Yellow Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting

The first time I made this cake, I was multi-tasking. I was baking brownies, choc-chips and this cake kind of at the same time. Note to self: be very very careful when multi-tasking (multi-baking?). You see, I sort of forgot to line the cake tins. And that never works out very well. What was supposed to be a beautiful cake turned into a crumbly, gorgeous smelling mess. I quickly troubleshooted and whipped up a batch of my vanilla buttercream frosting to create a haphazard version of 'cake balls' (which by the way, tasted good but would have been better if I had set out to make cake balls from the start, and used a proper 'cake ball' recipe...). 

Anyway, when thinking up cake ideas to bake for my Dad's Birthday, I knew I had to redeem myself and make this cake properly!! Which I totally did. And man is it fabulous. It smells like heaven when it's baking, all buttery and sweet. It was so hard not to slice it up and gobble it down as soon as it came out of the oven, but thankfully everyone got to enjoy the decorated version with a decadent, silky smooth chocolate frosting. Definitely a favourite, and perfect for a Birthday!

Yellow Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:

For the cake:

230g butter, at room temp

180g plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting pans

180g cake flour

1 tbs. (could not find a gram measurement, but probably around 8g) baking powder

350g sugar

4 large eggs

2tsp vanilla extract

300mls milk

For the frosting:
500g dark chocolate (alternatively use ½ milk and ½ dark)
50g cocoa powder 
90mls boiling water 
340g unsalted butter, at room temp
50g icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted 
Pinch of salt

 Method:

Preheat oven to 180˚C (350˚ F). Line the base of two 23cm (9 inch) cake tins with baking paper. Grease and flour the sides of the tins, tapping out the excess. Set aside.

Whisk together the flours and baking powder in a medium bowl, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl at regular intervals. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk, until each addition is just incorporated.

Split the batter evenly between the two cake tins (I use digital scales to get the measurements exact). Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until golden and a skewer/toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Note: You can also rotate the tins halfway through if needed.

Transfer pans to a wire rack and cool 20 mins. Run a plastic knife around the edges of the cakes to loosen, then invert onto racks and remove the baking paper. Cool completely before icing.

To make the icing: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set up over a saucepan of just simmering water, stirring until melted and smooth. Remove  from heat and let cool for about 25-35 minutes, or until room temperature.

Meanwhile, combine the cocoa powder and boiling water in a small bowl, stirring until the cocoa is dissolved. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar and salt on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. On low speed, gently beat in the melted chocolate until combined, about 1-2 minutes. Add the cocoa mixture and beat until well blended. Note: if your icing/frosting is too soft/runny, stand at room temperature or place in the fridge until it is workable.

To assemble: Place the cake on a cake stand or serving platter. Add 1 cup of the frosting to the centre of the cake and smooth out to an even layer, leaving about a fingertips gap around the edges (the weight of the second layer should push the frosting to the edges). Gently place the second cake on top, and use the remaining frosting to ice the sides and top of the cake as desired. Serve and enjoy!

Cake can be refrigerated, covered for up to 3 days. Let come to room temp 30 mins before serving. 

Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook