Cakes

The cakes in this chapter range from easy and informal, such as the Blueberry Buckle, to the more elaborate, such as The Polish Princess. The recipes encompass the primary categories of cakes: butter and oil cakes, cupcakes, sponge cakes, and cheesecakes.

The butter cakes are those that are made with butter in its solid form as opposed to cakes made with melted or clarified butter, such as a génoise, which is included with the sponge cakes. Most butter and oil cakes rely on chemical leavening (baking powder and/or baking soda) for their soft, velvety texture, whereas many sponge-type cakes, such as génoise and biscuit, are typically leavened with beaten whole eggs and/or egg whites. This chapter includes many exciting new cake creations—ones I discovered, such as the eggless molasses cakes, and others I imagined, such as The Renée Fleming Golden Chiffon. Flavorful, moist, and tender, yet substantial and satisfying, the happy surprise is that some of these cakes are simple to make. Several of them take their shape from the fluted designs of the pans, and are so moist and delicious they need no further adornment or frosting. Of course there are some fabulous new buttercreams and ganaches, such as the Caramel Buttercream, the Custom Rose Blend Milk Chocolate Ganache, and the Wicked Good Ganache. The frostings and many of the cakes can also be mixed and matched according to your personal preference.