One-Bowl Basic Yellow Cake

Forget about all the sifting flour, creaming and alternately adding the liquid ingredients with the dry ingredients when making a cake! Simply toss all the cake ingredients in the bowl at the same time, beat for just 2 minutes, and the cake batter is ready to spread in the pan to bake. It's really just that easy to make a terrific, homemade cake that didn't come from a box.

Recipe Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour*
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)**. Grease and lightly flour*** a 13x9x2-inch baking pan, or 2 (9 x 1 1/2-inch) round pans, or 3 (8 x 1 1/2-inch) round pans, or line 36 muffin cups with paper baking cups. Set aside.
2. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat on low speed just until ingredients are wet, increase speed to medium-high and continue beating for 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan(s).
3. Bake a 13x9x2-inch cake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until tested done****.
4. Bake the 9-inch round cakes for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tested done.
5. Bake the 8-inch round cakes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tested done.
6. Bake cupcakes for 20 minutes, or until tested done.
7. Cool cake or cupcakes on a wire rack. (Cool the 9 or 8-inch cakes on wire racks for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.)
8. When cake is completely cool, frost as desired. (Cake in photograph is frosted with Cocoa Buttercream Frosting.)

Makes 12 servings of cake or 36 cupcakes.

*For a lighter-textured cake, use cake flour or 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.

**If using a dark baking pan(s) or glass baking dish, reduce oven temperature to 325°F (160°C).

***If serving the cake directly from the 13x9x2-inch baking pan, there is no need to dust with flour. Flouring a greased baking pan simply makes removal of the baked cake from the pan easier.

****To Test Cake: A cake (or cupcakes) is done when a wooden pick inserted near center of cake comes out clean, or cake springs back when touched lightly in the center.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/12 of recipe): 294.3 calories; 33% calories from fat; 10.8g total fat; 60.2mg cholesterol; 327.1mg sodium; 79.5mg potassium; 44.5g carbohydrates; 0.6g fiber; 26.5g sugar; 43.9g net carbs; 4.8g protein.

Recipe and photograph by Hope Cantil; copyright © 1999; property of CooksRecipes.com. See Terms of Use.