This past week, we celebrated my husband‘s 41st birthday and as usual, I baked him his all-time favorite layered cake, Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Wow, this cake is good! Pillowy, rich chocolate frosting is sandwiched between layers of buttery vanilla cake for the perfect flavor combination. This cake is sophisticated, but unpretentious; the perfect cake for the perfect birthday celebration.
To give this cake rise, the eggs are separated in this recipe. The yolks are mixed in with the sugar and butter, while the whites are beaten into stiff peaks and folded into the cake batter at the end. This technique is a great way to achieve a nice crumb. Another tip? Use room temperature eggs and butter, and sift your dry ingredients. Such steps will ensure perfectly smooth batter resulting in moist and uniform cake layers.
Before you start baking, set four eggs and four sticks of butter (two for the cake and two for the frosting) out on the counter to come up to room temperature. Prepare three 8” or 9” round cake pans. Butter, then line the bottom of each cake pan with parchment, then butter the top of the parchment as well as the sides of the pans. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.
When the butter is soft, add two sticks (one cup of butter) to a bowl or standing mixer along with 1 cup of sugar. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Next, separate the eggs and set the egg whites aside. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, to the butter/sugar mixture, incorporating each yolk into the batter before adding the next. Add two teaspoons of vanilla and mix.
In a separate bowl, sift 2½ cups of cake flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of salt into a bowl. Set aside. Measure out 1¼ cup of whole milk and set aside. Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture incrementally with the milk. So, add ⅓ of the flour, then ⅓ of the milk, ⅓ of the flour, then ⅓ of the milk and so on. Mix the batter until smooth.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with ¼ cup of sugar until the egg whites are glossy and white and have formed stiff peaks. This will take upwards of 5-8 minutes. Gently fold ⅓ of the meringue into the cake batter to aerate the batter, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Use a light hand and refrain from deflating the batter as you mix. Divide the batter evenly among the three cake pans. Smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake the cakes for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then turn them out onto a metal rack to cool completely. Be sure to remove the parchment paper from the underside of the cakes if it is still attached.
When the cakes have cooled, make the chocolate frosting. Chop and melt 6 ounces of milk chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave until smooth and glossy. Add the melted chocolate to a bowl or stand mixer along with two sticks of very soft butter, ½ cup of cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, 3 tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt. Mix for about 2-3 minutes. Add three cups of powdered sugar to the chocolate mixture and mix slowly at first, gradually increasing the mixer speed to high. Beat the frosting until smooth and very fluffy; about three minutes.
To frost the cake, spread liberal, but even amounts of frosting between each layer and on the top and sides of the cake. When well frosted, make swirling patterns in the frosting on the tops and sides of the cake for a finished, traditional look. Now, dig in!
Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
For the Yellow Cake
- 2 sticks, or 1 cup of salted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar + ¼ cup, divided
- 4 eggs separated and at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2½ cups cake flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1¼ cups whole milk
For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 6 ounces melted milk chocolate
- 2 sticks, or one cup of salted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp warm water
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Butter three 8" or 9" round cake pans on the bottom, line with parchment paper, then butter the top of the parchment paper and sides of the cake pans. Set aside.
- In a bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light yellow and fluffy, about three minutes.
- Separate eggs and set egg whites aside. Add the egg yolks one at a time to the butter/sugar mixture, mixing in each yolk fully before adding the next.
- Mix in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
- Measure out the milk and set aside.
- Add the dry ingredients to the sugar/butter mixture incrementally, starting with ⅓ of the flour, followed up with ⅓ of the milk. Repeat with the flour, then the milk, and so on until all ingredients have been incorporated. Mix the cake batter until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs whites with ¼ cup of sugar until the eggs are fluffy, bright white and glossy. and hold a stiff peak. This will take about 5-8 minutes.
- Fold ⅓ of the egg whites into the cake batter with a spatula, then the remainder of the egg whites. Use a gentle hand and try to refrain from deflating the egg whites as they are folded into the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly among the three cake pans and bake for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for 5 minutes in the pan before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- When the cakes have cooled completely, make the frosting. Start by chopping and melting 6 ounces of milk chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Add the melted chocolate to a bowl or stand mixer along with the butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt and warm water. Mix for 2 minutes. Next, add the powdered sugar. Mix slowly at first, then turn the mixer to high speed and whip the frosting until smooth and fluffy; about 3 minutes.
- Liberally frost the cake between the layers and on the top and sides. For a final touch, use a swirling motion to add swooped designs to the frosting for an elegant, traditional looking cake.
- Now dig in!
