Yellow Butter Cake with Vanilla Meringue Frosting

Yellow Butter Cake with Vanilla Meringue Frosting

You'll find potato starch on the baking aisle at most of your local supermarkets and health-food stores. Also known as potato flour, it helps ensure the cake will have a fine crumb and moist texture.

Cake:
Cooking spray
6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 ounces potato starch (about 1/3 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
10 tablespoon butter, softened
3 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Frosting:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
5 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Dash of salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare cake, line bottoms of 2 (9-inch) cake pans with parchment paper; coat pans lightly with cooking spray. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Weigh or lightly spoon potato starch into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, potato starch, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring well with a whisk.

3. Place 1 3/4 cups sugar and 10 tablespoons butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine milk and half-and-half. Add flour mixture and milk mixture alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until combined. Fold in bourbon and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pans 25 minutes on wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.

4. To prepare frosting, combine 1 cup sugar and 1/4 water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes, without stirring, or until candy thermometer registers 250°. Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and dash of salt in a large bowl. Using clean, dry beaters, beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Pour hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg white mixture, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low; continue beating until egg white mixture cools (about 12 minutes). Beat 1/4 cup butter until light and fluffy; stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Fold in 1 cup egg white mixture. Fold butter mixture into remaining egg white mixture, stirring until smooth.

5. Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.

Buttery Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Meringue Frosting: Lightly coat 24 muffin cups with cooking spray. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffins cups; bake at 350° for 18 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Cut frosting recipe in half, using 3 egg whites and omitting butter and vanilla. Fold 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa into cooled meringue mixture, and top each cupcake with about 2 tablespoons frosting. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa evenly over cupcakes, if desired. Yield: 24 servings (serving size: 1 cupcake).

CALORIES 177 (31% from fat); FAT 6.1g (sat 3.6g, mono 1.7g, poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 2.6g; CARB 27.8g; FIBER 0.5g; CHOL 41mg; IRON 0.7mg; SODIUM 148mg; CALC 40mg


Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)
From Cooking Light, November 2008.

Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue

Crust:

* 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (made from about 7 1/2 ounces graham crackers, finely ground in processor)
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 6 to 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted


Filling:

* 3 pounds medium red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams)
* 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon salt


Marshmallow Meringue:

* 1 7-ounce jar Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
* 3 large egg whites
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup sugar

Preparation

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add 6 tablespoons melted butter and stir until crumbs feel moist when pressed together with fingertips, adding 1 tablespoon melted butter if crumb mixture is dry. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish, building up sides 1/4 inch above rim of dish. Bake crust until set and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Cool on rack. DO AHEAD: Pie crust can be made 2 days ahead. Cover pie crust and let stand at room temperature.

For filling:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Pierce sweet potatoes all over with fork; place potatoes on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until potatoes are very tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Cut potatoes open and scoop out pulp. Transfer pulp to processor and puree until smooth. Set aside 2 cups sweet potato puree for filling; cool completely (reserve any remaining puree for another use). DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine 2 cups sweet potato puree, sweetened condensed milk, and all remaining ingredients in large bowl; whisk until well blended and smooth. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie until puffed around edges and set in center, about 50 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool. Refrigerate pie at least 4 hours or overnight.

For marshmallow meringue:
Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Using rubber spatula, scrape marshmallow creme into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in another large bowl until foamy. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff and glossy peaks form. Add 1/2 cup beaten egg whites to marshmallow creme and stir with rubber spatula or spoon just until incorporated to lighten (marshmallow creme is very sticky and will be difficult to blend at first, but blending will become easier as remaining whites are folded in). Fold in remaining whites in 2 additions just until incorporated. Spread meringue over top of cold pie, mounding slightly in center and swirling with knife to create peaks.

Bake pie just until peaks and ridges of marshmallow meringue are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Let stand at room temperature until meringue is cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; chill. Let pie stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

From Epicurious.com

Meringue Cookies

Preheat oven to 275 deg.

6 egg whites - beat until stiff

In another bowl sift 11/2 cups sugar
In another bowl mix together 2 tsps vanilla & 4 tsps water.

Gradually add 1/2 sugar while continuously beating egg whites at high speed. Then alternate liquid (van & water) & sugar.
Fold in 2/3 of large pkg of Nestle choc. chips.
Line baking sheets w. heavy, brown paper. Teaspoon the mixture onto paper-lined sheets & bake for 30 mins or until firm & dry.