The Chief has been underway for most of his birthdays since we’ve been married. He’s also not one to make a big deal out of anything… that’s my job! So this year, I was thrilled to celebrate his birthday — on land — with family and friends.
For my sweet Chief’s 36th birthday, I made this cake.
Maybe he expected a boxed yellow cake with store-bought chocolate frosting, but this was a special occasion that called for a cake made from scratch with love.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This cake comes together easily, but you will dirty some dishes along the way. First, combine dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine wet ingredients: buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract.
I make my own buttermilk when baking by pouring 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into a measuring cup and topping it off with milk to the 1-cup mark.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Then add yolks and eggs, one at a time. Occasionally scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to prevent lumps. Continue beating mixture and scraping sides and bottom until it’s almost double in volume and very light, airy and pale yellow. Beautiful!
Turn the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients — alternating with the buttermilk mixture — in 3 batches. You’ll start and end with the dry ingredients. Divide the batter evenly between prepared pans, smooth the tops and give the pans a few light taps on the counter to help the batter spread evenly.
Pop those puppies into a preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes. Transfer to wire racks when a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out with just a few crumbs attached. Let cool in pans, then invert onto racks to cool completely.
For the frosting, I used a combination of semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate that I melted in a makeshift double-boiler with corn syrup and espresso powder. I like to add espresso powder or a robust instant coffee when baking with chocolate as it brings out the complexity of chocolate’s flavor. Stir the chocolate until smooth.
Over the same pot of boiling water and in a separate bowl, stir sour cream, salt and vanilla together until warm.
Combine the sour cream mixture with the chocolate mixture and stir until smooth and glossy. Look at that shine!
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat powdered sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Slowly incorporate chocolate mixture and continue beating until smooth. Don’t be alarmed if your frosting is a little runny when you’re finished making it. It will spread nicely — but not pipe — after it has chilled for at least an hour.
Happy birthday, my love! Cheers to many, many more! — v.
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Yellow Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 large eggs
CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM FROSTING- 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
Directions
- Step 1 For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans by coating with no-stick baking spray or greasing and lightly dusting with flour. For added insurance, line the bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper and the cakes will slide out easily.
- Step 2 In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- Step 3 In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine sugars and butter and beat until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add yolks and eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Continue beating mixture until almost doubled in volume and very light, airy and pale yellow, 5-6 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl.
- Step 4 With mixer on low, add dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk mixture in 3 batches. Begin and end with dry ingredients.
- Step 5 Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the centers comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pans 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.
- Step 6 For the frosting: Stir chocolate, corn syrup and espresso powder in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water until melted and smooth. In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, salt and vanilla extract and set over same pot of simmering water until warm, about 2 minutes. Add sour cream mixture to chocolate mixture and stir until smooth and glossy.
- Step 7 In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat powdered sugar and butter until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Slowly incorporate chocolate mixture and continue beating until frosting is smooth and shiny, about 2 minutes. Cover and chill at least an hour until slightly firmed up.
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Step 8
To assemble the cake: Using a long serrated knife, remove dome from top of each cake to create a flat surface. Then cut each cake in half horizontally to make 4 layers. Place a cake layer on cake stand or large plate and spoon 1/3 cup frosting over it. Using an offset spatula, smooth frosting to edges in an even layer. Place another cake layer on top and repeat with frosting and remaining layers. Spread remainder of frosting over top and sides of cake.
This recipe is adapted from Epicurious.
I love your term “adapted from,” I use that term with web sites when I find a template I like and then tweak it to how I like it. My favorite part about your cake is the thin layers, I love finding icing in the middle of a cake.
I like to identify my recipe sources, but I also take liberties to suit my taste so that’s why the “adapted from.” Someone suggested adding a fruit layer, like raspberry, to this cake, too! Maybe my next project… Thanks for reading and replying, Jim!
That looks so yummy! May have to try this one. I love your blog, you’re so creative and inspirational!!!
Aw, thank you, Deb! The Chief said this was the best one I’ve made yet, so I hope you’ll try it and see how you like it.