1-2-3-4 cake by james beard, chef & cooking teacher

 
            1-2-3-4 CAKE BY JAMES BEARD, CHEF & COOKING TEACHER
 
 Recipe By     : 
 Serving Size  : 12   Preparation Time :0:00
 Categories    : Cakes
 
   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
 --------  ------------  --------------------------------
                         -----FOR THREE 9X1/2 INCH DEEP PA-----
    1       tb           Butter -- softened
    2       tb           Flour
                         -----FOR THE CAKE-----
    3       c            Cake Flour -- sifted *Note:1
    4       ts           Baking powder -- Double-
                         Acting
      1/2   ts           Salt
    8       oz           Butter -- unsalted (2 sticks)
                         -at room temperature
    2       c            Sugar -- granulated
    4       md           Eggs -- at room temperature
    1       c            Milk -- at room temperature
    1 1/2   ts           Vanilla extract (or 1 tspn)
                         -----FOR THE FILLING AND TOPPING-----
      3/4   c            Orange juice -- strained
    2       tb           Lemon juice
      3/4   c            Sugar -- granulated
    1       tb           Orange rind -- finely grated
 
   James Beard's 1-2-3-4 Layer Cake; Uses three 9x1/2 inch deep cake
   pans. Makes: One 3-layered cake; Serves 12 depending on thickness of
   slices.
   *Note:1. If you can't find cake flour, the same amount of All-purpose
   flour can be substituted.
   * Directions *  Preheat the oven to 350dF. Using your hands, butter
   the bottom and sides of all 3 layer-cake pans with softened butter;
   sprinkle flour inside, then shake pans so you get a thin coating on
   the butter. Tip out any excess!
   Now to sift your flour. Lay a large piece of waxed paper on a board,
   put a dry measuring cup in the center, hold a sifter directly over
   it, scoop cake flour from the package into the sifter, and sift the
   flour directly into the cup. When the cup is full, draw the back of a
   knife blade lightly across the top of the cup (don't shake the flour
   down, or it will become dense) and then tip the measured flour into a
   mixing bowl. Repeat with the other 2 cups of flour (you can put any
   flour that spilled onto the waxed paper back in the sifter). When you
   have 3 cups of sifted flour in the bowl, put the baking powder and
   salt in the sifter, holding it over the mixing bowl, and sift it over
   the flour. Then, still using your hands, mix the baking powder and
   salt lightly with the flour.
   Next, put the butter into a second, large mixing bowl. If it is very
   firm (it shouldn't be, if you have left it out of the fridge),
   squeeze it through your fingers until it softens up. When it is soft
   enough to work, form your right hand into a big fork, as it were, and
   cream the butter. This means that you beat it firmly and quickly with
   your hand, beating and aerating it, until it becomes light, creamy
   and fluffy. Then whirl your fingers around like a whisk so the butter
   forms a circle in the bowl.
   Gradually cream the 2 cups of sugar into the butter with the same
   fork-like motion, beating until the mixture is very light and fluffy.
   As the sugar blends in it will change the color of the butter to a
   much lighter color, almost white.
   Now wash and dry your hands thoroughly. Separate the eggs as you
   would for a souffle', letting the whites slip though slightly parted
   fingers into a small bowl and dropping the yokes into a second,
   larger bowl. Beat the yokes for a few minutes with a whisk until they
   are well blended. Then, again with your hand, beat them very
   thoroughly into the butter-sugar mixture. Now beat in the milk
   alternately with the sifted flour -- first one, then the other --
   this time keeping your fingers close together as if your hand were a
   wooden spatula. Beat, beat, beat until the batter is well mixed, then
   add the vanilla and beat that in for 1 or 2 minutes.
   Put the egg whites in your beating bowl and beat them with a large
   whisk or and electric hand beater until they mount first to soft,
   drooping peaks and then to firm, glossy peaks. Do not over beat so
   that they are stiff and dry! Tip the beaten whites onto the cake
   batter and fold them in with your hand. Slightly cup your hand and
   use the side like a spatula to cut down through the whites and batter
   to the bottom of the bowl and then flop them over with your cupped
   hand, rotating the bowl with your other hand as you do so ~- exactly
   the technique used when folding egg whites into a souffle mixture
   with a rubber spatula. Repeat this very lightly and quickly until the
   whites and batter are thoroughly folded and blended. Once you have
   mastered this hand technique you can use it for souffles.
   Again using your hand like a spatula, pour and scrape the batter into
   three prepared pans, dividing it equally between them. Give the
   filled pans a little knock on the countertop to level the batter. Put
   the 3 pans in the center of the oven, or, if you have to use more
   than 1 rack, stagger them on the 2 middle racks of the oven so they
   do not overlap.
   Bake for 25 minutes, then touch the center of each cake lightly with
   your fingertip. If it springs back, it is done. Remove the pans and
   put them on wire cake rakes to cool for a few minutes, then loosen
   the layers by running the flat of a knife blade around the sides of
   the pans, put a rack on top of each pan, and invert so the cake comes
   out onto the rack, top side down. Then reverse the layers so they are
   top side up.
   For filling and icing, SEE: 1-2-3-4 Filling and Icing recipe.
  
 
 
                    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -