Classic Yellow Cake With Chocolate Frosting Recipe
Birthdays are a memorable occasion in a person's life, and unless you hate cake, it's usually the main focus at every birthday party. While you can grab a basic frosted cake at the store, it's pretty simple to whip one up from scratch. There's no doubt that this cake and frosting recipe is much better than many store-bought options. Plus, the gift that says "I love you" best is food, specifically baked goods.
Recipe developer Stephanie Rapone came up with this awesome cake recipe that you'll want to bust out at your next party. "This cake is a classic, rich, yellow cake with chocolate frosting. My family loves it, and it is simple to make with ingredients I always have around," Rapone shares. "I find making it from scratch yields a more tender and rich cake, and the frosting can't be beat — it's not overly sweet, but it's still super chocolatey."
Keep reading to find out how to whip it up this decadent birthday cake.
Gather the ingredients for this classic yellow birthday cake
For the cake, you will need unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, baking powder, kosher salt, baking soda, sugar, egg yolks, and buttermilk.
For the frosting, just pick up milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, sour cream, unsalted butter, instant espresso powder, kosher salt, vanilla extract, and confectioners' sugar.
Once you have those things, you can make this classic yellow birthday cake.
Prep the cake pans, and preheat the oven
To make the cake, you will need 2 9-inch round cake pans. Measure out ⅔ tablespoon of butter, and generously grease the sides of each pan. Then, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, which helps prevent the cake from sticking.
Preheat your oven to 350 F.
Cream the butter
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, until combined.
In the stand mixer bowl using the paddle attachment, cream the remaining 15⅓ tablespoons of butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. With the stand mixer running, add 1 egg yolk at a time, and scrape the bowl as needed until combined.
Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk
Mix half of the whisked dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Before you incorporate the other half, add the buttermilk, and mix until combined. "Using buttermilk in the cake batter helps it be even more tender, and the espresso powder in the frosting brings out the chocolate flavor even more," Rapone notes.
Then, add the remaining dry ingredients and combine. "Just be careful not to over-beat the cake once you are adding the flour. If you do, the cake will be tough and bread-like," Rapone says.
Bake the cakes
Grab your prepared pans, and divide the batter evenly between the two, using a spatula to smooth out the batter. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, and check the doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center to see if it comes out clean. The top of the cake should also turn a nice golden brown color.
Remove the cakes from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes. Then, invert them onto a wire rack, and let cool completely. If the cake has a dome, use a serrated knife to trim it flat.
Melt the chocolate chips
While the cakes cool, melt the milk chocolate and dark chocolate chips in the microwave on high for 1 minute. Continue to microwave and stir in 30-second increments, until the chocolate is nice and smooth.
Once melted, combine the sour cream with the chocolate, and set aside to cool.
Make the frosting
While the melted chocolate cools, using the whisk attachment on the stand mixer, cream together 16 tablespoons of butter, espresso powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix in the cooled chocolate chip mixture, then add half the confectioners' sugar. Combine the mixture before adding in the remaining half of confectioner's sugar, until it reaches a light frosting consistency .
"The frosting [has] a very rich chocolate flavor without being overly sweet," Rapone says. "It has about half the sugar that I usually have in buttercream, and the sour cream and espresso really bring out the chocolate flavor."
Frost the cake
Now, it's time to assemble the cake. "To keep your cake stand clean, use small rectangles of parchment paper and tuck [them] under the bottom edge of your cake, overlapping them," Rapone notes. "Gently pull them out after frosting your cake, and your platter will remain clean."
Spread ⅓ of the frosting on the surface of the first cake layer. Then, add the second cake layer on top, and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting.
Serve and enjoy
Let the cake sit for 30 minutes before serving. "This cake is perfect with a big glass of milk," Rapone shares.
Be sure to save anything leftover cake. "The leftovers are good for 3 to 5 days, stored in an airtight container in the fridge," Rapone explains." Just make sure you give it an hour to come to room temperature again before enjoying."
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups sugar
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1¼ cups buttermilk
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
- Grease the sides of 2 9-inch round pans with ⅔ tablespoon of butter. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
- In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the remaining 15 ⅓ tablespoons of butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. With the motor is running, add the egg yolks one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add half the whisked dry ingredients and combine. Next, mix in the buttermilk, and then the remaining dry ingredients until combined.
- Divide the batter between the 2 prepared pans, using an offset spatula to smooth the batter. Bake until golden brown, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 to 45 minutes.
- Remove the cakes from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. If your cake has a large dome on it, use a large serrated knife to trim the top flat.
- While the cakes are cooling, melt the milk chocolate and dark chocolate chips in the microwave on high for 1 minute, then stir. Continue to microwave, and stir in 30-second increments until smooth. Combine the melted chocolate with the sour cream, and set aside to cool.
- While the melted chocolate mixture cools, using the whisk attachment on the stand mixer, cream 16 tablespoons of butter, espresso powder, salt, and vanilla extract together.
- Mix in the cooled chocolate mixture, then half the confectioner's sugar completely. Add the remaining half of confectioner's sugar, and whisk until light and fluffy.
- Spread abut ⅓ of the frosting over the surface of the first cake layer. Place the other cake layer on top, and cover the cake completely with the remaining frosting. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature, then serve.