baking911.com/b911/book_corrections.htm

Here's some conversion charts: Ingredient substitutions: http://www.baking911.com/pantry/substitutes_ingredients.htm Baking pan substitutions: http://www.baking911.com/pantry/substitutes_pansizes.htm How to measure all types of ingredients with conversion calculators: http://www.baking911.com/howto/measure.htm A complete "How to" do techniques and baking tips guide: http://www.baking911.com/howto/index.htm A complete listing of baking ingredients, pots and pans, etc. http://www.baking911.com/pantry/index.htm

I'm pretty sure that the baking911 recipe and the AB recipe are one in the same. A while ago I compared them, and I think that's the conclusion I made. ← The recipe posted on baking911.com is from Alton Brown. Look at the attribution to AB at the bottom of the page.... "Recipes by Alton Brown, tvfood.com". It's been there as long as the recipe has been posted on the website, which is awhile.... http://www.baking911.com/recipes/cookies/chocchip_3ways.htm It's also posted here http://www.baking911.com/recipes/cookies/c..._chip_chewy.htm "Recipe by Alton Brown". Is there a recipe that doesn't credit him in error? Let me know ~ The sources of all recipes posted on the site are placed with each recipe either at the top or very end...

Brownsuga, I'm glad that I was so helpful to you and I could be a good role model. As I always say, if I can be a mentor or role model to at least one baker or to encourage someone, then I'm going in the right direction! I can't speak for Wendy, but she seems to have her heart in the same place.....

No problem, Wendy. Thanks for your nice note!

Wendy, Thanks for your nice note. You and I are on the same page. Yes, baking is part science, part nuance and a lot of art. And, besides, if it weren't for the ingenuity and inventiveness of home bakers, we wouldn't have as the thousands of marvelous classic recipes as we have today -- I experiment all the time, too...I can't leave a recipe alone, myself and never have....I am always inventing new recipes and ways of doing things....I do, too because if I didn't, I couldn't invent all of the technically difficult recipes and new concepts that I do.... I find there is a side to baking that is science, and I find that certain things work better than others....yes, scientists experiment all the time, too, and new inventions come from experimentation, but science is science. But, my point is that on baking911.com I write what I find what works MOST OF THE TIME. I never say don't experiment -- home bakers should and I know do experiment....we aren't unsophisticated and afraid...I know lots of us home bakers love to experiment, buy new equipment, purchase all the new books, and love to take classes!.....I interact with home bakers day in and day out....Sometimes home baker's questions are so sophisticated that sometimes I am stumped and have to do research because of the complexity.....I am often kept on my toes when a home baker does a baking experiment and it turns out despite all the "rules" and wants to know why! My point was that when I write something on my website, my viewpoint is something that I find works most of the time. I am glad that you write about breaking all the rules...I will only post something on my site when I am sure it works most of the time......I do have a chat board where I encourage bakers to experiment...when I don't know an answer, many times I encourage others to "try it and see what happens!"....Perhaps the real problem we are having is that the way in which I express myself and my viewpoints do not match the culture at egullet.com. I really don;t feel like I need to defend myself and my viewpoints any more. Thanks, Wendy for your wonderful tips and insights. I have enjoyed everything you have said! Keep on experimenting. I will, too. And, let's not forget that home bakers have invented the best recipes through experimentation! Our cookbooks are filled with such long-lasting treasures!

P.S. I always advise home bakers to listen more carefully to a cookbook author or mentor (or a few) who give advice that works for them....that there is not one way of doing something. I have baking mentors and have found that the ones I have selected consistently give better and more reliable advice than others. Thus, I tend listen to my mentors' opinions and select their recipes to bake because I know I will have better success more often than not, among the myriad of "opinions" out there....

I agree with you. I was merely stating my opinion and viewpoint. Wendy is entitled to hers. You are certainly entitled to whatever opinion you want to form. I was simply responding Wendy's comments about the information I posted on my website. My response to Wendy shouldn't be taken as a personal attack on her vast experience. Perhaps you would have been more comfortable if I would have started each of my sentences with, "In my opinion....", but I didn't....But, when someone chooses to comment about things that I write about on my website, then I am free to post "my opinions" in a response. I feel passionate about baking...and my opinions...and in helping home bakers....perhaps that was what you are responding to....If I were wishy-washy about my findings and observations, then I could never run a successful baking-help-advice website.......

Good for you, Brownsuga! And, Eden, I'm still laughing over the 337 degree F baking temperature...that's really funny!

Sarah, I was too chicken to not do it without the heating core. I wasnt that brave. I wanted to take precautionary measures just in case. ← Yeah, I dont anymore. I think that's what Wendy was saying...when baking in the pan that's stated in the recipe, use it at the suggested temp and not lower. ←

I can't begin to guess! It depends on the depth and material of the smaller pans and where you place the smaller pans......If the smaller pans are placed on the top shelf, where the oven temperature is hotter, above the larger pan, that's presumably placed on the middle shelf, they might bake ok or burn on the outside because there isn;t enough air movement in the oven. Or, if the smaller pans are placed on either side of the larger pan close to the oven's side or door, the heat is hotter, so they might bake ok or burn on the outside. That's why on my baking911.com webpages, I don't mention the hundreds of possible variables because both you and I would get a massive headache. In general, as you have proven with your very first test, chances are, it's best to bake the recipe at the temperature that the author has recommended. If you double, triple, etc. the recipe, keep the oven temperature the same because you are baking the same recipe. In general, reduce the oven heat by 25 degrees F if you are baking the recipe in a Pyrex ovenproof glass or dakr, nonstick baking pan!

P.S. And, that proves my point about you can't simply lower the oven heat when baking a recipe......IN GENERAL, you shouldn't play around with baking temperatures because a recipe won't turn out properly!

Brownsuga, Good for you for experimenting... The nail core helped bring heat to the center of the cake so the cake baked evenly. (The real test would have been baking the cake at a lower temperature in the same type pan as the first cake without the nail core!) It also depends on the type of pan you used for the 11 x 15-inch cake. If it was a Pyrex, glass pan, a dark, nonstick pan or a heavy, dark pan, it was appropriate to reduce the oven heat by 25 degrees F, anyway! The cake would still bake nicely with or without a nail core because the oven temperature was correct based upon the pan's materils. The nail core simply helped bake the center of the cake better. ~

Wendy, RE: http://baking911.com/howto/recipes_doubletriplecut.htm I suggest throwing caution to the wind about your advice about adjusting baking temperatures. In my years of experience in developing recipes for corporations, books, websites, etc., simply reducing the oven heat by 25 degrees F can cause a recipe not to bake properly or all the way through, especially in the middle. (Except when using Pyrex, glass baking pans or dark, nonstick pans). This is especially true when increasing the volume because of the pan size for a recipe. I have seen it happen more often than not that the correct baking temperature affects the successful outcome of a recipe -- simply reducing the heat by 25 degrees F can mean failure in a recipe! That's why it's so important to make sure your oven is always at an accurate temperature in the first place. Also, you comment about baking times changing only when using larger pans is not entirely correct. It has to do with the new depth of the pan, how crowded the oven is (with multiple 9-inch pans, using your example), the material the substituted pan is made of, etc. It's more complex than having a larger pan. http://baking911.com/pantry/substitutes_pansizes.htm baking911.com's intended audience is primarily home bakers -- 11 million hits per month, month in and month out. I also get traffic from professional bakers, bakeries, organizations, corporations, food TV stations, newspapers, etc. doing research. I never advise that a home baker start playing around with oven temperature nor advise that if a recipe is multiplied ten-fold and poured into multiple 9-inch pans, that the baking time will remain the same. Some things are simply incorrect MOST OF THE TIME> I don't mention that hundreds of tiny exceptions to the rule on my webspages simply because it would confuse my audience so much that I believe that no one would ever sign-on. I find that most home bakers will crowd the oven with multiple 9-inch baking pans, causing the lengthening of the baking time (also from keeping the oven door open longer to load in such pans), rather than bake the pans one-by-one (or two at a time as the original recipe states), where the baking time will remain the same. (And, then I'll get the questions from the home baker as to what to do with all of those other remaining filled 9-inch baking pans while the two bake in the oven! And, how come they remaining cakes never baked as well or as high as the first two....And, how long the remaining batter will last, etc......) And, Brownsuga, I am glad my advice and the other link helped you with your recipe!

WOOWIE!~ Thanks so much!

I hate to be a "party-pooper", BUT.. You will have to check with local laws and regulations because there is something about zoning -- you may not be able to suddenly increase traffic in the neighborhood with trucks, cars, and increase problems with parking, noise -- the neighbors have a right to complain, and they'll call the police, and you'll have problems. The local zoning laws have to do with where your place of "business" is situated. I remember way back when when I had my home kitchen certified by the Health Department to bake my Simply Sarah's Cookie Line for Bloomingdale's, Grace's Marketplace and other gourmet shops in New York Cuity, there was something about local zoning laws that said I couldn't have delivery trucks pull onto my street during certain hours, nor was my location zoned for public use. I couldn't have a showroom at my location, nor could I have tons of cars pulling up to my location (house) during all hours, nor was I allowed to block the public parking places on the street with people visiting me, etc. etc. I could bake the cookies as long as I kept with the "quiet of the neighborhood"....or something like that...... The local zoning laws had nothing to do with the Health Department's certification, but I couldn't get he certification unless I complied with the zoning laws. There are also laws, I think, about what you can put in your home in a neighborhood.....For example, I couldn't put a restuarant size pizza oven in my home kitchen because of zoning laws...it would be a safety hazard... Also, you can't get liability insurance unless you are certified by the Health Department...... But, I would check with someone who knows because my knowledge on the topic was from years ago.