The Silver Palate's Favorite Yellow Cake
2 C sugar
4 eggs
1 C Veg. oil*
1 C dry white wine**
2 1/2 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. grease & flour 2 9-inch round cake pans, or 13X9 pan, or 12 muffin cups.
2. Beat sugar & eggs together with electric mixer for 30 seconds on medium speed. Add remaining ingredients; beat for 1 minute.
3. Pour batter into prepared pans, set on middle rack of oven & bake for 30 minutes, or till cake has pulled away from sides of pan and knife inserted in center comes out clean. ( I always use the "spring" test)
4. Let cakes cool in pans 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely. Good room temp or chilled with your choice of icing or plain.
* I often replace the oil with 1 stick of melted butter (less fat, but a richer one) and it works fine.
**I sometimes replace the wine with an equal amount of buttermilk with a squirt of fresh lemon.
The taste varies with the wine you choose. This recipe is no fail, easy and just plain great. There's a reason it's in two cookbooks, and it will be reprinted with permission in my first cookbook, too.
--mari