Growing up, my mom always made homemade cakes for every birthday, party, or random event held at my house. Her specialty: devils food chocolate cake with homemade cream cheese frosting. Delicious! Raising two kids who are 11 months apart (Michelle and I were born in the same year, and yes, we are Irish twins), my mom never had time to fully bake a cake from scratch, so she used a box of Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake, and made her own cream cheese frosting (the recipe is here). Even though she doesn’t have to deal with two whining, complaining children anymore, she still has trouble finding time to bake anything from scratch, between work and cleaning up after four messy people and a dog. While I love eating and baking homemade goods, I grew up on this cake, so I really have no complaints and I love when my mom makes it. Like the rest of my family, I am a huge chocolate fan, so this cake has never disappointed anyone, and it continues to be a favorite amongst family and friends to this day. While I love Mom’s special chocolate birthday cake, sometimes I crave the exact opposite: yellow cake with chocolate frosting.
I don’t know why, but the thought of eating a homemade yellow cake with chocolate frosting makes my mouth water, so I decided it would be a great idea to make a homemade yellow cake for my graduation party. In all of my 18 years of life, I have yet to have a homemade yellow butter cake, yet it is probably my favorite cake in the entire world. With 4 ½ days left of school and graduation coming up soon, I recently embarked on an internet journey to find a great yellow butter cake and chocolate frosting recipe. With many recipes out there, I found a recipe that looks promising, and while I have yet to try it out due to the end of the year craziness, I am excited to try the recipe and hopefully use it to make my graduation cake!
Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Time: 1 Hour
Makes: 1 two layer 9x 1 ½ inch cake
Ingredients:
Cake:
6 large egg yolks
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 ½ cups granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
12 teaspoons unsalted butter, room temp and cut into pieces
Frosting:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Procedure:
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
- Spray two 9-inch x 1 1/2 inch (23 x 4 cm) cake pans with Pam cooking spray
- In a medium bowl, lightly combine the egg yolks, ¼ cup milk, and vanilla extract
- In the bowl of your electric mixer, combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds or until blended.
- Add the butter and remaining 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 2 minutes to aerate and develop the cake's structure.
- Gradually add the egg mixture, in 3 additions, beating about 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the egg.
- Divide the batter and pour into the prepared pans, smoothing the surface with an offset spatula.
- Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in center.
- Cool completely before frosting on wire racks.
Frosting:
- In double boiler melt chips and add heavy cream, mix until smooth take off of heat.
- In mixing bowl cream together sugar and cream cheese until smooth, slowly add chocolate mixture. Mixture will thicken up as the chocolate cools.
