What are good cake recipes?

I need a unique b-day cake for my daughter's B-day! Any Ideas? I need them now, because I need to make the cake next week! Help!!!! Thanks!!What are good cake recipes?
Chocolate Cake


Copyright, 2005, Robin Miller, All rights reserved


Show: Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller


Episode: Ready, Prepped, Go








1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour


1 3/4 cups brown sugar


3/4 cup cocoa


1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda


1/4 teaspoon salt


1 1/4 cups buttermilk


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


2 eggs


4 tablespoons vegetable oil


1 cup boiling water


Confectioners' sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and slowly whisk in wet ingredients. Pour into greased 9 by 12-inch baking pan and bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool.


Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.





Almond Cake


Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis


Show: Everyday Italian


Episode: Polenta Party














1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal


1/2 cup cake flour


1 teaspoon baking powder


1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened


1/4 cup almond paste, cut into half-inch pieces


1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting


1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


2 eggs


4 egg yolks


1/4 cup sour cream


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with vegetable spray. An alternative is to butter and flour the cake pan.





In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, cake flour and baking powder and set aside.





Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and almond paste on high speed until smooth, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and slowly add confectioners' sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined and light and fluffy. Raise speed to high and add the vanilla extract, whole eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time. Mix until well combined. Reduce speed to medium and add the sour cream and dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.





Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 35 minutes, or until the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool. Remove from pan and dust with confectioners' sugar.





Chocolate Sponge Cake


Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2000


Show: Emeril Live


Episode: Terrines














1/4 cup milk


2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons butter


8 eggs


2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar


3/4 cup flour


1/2 cup cocoa powder


1 teaspoon baking powder


1 teaspoon salt


1 teaspoon vanilla


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and 2 tablespoons butter together. Using an electric mixer fitted with a wire whip, combine the eggs and 2 cups sugar together. Beat on medium-high speed for about 8 minutes, or until the mixture is pale yellow, thick and has tripled in volume. With the machine running slowly add the heated milk. In a mixing bowl sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together. Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture and mix thoroughly so that there are no lumps and the mixture is smooth. Fold in the vanilla. Grease a 1/2 sheet pan with 2 teaspoons of butter. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Pour the cake batter evenly into the pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched. Cool for about 2 minutes. Using a thin knife, loosen the edges of the cake, then flip onto a wire rack and cool completely.








Gold Cake


Recipe courtesy Alton Brown


Show: Good Eats


Episode: A Cake on Every Plate








3/4 cup butter flavored vegetable shortening, 140 grams


1 1/4 cup sugar, 300 grams


2 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted, 300 grams


3 teaspoons baking powder, 14 grams


1/4 teaspoon salt


8 egg yolks, beaten, 130 grams


3/4 cup milk, 180 grams


1 teaspoon vanilla


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) cake pans with shortening and set aside.


Cream together the shortening and the sugar. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly alternate adding the egg yolks and milk with the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Add the vanilla and mix well.





Pour into the prepared pans, about 550 grams of batter for each cake. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.


Cocoa Whipped Cream


Recipe courtesy Alton Brown


Show: Good Eats


Episode: A Cake on Every Plate








2 tablespoons water


1 teaspoon gelatin


2 cups heavy cream


1/2 cup Good Eats Cocoa Mix, recipe follows


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Place your mixing bowl and whisk into the refrigerator to chill.


In a metal measuring cup or a very small saucepan combine the water and the gelatin. Let this sit for 5 minutes then place over low heat for 2 minutes to melt.





With your mixer on low combine the cream and the cocoa in the chilled bowl. Drizzle in the melted gelatin. Add the vanilla and turn mixer to high and whip to medium peaks.





Good Eats Cocoa Mix:


2 cups powdered sugar


1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)


2 1/2 cups powdered milk


1 teaspoon salt


2 teaspoons cornstarch


1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more as desired


Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and incorporate evenly. Seal in an airtight container. Keeps indefinitely in the pantry.


Yield: 5 1/2 cups dry mix Prep Time: 5 minutes Ease of preparation: easy








Grandmother Paul's Red Velvet Cake


Recipe courtesy Paula Deen


Show: Paula's Home Cooking


Episode: My Grandmother's Table








Cake:


2 cups sugar


1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature


2 eggs


2 tablespoons cocoa powder


2 ounces red food coloring


2 1/2 cups cake flour


1 teaspoon salt


1 cup buttermilk


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1/2 teaspoon baking soda


1 tablespoon vinegar


Icing:


1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese


1 stick butter, softened


1 cup melted marshmallows


1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar


1 cup shredded coconut


1 cup chopped pecans





Cake:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Mix cocoa and food coloring together and then add to sugar mixture; mix well. Sift together flour and salt. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar and add to mixture. Pour batter into 3 (8-inch) round greased and floured pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool completely before frosting.





Icing:


Blend cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl. Add marshmallows and sugar and blend. Fold in coconut and nuts. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cooled cake.What are good cake recipes?
Pineapple Mandarin Orange Cake





1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix


1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, including the juice


4 eggs


1/4 cup vegetable oil


1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed


1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained


1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix





Mix together cake mix, canned oranges with juice, eggs, and oil. Pour batter into three greased and floured 8 inch round pans. Layers will be thin. (You can use 2 layers if you desire.)





Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cool layers on wire racks.





Mix together whipped topping, drained pineapple, and instant pudding mix. Fill and frost the cooled cake.





Refrigerate until ready to eat.
This is my all-time favorite and a favorite at the office. I bake birthday cakes for our team, and everyone always requests this one. I got it from Nigella Lawson's book called ';Feast';.





Flourless Orange Chocolate Cake





2 small thin-skinned oranges


6 eggs


1 teaspoon baking powder


1/2 teaspoon baking soda


1 cup sugar


2 oz cocoa powder


1 tub chocolate frosting (this is where I cheat)





Put the whole orange or oranges in a pan with some cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 2 hours or until soft.


Drain, and when cool, cut the oranges in half and remove seeds. Then pulp everything - pith, peel and all - in a food processor.





Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a the cake tin you want to use with non-stick cooking spray.





Add the eggs, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and cocoa to the orange in the food processor. Run the motor until you have a cohesive cake mixture, but slightly knobbly with the flecks of pur茅ed orange.





Pour and scrape into the cake tin and bake for an hour, by which time a cake tester (toothpick, of course) should come out pretty well clean. In my oven, that's about 25-30 minutes.





Leave the cake to get cool in the tin, on a cooling rack. When the cake is cold you can take it out of the tin. Decorate with strips of orange peel or coarsely grated zest if you so wish, but it is darkly beautiful in its plain, unadorned state.
I have tried this and it is tasty, but I haven't tried the chocolate version. I also left out the coconut.





Better Than Sex Cake





Ingredients:





1 yellow cake mix


1 8 oz. (small) instant vanilla pudding


1 pineapple; large can - crushed (don't drain)


1 cup sugar


1/2 cup walnut or pecan for top; chopped


1 Cool Whip庐; large


1 cup shredded coconut








Instructions:





Bake yellow cake according to directions in a 9x12 pan.


In a saucepan over medium heat, combine pineapple with juice, sugar, pudding and coconut.


Simmer 5 minutes.


Using a wooden spoon handle, poke holes in warm cake.


Evenly cool.


Spread whipped topping evenly over cake and sprinkle with nuts.


Chill at least 2 hours before serving.
I get ideas and recipes for cakes at this website.


http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/special/鈥?/a>