14 carat cake with vanilla cream cheese frosting baked goods
Kerri Wachob
Ingredients
Sure, here are the ingredients you'll need:
**For the Cake:**
- All-purpose flour: You'll need about 2 and 1/3 cups (286 grams) divided
- Granulated sugar: 1 and 3/4 cup (350 grams) divided
- Kosher salt: Just a bit, as per standard measurement in a baking recipe
- Baking powder: You'll need 1/2 a tablespoon; this should be approximately 6 grams to get that rise on your delicate golden brown dessert
- Unsalted butter (room temperature): A full bar; this should total 1 cup at an accurate estimate and be approximately 227 grams
- Cream cheese (room temperature): A modest amount—just 4 ounces which converts to roughly 114 grams
- Sour cream (room temperature): This also has just about the same measurement as the cream cheese—4 ounces (around 114 grams), and both should ideally sit out for three hours
- Heavy whipping cream: This is an optional yet delicious choice with about ¼ cup added to up the fat content, which results in more of a velvety softness
- Pure vanilla extract: This provides aroma and works its magical charm with any sweet vanilla dessert, and you could go for anywhere between 1.5 to 2 whole teaspoons
**For the Frosting:**
- Cream cheese (softened): Your cream cheese measurement here comes up to a standard 8 ounces, which totals at about 227 grams—leave all your ingredients out 3 hours before baking
- Whole milk: Not too little, not too much—we go for ½ a cup at about 118 milliliters
- Vanilla extract: An extra touch as in some other sweets; we keep this to exactly 1 whole teaspoon
- Salt: Only ½ tsp in here for an excellent flavor balancing act for that frosting
- Sweet Cream Butter: An average bar weighs at least a good ¼ lb or nearly around 8 tablespoons or 114 grams
- Granulated sugar: To ensure maximum frosting sweetness, the best amount of the sweet stuff is going to be 3 cups, totaling just about 600 grams of sugary deliciousness
Happy baking!
Steps
Title: Indulge in Delights: A Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting a Mouthwatering 14-Carat Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting (500+ Words)
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**Introduction: A Culinary Masterpiece Awaits**
Welcome to a delectable journey of creating a magnificent 14-carat cake with the luscious pairing of vanilla cream cheese frosting. This detailed guide, enriched with over 500 characters, will take you through each step seamlessly, from gathering the necessary ingredients to achieving the coveted golden-brown perfection. Get ready to whip up a culinary masterpiece that will tantalize taste buds and add charm to any occasion.
**Ingredients: Assembling the Perfect Symphony of Flavors**
* **Cake Essence:**
- All-purpose flour 2 1/4 cups (measured after sifting to ensure aeration)
- Caster sugar 2 cups (adjust sweetness as per preference)
- 1 3/4 tsp baking powder (the leavening agent for that perfect rise)
- Fine salt to enhance flavors (1/2 tsp)
- Cold unsalted butter (150 grams, cubed)
- Large eggs (three, at room temperature for smooth integration)
- Zest from one fresh lemon (adds a hint of zesty zing)
- Full-fat plain yogurt (one cup to contribute to texture and moisture)
- Vanilla extract for that classic touch (2 tsp)
- Boiling water, set aside (one cup, crucial for activating chemical reactions)
* **Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting Delights:**
- Cream cheese (300 grams), softened to room temperature for perfect smoothness
- Unsalted butter (1 cup), also softened to room temperature
- Caster sugar, adding the sweetness (around 3 cups, adjustable)
- Pure vanilla extract to enhance flavors (2 tsp)
- Heavy cream, just shy of one cup (220 ml to be precise)
**1. Building the Cake Foundation: Layering Perfection**
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350 °F (177 °C), ensuring even baking.
- Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans. This prevents sticking and makes for smooth transitions when ready to indulge.
- Follow the divine trinity of sifting together the dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, and salt—three times to achieve airy perfection.
- Working with cool hands, rub the cold butter into the dry mixture until you obtain a coarse, breadcrumb-like texture.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, vanilla extract, and the star of the show, lemon zest. This zesty blend introduces aromatic complexity.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until you see no sign of flour. Overmixing is the archenemy of softness, so just unite them harmoniously.
- Gently mix in the boiling water and watch the magic. This crucial step activates the baking powder effectively. Divide this velvety batter into the three waiting cake pans evenly.
**2. Oven Magic: Bringing it all Together**
- Place the filled cake pans in the preheated oven, setting the stage for 22–25 minutes of mouthwatering transformation.
- Golden peaks and an inserted skewer that emerges flawlessly clean signal that your cakes have completed their dance in the oven.
- After gracing the oven, let the cakes cool and settle in their pans for 10 minutes before moving on to the next phase.
Once they've reached room temperature, carefully remove the cakes from the pans—fragile layers ready to embrace their frosting partner.
**3. Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: Sweet Harmony of Richness**
- To conjure this creamy, enchanting frosting, begin by beating the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer. This process ensures light and smooth application later.
- Add in the softened butter gradually and witness the seamless merging of these fats.
- Begin incorporating the caster sugar slowly, allowing flavor and consistency to form. Add only when the previous addition has blended gracefully.
- Introduce the vanilla essence, the whisper of timeless allure, ensuring your frosting possesses layers of complexity.
- Finally, mix in the heavy cream judiciously; it ties together the taste and lends it the perfect frosting thickness, like frosting spun from dreams.
**4. Assembling the Celestial Union: Frost and Layer to Perfection**
- Position the first layer cake majestically onto your serving platter or cake stand. This base awaits its frosted destiny.
- Spread a generous portion of that tantalizing vanilla cream cheese frosting across the surface of the base gently and swiftly. Frosting application demands care as well.
- Stack the second cake layer onto the frost-adorned layer beneath to ensure even thickness throughout. Gently press it down, building unity.
- Repeat the magical frosting ritual—generous doll