Remembering Michel Richard: Le Kit Kat Bar

Le Kit Kat Bar (Bread Furst version)

Two weeks ago, D.C. lost Michel Richard, one of the city's great chefs. He was best known for two restaurants: his four-star fine-dining Georgetown establishment Citronelle (which closed in 2012), and Central, a more casual downtown bistro known for its burger and fried chicken.

Le Kit Kat Bar bottom layer (with corn flakes)

In Richard's memory the week after he died, Bread Furst, our neighborhood bakery, offered Le Kit Kat Bar, Richard's wonderfully decadent no-bake chocolate dessert bar inspired by the Kit Kat Bar. I picked up two and brought then home for Chris and I enjoy to enjoy after dinner. The bars were wonderfully chocolatey and quite rich (I decided to eat only half of mine and save the other half for the next day). They consisted of two layers: a firmer lower layer with a wafering crunch throughout the chocolate and a lighter top layer almost like a firmer version of chocolate mousse. Needless to say, I wanted the recipe.

Le Kit Kat Bar creamy chocolate top layer

I didn't have to go far. The Arlington, Virginia bakery, Livin' the Pie Life, shared the recipe on its blog a few years ago. It's surprisingly easy, requiring few ingredients and--best of all for these hot summer days--it's a no-bake treat, requiring just enough heat to melt the chocolate, which can be done in the microwave. The recipe includes an optional hazelnut sauce, which sounds really good, but I didn't make, since I was taking them in to work for an office dessert contest, where they were a big hit. I cut them a lot smaller than the rather generous portions Bread Furst served. You can cut them into squares or Kit-Kat-like fingers.

Michel Richard's Le Kit Kat Bar
Adapted from Livin' the Pie Life's recipe adapted from Michel Richard's original Happy in the Kitchen recipe

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp. peanut oil (I used vegetable oil)
7 oz. milk chocolate chips melted and slightly cooled (I melted the chips in the microwave according to package directions)
1 1/4 cups crushed cornflakes (I put the cereal in a bag and used my fingers to crush them through the bag)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
5 oz. bittersweet (i.e., 60% cacao) chocolate chips
Cocoa powder (optional)

1. Add peanut butter and oil to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is light in color, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add the melted chocolate chips, beating until combined. Turn off the mixer and stir in the crushed cornflakes.

2. Line an 8 x 8 inch square baking pan with plastic wrap so that it overhangs the sides. Transfer the chocolate mixture to the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 30 minutes.

3. Melt the bittersweet chocolate chips and set aside to cool a bit. Add the cream to a bowl of a stand mixer (the bowl should be cleaned after step 1) and whip on high speed until soft peaks form (run a spoon through the cream and it should stand up a bit but fall back on itself; in contrast, stiff peaks will stand upright and not fall over). Fold half of the melted chocolate into the whipped cream, then add the remaining chocolate and fold it into the chocolate-cream mixture until the mixture is uniform in color. Spread the cream-chocolate mixture over the chilled chocolate-corn-flake layer, making sure to get the mixture into the corners and smoothing the top with a spatula. Bang the pan against the counter a few times to remove air bubbles. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours until set (I refrigerated it overnight).

4. Using the plastic wrap that's overhanging the sides, lift the chocolate mass out of the pan. Carefully peel off and discard the plastic wrap. Cut into bars of desired size. If desired, dust the bars with cocoa butter by spooning a little bit of cocoa into a fine-mesh sieve and shaking it over the bars. Serve immediately or refrigerate again until ready to serve (the bars should remain refrigerated).

Star Wars Day: Dark Side Black Chocolate Cake

"Show me again the power of the darkness, and I'll let nothing stand in our way. Show me, grandfather, and I will finish what you started."
--Kylo Ren (a.k.a the grandson), Star Wars: The Force Awakens

"Give yourself to the Dark Side. It is the only way you can save your friends. Yes, your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong. Especially for... sister. So, you have a twin sister. Your feelings have now betrayed her, too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the Dark Side... then perhaps she will... "
--Darth Vader (a.k.a. the grandfather), Return of the Jedi 

The force is strong in the Skywalker family. That much is certain. What's unfortunate is that it's not always the good side of the force--the side of the Jedi--but sometimes the dark side. Spoilers ahead, but I doubt there are many people with any interest in Star Wars that don't realize that Anakin Skywalker had two kids--Luke and Leia--then turned to the dark side and became Darth Vader. He later tried to recruit a young-adult Luke to the dark side. "Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son," implored Vader, moments after having chopped off Luke's hand. Family dysfunction isn't just universal, it's intergalactic apparently.

Dark side grandfather and grandson (background image from The Empire Strikes Back, from Wookieepedia). 

Luke, of course, had no interest in the dark side. But Luke's nephew, who's Leia's son and thus also Anakin's grandson, Ben Solo, took after his grandfather and joined the dark side, changing his name to Kylo Ren. Imagine if Darth Vader and Kylo could have joined up? They'd have gotten into some pretty serious dark-side stuff that I imagine is way different than anything most of us do when hanging out with grandparents. Stuff like blowing up planets, force-choking your opponents and hiring bounty hunters to help track down wayward adversaries.

And were those dark-side-of-the-force Skywalkers to accomplish those tasks, surely they would celebrate together afterwards with a cake like this. This is a black chocolate cake. Not a regular chocolate cake or a dark chocolate cake but honest-to-goodness black chocolate. Just to look at it is to feel as all the goodness of your soul is sucked out into the cake. Just like the dark side, it's very tempting. You'll want a slice. Trust me, it's useless to resist.

Hey there Star Wars good guys. This cake is not for you.

Star Wars fun aside, this is a wonderful cake, which I made as my birthday cake this year. The recipe is an adaptation of Sally's Baking Addiction's Triple Chocolate Layer Cake. Sally's cake was almost exactly what I was looking for when I wanted a dark, rich chocolate layer cake. I say almost because I wanted to push the chocolate even darker and richer. To do so, I substituted Dutch-processed cocoa for the natural cocoa called for in Sally's recipe. And not just any Dutch-processed cocoa, but black Dutch-processed cocoa (I used Cocoa Trader brand), which is as dark as cocoa gets. It's one of those "black" ingredients that's actually dark brown. This stuff is black as the night sky. I get scared just looking at it.

So what's the difference between natural and Dutch-processed cocoa? It's actually pretty important. Cocoa is naturally acidic, thus natural cocoa--for example, the kind Hershey's makes--is an acidic ingredient. Acid is an important element in the chemistry of many baked goods, which rely on the chemical reaction between an acid and a base to produce carbon dioxide. In the batter, the gas is trapped as thousands of tiny little bubbles, which provides "lift," making the cake (or cookies or bread) rise and become less dense. Without this, your baked goodies would have a very dense texture that, in most cases, would not be very appealing. One of the easiest places to see this reaction is in making buttermilk pancakes, which call for buttermilk (an acid) and baking soda (a base). As the batter cooks on the griddle, little bubbles form in the dough. I learned at a young age that when those bubbles start to burst, your pancake is ready to turn over, but what I didn't realize was that those bubbles were carbon dioxide formed by the chemical reaction between the buttermilk and baking soda in the batter.

In contrast to natural cocoa, Dutch-processed cocoa has been treated with an alkalizing agent. This makes the cocoa darker, but it also neutralizes its acidity. Thus, it won't react with baking soda to create lift, so something else must be added. That's where baking powder comes in. It's a mixture of baking soda and acid-salts, so it contains both a base and an acid. That's why if you add water to baking powder it fizzes, since the water activates the chemical reaction to produce carbon dioxide. Similarly, when you add water to baking soda, it doesn't fizz, since that acid-base reaction isn't occurring. This is also why baking powder isn't as shelf-stable as baking soda, since heat and moisture can cause baking powder to basically react with itself, rendering it less effective. So remember to replace your baking powder periodically, especially if you don't do much baking.

Sally specifically says not to use Dutch-processed cocoa in her recipe, since she formulated her leavening for natural cocoa. Elsewhere on her site, she has great discussions about both baking powder and soda and using natural vs. Dutch-processed cocoa. So, I don't doubt her at all when it comes to her recipe. That said, since I'm aware of the chemistry involved, I thought it would be a good cooking challenge to figure out how to adjust the leavening appropriately to account for Dutch-processed cocoa. Sally's original recipe called for both baking soda and baking powder. It also contains buttermilk, which is another acid. So in using Dutch-processed cocoa, I was only eliminating the acid from the cocoa, not all the acid in the recipe, as the buttermilk would still be reacting with the baking soda. I basically just needed a little additional baking powder to account for the lost acid in the cocoa.  After consulting with a coworker who's a baking pro, I figured that doubling the baking powder (from 1 to 2 tsp.) and cutting the baking soda (from 2 to 1 tsp.) would probably be enough to account for the difference. Turns out, this was right, as the cake rose a desired amount and produced the kind of cakey-rich texture I was hoping for.

The Dutch-processed cocoa is also used for the frosting. Here, the chemistry isn't important, since frosting doesn't "rise," the cocoa is just there for flavor and color. Be sure to use butter that's at room temperature for making the frosting. If you forget to set the butter out to warm up, proceed very cautiously if you use the microwave, since melted butter will not work for making a creamy frosting (if you do happen to melt it, you'll need to let it cool down and re-solidify before proceeding).

Dark Side Black Chocolate Cake
Adapted from Triple Chocolate Layer Cake by Sally's Baking Addiction

Note: 1: I've repeated Sally's weight-based measurements in grams, as I agree that measuring dried ingredients by weight is more accurate for baking and grams are more precise than ounces, since they are a smaller unit of measurement. I've also included the volume measures (i.e., cups), for those who do not have a kitchen scale (but I recommend getting one, as they are very useful).

Note 2: Black Dutch-processed cocoa can be found in some stores and online (I used Cocoa Trader brand). Dutch-processed cocoa is different from natural cocoa because the former has been treated to neutralize its acidity. Thus, when used in recipes, other acids must be present to react with baking soda or baking powder (which is both an acid and a base) may be substituted. The original recipe called for natural cocoa, but since I used Dutch-processed, I had to adjust the leavening to account for the different chemistry. To do this, I doubled the amount of baking powder and reduced by half the amount of baking soda. You can make this recipe with any Dutch-processed cocoa; it doesn't have to be the black kind. However, if you substitute natural cocoa--like Hershey's--you'll need to adjust the baking soda and baking powder amounts back to the original recipe.

Note 3: Used a stand mixer for making the cake batter and frosting. If you don't have one, instead, use a large bowl and a hand mixer.

Cake:

About 2 tsp. unsalted butter, softened, for buttering the cake pans
220 grams (1 3/4 cup) all-purpose flour, plus extra for the cake pans (see note 1 above)
350 grams (1 3/4 cup) sugar
65 grams (3/4 cup) black Dutch-processed cocoa powder (see note 2 above)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Frosting:

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
360 grams (3 cups) powdered (confectioner's) sugar (Sally's recipe called for using 3 to 4 cups, depending on how thick you want the frosting; I like a little thinner frosting, as I find it easier to spread of the cake)
65 grams (3/4 cup) black Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt (or more to taste)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans by buttering both pans, placing a round piece of parchment in the bottom of each pan, buttering the parchment, then flouring the pans with the parchment in place (refer to this Cook-In 101 primer on baking cakes if you need more in-depth instructions on this method of prepping cake pans).

3. Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-size bowl.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer (see note 3 above), combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla extract and mix on medium-high speed until combined. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the combined dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixer bowl, then add the coffee. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides with a spatula, then turn the mixer back on to make sure the ingredients are evenly blended. The resulting batter will be quite thin, which is expected.

5. Pour the batter evenly into the two two prepared cake pans. Lightly tap the pans on the counter (this is make sure there are no large air pockets). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, about 23 to 27 minutes (my cakes were done and perfect at 23 minutes, but you may need longer). Set the cakes on individual round cooling racks and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.

6. Using a plastic knife, carefully run the knife around the edge of the cakes to separate them from the sides of the pan, Set an inverted round cooling rack on top of the cake, then carefully invert the cake and the rack. Slowly remove the cake pan, leaving an upside-down cake on top of the cooling rack. Repeat with the other cake. Carefully remove and discard the parchment rounds. Allow the two cakes to cool completely before frosting.

7. Make the frosting: Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer (clean it out first if you're using the same bowl you made the cake batter in) and beat on high until very creamy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt to the butter. Add the vanilla and the cream on low speed, then, once incorporated, increase speed to medium and beat for about a minute. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and beat a little bit more until the frosting is evenly mixed.

8. To frost the cake: Place the first cake right-side-up so the flat surface that was on the bottom of the cake pan is touching the cake plate. Using a spatula (preferably a metal offset spatula), spread about 1/3 of the frosting on top of the cake in an even layer. Invert second cake layer and carefully slide it on top of the frosting, so that the flat surface that was on the bottom of the cake pan is now on top. Spread about 1/3 of the frosting on top in an even layer, then spread the rest of the frosting on the sides of the cake, adding the remaining 1/3 of frosting to the cake and smoothing the frosting by holding the spatula vertically and moving it along the side of the cake. Even the top with the spatula. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Eat within 7 days (shouldn't be a problem).

Related

Star Wars Day Cocktail: Aunt Beru's Blue Milk Brew

Oscar Cocktails Bonus: The Lightsaber (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

8-2-Eat: Desserts for Valentine's Day

8-2-Eat is my food-focused list series. A perfect Friday distraction. Valentine's Day is this weekend. Instead of fighting your way through the crowds at restaurants Sunday night, be a pro and make dessert at home. Your lover will be even more impressed...I guarantee it. Here are 8 delicious dessert suggestions.

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake. Nothing says Valentine's Day romance like chocolate, and this mousse cake has three-time the chocolate for extra seductive power.

Chocolate Truffle Cake. Another chocolate winner, pictured above. This decadent flourless chocolate cake is sinfully delicious.

Mocha Baked Alaska

Mocha Baked Alaska. Wanna show off? Baked Alaska is visually stunning but delicious too.

S'mores Pie. This is a little more down home, but still a very sweet Valentine's Day dessert, especially if you and your significant other met at a summer camp.

Momofuku Milk Bar Blueberry & Cream Cookies. Couldn't score a Valentine's Day reservation at Momofuku? You can still enjoy the Milkbar treats at home, like these amazing Blueberry & Cream Cookies you can make yourself.

Tres Leches Cake. Creamy sweet goodness that gets even better with a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Definitely a romantic choice.

By the Fire Sundae

By The Fire Sundae. Not into chocolate? Weird..but, I understand it's not everyone's thing. Instead, turn up the heat with this decadent fire-inspired sundae of maple-bacon ice cream, brown butter blondie, caramel sauce and smoked whipped cream.

Brownie-Blonde Sundae. For the couple that wants to have it all, this sundae features a chocolate-chip peanut-butter blondie, a peanut brownie, vanilla ice cream, peanuts, chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

Dallas Bakeoff: Pam's Emerald Mine Cookies

This recipe also appears this week on Dallas Decoder, representing Pamela Barnes Ewing in the Dallas Decoder Holiday Bakeoff IV: Pam vs. Katherine.

All she wanted was a life where she and Bobby were happy. And she got it, for the most part. But one evening, just as they were reconciling after 2 years apart, Pam had a terrible dream in which Bobby--her lifetime love and former husband--was murdered out of spite by her deranged half-sister Katherine.

You see, Katherine always had a thing for Bobby. She even fabricated a letter from Pam in which Pam said she wanted to end her marriage to Bobby. It was a contributing factor in their divorce.

During the dream, following Bobby's "death," Pam invested in a Colombian emerald mine in Bobby's honor, a decision that sent her on a grand adventure to South America. This dream was so vivid that Pam shared the whole thing with Bobby. Later, she made these cookies for Bobby, sort of as a joke, but in a way, they symbolized her unending love for him--that she would honor him even if he was gone. Of course, Katherine thought the symbolism was rather silly, opting to bake some frosted hats with cheap gumdrops. Pam knows that Bobby likes her cookies best.

Dallas Bakeoff: Pam's Emerald Mine Cookies
Adapted from Chocolate M&M Cookies by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts as adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Makes about 24 cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. milk
1 cup green mini M&M's (I bought containers of the red and green Christmas mini M&Ms and separated them, using both the green and red M&Ms in cookies separately--so I guess I also made some "ruby mine" cookies)

1. Combine the butter, sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes (alternatively, combine the ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer). Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

2. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add dry ingredients to the bowl with butter and sugar and beat on low speed until combined. Add the milk and stir into the dough with a spatula, then stir in half of the M&Ms. Cover the mixing bowl with the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least a half hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheet with parchment or silicon baking mats.

4. Spoon the dough into golf-ball-size pieces and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheet (you should be able to get 12 onto each sheet). Flatten each mound slightly and place a few additional M&Ms on top of each cookie. Bake the cookies until the edges are done and the center appears slightly underdone, about 9 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minute, then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Related
Katherine's Frosted Gingerbread Hat Cookies

Mocha Baked Alaska

Baked Alaska is one of my favorite cooking "magic tricks." It's baked ice cream. That doesn't melt. What?!

Despite "molecular gastronomy" being a fairly recent invention, Baked Alaska, is a historic dish. Its origins go back to the 1800s when desserts made of ice cream encased in a cooked layer--sometimes pastry or the meringue that is traditional of Baked Alaska today. Chef Charles Ranhofer of the famed Delmonico's in New York is credited with naming and popularizing the dish in the late 1800s as a way to celebrate the United States' acquisition of Alaska. I've read that the browned meringue is meant to evoke the snowy mountains of the state, while the dessert's frozen center gets to the heart of the state's notorious northern temperatures.

But how does it work? The layer of meringue--an egg foam--insulates the ice cream from the heat of the oven while it cooks, keeping the ice cream from melting. Food scientist Harold McGee explains the science simply in On Food and Cooking: "Egg foams are often used to cover and conceal the heart of a dish. Among the most entertaining of these constructions is the hot, browned meringue enclosing a mass of chilly ice cream: the baked Alaska, which derives from the French omelette surprise. This thermal contrast is made possible by the excellent insulating properties of cellular structures like foams. For the same reason, a cup of cappuccino cools more slowly than a cup of regular coffee."

Hence, it's important to "seal" the ice cream by spreading the meringue all over the cream and sealing it against the cake base.

This particular version is inspired by the Chocolate Baked Alaska served at the Casey Jones restaurant in La Plata, Maryland. It was a Casey Jones I first had Baked Alaska, and I absolutely loved it. The chocolate cake, espresso/chocolate chip ice cream (I used a gelato actually) and meringue are a wonderful combination. I could think of no better way to celebrate our return from Alaska than by making this dish again.

Mocha Baked Alaska
Inspired by Chocolate Baked Alaska, Casey Jones, La Plata, Md.

Single layer of chocolate cake (see recipe below)
Pint of coffee/chocolate chip or plain coffee ice cream or gelato, slightly softened
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. coffee liqueur (such as Kahlúa)
1/3 cup sugar

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Using a 3-inch round cutter, cut the cake layer into four round pieces. Eat any remaining cake scraps (you know you want to). Place the cake rounds evenly spaced on the lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer until the cake is frozen, at least 2-3 hours.

3. Remove the cakes from the oven. Place a rounded scoop of ice cream (about 3/4 cup) on each cake. Return to the freezer to freeze hard, about 2-3 hours.

4. Make the meringue: Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl (if using a hand mixer). Beat on high until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating on high until soft peaks form.Beat in the coffee liqueur, then gradually beat in the sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form (the meringue will appear glossy, dip a spoon through it and a peak will form that does not fold back down). Be careful not to overbeat.

5. Remove the cakes from the freezer. Using a spatula, spread the meringue evenly over the ice cream, sealing the meringue against the cake. If desired, use a spoon to make decorative spikes. Put back in the freezer until well frozen, at least 3-4 hours.

6. Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 500 F. Bake desserts until meringue is set and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Single Chocolate Cake Layer
Adapted from Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake, The New Best Recipe by America's Test Kitchen

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the cake pan
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring the cake pan
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1 large egg
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 F with rack in middle position.

2. Grease an 8- or 9-inch round cake pan with butter. Place a round of parchment in the bottom of the pan. Grease the parchment. Flour the cake pan, tapping out the excess flour.

3. Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a bowl using a hand mixer) on medium-high speed until creamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat the mixture until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat another minute.

4. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder and espresso powder. Combine the milk and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup.

5. With the mixer running on slow speed, add about half the dry mixture to the butter mixture, then add about half the milk. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and remaining milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on low speed for another 15 seconds until the batter has an even texture.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 23-30 minutes. Set the cake on a rack to cool for about 10-15 minutes. Run a plastic knife around the edge of the cake, then invert the pan to release the cake onto the cooling rack and cool completely.

Cook In 101: 1-2-3-4 Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Cook In 101 focuses on basic recipes and cooking techniques to help novice cooks get into the kitchen and make delicious meals in a reasonable amount of time.


Cake mixes are so tempting. They hold the promise of a bakery-perfect cake without much measuring or guesswork. They promise to save you time to, although, as I'll discuss below, they really don't.

Mixes from the likes of Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines take up plenty of space on the baking aisle, along with their good friends: the ready-to-eat frostings. As a child, when I wanted to make a cake, I used a mix, and I'm not alone. I know lots of people use them.

But I don't anymore, and here's why: a cake from scratch is not that much more work and it's sure to be more interesting and probably tastier.

If you've never baked a cake from scratch before, you probably think it's going to use a lot of ingredients. Well, not really. You can make a basic yellow cake with as little as eight ingredients, fewer actually if you don't feel the need to add vanilla extract (but it makes it taste good) or if you use self-rising flour (that's flour that already has baking powder and salt in it). When you make a cake with a cake mix, you have to add other ingredients anyway, usually water, eggs and oil. So if you think a cake mix will help you avoid measuring and mixing, you're wrong. You can make a basic yellow cake with common ingredients you may already have on hand. Let's try it.

1-2-3-4 Cake: 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour and 4 eggs.

An old-fashioned yellow cake is sometimes called a 1-2-3-4 cake, a reference to the amounts of the cake batter's four principal ingredients: 1 cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 3 cups of flour and 4 eggs. After that, you need milk for moisture (the eggs alone will not be enough), baking powder and salt for leavening--i.e. making the cake rise (unless, as I mentioned, you're using self-rising flour) and vanilla extract, which gives the cake extra flavor. Note that I called this a "batter" and not a "dough." The difference? Batters have a higher proportion of liquid, making them pourable. So things like cakes, including pancakes, and waffles are made from batters. Cookies and breads are generally made from doughs.

Equipment and Ingredients

First step when making a cake is getting the equipment and ingredients together. You'll need two nonstick 9-inch round cake pans, one for each layer, a stand mixer (or a hand mixer), a mixing bowl (or two if using a hand mixer), measuring cups, a 1-cup liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, a kitchen knife, a plastic knife, a spatula, parchment paper and a few toothpicks. For the cake pans, I recommend using nonstick pans with straight up-and-down sides (i.e. 90-degree angle with the bottom of the pan) and sides that are about 2-inches high. My pans are slightly smaller than this, and you'll see that because this recipe makes quite a lot of batter, there was a bit of "muffin top" expansion as the cake batter rose a bit above the rim of the pan in some places. This wasn't a serious problem--I just broke those pieces off--but if I'd have had deeper cake pans, it wouldn't have been an issue at all.

Because the butter will need to be room temperature, you should set out the cubes an hour or two before you're going to be baking. If you forget to do this, you can soften the butter in the microwave, but do it carefully--short bursts (like 15-30 seconds) on a low-power setting. You do not want to melt the butter, as it won't behave the same way in the batter. Some people say you should also bring the eggs and milk to room temperature, although in my experience this isn't as important. Once you're ready to begin mixing, turn the oven on so it can preheat while you're mixing the batter.

Prepping Cake Pans

Before we get to the batter, let's prepare the cake pans. As baked goods go, cakes are fairly delicate. They tear easily. So care must be taken to prepare the cake pans so that you can remove the cakes from the pans without damaging them. Even if using nonstick cake pans, you'll want to prepare the cans with butter and flour and I also recommend using parchment to guarantee good release. First, set out two 9-inch round cake pans. Take about 1 tsp. of butter, softened, and put it in the first pan. Using a paper towel or just your fingers, rub the butter on the bottom and sides of the pan until the whole thing is coated. Use additional butter if needed. Do the same thing with the other pan.

Prep cake pans with butter, flour and parchment rounds.

Set a pan on parchment paper and, using a pencil, trace around the edge of the pan. Do this a second time on another part of the paper. Cut out the circles (err on the inside of the line, so the circle is slightly smaller than the tracing). Place each round in the bottom of the buttered pan (the butter on the pan will help the parchment adhere to the pan) and, using about 1/2 tsp. of butter, butter the top of the parchment. Next, put about 2 tbsp. of flour in the first pan. Shake it gently from side-to-side to coat the parchment, then turn it on its side and rotate the pan in a circular motion to coat the sides of the pan with flour. Tap the excess flour out into the second pan and repeat, adding more flour of necessary. Tap any excess flour from the second pan into the garbage.

Measure and Combine the Ingredients

The dry ingredients (except the sugar) should be mixed together first. Add the flour, salt and baking powder to a large bowl and whisk them together. Pretty easy. The hardest part here is probably measuring the flour. Flour is finely milled wheat, and as such, there is actually a lot of air in flour. This is a good thing: air helps make your cake light and fluffy rather than dense and hard.

Use the "scoop and scrape" method to measure flour.

When measuring flour, you never want to pack flour in a measuring cup. This will result in adding too much flour to a recipe. Some people suggest sifting flour before measuring it, but this requires a sifting device and takes time. I find what I'll call the "scoop and scrape" method to be a reasonable compromise. Dip the measuring cup into the container of flour (flour should be stored in an air-tight container, never in the sack you bought it in). The flour should be mounded a bit on top. Grab a knife with a flat edge and scrape the excess flour off the top of the measuring cup, so that the top level of the flour is now even with the top edge of the measuring cup. Remember, no compacting; you're just scraping. The baking powder and salt are easier to measure. Just use measuring spoons and level off the top either by shaking off the excess or using a knife (some baking powder containers have an opening with a straight-edge just for this purpose).

Next, mix the other ingredients. If you have a stand mixer, you'll be using its bowl. If not, choose a large bowl you can use with a hand mixer that will hold all of the ingredients. Add the butter first and beat it on high speed (if using a stand mixer, you want to use the paddle attachment). The butter will become creamy as it softens and air starts to work into it. Remember what I said about the air in the flour? Well, you can work air into the butter too, but not if it's melted--it might get a little frothy, but the bubbles will dissipate.

Beat the butter on high until creamy.

Next add the sugar to the butter on low speed (always add ingredients on low speed to prevent the mixer from sending them flying all over the kitchen) and continue mixing a high speed until fluffy. This process of mixing sugar into butter is sometimes called "creaming," and it's an important step for further incorporating air into the batter. The America's Test Kitchen book, The Science of Good Cooking, has a wonderful discussion about the science behind this step, as well as why too-cold or too-warm butter won't work.

Next add the eggs. When adding eggs to a batter, never break the eggs directly into the mixture; always break the egg into a separate container, like a 1-cup glass measuring cup, then add to the mixture. If the egg is bad, you won't have ruined your batter and if any little pieces of shell break off, you can easily fetch them from the container--not so easy if they land in the batter with the mixer running. Add the vanilla extract last. Stop the mixer and use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then run the mixer a little more to make sure the mixture is fully combined.

Now that the dry and wet ingredients (except the milk) are mixed, it's time to combine them. With the mixture set on a lower speed, first add about half the milk. When it's mostly blended in, add half the dry ingredients. Then add the rest of the milk and finally the rest of the dry ingredients. Why do it this way? If you add the dry ingredients first, the cake batter will clump up and become harder to mix. If you add all the milk first, it will thin out too much. Doing this parts results in the best texture for the batter, and thus the best texture for the cake.

Bake the Cakes

Once mixed, the batter is ready to be transferred to the prepared baking pans. Pour half the mixture in each pan--divide it as evenly as possible so the two layers of the cake will be about the same thickness. Using a spatula, smooth the top of the cake, making it as even as possible. If the edges are a little higher, that's fine. The cake will rise as it bakes, and the center will rise the most. You don't want the batter mounded in the middle, as that will make the rounding more pronounced after the rise.

By now, the oven should be hot enough from pre-heating, so place the two cake pans of batter in the oven, ideally on the same rack. Bake until the cakes are golden on top. Remove one from the oven and insert a toothpick in one. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If there's any wet batter clinging to the toothpick, let it back another 5 minutes and repeat the toothpick test. If the cake is slightly overbaked it will just be a bit dry, whereas if it's underbaked, it will be gooey, which is gross unless you're making chocolate lava cake. The cakes should be done after about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and set them on wire racks to cool for about 15 minutes.

Here are the cakes fresh from the oven. Notice how the batter overhangs the edge of the pans a little bit. This indicates that I filled the cake pans a little too full. It wasn't a major problem--I broke those pieces off before frosting the cake--but ideally I'd have used slightly taller cake pans to prevent this.

Using the plastic knife (as to not damage the nonstick pans), carefully run the knife around the edge of each cake to loosen it from the pan. Place the cooling rack on top of the cake pan and invert the rack and pan. The cake should slide out of the pan onto the rack--tap the bottom of the pan lightly if it doesn't. Carefully remove the pan, then remove the parchment round. The bottom of the cake should be nicely browned and, because you carefully buttered, floured and parchment-lined the pan, not torn.  Repeat with the other cake. Leave the cakes on the racks until they are completely cooled. They are now ready to be assembled and frosted.

An offset spatula works best for frosting a cake, but any spatula will do if you don't have an offset. You could probably even use a knife, but it might be a more difficult to make it smooth. You're going for a nice even layer somewhere between 1/4 to 1/2-inch between the two cake layers, on top and on the sides. Start by placing the first layer of cake with the flat side (the side that was on the bottom of the cake pan) down against the cake plate. Spread about 1/3 of the frosting on top of this cake, smoothing it into an even layer with the spatula. Next, carefully slide the second layer of cake on top of the frosted layer. This second layer should have the flat side on top--so the two flattest sides are the bottom and top of the cake, while the more uneven sides are sandwiched with the frosting in the middle. Spread another 1/3 or so of the frosting on top. It's okay if a little runs over the side. Lastly, spread the final 1/3 of the frosting along the side. I like to do this in little batches, spreading the frosting against the top layer then smoothing it into place by running the spatula vertically along the side of the cake, working in a circle until the entire side is frosting. Any extra frosting in the bowl? You could put more on top, or you could eat it (i'd eat it).

Key Tips: Baking a Yellow Cake

Here, then are my key tips for making a good, simple cake:

1. Use butter, flour and parchment to prep nonstick cake pans.
2. Make sure the butter is room temperature before beating it.
3. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, incorporating air into the batter.
4. Measure flour using the "scoop-and-scrape" method.
5. Alternate adding parts of milk and the dry ingredients when combining with the butter-sugar mixture.
6. Smooth the top of the cake batter in the pan before baking.
7. Use a toothpick test to know when the cakes are done.
8. Let the cake cool in the pan about 15 minutes before inverting it to remove to remove the cake.
9. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
10. Use a plastic knife to remove cakes from nonstick cake pans.

1-2-3-4 Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for the cake pan
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for the cake pan
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
Chocolate frosting (see recipe below)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Butter, flour and line with parchment two 9-inch nonstick cake pans (ideally 2-inches deep).

3. Add flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

4. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer with a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on high speed until very creamy. Add the sugar; beat on low speed to incorporate, then on high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one-at-a-time at low speed, then beat in the vanilla extract. Increase speed to high and beat 2-3 minutes.

5. With the mixer running on low speed, add about half the milk to the batter, then about half the combined dry ingredients, the other half of the milk and the other half of the dry ingredients. Beat just a little bit longer until the ingredients are combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and beat a few more times until combined.

6. Pour the batter divided evenly among two prepared cake pans. Smooth the top of the batter with a spatula. Bake until the cakes are lightly browned on top and dry in the center (a toothpick should come out clean when inserted into the center of the cake), about 25-30 minutes. Remove the cakes from the oven and set on individual cooling racks to cool for 15 minutes.

7. Run a plastic knife around the edge of each cake. Place the rack on top of the cake and invert the cake pan and the rack, allowing the cake to gently fall out of the pan onto the rack. Remove the parchment. Repeat with the other cake. Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.

8. To frost the cake: Place the first cake right-side-up so the flat surface that was on the bottom of the cake pan is touching the cake plate. Using a spatula (preferably a metal offset spatula), spread about 1/3 of the frosting on top of the cake in an even layer. Invert second cake layer and carefully slide it on top of the frosting, so that the flat surface that was on the bottom of the cake pan is now on top. Spread about 1/3 of the frosting on top in an even layer, then spread the rest of the frosting on the sides of the cake, adding about 1/3 cup of frosting to the cake and smoothing the frosting by holding the spatula vertically and moving it along the side of the cake. Even the top with the spatula. Refrigerate until ready to serve (you may want to allow the cake to warm up slightly before serving).

Chocolate Frosting
Homemade frosting is so much tastier, in my opinion, that store-bought. Frosting is pretty easy to make, especially if you use this no-cook recipe. This is a simple powdered-sugar frosting. It has that slightly grainy texture that I love.

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
5 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Add butter to the bowl of a stand mixer (or mix in a large bowl with a hand mixer). Beat on high speed until creamy. Add the cocoa power, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until thick and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and beat a few more times until the frosting has an even consistency. Use immediately to frost the cake. If you refrigerate it before doing so, be sure to let it set out so that it softens a bit before using it to frost the cake.

S'mores Pie

In theory, s'mores are a wonderful thing, the merger of toasted marshmallow, chocolate and graham cracker enjoyed near the crackle of a warm campfire. In practice, they are a disaster. The unmelted chocolate is odd against the melty marshmallow and how exactly would you melt the chocolate with a campfire? And if you're making them on the beach, which is where I usually toast marshmallows, sand is sure to be a fourth ingredient in your sandwich. The finished product is a sticky mess.

This s'mores pie, however, is fabulous. The marshmallows are browned and easier to deal with. The chocolate is melted. You can eat it with a fork! And it tastes great. It's also perfect for enjoying s'mores--typically a summer treat--during the cold season. Just think of how delicious this would be with a piping hot mug of cocoa.

I found this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen site and made a few changes. First, I added salt to the filling. Combining salt with sugar helps bring out the latter's sweetness. You don't need a lot, but a little salt is a welcome player in almost any dessert. I used a little less chocolate bar than in the original recipe because I only needed 8 ounces instead of 12 to cover the bottom of the pie crust with chocolate squares, although I did fill in some cracks with chocolate chips.

The crust is wonderfully easy: just combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. You can buy crumbs in a box or make your own by grinding up graham crackers in a food processor. If you do the latter, be sure to get a small, even crumb.

This was my first time working with marshmallow creme, sometimes called marshmallow "fluff." Interesting stuff. The container is so light, much more than I expected. The creme is quite thick however and very, very sticky. I used an offset spatula to spread it along the bottom of my formed graham cracker crust.

If the pie looks a little sunken before you pop it in the oven, don't worry about it. Unlike a fruit pie, this pie expands as it bakes, instead of contracts. Compare my photos of before the pie goes into the oven with after it comes out and you can see that it turned out just fine.

S'mores Pie
Adapted from a recipe by Tasty Kitchen

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for the pie plate
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp. baking powder
7 oz. container of marshmallow creme
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate bars (this is two of the large, flat Ghirardelli chocolate bars for cooking)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/4 cup (or more as desired) bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-inch round pie plate with butter.

2. Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium-high until creamy (or use a large bowl and a hand mixer). Add egg and vanilla and beat on low until combined, then add the flour, graham cracker crumbs and baking powder, and continue beating on low until mixed. Divide the dough in half.

3. Using your fingers, press half the dough evenly on the bottom and sides of the greased pie plate. Spread the marshmallow creme evenly on the bottom of the pie crust (I recommend using an offset spatula for this). Break the chocolate bars into squares and line them up flush in a single layer on top of the marshmallow creme (break them in smaller pieces or use a few chocolate chips to fill any gaps). Sprinkle the chocolate layer with salt, then spread the mini marshmallows on top. Break up the other reserved half of the dough into little pieces, spread them evenly around the marshmallows and pat them into place so that they mostly (but not completely) cover the layer of mini marshmallows. Lastly, sprinkle the top with chocolate chips.

4. Bake the pie until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven set on a wire rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before cutting (refrigerate if not serving immediately).