The Perfect Birthday Cake

Last week marked the first birthday of A Thyme To Eat. Suzie and I have enjoyed sharing our kitchens and culinary adventures with you all and look forward to another great year. I was recently asked to bake a yellow cake with chocolate frosting for a friend's birthday party and thought that this would be the perfect post for the occasion.

This was actually my first time baking this type of cake so I ended up doing quite a bit of research before settling on a recipe. Several blogs that I respect listed Martha Stewarts recipe as being the best, and I have to say that I agree. This cake managed to be light and rich all at once. And the frosting absolutely made this cake. If you only have time to make one thing from scratch, make this frosting! It is so worth it and will literally melt in your mouth.

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Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients
For the cake
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups whole milk

For the frosting
1 lb semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 tablespoons Ghiradelli cocoa powder
6 tablespoons boiling water
3 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of two round cake pans with parchment paper and grease the pans with either butter and dusted with flour or the Crisco baking spray.

 In the bowl of your electric mixer with the paddle attachment, add the 2 sticks of butter and sugar. Cream on medium speed until fluffy.

 While the butter and sugar is creaming, combine the flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

 Once the butter and sugar is ready, add the eggs one at a time, blending on medium speed fully until adding the next egg.

 Add in the vanilla and blend in.

 With the mixer on low speed, add in a third of the flour followed by a third of the milk and blend in fully. Repeat two more times until all the milk and flour is blended in.

 Pour the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Place in the oven and bake, rotating halfway through until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.

 When ready, remove the pans from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes.

 After 20 minutes, remove from the pan and return to the wire rack until the cakes are completely cooled to room temperature.

Meanwhile, chop the chocolate and place into a heat resistant bowl.

 Place a top of a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth.

 When smooth, remove the chocolate from the heat and let cool for about 25 minutes until it reaches room temperature.

 While the chocolate is cooling, combine the boiling water and baking powder in a small bowl and stir until fully blended.

 When the chocolate is ready, cream the 3 sticks of butter and confectioner's sugar in the bowl of your electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.

 Pour in the melted chocolate and beat on low speed until completely blended.

 Pour in the water and cocoa powder mixture and beat until mixed in. If you want your frosting at a thicker consistency, let sit in the fridge for an hour or so. I thought it was just right and put it right on the cake.

 Scoop about a cup of frosting onto the bottom cake, you may want to level the top off to remove the rounded top.

 Smooth out the frosting then place the second layer on top.

Add another cup of frosting on top of that layer and smooth it out and add more onto the sides until fully frosted.

The birthday boy, making a wish.

 Enjoy with coffee or milk.

Source: The Martha Stewart Baking Handbook

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!