Wilton I - Cake 2

This time we learned drop flowers, shells, and figures. The bear is too cute! I made a cake instead of cupcakes so I could try the new Cooks Illustrated Fluffy Yellow Layer Cake my friends raved about. So thanks to Tricia (where I stole my recipe here) and Laurie! It turned out great!





Fluffy Yellow Layer Cake
Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. cake flour, plus extra for dusting pans
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 c. sugar
10 Tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 c. buttermilk, room temperature
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks, room temperature
3 large egg whites, room temperature

Directions:
-Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
-Grease two 9-inch-wide by 2-inch-high round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
-Grease paper rounds, dust pans with flour, and knock out excess.
-Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 1/2 cups sugar together in large bowl.
-In 4-cup liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and yolks.
-In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium-high speed until foamy, about 30 seconds.
-With machine running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; continue to beat until stiff peaks just form, 30 to 60 seconds (whites should hold peak but mixture should appear moist).
-Transfer to bowl and set aside.
-Add flour mixture to now-empty mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment.
-With mixer running at low speed, gradually pour in butter mixture and mix until almost incorporated (a few streaks of dry flour will remain), about 15 seconds.
-Stop mixer and scrape whisk and sides of bowl.
-Return mixer to medium-low speed and beat until smooth and fully incorporated, 10 to 15 seconds.
-Using rubber spatula, stir 1/3 of whites into batter to lighten, then add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain.
-Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans.
-Lightly tap pans against counter 2 or 3 times to dislodge any large air bubbles.
-Bake until cake layers begin to pull away from sides of pans and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes.
-Cool cakes in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes.
-Loosen cakes from sides of pans with small knife, then invert onto greased wire rack and peel off parchment.
-Invert cakes again and cool completely on rack, about 1 1/2 hours.