does anybody out there, have any recipes and tips on making scratch cakes? I have been using wasc . But I having reading and read some cc'ers who can make a scratch cake moist. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi jackmo! I'm always happy to see people interested in trying scratch baking. My advice (if you haven't done it before) would be to make sure to follow the instructions on the recipe exactly. For example, it may tell you to cream the butter until light and pale in color. This can take minutes. If the recipe says to add eggs one at a time, making sure each one is incorporated, you really need to do it that way. Also, make sure to periodically stop your mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl, too, which will further assist getting all of the ingredients properly mixed. Putting together a scratch batter takes some time, but it's well worth it. As for recipes, my family's favorite is Sylvia Weinstock's yellow cake, which I believe might even be on this site (in another forum). I think you can Google it, too. Hope this helps. Have fun!!!!

thanks! appreciate your help.

MalibuBakinBarbie is right about following scratch instructions exactly.

I love baking from scratch and I have a few tips also. Before you begin to measure your dry ingredients be sure to stir them around to "lighten" them. Then scoop the flour or sugar into the measuring cup instead of dipping the cup into the dry ingredient. This will prevent packing which changes the actual amount of flour you are using. Level the measuring cup with the scoop or a small icing spatula, NEVER shake it to level. This also causes packing.

All of your ingredients should be room temperature. A quick way to warm eggs is to place them in a bowl of very warm water for a few minutes. If you use butter and don't have time to let it warm, try placing it in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute at level 3 power. You may have to make some adjustments to time and level based on the power of your microwave. It should be soft, but not melted.

One of my favorite ways to make really moist cakes is to use buttermilk. Because it is thicker it will take a little more buttermilk to replace milk or water. My system is if a recipe calls for 1 cup of milk I use 1 1/4 cups of buttermilk.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your baking.

Michele

If you can help it at all, weigh your ingredients, rather than measuring by volume. You'll get more accurate, consistent results this way.

My mom always said when measuring Flour fill the measuring cup to the top with the least amount of flour possible, meaning keep it fluffy.

I started scratch baking my cakes a couple of yrs ago and I have been building my list of recipes that are no fail. A BIG no no is over cooking your cake...it will surely be dry. Its good to bake at a lower temp like 325 vs 350 and always check for doneness about 10 minutes sooner than the recipe calls for. When the cake isnt jiggling in the center and you can lightly touch it in the center and it seems solid...it is usually done. I will sometimes use a toothpick if I am not 100% sure. Be careful though if you stick a toothpick in and its too underdone it will sink in the middle. I usually set my timer for 20 minutes for cakes that say 30 minutes...and start checking and add a few more minutes if need be.

Here are some great recipes...go to allrecipes .com and search for "Black Magic Cake" its perfect chocolate cake (no fail). Also I use Sylvia Weinstock's yellow cake recipe... it is awesome. It is posted online, google Sylvia Weinstock yellow cake recipe...you wont be dissapointed. There are so many blogs out there where people post tested recipes...try smittenkitchen .com...the red velvet is outstanding (and many more).

I would love to know how these work for you!