Scratch Bakers: Post Your Best Recipes!!!!!!!!!!
Baking By brittanydear Updated 9 Jun 2014 , 10:31am by kkmcmahan
Thank you for starting this thread!!!! I hope we get lots of responses.
Here's the BEST Carrot Cake recipe I've ever had. It gets wiped out quick.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Carrot-Cake-III/Detail.aspx
As of the present time this recipe has 543 reviews and still holds a 5 star rating 
The Cake Bible is a good place to start.
Eipcurious is a guaranteed hit - I don't think I have ever seen a recipe there that uses a boxed mix as a base.
CDKitchen.com and Allrecipes.com are good sites for cake recipes.
Theresa 
I've found a few good ones on allrecipes, one I posted last night:
Fabulous Fudge Chocolate Cake http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fabulous-Fudge-Chocolate-Cake/Detail.aspx
And this carrot cake: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Awesome-Carrot-Cake-with-Cream-Cheese-Frosting/Detail.aspx
With both, read the feedback/reviews (sort by "most helpful). For the chocolate cake, many suggest using more chocolate. For the carrot cake, many, including myself, cut back on the oil using applesauce.
I also LOVE Rose Levy Beranbaum's White Chocolate Whisper Cake in the Cake Bible. That book also has some other great recipes.
I'm going to have to try that white cake with the coconut cream. Yum.
This is the recipe I use the most besides the caribbean liquour cake.
Classic Yellow Cake
From 'Sweet Celebrations: The Art of Decorating Beautiful Cakes'
(Simon & Schuster)
By Sylvia Weinstock with Kate Manchester
February 9, 2000
Web posted at: 5:06 p.m. EST (2206 GMT)
"The name says it all. This is the only yellow cake recipe you will ever need. Many people don't like chocolate or nuts, but everybody loves this buttery cake."
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) sweet butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4 large egg whites
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and line two 8 x 3-inch baking pans or one 12 x 3-inch pan with parchment.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy and light in color, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the sugar and continue to mix until fluffy and light.
Add the egg yolks, one at a time, being sure each is well incorporated before adding the next one. Add the vanilla.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour. Be sure the mixture is completely blended after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and beat for 1 minute.
In a separate bowl, with clean beaters, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and smooth with a rubber spatula. Bake in the preheated oven, 60 minutes for the 12-inch square pan or 45 to 50 minutes for the 8-inch pan. The top of the cake should be nicely browned. Test for doneness with a skewer or a toothpickÑthe tester should come out dry and clean.
the other recipe I use the most is this
12 eggs sepparated yolks and whites
1 lb of butter
2 cups of sugar
3 1/2 cups of flour (self rising)
2 tbs of flavor (like almond myself)
Creme the butter and 1 cup of sugar, add the yolks 1 by 1.
in a separate bowl whisk the whites and the remaining cup of sugar till they form peaks.
Mix by hand the 2 mixtures and bake at 325 till done... 40-60 min.
When done, take out of the oven let rest for 20 min and add the syrup (2 parts of water 1 part of sugar, 4 tbs of flavor (almond for expample) and 2 or 3 tbs of liquour (I like amaretto).
For this amout of batter I will add 3 cups of syrup.
I'd like to ask your opinions... does anyone have a recipe for white cake that does not have the 'floury' taste? I hate that taste, but white cake is so hard to make because you can't have anything with color in it. You've got to use clear flavor, etc. I am dying for a non-floury tasting scratch white cake! Thanks my friends!
oohh! This should be exciting. I have only tried to make a cake from scratch once, and it didn't turn out very well. So I can't wait to give these a try. Does anyone have some tips for those who want to try a scratch cake for the first time?
Thanks for all the great posts....maybe this will inspire me to ditch the box mixes for good!
oohh! This should be exciting. I have only tried to make a cake from scratch once, and it didn't turn out very well. So I can't wait to give these a try. Does anyone have some tips for those who want to try a scratch cake for the first time?
The best advice I can give you is to follow the instructions exactly and to make sure your ingredients are room temperature when you start.
With butter cakes always serve at room temperature for best flavor and texture.
oohh! This should be exciting. I have only tried to make a cake from scratch once, and it didn't turn out very well. So I can't wait to give these a try. Does anyone have some tips for those who want to try a scratch cake for the first time?
There is thread that is called "tutorial for scratch cakes" or something like that. It's got some great advice. I'll try to find it or you can do a search.
Melvira, do you mean the cake just tastes like eating flour? yuck. lol I haven't noticed that before, not sure what's causing that. I like the one that I posted and the one in Rose's Cake Bible. I'm going to have to try a few posted here.
Also, I don't worry about clear liquids, it doesn't have to be bright white for me. The difference between a white and yellow cake are the eggs. I still use regular, real vanilla but also add almond.
LaSombra posted the thread about how to mix and bake a scratch cake and she gave some great tips.
I get asked for this cake at least 1 out of every 3 orders and I get asked by my family way too much. I think we have single handedly with this recipe killed more diets than we've ever dreamed of trying!
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipes_rate-4083-5.html
Now I use a chocolate ganche recipe from here to fill this alot. People love it!
Yeah a scratch cake that calls for all purpose! I wanted to try something scratch today, but didn't want to have to run out and buy cake flour. Will have to try this! Thanks.
More recipes please! 
Good ones that have gotten rave reviews! I tried a scratch cake once, but it wasn't good. I know it's just gotta be that recipe, some recipes are like that. I don't have time to try out a gabillion recipes. Keep 'em comin! TIA!
Oh and I will add one...
Southern Living's Carrot Cake! This is the only scratch cake that I make and it's heavenly!
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=257583
Wow, the one with the coco lopez creme sounds delicious. But, would it still be considered a white cake if it has egg yolks? I thought that white cakes only used egg whites. I will definitely try. Any recipes by are great (can't post, copyright issues) but I think that her chocolate ganache and chocolate icing are both posted in www.epicurious.com with her permission so you can check it there.
Thanks for the thread.
Yes, it is technically a "yellow" cake. However, for me it is all about the flavor. This cake does not come out looking yellow like a cake box cake mix. I consider it mostly white. However, it is not stark white. I recently used it to make a 3 tier wedding cake, and it looked pretty white to me. I give people the choice based on taste and appearance, and they always choose this one!
Ironbaker, yes, that raw floury taste is what I hate. I have found that most cake extender recipes when used with a box mix give it that flavor. Perhaps using softasilk (or another high quality cake flour) would make it not have that flavor. I have used AP flour in the extender, and perhaps that's where that taste comes from. You know, when you make a sauce or gravy you make a roux and cook the flour a little, if you don't, it tastes floury. I can't stand that flavor! Gah!!!
This is the recipe I use the most besides the caribbean liquour cake.
Classic Yellow Cake
From 'Sweet Celebrations: The Art of Decorating Beautiful Cakes'
(Simon & Schuster)
By Sylvia Weinstock with Kate Manchester
February 9, 2000
Web posted at: 5:06 p.m. EST (2206 GMT)
"The name says it all. This is the only yellow cake recipe you will ever need. Many people don't like chocolate or nuts, but everybody loves this buttery cake."
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) sweet butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4 large egg whites
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and line two 8 x 3-inch baking pans or one 12 x 3-inch pan with parchment.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy and light in color, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the sugar and continue to mix until fluffy and light.
Add the egg yolks, one at a time, being sure each is well incorporated before adding the next one. Add the vanilla.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour. Be sure the mixture is completely blended after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and beat for 1 minute.
In a separate bowl, with clean beaters, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and smooth with a rubber spatula. Bake in the preheated oven, 60 minutes for the 12-inch or 45 to 50 minutes for the 8-inch pan. The top of the cake should be nicely browned. Test for doneness with a skewer or a toothpickÑthe tester should come out dry and clean.
the other recipe I use the most is this
12 eggs sepparated yolks and whites
1 lb of butter
2 cups of sugar
3 1/2 cups of flour (self rising)
2 tbs of flavor (like almond myself)
Creme the butter and 1 cup of sugar, add the yolks 1 by 1.
in a separate bowl whisk the whites and the remaining cup of sugar till they form peaks.
Mix by hand the 2 mixtures and bake at 325 till done... 40-60 min.
When done, take out of the oven let rest for 20 min and add the syrup (2 parts of water 1 part of sugar, 4 tbs of flavor (almond for expample) and 2 or 3 tbs of liquour (I like amaretto).
For this amout of batter I will add 3 cups of syrup.
I have made this cake(Sylvia Weinstock) and it is good. The only thing is the egg whites...getting a consistent batter can be tough. Because of the whites being added the way they are the cake can tend to get an eggtimer shape...it shrinks at the top and can "crust" at the edges and sides. I've baked it numerous times and can get different results each time, which can be frustrating. We scratch bakers are trying to reduce stress for newbie scratch bakers. 
I recommend adding the eggs whole, making sure that you beat them in thoroughly before adding the next egg. The cake will still have the great taste but you have less worries about producing miss shapen layers. It will yield a bit denser cake but it is still moist and delicious.
I love Magnolia Bakery's carrot cake recipe - everyone always says it's the best they've ever had. I also use their recipe for Vanilla (yellow) cake & Lemon cake. For chocolate cake it has to be Toba Garrett's!
This one has turned out for me every time. I've been using it for almost two years and have got nothing but compliments on it.
http://recipesource.com/baked-goods/desserts/cakes/17/rec1708.html
Wow, the one with the coco lopez creme sounds delicious. But, would it still be considered a white cake if it has egg yolks? I thought that white cakes only used egg whites. I will definitely try. Any recipes by are great (can't post, copyright issues) but I think that her chocolate ganache and chocolate icing are both posted in www.epicurious.com with her permission so you can check it there.
Thanks for the thread.
I have her cookie book, I love it
LOVE LOVE LOVE RLB's Sour Cream Butter cake (which I am going to compare with Sylvia Weinstocks) from the Cake Bible pg35.
WBH Lemon Ginger Pound Care, I usually leave out the ginger and add poppy seeds but boy is it moist, flavorful and always a hit. pg 59
The lemon curd in that book is good too!
This White cake is pretty good...
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Crisco or butter (using the Crisco makes it much whiter)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg whites
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease and flour tube pan.
Mix flour, baking soda and salt together and set aside.
Cream sugar with Crisco.
Add vanilla and egg whites.
Alternately blend in flour mixture, milk, flour mixture, milk until is well mixed.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until tester inserted comes out clean.
Let cool.
Then use your favorite frosting.
Melvira.. do you aerate your flour before measuring it? If there is too much flour it can taste off. I have taken to weighing my flour to assure the most consistent results. If you don't aerate your flour your scoop will weigh a lot more than it should.
1 c of:
AP flour is 4.25 oz
Cake flour is 4.00 oz
Bread Flour is 4.75 oz
you may find small variances in weights around, but this is what I use and it makes for very consistent cakes that taste great. HTH's
I have taken to weighing it instead of measuring in cups (Thank you Alton Brown! hahahaha). I think I may just be sensitive to that flavor. I think I will try the softasilk cake flour as I have seen some glowing reports about it lately! Thanks for the input!!
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