Marthas Birthday Cake Recipes

EDWARD KOSTYRA'S BIRTHDAY CAKE

Steps:

• Make the frosting: Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring cream to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Pour over chocolate and let sit, undisturbed, for 3 minutes. Gently whisk until combined and smooth. Whisk in the corn syrup.
• Let cool to room temperature, then transfer ganache to refrigerator and chill, stirring frequently and scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula, until slightly stiff and cool enough to spread, about 1 hour. If frosting becomes too firm, briefly place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until desired consistency is reached. Frosting should be smooth and spreadable, but not runny.
• Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans; line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter parchment and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. Into a medium bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and then beat in vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined after each addition.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto the rack; peel off the parchment. Re-invert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up.
• Make the orange curd: Combine yolks, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar in a heavy-bottom saucepan; whisk to combine. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula (be sure to scrape the sides of the pan), until the mixture is thick, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let mixture come to a vigorous simmer and cook, continually scraping sides of pan, for 2 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat. Add salt and butter, one piece at a time, stirring until smooth. If desired, strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate until chilled and very firm, at least 2 hours or up to 1 1/2 weeks.
• Assemble cake: Using a serrated knife, trim the tops of the cakes to make level. Split each layer into two, for a total of four. Place bottom layer on a rotating cake stand and with an offset spatula, carefully top with 1/2 cup of orange curd, leaving a 1-inch border. Place the second cake layer on top, spread with another 3/4 cup of the orange curd. Repeat with the third layer; top with the final cake layer. Insert 3 wooden skewers into the top of the cake to secure.
• For the crumb coat, spread the entire cake with a thin coat of frosting using an offset spatula. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Spread the entire cake with remaining frosting, swirling to coat in a decorative fashion. Serve immediately, or refrigerate, covered with a cake dome. Let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.

MARTHA'S BIRTHDAY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter the inside of a 10-inch stainless steel bowl (4 1/2 to 6 inches deep). Dust with flour, and tap out excess; set aside. Into a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, 2 cups sugar, and vanilla seeds on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in four parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large, wide bowl; set aside.
• With a clean bowl and whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and the pinch of salt on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the remaining tablespoon sugar, and continue to beat until medium-stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Whisk a third of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture to lighten, then use a rubber spatula to gently fold in remaining whites until just combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared bowl, and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating bowl halfway through, until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 40 minutes. (If the cake begins to get too dark, cover loosely with aluminum foil.) Transfer bowl to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Invert cake onto the rack and let cool completely.
• Line a bowl slightly smaller than the cake with plastic wrap, leaving some overhang. Fit cake into bowl. Using a serrated knife, trim the bottom of the cake to make level. Invert cake onto a clean work surface or cake turntable. Using the serrated knife, cut cake horizontally into four layers of approximately the same height.
• Place the bottom (largest) layer on a cardboard round or serving plate. Brush the top liberally with Amaretto Simple Syrup. Using an offset spatula, evenly spread about 1 cup Almond Buttercream over the top, about 1/4 inch thick. Top with the next-largest layer, and brush with syrup. Spread apricot jam in an even layer over the top. Place the next-largest layer, and brush with syrup. Spread about 1/2 cup buttercream over the top. Place remaining (smallest) layer on top. Brush the surface of the entire cake with syrup. Spread about 1/2 cup buttercream over the entire cake in a thin layer. Cake can be made up to this point up to 1 day in advance; refrigerate, covered, until ready to proceed.
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip (such as an Ateco #5) with Almond Swiss Meringue. Pipe stars to cover the entire surface of the cake, pulling up as you pipe to form points. Using a small kitchen torch, lightly brown the meringue all over. Let cake stand at room temperature until ready to serve, up to 6 hours.
• In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites, sugar, salt, and almond extract. Set the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and whites are hot to the touch, 3 to 5 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Attach the bowl to the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; mix on medium-high speed, about 2 minutes. Raise speed to high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 6 minutes. Use immediately.
• The cake is baked in a stainless steel bowl, which gives the cake a dome shape when inverted.
• After splitting the dome into four layers, almond-flavored buttercream and apricot jam are used to flavor alternating layers.
• The filled cake is given a crumb coat of buttercream before its final layer of piped meringue.

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Place rack in middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper. Butter the parchment, and dust with cocoa powder; tap out excess. Sift cocoa; whisk in boiling coffee and milk. Let cool. Sift together cake flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• Using a rubber spatula, mix the butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Pour in the cooled cocoa mixture. Mix until fully incorporated.
• Add the sifted dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture, stirring until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pans (about 4 cups in each pan). Bake for 20 minutes, rotate the pans, and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center.
• Remove the cakes from the oven, and allow to cool in pans for 15 minutes on a cooling rack. Carefully run a small offset spatula around the edge of the cakes to loosen them from the pan. Remove cakes from pans, and invert onto a wire rack. Let cool completely, about 1 hour.
• To assemble, using a serrated knife, level the top surface of each cake layer. Place four strips of parchment paper around the perimeter of the cake stand. Spread with 3/4 cup of frosting. Top with the remaining layer, bottom side up. Using a swirling motion, cover the outside of cake with the remaining frosting. Remove parchment-paper strips.

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.

MARTHA'S LADY BALTIMORE CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-by-2-inch round pans; set aside. Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt three times; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk and the water, and beginning and ending with the flour. Set batter aside.
• In a clean bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold gently into reserved batter until well combined.
• Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, and return to the rack to cool, top-sides up.
• Make the filling and frosting: Bring raisins, dates, and rum to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat; let cool. Stir in walnuts; set aside.
• In a small saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. When sugar has dissolved, continue to cook without stirring, until it reaches 238 degrees (soft-ball stage) as measured on a candy thermometer.
• Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites, vanilla, and salt until stiff peaks form. When sugar mixture has reached 238 degrees, pour it into the beaten egg whites while beating constantly on high speed, until the mixture is cool and is the proper consistency for spreading, about 7 minutes.
• Transfer 1 cup frosting to a medium bowl. Add reserved dried fruit and nut mixture. Stir to combine, and set aside.
• Assemble the cake: Trim cake tops. Slice cakes in half horizontally. Place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with one-third of the filling. Repeat with 2 more cake layers. Top with remaining cake layer, bottom side up. Spread frosting over sides and top of the cake.

AUNT MARTHA'S BIRTHDAY CAKE

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until it resembles whipped cream. Add flavorings. Sift together the dry ingredients and add alternately with the milk. Beat well till light and puffy. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into a 9-inch tube pan , lightly sprayed. Bake at 350^ to 375^for 45 minutes.( depending on your oven heat.)

VERSATILE VANILLA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-by-2-inch cake pans, tapping out excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.
• Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.
• Place one cake, bottom side up, on a cake stand. Tuck strips of parchment paper underneath. Using an offset-spatula or table knife, spread top with Whipped Frosting. Top with remaining cake; frost top, then sides.