Thursday, January 21, 2010

Heirloom Cake

Whenever people eat this cake I hear the same words over and over, "this is the best tasting cake ever!"...  Well, I think so, too!  Packaging this up right now to send out to my brother.  3000 miles away.  I will let you know if it arrived unharmed!  Frost with Fannie Farmer's Portsmouth Frosting!

Claire’s Heirloom Cake
(aka: "The Best Tasting Cake Ever!")
From Mrs. Maud Brooks – mother of Elinor Brooks.
Elinor was my Mom’s best childhood friend.

4 large eggs at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour pans. ( I put a little butter, parchment, butter and then flour.) Put milk and butter in pan and heat on low heat until just comes to a boil. Get the milk/butter heating while you measure the rest of the ingredients. Measure the flour, salt, and baking powder into a bowl and briefly mix with a fork or whisk to distribute salt and powder. Pour mixture onto wax or parchment paper so that it is ready to use as pouring tool for flour mixture.Beat eggs at medium speed, slowly add sugar and continue beating until light yellow in color and thickened (tripled in volume). Add the vanilla and beat in until blended.
In 3 batches alternate adding the flour first and then the milk so that you end with milk. Mix until well blended put don’t over mix.
Bake in 8-inch square pan or two 8-inch round pans at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes for square pan and about 25-30 minutes for layers.