Celebration Cake: Yellow Layer Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

This cake is a classic, with a little twist in the icing. I don't know about you, but I grew up eating good old fashioned yellow cake with chocolate icing for almost every birthday celebration. Often times, it was from a cake mix and canned frosting, and every time, every last crumb was licked from the plate. I just love the combination of flavors and the warm memories that the taste, smell and texture immediately bring back, memories that seem but a breath away. My birthday is in about 2 weeks...I think I might make this cake again for myself! I might even share a slice or two!

Snuggle buddies!

I got this recipe from Smitten Kitchen (one of my favorite food blogs...actually the first food blog I ever saw!) and I will say that I loved the cake, and the icing was a nice change, but next time I make this I might opt for a good old fashioned chocolate buttercream or fudge icing. When I tasted the sour cream icing by itself, I almost cried and threw it out, I thought it was just too sour. But after the initial surprise, I really ended up liking the tang. Especially once it was on the cake, the icing gave the sweet cake a nice balance. Everyone that ate the cake basically licked their plates clean (even non-cake eaters such as my husband), so I would say that is a positive endorsement!

Shafer usually falls asleep with this toy in her paws!

So, make this cake for a celebration, make this cake when you need a lift in spirits, or make this cake just because you want to! Enjoy!

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Ingredients for Yellow Layer Cake:

4 cups plus 2 tablespoons of cake flour
2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of table salt
2 sticks of butter, softened
2 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups of buttermilk


Steps for Yellow Layer Cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and gather your ingredients.

2. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper, then butter the parchment paper. You want to do everything that you can to keep your cake from sticking to the pans. There is nothing more disheartening in the kitchen then having your cake fall apart because it sticks to the pan.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

4. In your electric mixer beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.

5. Add the vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture.

6. Add the four eggs one at a time.

7. Slowly add in the buttermilk until just combined. Do not panic, indeed, the mixture will look curdled!

8. Slowly add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

9. Spread the batter into the cake pans.

10. Bake in the 350 degree oven until golden and a toothpick can be inserted and cleanly removed (no cake batter).

11. Cool for at least ten minutes and then carefully remove from the pans and let cool fully before assembling with the icing. Also, take off the parchment.

Ingredients for Chocolate Sour Cream Icing:
16 ounces of semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 cups of sour cream, at room temperature (I used lower fat)
1/2 cup of light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Steps for Chocolate Sour Cream Icing:

1. Melt your chocolate either in a double broiler or in the microwave. I used the microwave and it really does not take much time at all to melt the chocolate. Cook for 30 seconds and remove to stir. Place back in the microwave 2 to 3 more times for 15 seconds, stirring between each heating. You will be surprised at how quickly the chocolate melts.

2. Let the chocolate cool until lukewarm.
3. Whisk together the sour cream, the corn syrup, and vanilla extract until combined.

4. Add the lukewarm chocolate slowly and stir until the mixture is fully combined.

5. Let the icing cool in the fridge for about 30 minutes. If the icing gets too stiff, leave it on the counter until it softens, this will take just a few minutes.

Assembly:
1. Cut one of the layers a bit to level it so that it is not so round.

2. Add the icing to the bottom layer and then place the top layer on top. Then continue to ice the entire cake.

3. Add fun sprinkles or candles and enjoy!

 Shafer's favorite spot!

Cort's favorite spot!

100th Post Dinner Celebration

Thanks to Adrienne for the sweet banner!

We cannot believe it, but we made it to 100 posts on our little blog! Staci and I thought it would be fun to celebrate with some dear friends and have an evening of yummy food and delightful conversation. We are sad that we could not have had all of our loyal blog readers over for dinner...perhaps someday! Anyways, thank you to each and everyone of our readers. It is always so heartwarming to hear that you enjoy reading the blog (and especially when you try out the recipes!) as much as we enjoy cooking new foods and writing our posts!

We chose a Mediterranean theme and dined on hummus, couscous, cinnamon spiced chicken, grilled veggies with green goddess dressing and a yummy yellow cake with chocolate sour cream frosting!

Here are some fun and festive pictures from the evening! Recipes will follow over the next few days!

Thanks again for reading!

Dinner parties are fun reasons to pull our all of your wedding gifts!

Challah Bread

I got a new cookbook and it has made me (and Bunker) so happy! It is The Bread Baker's Apprentice, and it is filled to the brim with descriptive and easy to use recipes, diagrams, tips, photographs, variations, history lessons and troubleshooting. A good cookbook can be a total game changer in the kitchen.

Sleepy Shafer

I love Challah bread. The slight sweetness and the incredibly delicate body of the bread is just such a comfort, and it is all wrapped up in the most beautiful braid, like a present tied up with a bow. You can understand why Challah bread is the centerpiece of Jewish celebrations.

Cort the Co-pilot.

Earlier this year we had a dear friend bring us soup and Challah bread, it is one of those meals that is just pure comfort to the soul, a hug in the form of food. Can you think of someone that might need a "food hug"?

Shafer chilling out on the couch.

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Ingredients:
4 cups of flour
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar (I might use 3 or 4 next time as I craved a little more sweetness)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
2 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
2 eggs whites, whisked until frothy, for egg wash

Steps:
1. Stir together flour, sugar, salt and yest in a large mixing bowl.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, and yolks, and water.

3. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir to combine.

4. Continue to stir until the dough forms itself into a ball.

5. On a floured surface, turn out the dough and knead for about 10 minutes. If you need extra moisture you can add little sprinkles of water, but try to resist this unless you really need it. As you knead the dough becomes more moist, so you really should not need to add much extra water.

6. Oil a large bowl and place the dough into the bowl and cover. Let rise for about an hour.

7. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for about 2 minutes to punch out the gas.
8. Re-form into a ball and return to the bowl. Let rise for an additional hour.

9. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 3 pieces and form into small balls. Cover and let rest for about 10 minutes.

10. Roll out each ball into long strands, all of the same length, and all fatter in the middle and tapered at the ends.

11. I then moved the strands to my baking sheet and braided the strands from the center out to each end.

12. Brush the loaf with your egg wash.

13. Cover and allow the dough to rise for another hour.
14. Bake the bread in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes, turning around at 20 minutes to ensure even baking. Your bread will be rich and glistening brown in color, hollow in sound, relatively hard to the touch, and deliciously sweet and warm in smell.

The Challah bread was the centerpiece for our special dinner at home. I always try to come up with reasons to have a special dinner and pull out our wedding china, silver and crystal. Otherwise, it sits in the cabinet, and you only enjoy it once a year or so. 

Ricotta Gnocchi with spring veggies...next post!