All-purpose cake dough

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (see Note)
• 1 and 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 cups premium flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 0.5 cups of sour milk or kefir at room temperature, shake well

Preparation:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Spray a 9-inch (22 cm) round or square cake pan with cooking spray; line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the eggs one at a time, beating for 45 seconds after each addition. Mix with a spatula, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
   
   
   Be sure to beat the butter and sugar for a full 4 minutes to get good volume.
3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, add the flour mixture and sour milk, alternating between the two, beginning and ending with the flour, and knead until smooth.
   
   
   Don't overmix. After adding the flour, mix only until the ingredients are incorporated and no streaks of flour remain; overmixing will result in a dense cake.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack.
   
   Note
   
   Butter, eggs and sour milk should be at room temperature so that the dough bakes evenly.

5. 1. Vanilla cake

   
   This is where it all starts—a super-firm vanilla cake, perfect for layering and frosting (with any frosting flavor you like). And, accordingly, it's also an essential building block for all the following variations..

6. 2. Chocolate cake

   
   Take a basic cake batter (good old vanilla) and add unsweetened dark cocoa powder, melted bittersweet chocolate, and brewed coffee (this adds extra depth to the chocolate flavor). And there you have it: vanilla cake batter transformed into a rich, chocolatey cake that adds ingredients, not subtracts them..
   
   Method of preparationAdd 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder to the flour mixture. After adding the eggs, add 110 grams of melted and cooled bittersweet chocolate, stirring until smooth. Add 1/4 cup hot coffee to the dough, alternating it with the flour mixture and sour milk.

7. 3. Lemon poppy seed cake

   
   Okay, now we get to the real shaping. The base cake mix is ​​enhanced with lemon zest, lemon juice, and poppy seeds. Plus, while it's in the oven, you can quickly make a glaze—just lemon juice and powdered sugar. Drizzle it over the cake after it's cooled, and you'll have a dessert perfect for any spring party..
   
   Lemon Poppy Seed Cake:
   
   Combine 2 tablespoons of freshly grated lemon zest with the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Stir 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice into the sour milk before adding it to the batter. Before pouring the batter into the pan, gently fold in 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds with a rubber spatula.
   
   Lemon glaze:
   
   In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons lemon juice with 3/4 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Add more lemon juice, a few drops at a time, if needed. Once the cake has cooled completely, drizzle the glaze over it.

8. 4. Coffee cake

   
   This version is all about layering—you start with a basic batter, but top it with streusel (flour, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, cold butter, and a little salt). While baking, stir together the glaze with maple syrup, water, and powdered sugar. The result is a delicious creation that easily rivals any coffee cake recipe, but probably requires fewer steps.!
   
   Coffee cake:
   
   To make streuselIn a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse, wet sand. Pour half the batter into the pan and spread it evenly with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle half the streusel over the batter. Top with the remaining batter and sprinkle with the remaining streusel.
   
   To make maple glazeIn a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of natural maple syrup with 1 teaspoon of water and 3/4 cup of powdered sugar until smooth. Add more water, a few drops at a time, if needed. Once the cake has cooled completely, drizzle with the maple glaze.

9. 5. Confetti cake

   
   It might be the oldest trick in the baking book, but it's a good one: mix rainbow sprinkles into the cake batter before pouring it into the pan. We also added an extra teaspoon of vanilla for a subtle aroma that evokes the spirit of a house party..
   
   Confetti cake:
   
   Increase the vanilla extract from 1 tbsp to 2 tbsp. Before pouring the batter into the pan, gently fold in 1/4 cup of the sprinkles with a spatula.

10. 6. Cake with raspberry jam

    
    This next iteration takes a basic cake batter and swirls jam into it. We chose raspberry jam, but any flavor will do. You can layer it completely and set the cake aside until the next day to get ready for the party (the cake can be kept in the freezer until you need it—what a moist, spectacular cake!), but your friends will still be counting the seconds, even if you serve it naked. That might be an understatement, but we like it better that way..
    
    Raspberry Jam Pie:
    
    Bring 0.5 cups of seedless raspberry jam to room temperature and stir vigorously with a spoon until smooth. Pour half the batter into the pan and spread it evenly with a silicone spatula. Spoon 4 dollops of jam (about half) onto the batter. Cover with the remaining batter and spoon 4 more dollops of jam onto the batter. Run a long wooden skewer through the batter, making sure the skewer reaches the bottom of the pan, creating marbled patterns.