For yellow cake I really like the WBH golden butter cake and Paula Deen's 1-2-3-4 cake.

So as of now, we have -

Naty's recipe
Great American Cakes
by Barbara Kafka
Gourmet December 1987

Yellow Cake Layers
This is probably America's favorite layer for any kind of cake; it is what the cake-mix people try to imitate and never get right.

Makes two 8-inch layers

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Into a bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter, add sugar gradually, beating, and beat the mixture until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the flour mixture and the milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with dry ingredients, add the vanilla, and beat the batter until it is smooth.

Divide the batter between 2 lightly greased and floured 8x1 1/2-inch round cake pans, smoothing the top, rap each pan on a hard surface twice to expel any air bubbles.

Bake the layers in the middle of a preheated 350-degree F oven for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean and the layers pull away slightly from the sides of the pans. Let the layers cool in the pans on a rack for 8 minutes, run a thin knife around the edge of each pan, and invert the layers onto the racks. Let the layers cool completely.


Lita's recipe
Here is my Yellow Cake Recipe:

2 1/4 C flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 C butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 3/4 C sugar
3 lg eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 C whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2-8 or 9" pans. Sift dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients, alternating with the milk, mixing well after each addition...beginning and ending with the dry. Bake layers 30-40 min.


Ceshell's Not So Lemon Lemon Cake from Magnolia Bakery
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups cake flour (self-raising)
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon zest

Prepare 3 x 9in round 2in deep pans (line with parchment)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 mins). Add eggs one at a time combining well after each addition. Add flour alternately with the milk and lemon juice in four parts mixing well after each addition. Divide the batter equally between the 3 pans and bake for 25 mins (check after 20) until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the centre and the cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool in pans for 10 mins and then turn out onto racks to cool completely. Fill and frost as desired. Serves 12-16 wedges.



Paula Deen's 1234 cake
Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake:

http://recipes.pauladeen.com/index.php/recipes/view/basic_1_2_3_4_cake/

The recipe I quite like :
All-Purpose Buttery Yellow Cake
The Americas Test Kitchen Family Cookbook Copyright 2006

2 ¼ cups cake flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
226 g unsalted butter, softened [needs less, try 205]
1 ¾ cups sugar [1 ½ c]
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups whole milk, at room temperature

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 340 degrees. Lightly coat two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans or 1 9x13-inch cake pan with vegetable oil spray, then line the bottoms with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.*
2. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in the vanilla.
3. Reduce the speed to low and beat in one-third of the flour mixture. Beat in half of the milk. Repeat with half of the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining milk, and finally the remaining flour mixture.
4. Give the batter a final stir using a rubber spatula to make sure it is thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and smooth the top. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake(s) comes out with a few crumbs attached, 20 to 25 minutes for the sheet cake, rotating the pan(s) halfway through baking.
5. Let the cake(s) cool in the pan(s) on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run a paring knife around the edge of the cake(s) to loosen, then flip out onto the racks. Flip the cake(s) upright, discard the parchment, and let cool completely before frosting 1 to 2 hours.



Cupcakeshoppe I couldnt find the recipe for the golden butter cake. Could you please post it?

And if there aren't any other recipes to be submitted, we could start the baking?

It's called Gold Cake on their website

http://www.whimsicalbakehouse.com/bake/bake_detail_gold_cake.html

Ok...It looks as thought we have six recipes, so far (I hope I counted right ).

How about we hold off on voting on which recipes we're going to try until June 1st. That way, if anyone else wants to participate they can. We should make our date to vote the 1st of every month, then post the winning recipes to sample on the 2nd. We then will have the whole month to report our findings on the last day of the month.

How's this sound to everyone?

Sounds fine. But whatever has happened to the OP? Oh, OP? Where are you?

Am I too late? I would LOVE to join. Just post what cake to bake and I am down for it. Which one should I try?

Thanks

Lita, we do have 6 recipes.
When you say voting, are we voting for our favourite recipe, or for top few? And how many will we all be baking?

TrinaR..you're not too late. Welcome aboard . For the month of June, we are posting and sampling yellow cake recipes.

How about we vote and make the top 3 or 4 recipes for that month. We can then report moistness, texture, and flavor.

I am also in support of choosing our personal favorites of the ones posted and not voting at all. Just bake 3 or 4 of the posted recipes and report as if we had voted. I'm so torn . All the recipes sound so yummy....I'll probably wind up making all of them

You know what.....let's just choose our personal favs and report them by the end of the month. Just post which ones you are going to make so we know what each other is doing?

How's that sound?

I like the idea of letting people choose for themselves, since there are only 6 recipes this time. But we must try and make sure all cakes are baked ATLEAST once!

actually if you look at the recipes, they are kind of similar.

I agree with both of you, LostBaker and AKA_Cupcakeshoppe. If we choose to select our personal favs, we should try to make sure that each recipe is chosen by at least one person. Well...that shouldn't be too hard to do. I'm pretty open to which recipes I sample.

Oh...I was going to post Sylvia Weinstock's recipe for her Classic Yellow Cake. I've never tried it but I'd love to post it for anyone who'd like to try it. I hear it is an excellent recipe.

I assume this is just for the yellow cake...right?

We then will be baking / voting on other cake flavors, say every week or bi-weekly? Sort of this week will be chocolate, etc.

If this is the case, then I propose just some categories for our 'Scratch-cake-off' contest:

Chocolate (Milk, Dark, White)
Fruit (Pineapple, Strawberry, Cherry, Guava, Banana, etc.)
Caramel / Dulce de Leche
Vegetable (Carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato, etc.)
Nuts (Almond, pistachio, walnut, peanut butter, coconut, etc.)
Citrus (Lemon, Lime, Orange)
Liquor (Rum, Brandy, etc.)
Etc.

What do you think? Ideas, other flavors, etc?

Also, I think it would be a good idea in addition to voting, you state the texture, flavor, crumb, problems found, etc. of the cake you choose.

One last thing, how about also doing a 'scratch-off' for fillings and frostings in the future?

What do you all think?

I'll also like to join!!! This comes at a time when I'm looking around for my "base recipes from scratch". I'm so bored of boxed cake mixes.

Naty.. I love all your ideas, except that once a week would be too much, monthly sounds better.
And the voting was to select what cakes to bake, then after baking everyone would post about their results as you mentioned- texture, crumb, moistness etc, and even a picture if possible.

I also found another recipe I love

Vanilla Buttermilk Recipe from Sky High

Makes one three-layer 9-inch round cake [can be reduced of course]
3 3/4 cups cake flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) [283 g] unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups plus 1/3 cup buttermilk
5 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.
2. Combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. With the mixer on low speed, blend for 30 seconds. Add the butter and 1 1/4 cup of the buttermilk. Mix on low speed briefly to blend; then raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and the remaining 1/3 cup buttermilk until well blended. Pour one-third of the egg mixture into the cake batter at a time, folding it in completely after each addition. There will be 9 cups of batter; our 3 cups batter into each pan.
4. Bake for 26 to 28 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Turn the layers out onto wire racks by placing a rack on top of a pan, inverting it, and lifting off the pan. Peel off the paper liners and let cool completely. When the layers have cooled, place a cardboard cake board on top of a layer, invert again, and lift off the rack. To make the layers easier to handle, wrap them on their boards completely in plastic, so they dont dry out, and refrigerate them.

Lita, we can add Slyvia's recipe too. I've heard a lot about it too.


Once the cakes are done, we'll do flavors and fillings.

Naty..your suggestion sounds great We can add fillings and frostings and also to do a cheesecake category.

I agree with LostBaker...I think that once a month to choose and bake our selected recipes would be a little more manageable than once a week or biweekly.

rnp3603..Welcome Aboard .

Here is Sylvia Weinstock's Classic Yellow Cake Recipe:

2 1/4 C sifted Cake Flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks of butter
2 C granulated sugar
4 Lg egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla
1C sour cream
4 Lg egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare and line 2-8X3" or one 12X3 inch pan with parchment.

Sift togather dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter until light and fluffy, about 2 min. Add sugar and continue to combine until fluffy and light. Add yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.

Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat for 1 min.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into batter with rubber spatula.

Bake 8" layers 45-50 min and the 12" pan 60 min or until golden brown.

*looks to double check if my submission is invisible*

Nope I still see it...whew.

*goes and cries in a dark corner for being left out*

Thank you gals.....sorry for the misunderstanding! Once a month is way better for everyone.

I have tried Sylvia's recipe and it is outstanding. It was my favorite until I found the one I now use.

I have a good cheesecake recipe as well if anyone wants to try it, just let me know.

Thanks to all...I think this is an awesome idea and the pictures would be great, after all, a picture is worth a thousand words

Naty

PS. If anyone has tried cake these recipes as cupcakes please let us know. That would be a plus as well.

Sorry, Maryjsgirl, we didn't mean to make your feel left out . How does everything sound to you? Any suggestions are welcome. That goes for anyone in the forum....any suggestions are welcome. I sometimes don't look through the whole forum before posting a reply.

LostBaker, Naty, and I have all kinda have taken the reigns on this project. Once again...all input is welcome.

LOL...I just want to make sure that everyone feels included .

All the recipes sound soooo yummy....which shall I choose

Naty, That is a good idea to know which recipes have been tried as cuppies I bake a lot of cuppies so this info is REALLY important to me.

The first yellow cake recipe that I submitted I've used a lot for cuppies. They bake up well and I've never had any problems out of the recipe....Not to sell the recipe on anyone. I personally believe that just about any cake recipe can be made into cuppies, though. It's just a matter of adjusting the baking time. I've made just about all my cake recipes into cuppies and never had a problem.[/quote]

I thought we were doing yellow cakes first. Nothing against white on white, cause it looks delicious......but maybe we better do one type at a time, cause I think we're already up to 8 or 9 recipes now.... I gotta bake things for actual people this month too!!

Ok, yayyyyy ... so what date in the Month is time for submission? I will try to Sylvia Weinstock yellow cake and I will try the buttermilk cake as well.
I will report my findings.
I have a blog and I will also take photos and post.

TrinaR

The WOW buttermilk is AMAZING and I was going to suggest it but as mentioned, technically it's a white, not a yellow cake. If we throw one egg yolk into it maybe we could include it in the yellow category. JUST KIDDING!!!

For that list of future categories, I'd suggest adding a carrot cake in there one month.

Geez, all this talk, and I sure hope I can pull off participating . The one thing to consider is that we all have different preferences and tastes so what is yummy to one person may be boring to another. Case in point: I make a great gluten-free cake that never seems to work for another CCer. Now if she'd been the only one to bake and review it, it would go down in CC history as a bad cake. Meanwhile I've done it 4 or more times already with great success, and I have roomfuls of partygoers who would concur. SO! If I do the scratch off I might want to try two cakes, so that at least I can have an in-house comparison. I don't know if anyone else will have that kind of time (or $ for ingredients; although I like to halve my recipes when testing) but I'm just throwing that out there. I'll admit, MJG's test of the WOW cake was a good example of a great cake review that stands alone nicely. Although I don't get where her son got the "walnut" flavor at all! (that cake is my go-to white cake. Every time I make it, people rave about it and insist that I have missed my calling and should go into business.)

How about this for a general time table of when we will do our categorical selections:

June: Yellow Cakes
July: Cheesecakes
August: Chocolate Cakes
Sept: White Cakes
Oct: Cakes with Fruit
Nov: Cakes with Vegetables
Dec: Citrus

Naty...I'm using your suggestions as a guide. I think that this should keep us busy for the rest of the year

How's this sound for everyone?

So far...it looks as though I am going to do the following Magnolia Bakery Yellow Cake, Sylvia Weinstock's recipe, and the vanilla buttermilk cake for June. I might try one more...I have see how things go

I also have one suggestion...it's one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to recipe reviews.

If you do not follow the recipe and ingredients...please...please...do not give the cake a bad review.

That irks me so bad at allrecipes!

It's like "oh I didn't have any cake flour so I used self rising...and I was out of butter so I used margarine...oh yeah and I was out of baking powder so I just used the soda...eww the cake was dry what a horrible recipe...1 star!"

OK, OK. I'll grant you that 3 sticks of butter won't be exactly white. Can we call it a "white on yellowish" then
Maybe I will try that one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by maryjsgirl

I also have one suggestion...it's one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to recipe reviews.

If you do not follow the recipe and ingredients...please...please...do not give the cake a bad review.

That irks me so bad at allrecipes!

I agree on this completely. They do it on recipezaar all the time too. Either that or "I'm not going to give you a rating, b/c I didn't like your recipe at all and I don't want to mess up your overall rating." WTH? What point is having a rating system at all then???? I swear! If I'm going to spend my time commenting on something, you can bet I'm going to be honest. Not cruel. Just honest.

I agree with both giraffe11 and maryjsgirl . Please try to use the correct ingredients to give an accurate and fair critique...and yes, be honest . We are all adults here...we can take an honest critique no matter how good or bad it is.