Buttermilk Pancake Cupcakes (paired with Maple Frosting and crumbled bacon)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg

1.  Preheat oven to 325 (for mini-cupcakes) or 350 (for regular cupcakes)
2. Line muffin tins with paper liners
3. Sift the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) together in a medium bowl.
4. In a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter until combined (and not curdled looking).
5. Slowly add the flour mixture to the buttermilk mixture until fully combined.
6. Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pan.
7. Bake mini-cupcakes for 16 minutes;  Bake regular cupcakes for 20 minutes.  In both cases a pick inserted into the cupcake should come out clean when done.
8. Remove from pan and cool on a rack.

Brown Sugar Cake (paired with Salted Caramel Filling and Salted Caramel Buttercream)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 8″ cake pan with Pam for Baking, or lightly grease and flour the pan.  Put the flour, baking powder, and sea salt in a bowl and mix.
2. Cream butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, one a time, mixing after each addition until the egg is incorporated.  Scrape the bowl as necessary to get the mixture to be cohesive.
4. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
5. Alternately add the dry ingredients (3 additions) and butter milk (2 additions), starting and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix until incorporated.
6. Scrape batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for approximately 40 – 45 minutes, or until a pick can be inserted into the cake and comes out clean. (Or until your awesome Nordic Ware Cake Tester tells you the cake is done!)
7. Let cake cool in pan for approximately 5 minutes, then flip out and cool on a rack.

Champagne Cupcakes (paired with Strawberry Champagne Filling and Champagne Buttercream)

• 2/3 cup butter, at room temp
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 3/4 cups pastry flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup champagne
• 6 egg whites, at room temp

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line cupcake pan with liners.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together (with paddle attachment) until light and fluffy (around 5 minutes).
3. In a separate bowl, sift the remaining dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, and salt).
4. Alternately mix the dry ingredients and champagne into the butter, mixture, starting and ending with the dry.
5. After batter is smooth, transfer to a separate bowl.
6. In a large clean bowl, beat the egg whites (with whisk attachment) until stiff peaks are formed.  Fold egg whites into the batter in thirds.
7. Fill cupcake lines three-quarters of the way full, and bake for 20 minutes (or until toothpick inserted comes out clean).
8. Cool cupcakes in pan.

Chocolate Cake I (paired with Hazelnut Italian Buttercream)

• 3 oz quality semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups pastry flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (NOT Dutch process)
• 3/4 cup chocolate syrup
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, shaken
• 3/4 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 300.  Grease two 10″ cake pans (or spray with Pam for baking).  Cut a parchment circle and place in bottom of pan, then spray/grease the parchment.
2. In a small bowl, pour hot coffee over chocolate, and stir until all combined.  Let cool
3. Sift together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt).  In a separate bowl, mix oil, syrup, buttermilk, and vanilla.
4. In a mixer with a whip attachment, start beating eggs until they are golden in color and slightly thick.  Alternately pour the coffee/chocolate mixture and the buttermilk mixture until all combined.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter, allowing to incorporate after each addition.
6. Divide batter between cake pans (I had approximately 1200 g of batter per pan).  Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven, and let cool until cake pulls slightly away from pan (approximately 5 minutes).  Flip out onto a cooling rack, and remove parchment.  Allow to cool completely.

Chocolate Cake II (used for top tier of Luau Cake)

• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 cup sugar
• 2 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoon instant coffee
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
•  1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans and set aside.

Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, coffee, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in your mixing bowl.  Add the egg, canola oil, and vanilla extract and start to mix with a paddle attachment.  After it starts to mix, add in half of the buttermilk.

Mix on low until all ingredients are incorporated.  Continue to mix while slowly pouring the rest of the buttermilk into the batter.  This batter is pretty thin – so don’t worry, you didn’t do anything wrong!

Pour the batter into your cake pans, dividing as evenly as possible.  Bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pans for 10 minutes.  After this, flip the cakes out onto wire cooling racks and let cool completely.

Chocolate Chipotle Cake (paired with Vanilla Custard Sauce and Sweet Tomatillo Salsa)

• 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 10 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I use Ghirardelli 70%)
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 Tbsp orange juice
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut up into small pieces
• 4 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 300.  Take a 8-inch cake pan and spray well with cooking spray, then coat inside of pan with sugar as well as you can.
2. Put chipotle peppers in a sieve or colander and rinse until the water runs clear.  Place peppers in a food processor with a small amount of water (around 1 tsp) and process until a paste forms.
3. Place chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment. Put sugar and orange juice in a sauce pan and bring just to a boil; add to chocolate and mix until melted.
4. Add butter in pieces to chocolate and whisk on medium-low until melted.
5. Add eggs one at a time, letting first egg fully incorporate before adding the next.
6. Add in 1-2 Tbsp of chili paste (to taste – you can freeze the remainder), flour, and salt, and mix until combined.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake for approximately 2 hours, or until a pick goes into cake and comes out relatively clean – this is a fudgy cake, so the pick will never be perfectly clean.
8. Allow cake to cool in pan for approximately 15 minutes, then flip out onto a cooling rack.  The cake should come out cleanly – I merely had to top the bottom of the cake pan and it popped right out.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake

• 7.5 oz all-purpose flour
• 14 oz sugar
• 2.3 oz good cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 8 oz buttermilk, shaken
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 8 oz freshly brewed hot coffee**
• 2 cups chocolate chips or mini-chocolate chips

** if you don’t like the flavor of coffee (it is merely there to enhance the chocolate flavor) you can just use hot water.

Preheat the oven to 350.  Either grease and flour two cake pans or spray with Pam w/ Flour (I love that stuff).  Place a parchment circle in the bottom of each pan. (I used 7″ rounds for the baby shower, and 10″ for the christening – but for the christening I made 1.5 batches of this recipe)

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl, then mix with a paddle attachment until the dry ingredients are an even color all the way across.

In a separate bowl mix the remaining ingredients except coffee.   Beat with a whisk to mix the eggs into everything else.

Turn the mixer to low speed, and slowly add the buttermilk/egg/vanilla mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

With the mixer still on low, pour in the hot coffee slowly.  About halfway through the coffee, stop the mixer and scrape the bottom of your bowl, then continue mixing in the coffee.  Mix until just combined.

Pour the mixture into your prepared pans, and bake for approximately 5 minutes.  Open oven, and sprinkle chocolate chips over baking cakes, allowing them to sink into the batter.  Close the oven and bake for an addition 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in the pan for approximately 30 minutes; then turn the cakes out a cooling rack and cool completely.

Dreamy Creamsicle Cake (paired with Orange Italian Meringue Cream Cheese Buttercream and Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting)

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• Zest of two large oranges
• 402 g (2 cups) sugar
• 6 eggs
• 360 g cake flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 114 g (4 oz) sour cream
• 171 g (6 oz) orange juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp orange extract

Hazelnut Brown Butter Cake (paired with Chocolate Coffee Ganache)

• 5 oz hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
• 8 oz unsalted butter (plus small amount melted for brushing pan)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5.9 oz powdered sugar
• 1.5 oz all-purpose flour
• 6 large egg whites (5 whites if you use extra-large eggs)
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Take a piece of paper and fold into a pie shape (as if you are cutting a snowflake).  Flip your cake pan over, put the point of the paper in the center, and cut the paper where it meets the edge of the cake pan.  Brush the bottom of your pan with a small amount of melted butter, then place parchment circle in bottom of pan.
2. Grind the hazelnuts and powdered sugar in a food processor until they are finely ground.  Add the flour, and continue to pulse until all combined.
3. Place the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Melt to get to brown-butter stage (if you have not done this before, this info is great!)  Note: You do not want to get the butter too browned, as it will continue to cook as you let it sit.
4. While you are melting the butter, place the egg whites in a mixer with a whisk attachment, and beat on medium until the eggs start to get foamy.  Add the sugar, and beat on medium-high until stiff peaks are formed.
5. Alternately fold the dry ingredients and butter into the egg whites, starting and ending with the dry.  Be sure to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan when you add in the butter – that is where the best flavor is.
6. Pour the batter into the cake pan, and bake for around 40 minutes (the original recipe says longer, but mine was done and already pulling away from the sides of the pan at around 35 minutes).
7. Cool cake in pan on rack for approximately 10 minutes; flip onto a cooling rack and continue to cool.

Italian Coconut Cream Cake (paired with Cream Cheese Coconut Pecan Frosting)

• 4 oz butter (1 stick)
• 7.5 oz vegetable oil
• 7 oz sugar
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 oz flaked sweetened coconut
• 8.5 oz all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 8 oz buttermilk, shaken
• 2 Tbsp sugar, for coating

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour two 8″ pans (or spray with Pam w/ Flour), then place a parchment circle in the bottom of each pan.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.  Set aside

Cream the butter, oil, and sugar until it gets light and fluffy (this is a bit of a weird direction, because it just looks wet and never really gets “fluffy”.  Just use your best judgement.)  Add the egg yolks one at a time, then add the vanilla and coconut.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.  Alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the batter, starting and ending with the dry.

Fold in the egg whites in thirds.  Move quickly but do not overmix the batter – the whipped egg whites help the cake rise.

Pour batter evenly into the two pans, then sprinkle the top of each pan with 1 Tbsp of sugar.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Remove pans from oven and let cool in pans for 10-15 minutes, then carefully flip out onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.

If using at a later date, let cakes cool out of pan for around 10 minutes, then wrap in plastic wrap 3 times and place in freezer for future use.

Orange Chiffon Cake (paired with Strawberry Whipped Cream)

•  2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 5 egg yolks
• 2 oranges
• 1 cup egg whites (around 7 egg whites)
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and spray a 10″ cake pan with cooking spray.
2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together into a mixing bowl with paddle attachment.
3. With mixer on 1, slowly add oil; add egg yolks one at a time (do not add next egg yolk until first is incorporated completely).
4. Zest both oranges, and add zest to batter.
5. Juice both oranges as much as possible, and add enough liquid (water or other orange juice) to get to 3/4 cup; add to batter.
6. Continue beating until smooth.
7. In a separate bowl (or the first mixing bowl completely cleaned out), begin whipping egg whites on medium speed until they begin to get frothy.  Add in lemon juice, and continue whipping on medium-high speed until stiff peaks are formed.
8. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the rest of the batter using a “turn-and-fold” motion (turning the bowl each time you fold the batter).  Once egg whites start to incorporate, add next third, and so on. IMPORTANT: Do not wait until each third of the egg whites are fully incorporated before add more, or your batter will become over-folded and will begin to collapse.
9. Immediately pour into batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until top is golden and springs back lightly when touched and a skewer/toothpick can be inserted and removed clean.
10. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes.
11. Using a small knife, gently cut the edges of the cake away from the pan and flip onto a cooling rack.  Let sit until completely cooled

Red Velvet Cake (paired with Cream Cheese Frosting)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp fine ground sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 oz red food coloring
• 1 tsp white distilled vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare 3 8-inch cake pans by lightly oiling and flouring, or spraying with Pam for Baking.  (I did not have 3 cake pans, so I made 2 cakes, cleaned one pan, then made the third).
2. In a bowl, sift the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa, and sea salt).  In a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, mix the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla.
3. Once the wet ingredients have incorporated, start adding the dry ingredients.  You do not want to add these too slowly, or you might overmix the batter.
4. After all of the dry ingredients are added, mix on medium speed just until batter looks smooth and develops a light sheen.
5. As best you can, scale out the batter into the prepared pans so you have even layers.  My batter ended up 495 g per pan (I had 1485 g of batter total).
6. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until cake starts to pull slightly away from the side of the pan and a pick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
7. Flip out onto a cooling rack, and let sit until completely cool.

Strawberry Cake (From Scratch) (paired with Lime Whipped Cream, Lime Curd, Tuile Cookies, and Rum-Lime Ice Cream)

• 3 cups self-rising flour*
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cup strawberry puree
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• red food coloring – two drops

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray and flour two 10-by-2-inch round cake pans, tapping out excess flour; set aside.
2. Prepare the cake batter; in a large bowl, stir to combine self-rising flour, sugar, oil, pureed strawberries, vanilla, lemon zest, and eggs.
3. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertips, 26 to 28 minutes.
4. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire rack. Re-invert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up.
5. Place first cake layer on a turntable and, using a serrated knife, trim to make cake flat.  Using a pastry brush, soak with rum simple syrup.
6. Spread a layer of lime whipped cream over cake, and place second layer of cake on top.  Repeat with syrup and whipped cream.

* Self rising flour can be made with the following recipe – 1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder.  Mix this BEFORE measuring out the flour for the recipe

Vanilla Bean Cakes (used for bottom tier of Luau Cake)

Source: Annie’s Eats, adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride   

• 3 c. (360g) unbleached cake flour
• 1 T. baking powder
• ½ t. iodized salt
• 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
• 16 T. (228g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 c. (402g) granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1¼ c. buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 T. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 300° F and grease/flour two cake pans.  Cut a parchment circle and place in the bottom of each cake pan.  Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt to combine and set aside.

Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer.  Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and use a knife to scrape the seeds from the pod, adding to the butter.  Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high speed until light and creamy in color (approximately three minutes).  Scrape the sides of the bowl and continue beating for an additional minute.

Mix 1/4 cup sugar into the butter mixture and beat for one minute; repeat until all sugar is incorporated.  Add one egg at a time, mixing and then scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

Whisk the buttermilk and vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup.

With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding some of the dry ingredient mixture with some of the buttermilk/vanilla mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix just until incorporated before scraping down the sides of the bowl.  Mix for 15 seconds longer.

Split the batter between your cake pans.  Bake 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pans 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.  Bake remaining batter, as necessary.