Best 20 Basic Cake Recipes

BASIC CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat two 9-inch-round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Whisk the cocoa powder and 1 1/2 cups boiling water in a medium bowl until smooth; set aside. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until combined. Add the eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream and vanilla and beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the cocoa mixture in a steady stream until just combined, then finish mixing with a rubber spatula. (The batter will be thin.)
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans and tap the pans against the counter to help the batter settle. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. Remove the parchment. Trim the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife to make them level, if desired.

BASIC CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder and cocoa. Combine milk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with milk mixture. Mix well. , Pour into greased 10-in. tube pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 70-80 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

BASIC BUTTERMILK CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 with rack in the middle of the oven. Butter cake pans and line the bottoms with wax paper or parchment paper cut to fit. Butter the paper. If making cupcakes, use paper liners or butter the cupcake pan.
• Beat the butter and sugar at medium speed with electric mixer until light and fluffy in a large mixing bowl. Beat in eggs one at a time. Scrape bowl and beaters to incorporate.
• Sift the flour with the baking powder and baking soda. Add one quarter of the dry mixture to the butter-egg mixture and then add the vanilla and a third of the buttermilk. Repeat beginning and ending with the flour mixture and scraping well after each addition.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans and spread to the edges with a spatula. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
• Cool in pans of a rack for 5 minutes. Turn pans onto the rack, remove parchment paper or was paper and cool completely before frosting.

BASIC WHITE LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition., Spread evenly into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Spread frosting between layers and over the top and sides of cake.

BASIC SHEET PAN CAKE

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat an 18-by-13-inch sheet pan with nonstick baking spray. Line the bottom with parchment. Set aside.
• Beat the eggs, sugar, baking powder and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on high speed until the mixture is pale and very thick (enough to hold a wake from the whisk), about 10 minutes (see Cook's Note). Reduce the speed to medium-high and drizzle in the butter and vanilla until just combined, about 10 seconds. Reduce the speed to low and add the sifted flour all at once. Beat until just combined, about 5 seconds. Gently fold the batter once or twice using a rubber spatula, then scrape it into the prepared sheet pan. Spread it evenly using the spatula, using broad, gentle strokes to keep the batter airy.
• Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the top is lightly golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool in the sheet pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely.

BASIC WHITE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper; butter paper, and dust with flour, tapping out any excess. Set aside.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl, and set aside. Combine milk and vanilla in another bowl, and set aside. Beat butter in the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment until pale and creamy. Add sugar in a steady stream, and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the milk mixture and starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Be careful to avoid overbeating. Set aside.
• In a clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold a third of the whites into batter until combined. Fold in remaining whites in 2 batches.
• Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with a metal spatula. Bake until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to wire rack; cool 15 minutes before unmolding. Butter wire rack. Loosen cake sides with a paring knife, and invert cake onto greased rack. Reinvert to prevent it from splitting. Cool completely before using or storing in the freezer.

BASIC ONE LAYER WHITE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease and dust with flour a single 9-inch round cake pan for a single layer cake. Dust two if you are doubling the recipe for a layer cake.
• 2. 1. Cream the sugar, salt, and shortening together. Add the egg and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla.
• 3. 2. In another bowl, mix the flour and baking powder together.
• 4. 3. Add about one-third of the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix briefly. Add about one-third of the milk and mix. Continue twice more with the remaining flour and milk. Do not over mix. Scrape the batter into the pan.
• 5. 4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Let the cake rest in the pan for about five minutes and then remove it to a wire rack to continue cooling.

BASIC SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325.
• Grease only the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan and cover with a circle of parchment paper. Do not grease the sides of the pan.
• In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until light, gradually adding in the sugar. Add in vanilla and lemon and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy, about 1 minute at high speed, then beat in the salt and cream of tartar. Continue beating until the eggs reach soft peaks. Fold egg whites, working in 3 or 4 batches, into the yolk mixture.
• Sift the flour over the egg mixture, again working in 3 or 4 batches, and gently fold it inches When the batter is uniform, pour into prepared cake pan and bake unil a tester comes out dry and the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed, about 35-45 minutes.
• Allow cake to cool in the pan before cutting around the sides with a sharp knife and turning it out.
• Slice the cake into 2 or 3 layers (or squares) and fill as desired.

BASIC CAKE BALLS

Steps:

• Bake the cake as directed on the box, using a 9-by-13-inch cake pan. Let cool completely.
• Once the cake is cooled, get organized and set aside plenty of time (at least an hour) to crumble, roll, and dip 4 dozen cake balls.
• Crumble the cooled cake into a large mixing bowl. The texture of the cake causes it to crumble easily. Just cut a baked 9-by-13-inch cake into 4 equal sections. Remove a section from the pan, break it in half, and rub the two pieces together over a large bowl, making sure to crumble any large pieces that fall off. You can also use a fork to break any larger pieces of cake apart. Repeat with each section until the entire cake is crumbled into a fine texture. If you have large pieces mixed in, the cake balls may turn out lumpy and bumpy. You should not see any large pieces of cake.
• Add three-quarters of the container of frosting. (You will not need the remaining frosting.) Mix it into the crumbled cake, using the back of a large metal spoon, until thoroughly combined. If you use the entire container, the cake balls will be too moist.
• The mixture should be moist enough to roll into 1 1/2-inch balls and still hold a round shape. After rolling the cake balls by hand, place them on a wax paper-covered baking sheet.
• Cover with plastic wrap and chill for several hours in the refrigerator, or place in the freezer for about 15 minutes. You want the balls to be firm but not frozen.
• If you're making a project that calls for uncoated cake balls, stop here and proceed to decorate the cake balls, following the project instructions.
• Place the candy coating in a deep, microwave-safe plastic bowl. These bowls make it easier to cover the cake balls completely with candy coating while holding the bowl without burning your fingers. (I usually work with about 16 ounces of coating at a time.)
• Melt the candy coating, following the instructions on the package. Microwave on medium power for 30 seconds at a time, stirring with a spoon in between. You can also use a double boiler. Either way, make sure you do not overheat the coating.
• Now you're ready to coat. Take a few cake balls at a time out of the refrigerator or freezer to work with. If they're in the freezer, transfer the rest of the balls to the refrigerator at this point, so they stay firm but do not freeze.
• Place one ball at a time into the bowl of candy coating. Spoon extra coating over any uncoated areas of the cake ball to make sure it is completely covered in candy coating. Then lift out the cake ball with your spoon. Avoid stirring it in the coating, because cake crumbs can fall off into the coating.
• Holding the spoon over the bowl, tap the handle of the spoon several times on the edge of the bowl until the excess coating falls off and back into the bowl. This technique also creates a smooth surface on the outside of the cake ball.
• Transfer the coated cake ball to another wax paper-covered baking sheet to dry. Let the coated cake ball slide right off the spoon. Some coating may pool around the base of the ball onto the wax paper. If so, simply take a toothpick and use it to draw a line around the base of the cake ball before the coating sets. Once the coating sets, you can break off any unwanted coating.
• Repeat with the remaining cake balls and let dry completely.
• If you have extra candy coating left over, pour it into a resealable plastic bag (and then snip off the corner) or into a squeeze bottle and drizzle it over the tops in a zigzag motion to decorate.
• You can make the cake balls ahead of time and store them in an airtight container on the counter or in the refrigerator for several days.
• Tips
• The cake balls will be easier to roll if you wash and dry your hands periodically during the rolling process. Dry your hands completely each time, and make sure you don't get water in the candy coating, as it can make it unusable.
• You can use a mini ice cream scoop to get uniform-size cake balls.
• If you don't need or want to make 48 cake balls, simply divide the cake in half for 24 cake balls or in quarters for 12 and freeze the remaining cake for later use. Remember to reduce the amount of frosting proportionally.

BASIC EASY BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a t ime beating well after each addition. Add vanilla essence. Beat.
• Fold flour into creamed mixture alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour.
• Spoon into greased 20cm square cake tin.
• Bake in moderate oven (180 degrees C) for 35 to 40 minutes until skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in tin 5 minutes before turning out. Cool completely before icing.

BASIC YELLOW CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Cut two 9-inch rounds of parchment paper to line the bottoms of two 9-inch (2 inches deep) round cake pans. Butter and line pans. Butter linings. Dust pans with flour, tapping out excess. Set aside.
• Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Return bowl to mixer; fit mixer with the paddle attachment. Add eggs, yolk, water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake, switching positions of pans and rotating halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 42 minutes. Let cool in pans on wire racks 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of cakes to loosen. Unmold; peel off parchment. Let cool completely, top sides up, on racks.
• Trim tops of cake layers with a long serrated knife to make them level. Using a small offset spatula, evenly cover top of one cake layer with 1 1/2 cups frosting; spread frosting so that it extends just beyond edges of cake.
• Place second cake layer, cut side down, on top; press gently to make it level. Frost top and sides of assembled cake with remaining frosting.

CINNAMON-RAISIN POUND CAKE WITH BASIC GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 5-by-9-inch loaf pans. Combine 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and salt in a bowl.
• Cream butter and sugar with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, for 8 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium, and add vanilla extract.
• Lightly beat eggs, and add to mixer bowl in 4 additions, mixing thoroughly after each and scraping down sides. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in 4 additions, mixing until just incorporated. Toss raisins in remaining 2 tablespoons flour; fold into finished batter. Divide batter in half. Fold cinnamon into 1 half. Scoop batters into 2 prepared pans, 1/2 cup at a time, alternating plain and cinnamon. Swirl with a knife. Tap on counter to distribute; smooth tops.
• Bake until a tester inserted into center of each cake comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack.
• Make the glaze: Combine 2 cups confectioners' sugar and 4 to 5 tablespoons milk in a bowl. Drizzle over cooled cakes.

ULTIMATE BASIC BIRTHDAY YELLOW CAKE (1 - LAYER)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Cut wax paper to fit the bottom of a 9 x 1 1/2-inch round pan. Spray the pan with cooking spray, place the wax paper in the pan and spray the paper.
• In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, mixing well.
• Combine milk with vegetable oil and stir thoroughly.
• Add the milk/vegetable oil mixture, butter and vanilla to the flour mixture and beat with an electric mixer on medium to medium-high speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl as needed.
• Add the eggs and continue beating an additional 2 minutes. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near center of cake comes out clean, or until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center.
• Cool cakes on wire racks for 15 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely.
• Frost as desired.

BASIC CHINESE CAKE NOODLE RECIPE

Steps:

• 1. Bring the water to boil and add the fresh noodles to it.
• 2. Boil the noodles till tender but firm.
• 3. Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
• 4. In a large skillet pan, heat about 2 Tbsp. of peanut oil, you can use vegetable oil, too.
• 5. Move the pan so that the oil is well distributed.
• 6. With just a few drops of sesame oil, mix with the well drained noodles so that they won't stick together.
• 7. Add all the noodles to the skillet and evenly distribute the noodles so that they cover the whole bottom of the pan.
• 8. Don't walk away, watch the noodles as they start browning, when it is golden brown, gently and carefully flip it over and do the same for the other side.
• 9. When it is done, place it on a cutting board and cut them into about 2 1/2-inch squares.
• 10. Place on serving platters and garnish with your favorite Chinese entree.

SOUTHERN LIVING BASIC YELLOW CAKE RECIPE ( OR CHOCOLATE)

Steps:

• 1. Cream butter then gradually add sugar, beating well .
• 2. Add eggs, beating well after each addition: this mix should be fluffy yellow.
• 3. In another bowl, combine the flour and baking powder: The add mix to the creamed mixture ( above) alternating with milk, beginning and ending with the flour mix. Mix well.
• 4. Stir in vanilla.
• 5. Pour batter into 2 greased/floured 9" pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center come out clean.
• 6. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove layers from pans and cool completely.

BASIC WHITE SHEET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 17-by-12-by-1-inch rimmed sheet pan. Line bottom with parchment, butter parchment, and dust pan with flour, tapping out any excess; set aside.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl, and set aside. Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment until it is creamy. Add the sugar to the butter in a steady stream, and continue beating until the butter is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add dry ingredients alternately with the milk and vanilla in three additions, starting and finishing with the dry ingredients; be careful not to overmix. Set batter aside.
• In a medium metal bowl or clean bowl of an electric mixer, whisk egg whites just until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter until combined. Fold in remaining whites in two batches. Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with a metal spatula. Bake until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center, about 30 minutes. Let pan cool 15 minutes on a wire rack before unmolding. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula or paring knife, and invert onto greased wire rack. To prevent the layer from splitting, invert again so that the top is up. Cool completely before assembling cake or wrapping airtight to freeze cake for later. While this layer cools, repeat steps with a second batch of ingredients for a second cake layer.
• To assemble, trim tops of each layer so they are flat. Place one layer of cake on serving platter. Set aside, covered, 1 cup of the icing for coloring. Spread top of cake layer with 1/4-inch layer of the icing, and cover with second cake layer. Frost cake, using remaining icing. Chill cake.
• Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir, using a plastic spatula, until melted. Remove bowl from heat, and set aside to cool for about 15 minutes, until no longer warm but still liquid. Roll a parchment triangle into a tight cone. Fill halfway with melted chocolate. Roll down the top of the cone like you are rolling a tube of toothpaste. Avoid overfilling, because it will be harder to pipe decorations. Remove cake from refrigerator; using sharp kitchen shears, cut a very small hole in tip of filled cone. Pipe desired decoration with chocolate; set aside for 10 minutes to set. Color remaining cup of icing, if desired; pipe designs on cake.

BASIC SKILLET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet over low heat. Transfer 1/2 of the melted butter to a mixing bowl, leaving remaining butter in the skillet.
• Add sugar to the mixing bowl and beat with the melted butter until well blended. Add egg and mix until well beaten. Mix in flour and vanilla. Add milk, 2 tablespoons at a time, until mixture is the consistency of pancake batter. Pour batter into the skillet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the stovetop.

BASIC POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-by-5-by-3-inch (or larger) loaf pans and set aside.
• Sift the flour with the salt and baking powder two times and set aside.
• With an electric mixer, cream the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk and vanilla. Stir only until thoroughly blended.
• Pour batter into the prepared pans, making sure to divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Level tops with an offset spatula. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan about 10 minutes; then remove to a wire rack to cool thoroughly.

BASIC CHOCOLATE MAYONNAISE CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the water, mayonnaise and vanilla; beat on medium speed until well blended., Pour into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Just before serving, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

ITALIAN BASIC GENOISE (SPONGE CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Blend the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in a mixer bowl with a wire whip attachment until the mixture doubles in volume-about 15 minutes on high speed. Just before stopping the mixer, add the vanilla and mix inches.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sift together the cake flour, cornstarch and salt. Fold dry mixture into egg mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, just until blended.
• Coat two 10-inch round cake pans with shortening. Pour the batter into the pans and put them immediately into preheated 350 degree oven.
• Bake until tops are springy to the touch, about 45 to 50 minutes.
• Remove the cakes from the pans and cool on a wire rack.
• When cool, use a long serrated knife to slice off the tops of the cakes.
• For tiramisu or other layer cakes, divide each cake into three uniform layers with a serrated knives.