Hello everyone! Just as requested, here are the three recipes Kim has shared:
American Buttercream
White Velvet Cake (or Strawberry or Lemon or Funfetti!)
Chocolate Cake
Remember - recipes are baking science, and sometimes that means your environment may require a few changes! Some days if it’s humid, you may need to take away some liquid; or for very dry days, more! Getting the right consistency isn’t just about precisely following the recipe, but following your environment, too.
American Buttercream
1 lb butter, softened (salted or unsalted)
2 lb bag of powdered sugar (or 900g)
Vanilla to taste (1-2 t) or other flavoring
Approx 1/4 c half & half (or any milk/cream/lukewarm water/nondairy milk (or even flavored creamer!)
Beat softened butter & vanilla on med-high about a minute. The longer you whip, the whiter your icing will be.
Turn mixer to low and add powder sugar about a cup at a time.
You can start adding the milk/cream a tablespoon at a time - once it's peanut butter consistency, don't add any more milk. Whip it on med high a few more minutes.
Optional: turn mixer to lowest speed and let run about 2-5 min to rid the air bubbles.
For cream cheese buttercream, I sub one of the butter sticks for 8oz cream cheese (must be brick, not tub or whipped) - and no milk/cream unless you need a little in the end - but not much or it will get too soft! It's totally pipeable and does have that cream cheese flavor!
With this full batch you'll have enough to frost two 8 or 9" layers and have extra to pipe top/bottom borders.
You can half this by simply using 2 sticks butter to 1 lb sugar, and if you frost thinner and don't need extra for piping , you could use 1/2 batch to frost 2 8" layers.
White Velvet Cake (or Strawberry or Lemon or Funfetti!)
314 g water
3 eggs
226 g sour cream (full fat)
1 t vanilla
pinch salt
4 oz (1 stick) melted butter
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225 g sugar
141 g cake flour (My favorite is Bob's Red Mill "fine pastry flour")
518 g cake mix - this amount is a little more than one box (My favorite is Pillsbury)
Combine top ingredients and mix well with a whisk (add the butter last so that it doesn't cook the eggs).
Whisk in the bottom ingredients and combine well. I mix hard for 2 min by hand or a minute wieht mixer on med.
Use parchment or cake release, or grease and flour pans.
Bake until toothpick comes out clean (usually 35-45 min depending on cake pan size).
This this works with white, vanilla, yellow, strawberry, lemon, almond box cake mixes - really it works with most any flavor! (except chocolate) For funfetti, just add about 1/4 cup colored sprinkles! Different brands will differ a little in texture; my favorite is the combination of Pillsbury and Bob's Red Mill pastry flour.
This recipe make exactly two 8 or 9" layers that bake 2" high.
Chocolate Cake
260g (2 c) flour
400g (2 c) sugar
66g cocoa
2t baking powder
1.5t baking soda
1t salt
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2 eggs
1c buttermilk
1/2c veg oil
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1c hot coffee (or boiling water + 1 rounded teaspoon instant coffee or 1t espresso powder)
Mix dry ingredients well.
Add wet ingredients (not hot coffee yet), mix well.
Add hot coffee (or hot water)
Grease/flour, cake release or parchment your pans.
This cake batter is super thin, so if doing cupcakes I suggest using a pancake batter dispenser (fill 2/3 full).
Bake 35-45 min depending on pan size until toothpick comes out clean.