ITALIAN VANILLA RECIPES

Steps:

• To prepare the magic cake , start by melting the butter in a saucepan 1 . Be careful not to let it darken and, once melted, pour it into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Then separate the egg whites from the yolks 2 and pour the yolks at room temperature into a bowl, where you will add the sugar 3 .
• Now with an electric mixer, beat the yolks with sugar for at least 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes clear and frothy 4 . Still beating, add a tablespoon of very cold water 5 and a tablespoon of vanilla extract 6 to the yolks with sugar.  If you do not have an electric mixer, or if you prefer, you can use an egg beater or whisk .
• Add a pinch of salt 7 and the melted butter that you cooled 8 , then continue to beat for a few minutes. Sift the flour, add it to the mixture, a little at a time, and mix until completely absorbed 9 ; in the meantime, heat the milk in a saucepan.
• Once hot, pour it into the mixture 10 and let it mix for about 1 minute. It is essential that the mixture has no lumps, if it does, you can strain the mixture with a narrow mesh strainer using the back of a spoon to remove the lumps. At this point take the egg whites at room temperature and pour them into a clean bowl, start whipping them with a perfectly clean electric beater 11 . While whipping and when the egg whites have become clear: add the lemon juice (or white wine vinegar) 12 which will give stability to the mixture. You'll need very soft peaks.
• Gently beat the egg whites until stiff, so as not to make them droop 13 and mix until a fairly liquid mixture is obtained. Butter a square baking pan measuring 8x8" (20x20 cm) and 2.5" (6 cm) high 14 and line both the bottom and the edges with baking paper 15 .  The size of the baking pan is important to obtain the correct thickness of the cake.  
• Then pour the mixture into the buttered and lined baking pan 16 and bake in a static oven preheated to 300° F (150° C) for about 80 minutes, until the surface of the vanilla   magic cake is golden brown 17 ; take the cake out of the oven and let it cool completely at room temperature, then cover it with a layer of plastic wrap 18 and let it set in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
• When the cake has set, remove the baking paper 19 from the baking pan and cut the cake into cubes 20 . To make cutting easier, use a long, smooth-bladed knife wet with water or use a nylon thread. Place the cubes on a serving plate, sprinkle them with powdered sugar 21 and your vanilla magic cake will be ready to be served and enjoyed!

Steps:

• Place the egg whites and 1/3 cup of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the egg whites reach the soft peak stage.
• Meanwhile, pour the remaining sugar and 1/3 cup water in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and bring to the soft-ball stage, without stirring, 240 degrees F.
• The egg whites and syrup should be ready at about the same time. If one is ready before the other then you can remove the pan from the heat or stop whipping for a few minutes.
• Continue to whip the egg whites on medium-high speed and slowly drizzle in the hot syrup, aiming the syrup between the side of the bowl and the beaters. Continue to whip until both the bottom of the bowl and the mixture are cool, 10 to 15 minutes. The mixture should be thick and will form firm peaks at this point. Beat in the salt. At this point you have an Italian meringue.
• While still beating on medium-high, add the butter, a few pieces at a time. As the butter is added, the buttercream may appear to thin out some, but it will thicken into firm peaks once all of the butter is added. Beat in the vanilla extract. If the buttercream is still too loose, beat on high speed until thickened.
• Use right away or refrigerate in an airtight container overnight. The buttercream may need to be beaten slightly to smooth out before using.