Happy Birthday(cake)!!

 

  It was my sister-in-law's birthday so I offered to bake a cake. I wanted to try a new recipe and I found a good one for a yellow cake. I always wish for my made-from-scratch cake to have the same tender crumb of a cake mix but without the weird flavors that come with using a mix. I have to say that this one is pretty darn close. It is certainly more dense than a mix, but it has a nice crumb and good flavor. I thought of spreading some homemade raspberry jam in the middle and frosting it with a vanilla buttercream, but them decided a chocolate buttercream was a better choice for a fall cake. So here it is. I actually think my favorite part of the entire cake is the edible "Disco Dust" I found at a specialty shop. The photos really do not do it justice...it is really fun! I recommend you get some and try it for yourself.

 

Yellow Cake

4 cups plus 2 TBS. sifted cake flour 

2 tsp. baking powder 

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 sticks softened butter

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups buttermilk (or two cups milk with 1 tsp. vinegar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two nine-inch cake pans and set aside. Sift flour together with baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla, turn down the mixer to slow speed and then add eggs one at a time, being sure to mix well after each. Mix in buttermilk just until blended. Don't worry, the mixture at this point will look a little curdled. Then slowly add the flour mixture in three parts. Divide evenly between the two pans. Lightly tap each pan on the counter a few times to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake for ~30 minutes until cake is done when a tester is inserted. Take out of oven and place pans on a wire rack for ten minutes before removing from pans.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

makes about 4 cups

1 1/2 sticks softened butter

4 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. salt

5 TBS. milk or cream

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate(chopped)

Melt chocolate in top of double boiler and stir until smooth. Take off heat and set aside to cool. In mixing bowl, mix the other 5 ingredients together until smooth. Then pour in chocolate and mix until on high speed until thoroughly combined. You may want to add another tablespoon or two of milk if it seems too stiff. This frosting will spread nicely and then "set up" a bit while the cake stands, so do not be afraid to have the frosting kind of soft to start out.

I flipped each layer of my cake upside down to frost. The top is so moist, the crumbs are easily pulled off by the frosting. This method seems to work well and the cake is nice and level when you are finished. Find some "Disco Dust" and sprinkle liberally on top for a fun finish.

This cake is best served with a cup of coffee or a tall glass of milk.

Enjoy- 

yours in baking-

p