<p>My MIL is out of town, so I can’t get the recipe, but she makes an awesome Italian Cream Cake. I also really like Tres Leche Cake. When I think of a white cake both of these come to mind.</p>
<p>acollegestudent, a GOOD white cake is a butter cake made with only egg whites instead of whole eggs or egg yolks. The rest of the ingredients are pretty much the same as a yellow cake.</p>
<p>I have made White Lilac Nostalgia. I’ve also made Blueberry Swan Lake. And a tiered wedding cake with white layers brushed with Framboise syrup, raspberry buttercream filling, and (home made) lemon flavored rolled fondant. The layers were split so that each tier of the cake had four layers of cake and three layers of raspberry buttercream filling. Decorated with fresh pink roses, fondant ribbons, royal icing painted doves, and so on.</p>
<p>I told you I was a fanatic. :D</p>
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Ordered the hardcover last night Amazon prime $19.02 
Consolation, do you have suggestions/recommendations for quality cake pans? Also, what are Magicake strips? How do they make cakes come out w/o the dome in the center? TIA</p>
<p>I swear by Chicago Metallic pans - I have their non-stick cake pans, cookie sheets, and rectangular bakers. They bake evenly, don’t warp, and the cake removes easily. </p>
<p>Magicake strips are wrapped around the outside of the pan to insulate the cake while it is baking. They prevent the sides from baking faster than the center (that is what causes the lump in the middle). This also prevents a dry, hard crust on the cake. The Chicago Metallic pans bake so evenly, that I don’t think the strips are necessary, but if this is a problem for you, they do work well.</p>
<p>I also suggest using King Arthur cake flour - it really makes a difference - the cake will be lighter and fluffier.</p>
<p>When my kids were little they used to love turning white cake recipes into kaliedoscope cake. Divide the batter into several different bowls. Leave one bowl white, and add food coloring gels to the rest. Plop by spoonfuls into the cake pan.</p>
<p>My cake pans are Magic Line, 2" deep. I’ve had them for several decades. Similarly, they bake evenly, don’t warp, and if you prepare the pan correctly, which is simple enough, they release easily. If you were going to get only one size, 9 inch round pans are the standard size for most cake recipes. Rose often calls for 1 1/2" deep pans–because she says those are the most widely available–but the 2" deep work just fine and I think they are the professional standard.</p>
<p>I have an aversion to non-stick anything and only use non-stick pans when making caramels, but Chicago Metallic makes standard pans too.</p>
<p>I just consulted The Bible, and interestingly Rose recommends two brands: Magic Line and Chicago Metallic. :)</p>
<p>I didn’t know King Arthur made a cake flour! I’ve never seen it in the stores, even though they have a selection of other King Arthur flours. I just use Swans Down or whatever is available. I would definitely purchase a King Arthur product, given the choice. The main thing is to use cake flour, and to measure it correctly.</p>
<p>Regarding the raspberry buttercream, for that one you are going to have to consult the book. Libraries often have it. It involves first making raspberry puree, which is a bit of a pain, but once you’ve mad a batch you just stick it in the freezer so it is always on hand. (Makes a lovely sauce, too.)</p>
<p>So there is really a difference among the flours? I always thought that was some strange marketing hype. However, I made these choc chip cookies that require both cake & bread flour and they are awesome, so I’ve kept buy them - I just always shake my head and wonder if it would really matter if I just used “regular” flour. They also require refrigeration for 24-48 hours before baking and I’m skeptical about that too!</p>
<p>^^^^ I have made those cookies for real choc cookie fanatics -they love them and really notice the difference! The recipe (on Smitten Kitchen) has way too many chips for me but would make again for certain people. sewhapppy, have you decided which recipe from all the amazing CC bakers you are going to make?</p>
<p>AllThis: baking is chemistry. Flour is part of the formula.Different flours have different compositions: differing amounts of gluten, protein, etc, and can be ground to differing degrees of fineness. All of these things affect texture and rising, not to mention flavor and nutrition. It is definitely not marketing hype.</p>
<p>BTW, resting a dough for some period of time relaxes the gluten and affects texture. That is one reason why pastry crust usually has a period of resting in the fridge.</p>
<p>Italian cream cake? The name even sounds delicious! Recipe please!</p>
<p>OP reporting in. I just knew I could count on the Parent Cafe for fantastic advice on this very complex topic.</p>
<p>White Cake seems to be something of an obsession with some people and I respect that and now feel well equipped to do the honors this year for DH’s b-day cake. Have ordered the Cake Bible. Love the title!</p>
<p>Angel Food cake? Sure, with a ton of real deal whip cream. It’s not too healthy in my house. :)</p>
<p>You ladies are killing me!!! I love, love, love cake - all of it. Tell me where to buy those pans, I need new ones. And please post a devil’s food cake recipe. Or should I just use the Martha Stewart one I downloaded?</p>
<p>Yummy, yum, yum :)</p>
<p>AND - I did not know that about sifting. So you sift first and then measure??? My mother always told me me to measure and then sift it into the mixing bowl. Unvelieveable. And where do you buy a sifter anyway??? I don’t have one of those either - or a mixer - can I do all this mixing by hand?</p>
<p>I believe sifting first gives you a different measurement, as the flour will be less dense – so you’ll actually get less flour. The order really should be based on how the cookbook author does it, though. If the cookbook author measures first, you’ll have slightly less flour than they did if you sift first.</p>
<p>Onward, my in-laws are out of the country so I won’t be able to get her recipe for Italian Cream Cake for a while. If you google it, there are several recipes that come up, some with lots of stars. This one is on the food network’s site and has 109 reviews and a rating of 5 stars, so it might be a good one to try!</p>
<p>[Italian</a> Cream Cake (From Beth Lott’s Mom) Recipe : Emeril Lagasse : Recipes : Food Network](<a href=“http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/italian-cream-cake-from-beth-lotts-mom-recipe/index.html]Italian”>http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/italian-cream-cake-from-beth-lotts-mom-recipe/index.html)</p>
<p>I usually read the reviews and see if reviewers made any changes or have comments. I guess it doesn’t qualify as a “white” cake since it does have egg yokes. </p>
<p>Our library has 1 available copy of The Cake Bible. I plan to check it out this weekend!</p>
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<p>You can either use a sifter or a wire-type sieve and a spoon. Take a measuring cup intended for DRY ingredients–not glass, but plastic or metal–place it on a sheet of waxed paper. Scoop a bunch of flour into your sieve, and stir it with the spoon so that it falls into and around the cup. When the cup is overflowing, take something with a straight edge–a ruler, a spatula, a knife–and swipe it across the top of the cup. You now have one cup of sifted flour. Repeat as necessary, with cup measures of the appropriate sizes. The sifted flour that falls around the measuring cup you can either pour back into the bag, or use to fill the final cup. Just pour it in off the paper. It has been sufficiently aerated by the sifting. Never, but never, pack flour into a cup. Only scoop it if the directions say to do so.</p>
<p>Recipes often say to “sift together the dry ingredients.” This is to mix and aerate them. Instead of sifting them together, you can use a whisk or a mixer, as Rose suggests. </p>
<p>BTW, if you buy a sifter, it is a good idea to just shake or bang out the excess flour and keep it in a plastic bag in the cupboard, rather than washing it after each use. </p>
<p>If you google magic line and chicago metallic pans, you can buy them online. Or try a local baking/restaurant supply place.</p>
<p>Always use a liquid measuring cup for liquids and a dry masure for flour and sugar.</p>
<p>The thing about The Cake Bible is that she gives you the nit-picking details that make the difference between a decent cake and a great one. Just do exactly what she says.</p>
<p>^^^ Yep. The Cake Bible sounds nitpicking, but if just do exactly what she says her recipes are almost fool-proof. And delicious!</p>
<p>I haven’t made a kaleidoscope cake, but I do have pans to make a checkerboard one. Everyone is always so impressed!</p>
<p>This is a great thread I have learned sooo much. What are the pros and cons of non-stick cake pans and cookie sheets? I have been planning for sometime to replace my cake pans and cookie sheets. Now, I‘m glad I procrastinated :). One reason for my indecision was non-stick pans versus regular pans. I don’t have any non-stick pans now – have always just buttered and floured my regular cake pans and used parchment paper on my cookie sheets.</p>
<p>Wow, my grandmother taught me all of the things mentioned that seem to be coming from the cake bible.</p>