我喜欢制作蛋糕。无论是母亲节，我女儿的生日，还是与朋友的特别庆祝活动，我似乎总是在烤蛋糕。但是我的朋友很少分享我的热情。无论我多么努力地说服他们这很容易和有趣，他们仍然认为制作蛋糕不在联盟中，除了经验丰富的面包师以外的任何人都可以避开它。如果您有同样的意见，请再考虑一下。相信我，制作令人惊叹的四层蛋糕并不困难。有了一些基本食谱，您几乎可以制作任何想要的蛋糕。

Through the years, I’ve developed three simple cake “components”: A reliable and versatilevanilla base cake, a fluffywhipped-cream filling, and a smooth奶油。I use the whipped-cream filling to make a casual, whimsical stacked cake with fresh berries; when I want something fancier, I use the buttercream for both filling and frosting. Now here’s the best part: By choosing different flavors for either the whipped cream or buttercream, I can make more than a dozen different cakes with just these three recipes.

Before making your cake, consider how much time you have。如果您的时间不足，请选择一个装满奶油的蛋糕。使它成为一个束缚，蛋糕看起来很壮观，鲜奶油和浆果在两层之间渗出。但是，不要害怕黄油蛋糕：这些页面上的蛋糕不会陷入无尽的时间 - 他们只需要更多的时间和集中精力。好消息是，您不必将奶油散布到完美。用小勺子制作糖果和冰冻的冰冻和宽容的表面更加有趣，而且是宽恕的。您将有一个漂亮的蛋糕，不需要太多的装饰。而且，如果您决定穿一些衣服，请选择一个简单的点缀以使事情变得快速无麻烦（请参阅下面的“完成触摸”）。您会惊讶于少数巧妙地排列的浆果或中心堆积的一小块巧克力剃须可以做蛋糕。

My tricks for easy cake-making

A quick method for Vanilla Butter Cake will speed things up quite a bit. The vanilla butter cake I make is tender, not overly sweet, and impossibly easy. Instead of the more traditional creaming method, which involves beating butter and sugar together until they’re airy and fluffy, I use the quick-blend method. I start with the dry ingredients and mix in the wet ingredients in two stages: first the butter and milk, then the eggs. This method is so easy that the hardest part is remembering to bring the butter, milk, and eggs to room temperature.

要获得最蓬松的搅打式填充，请手工完成。I don’t have to tell you that making whipped cream is, well, a piece of cake. But I can offer one tip for getting the best consistency for whipped cream that you want to use as a cake filling. I start whipping with a stand or hand-held mixer, but I always stop beating when the cream starts to thicken. I finish it by hand so I have more control over the final thickness. I like the whipped cream for these cakes to be smooth and quite thick (but not overbeaten), so that if you scoop a dollop onto a plate, it stands up softly.

我的无用方法使面包店式的奶油制成了光滑的奶油奶油。从食谱作者罗斯·利维·贝兰鲍姆（Rose Levy Beranbaum）拿到一个小费，我用玉米糖浆替换了一些糖的经典蛋糕糖霜。毫无疑问，这种黄油将成为您最喜欢的蛋糕糖霜。与传统的奶油相比，它令人难以置信的通风，光滑，更容易（请参阅奶油101).

Favorite cake combinations

搅打奶油蛋糕Vanilla whipped cream and strawberries
巧克力奶油和覆盆子
Raspberry or strawberry whipped cream with mixed berries
Lemon whipped cream with mixed berries

Buttercream cakesChocolate buttercream with brandy-thinned raspberry jam and toasted, sliced almonds
覆盆子黄油奶油与白兰地稀薄的覆盆子果酱和新鲜的覆盆子顶部
Coffee buttercream with chocolate-covered espresso beans on top
大玛尼尔奶油奶酪与玛尼尔粉粉的橙色果酱和巧克力剃须

果酱增加了额外的风味

如果您愿意，请使用果酱与利口酒稀疏，为蛋糕添加另一层风味。对于四层奶油蛋糕，将3/4杯无胶果酱与3汤匙混合。利口酒，例如白兰地或大玛尼尔。将黄油奶油铺在第一个蛋糕层上后，将三分之一的果酱铺在下一个蛋糕层上，将其翻转，然后将其放在奶油填充物上。重复接下来两层的过程。

Finishing touches

Decorating a finished layer cake can be as simple or as elaborate as you make it. I like to keep it neat and simple, with only a few elements arranged artfully on the top or the sides. Nut slices or coconut flakes will easily stick to the sides of a cake: Just grab a small handful at a time and gently pat them all around the cake. Step back from your work to get a better view of what you’re doing. You can fill gaps and correct small mistakes at the end. Here is a list of my favorite finishing touches:

Lemon-or orange-zest curls
新鲜浆果和水果（切片或楔子）
Dried fruit
烤坚果（切片，切片或整体）
Shaved chocolate curls (made with a vegetable peeler)
磨碎的巧克力
Chocolate-covered espresso beans
Coconut flakes
Melted chocolate drizzled from a pastry bag
Mint leaves