Birthday Cake

A tender yellow cake with chocolate frosting is a special treat for any occasion.

A moist, tender-crumbed cake is an achievement for any baker, at home or in the professional kitchen. Too often, a made from scratch cake can come out dry, sandy or worst of all, tough. There can be many reasons for this but the main one is either under or over mixing and also using all purpose flour instead of cake flour, thereby introducing too much gluten to the batter.

As for the lack of moisture in most made from scratch yellow cakes, this has to do with the type and amount of fat used in the recipe. I was very pleased to have finally found a recipe that includes both butter and oil, the perfect balance of flavor and moisture. This is originally a King Arthur Flour recipe, but I’ve altered it to also include buttermilk as well as whole milk, which tenderizes the crumb and when balanced with a touch of baking soda, reveals a lovely light texture and delicate flavor.

As with all baking recipes, the key to success is weighing ingredients if you can. A reliable scale is a must in the bakery and there are many at low prices available for purchase online. Cake flour is also a must; use unbleached if you can find it. The technique is very similar to a hot milk sponge cake, which can be a little tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, I find the recipe to be very reliable and regularly yields wonderful results.

The frosting is a simple chocolate cream cheese buttercream. While an Italian buttercream is impeccable, I prefer the tanginess of the cream cheese with the vanilla flavored cake. It’s fudgy but light and doesn’t over power the cake. As always, be sure to sift the cocoa powder or you will never get the lumps out.

Birthday Cake (Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting)

Yield: one 8 or 9-inch cake

Active time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups/245 grams unbleached cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

4 eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 cups/323 grams granulated sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup/165 grams whole milk

4 Tablespoons/57 grams unsalted butter, cubed

1/2 cup/123 grams buttermilk

1/3 cup/67 grams vegetable oil

Frosting:

8 ounces/226 grams cream cheese, room temperature

8 Tablespoons/113 grams unsalted butter, room temperature

5 ounces/142 grams dark chocolate, chopped

2 Tablespoons/15 grams dutch cocoa powder

1-2 Tablespoons whole milk, to thin

2 1/2 cups/312 grams confectioner’s sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour two 8 inch cake pans and line with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a medium size bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attached, combine the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Whisk on medium high speed for 5-8 minutes until the mixture is very pale yellow in color, tripled in volume and forms a thick ribbon when the whisk is lifted.

While the eggs are whisking, place the whole milk and butter in a saucepan. Heat gently just until the butter melts then remove from heat and set aside. Measure the butter milk and vegetable oil and set aside.

When the egg mixture is the proper thickness and volume, add one third of the flour, and mix on low just to combine. Follow immediately with the warm milk and butter, whisking just to combine. Add another third of flour, mix, then follow with the buttermilk and oil, mix and finish with the last of the flour. Mix on low speed just until blended, then up the speed to medium high and whip the batter for 45 seconds.

Immediately pour the batter evenly into two pans. Bake for 38-42 minutes, or until the top bounces back when gently tapped and a cake tester comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool on a rack. Meanwhile make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the cream cheese with the paddle attachment until smooth and light. Add the butter and beat again, just until uniform and creamy.

Melt the chocolate over a Bain Marie (bring about an inch of water to simmer in a saucepan and place a metal or class bowl on top of the pan). Use a spatula to gently stir the chocolate until melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

Sift the cocoa powder into the mixer bowl, mix on low and add the milk, just one Tablespoon at first. Add the confectioner’s sugar and mix on low just until combined. Then beat on medium high speed to whip the frosting, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat the frosting until light and fluffy, adding the last of the milk if it’s too thick and needs to be thinned.

When the cakes are properly cooled, use a thin paring knife to loosen the sides. Turn the cakes out and remove the parchment paper.

Place the cake on a cake board, cake stand or plate and use parchment paper pieces to protect the plate.

Layer the cakes with about a half cup of frosting in-between, then frost the crumb coat with a thin layer.

Chill the cake until the crumb coat is firm. Frost the cake with the remaining butter cream. Remove the parchment pieces by carefully sliding them out from under the cake. Repair any of the frosting.

The cake will keep well wrapped or sealed in the refrigerator for up to three days.