Category Archives: Cakes & Cupcakes

Red Velvet Loaf Cake

I’ve been over here making red velvet on every Oscar weekend for the past twenty years, always with the explanation that it’s “red like the red carpet.” Except I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Oscars are doing away with the red carpet this year in favor of a champagne motif.

Rest assured, I’m keeping my little tradition alive anyway, not least because I’m sober and won’t bake with champagne. I mean, who even wants champagne cake when you can have a festive bright red cake flavored with cocoa and vanilla and finished with my best-ever cream cheese frosting? Not me.

Red velvet and I have a long history and I’m not going to ruin a good thing when I’ve got one going. I’ve made blondies, cakes, cookies, and cakes that are cookies—I’ve done it all.

While the Oscars are straying from some tradition this year, I’m returning to form…or at least, I’m returning to cake. Specifically, red velvet cake in a loaf pan. It’s every bit and soft and delicious as its layered counterpart, but in an easy, approachable loaf.

The process is delightfully simple—just chuck all the ingredients in a bowl and let your mixer do the work, then bake for about an hour. Once cool, paint it with simple syrup and christen with cream cheese frosting and a few cake crumbs.

And that’s it! She’s simple, but she’s also glitz, glam, and ready for the red, er, champagne carpet. And so am I.

Red Velvet Loaf Cake
makes one 9x5-inch loaf

Cake:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 8 pieces
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup + 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
6 tablespoons milk (preferably whole), room temperature
2 tablespoons full-fat sour cream, not fridge cold
1/2 teaspoon red gel food coloring (1-1 1/2 teaspoons red liquid food coloring)

Simple Syrup:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 ounces (1/2 beick$ full-fat brick-style cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups confectioner's sugar
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place an oven rack in the center position. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Line with parchment, leaving overhang on the two long sides, and grease again. Set aside.

Make the cake. Combine all cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to mix on low for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes. Batter will be thick.

Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth the top with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Tap full pans on the counter five times to release any large air bubbles. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cake cool completely in the pan on a rack. Once cool, slide a thin knife around the edges of the pan, then use the parchment overhang to lift the cake onto a work surface. At this point, you may also wrap it in plastic wrap and store it for up to a day before continuing.

Use a serrated knife to trim off a sliver of the top of the cake. This will be used for garnish. Set aside.

Make the simple syrup. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Use a pastry brush to paint syrup all over the cake—it will seem like a lot, but should soak in quickly. Let sit 20 minutes while you make the frosting.

Make the cream cheese frosting. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy. Add confectioner's sugar and salt in two installments, until completely combined. Beat in vanilla. Once combined, beat on high for two additional minutes, until light and fluffy.

Load frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star tip and coupler. Pipe frosting over the top of the cake as desired. Alternatively, use an offset icing spatula to spread frosting over the top of the cake. Garnish the cake by crumbling the reserved sliver of cake over the top of frosting.

Slice and serve! Leftover cake may be kept covered at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to five.

Vanilla Sour Cream Cupcakes

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For the first few years I had this blog, I resisted writing cupcake recipes. It wasn’t for any particularly good reason—just that I think making layer cakes is easier. Also, I really hate washing cupcake pans.

But then the pandemic came, and suddenly nobody needed a layer cake recipe (unless it was tiny), so I got over myself and started making cupcakes. And you know what? I love it. Cupcakes are so much fun to bake (and eat), and they’re pretty dang convenient in situations where you don’t have a knife on hand, which is (ideally) most situations.

Today’s cupcake recipe isn’t new—it’s been on here plenty of times. Usually it’s all jazzed up with creatively administered food coloring or surprises hidden inside, both of which are fine and good…but sometimes you just need some no-frills vanilla cupcakes. Vanilla Sour Cream Cupcakes to be exact.

I mean, what’s better than vanilla cupcakes? Made with sour cream, the cakes themselves are soft and buttery, and just dense enough not to disintegrate when their papers are pulled away. The frosting has sour cream in it too, which gives just the slightest tangy finish. It’s super rich and delicious—perfect for spreading into thick blankets over the cupcakes. Oh, and the double dose of vanilla flavor? Out of this world.

The sprinkles? Well, they’re technically optional. We’re going for a plain vanilla cupcake recipe, after all. But as with nearly all “plain vanilla” things around here, there’s no reason simple has to mean boring.

Vanilla Sour Cream Cupcakes
makes 14-16 cupcakes

1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Frosting & Garnish:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons full-fat sour cream (or heavy cream)
sprinkles, for garnish (optional)

Make the cupcakes. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.

Combine milk and sour cream a liquid measuring cup, then use a fork to whisk them together. Set aside.

In a small-medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in sugar. Add eggs one at a time, combining completely after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Mix in half the dry ingredients, followed by half the milk/sour cream. Add the remaining dry ingredients followed by the remaining milk/sour cream.

Fill liners 2/3-3/4 full. Tap full pan on the counter five times before baking for 18-19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting. If you are piping, you may need to double the recipe. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy. Add confectioner’s sugar and salt in two installments, combining completely after each addition. Beat in vanilla & sour cream until combined.

Frost and decorate cupcakes. Use an offset icing spatula (or piping bag) to frost filled cupcakes. Scatter sprinkles over the tops, if using. Serve.

Cupcakes will keep covered at room temperature for up to three days, or in the refrigerator for up to five.

Maple Cupcakes

Apple Cinnamon Upside-Down Cake {Seven Year Anniversary}

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In years past, I might have gone with a flashier recipe to celebrate seven years of this blog, but this year I’m keeping it low key and doing what comes naturally. I’m just glad to be here.

I’ve been open about needing a break this past summer. Though the baking never stopped, I’m very much getting back into the swing of posting. I am currently writing to you on a Friday afternoon from the New York City subway—it’s not the first time and certainly not the last. E2 Bakes has always been a little bit of a patchwork. A little time here, a little time there. Late nights, early mornings, set baking hours with a little wiggle room, writing content on public transit between appointments—it all makes this place function.

Of all of that, the baking and recipe testing is obviously the most important. I need to spend time making the things that I want to make not just because it’s enjoyable for me, but because those things are just better. See exhibits A, B & C of many (many, many). I am not one of those who thinks being “made with love” is crucial for success (I have made plenty of delicious things while absolutely furious), but it sure doesn’t hurt.

This Apple Cinnamon Upside-Down Cake was made with joy, on the fly, in pajamas, on a Monday morning in my kitchen. I didn’t shop for any specific ingredients or make a plan; I just saw what I had (a fridge drawer full of apples) and went from there. It was, to be frank, my ideal baking situation.

The cake itself is the slightest variation on the summery Peach Upside-Down Cake I made in 2020, but updated for fall with a little more comforting spice. It’s a simple torte batter poured over a mix of brown sugar, butter, and sliced apples that bakes up to tender butterscotch-edged perfection.

There are certainly prettier ways to arrange your apples for this cake, and I know that the finished product could benefit from a drizzle of caramel and a scoop of ice cream, but I like it like this. Thrown together for the fun of it, photographed without a plan, eaten warm before noon on a weekday. It feels authentic, which is exactly how I hope this space comes across.

Thank you for being here and for supporting this little project of mine for so long. It means the world. I hope we bake together for many years to come.

Happy birthday, E2 Bakes.

Apple Cinnamon Upside-Down Cake
makes 1 9-inch round cake

For the apples:
2 large baking apples (I used Granny Smith & Pink Lady)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
pinch of Kosher or sea salt

Batter:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For serving (optional):
vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350F. Heavily grease a 9-inch round cake pan. Set aside.

Slice apples in 1/4-inch slices. No need to peel. Discard cores.

In a small saucepan, combine butter and dark brown sugar. Place over medium-low heat and stir constantly until butter and sugar are melted and fully homogeneous, 3-5 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Pour mixture into a 9-inch round cake pan, using a silicone spatula to spread it over the entire bottom of the pan.

Top the brown sugar mixture with single layer of sliced apples, slightly overlapping them for the prettiest effect, in any design you like. Set aside.

In a small-medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream butter until very light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in granulated sugar and light brown sugars. Mix in eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla extract. With the mixer on low, mix in dry ingredients. Batter will be thick.

Drop batter in spoonfuls over the peaches. Use an offset icing knife or the back of a spoon to spread it in an even layer. Tap the pan on the counter 5 times to release any large air bubbles. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs (not wet batter).

Let cake cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes before running a small, thin knife around the edge a couple of times. Place a cake stand or large serving plate upside down over the top of the pan. Holding on to the plate and pan with oven mitts, quickly invert them so that the plate is right-side-up and the pan is now upside-down. Tap the top of the pan a time or two to help the cake release. Lift off the empty pan. If any fruit sticks to the pan, just nudge it back onto the cake with your fingers or a spoon.

Serve cake warm, room temperature, or cold, with ice cream, if desired.

Cake is best the day it's baked, but will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting (and a story about burnout)

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Hi. Is anybody still here?

I’ve been a little MIA recently, owing mostly to the burnout I’ve been rocketing toward for the last year. It happened gradually—I went down to one post a week in February, quit posting to social media in June, didn’t do anything blog-related during my vacation in August, then took three more weeks away. I tried everything in my power not to disappear completely from this place, but nearly seven years into this endeavor, I was just…tired.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting (and a story about burnout)

Running this one-woman show isn’t easy. Between testing, photographing, writing, posting, and promoting, each post takes about twelve hours start-to-finish. I make income from this blog, but throwing all the daily tasks of running it on top of my day job, trying to have some semblance of a social life, and regularly scheduled introvert hours had me on the verge of a breakdown. So, I stepped away.

I didn’t stop baking though. In fact, I have baked more. I have baked, dare I say, *better.* With more passion, without any expectations. I made things I wanted to make, whether or not they were seasonally appropriate or trending.

Take this Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting, for instance. I wanted to make it for months, and finally did it once I took the pressure off myself. It’s old-fashioned and simple, made with my go-to chocolate cake recipe and finished with a silky, tangy chocolate frosting. It’s rich and chocolaty, unfussy and unpretentious, with a glossy finish usually reserved for the cover of Southern Living Magazine. In short, it’s everything I want in a chocolate cake. I’m just glad I finally took the time to make it. I hope you will, too.

I am a little hesitant to dive back in here, but I think I am ready to get back to blogging. I’ve missed it. Posts may be twice a week or may just be once depending on how the rest of my life is going. For now though, I am back and oh-so glad to be in this little corner of the internet.

Hello, out there.

Chocolate Cake
makes two 9-inch round layers

Cake:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch Process)
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon espresso granules (optional, but recommended)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup neutral-flavored oil (I use canola)
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (low fat is fine)
1 cup boiling water

For assembly:
1 recipe Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting (below)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment and grease again. Set aside.

Make the cake batter. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, espresso granules (if using), baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to distribute ingredients evenly. Set aside.

In a separate medium-large mixing bowl, whisk together oil and eggs, followed by vanilla and buttermilk. Whisk half the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, just until combined. Add half the boiling water. Whisk in the remaining egg mixture followed by the remaining water. Batter will be thin.

Divide batter evenly between the pans. Tap full pans on the counter five times to release any air bubbles. Bake 25-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cakes cool in their pans for at least 30 minutes. Run a small, thin knife around the edges. Invert cakes onto cooling racks and discard parchment. Allow to cool to room temperature.

While layers are cooling, make the frosting (recipe below).

Assemble the cake. Place one layer on a cake plate. Top with about 3/4 cup frosting, then sandwich the other layer on top. Frost and decorate cake as desired.

Frosted cake will keep covered at room temperature for up to two days, and in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
makes enough for two 9-inch round layers

2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons (heaping 1/3 cup) full-fat sour cream

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk together to distribute evenly.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in half the dry ingredients, scraping down the bowl as necessary. It may seem like too much, but it will incorporate. Mix in remaining dry ingredients. Add vanilla and sour cream, then beat on high for 2-3 minutes, until smooth and fluffy. Use to frost a 9-inch round layer cake (or whatever).

e2 bakes brooklyn

sweets & sass from a baking brooklynite.