classic yellow celebration cake with milk chocolate buttercream

My forte currently is to scare up my own versions of classic recipes for you to try. Let’s add this dude to our A-list.

Our childhood cakes were certainly not of your standard mold. I don’t quite remember the type of cakes my mom baked – sometimes, I think, she even did brownies instead – but I’ll never forget the love and effort she put into the designs. My mom doesn’t give herself nearly enough credit for her creativity; it always blossomed utmost in our cakes.

Man, did she go all out.

My most notable were a Yoshi cake (may have been a brownie-cake) and a Bob-omb. Fucking masterpieces, and really highlights how obsessed I was with the Mario games when I was a kid. My sister received, amongst others, a cheeseburger cake and a replica of the Montgomery Biscuits’ mascot/logo. I wish I had photos accessible for all of these, but I suppose they’ll live most prevalently in my memory. As most things do, methinks.

The abundance of March birthdays inspired this Yellow Celebration Cake. I handed out quite a few slices, to J and to a good friend of mine, to a couple coworkers (including one who didn’t have a birthday but asked to try it), and plenty left to nibble for myself. You really cannot go astray with yellow cake. Buttery, fluffy, tender, indulgent, and that chocolate buttercream is really something else.

I’m not sure what the standard for something else, but I assure you, it is something else.

If you’re baking for a party, for an individual, or even yourself, this cake beckons for your consideration. And as I always say with any of my dishes, it may not be THE BEST OUT THERE, but if you wander across the recipe and think it looks swell, I promise you it is. Worthy to keep in your proverbial back pocket.

It Was All Yellow

Yellow cake is quite an easy formula. The main difference between it and many other cakes is, well, the hue, which we attribute to the addition of a couple egg yolks into the batter. The yolks also provide a hell of a lot of moisture, creating that melt-in-your-mouth crumb so characteristic of the species.

Species?

Whip together butter and sugar – all white here, brown would change the color too much – then beat in your eggs one at a time. Next: the egg yolks. Then add vanilla and Greek yogurt until everything’s nice and smooth.

Then: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a touch of salt. Leave the mixer running and slowly pour in the buttermilk until incorporated. Do not overmix – some lumps in the batter are a-ok.

Grease a couple 9 inch cake pans – you can also use three 6-inch pans if you want a triple layer cake – and divide the batter relatively evenly among them. You can weigh the batter as you pour if you want to be very precise, or eyeball it like I do. I’m not a pro, and I don’t pretend to be, but I’m alright at estimating so I usually stick to the latter trick.

Bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the vibes are right…or when you stick a toothpick in it and no globby gook sticks to the wood. Cool the cakes 10 minutes in the pans. Run a knife around the edges to loosen, then flip onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Milkin’ It

I call this milk chocolate frosting because it’s not dark enough to be dark chocolate. I typically think of dark chocolate frostings as one with melted chippies in them, or a ganache. I’m probably wrong, but hey, I’m wrong about a lot of shit – the key is to speak confidently as if I know what I’m saying.

Really boosting my credibility here, aren’t I.

Anywho. This buttercream is real easy, and has the lightest, fluffiest texture thanks to a decent amount of heavy cream. I love a whipped frosting and tend to use less butter and more cream in mine to achieve the texture I desire.

Start by combining powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and cocoa powder on low speed. It won’t look like frosting right away, but we want to prevent a firestorm of flying powdered sugar as best we can. Pour in 1/4 cup of heavy cream and continue mixing on low, then crank up the speed and whirlybird that shit until it expands and floofs and all that good stuff. Add more heavy cream if it’s still too thick.

Now, I always say I suck at decorating, and I do, so I go pretty conservative with my frosting methodology. Plop one cake layer on a cake stand or plate and frost a good thick amount on top, then add your second layer and repeat. Frost all the way around the cake until all that yellow is totally covered in chocolate.

If you’ve got frosting leftover, you can pipe some swirls on top, or waves, or whatever pleases you. Finish with lots of rainbow sprinkles. Wouldn’t be a birthday cake without some funfetti. Woopee!

A finished cake will last about 3 days at room temperature, or a week in the fridge. You can also bake the cake layers ahead of time, cool them, and pop in the fridge undecorated for up to 3 days. They freeze well too for about a month or so. Emergency cake? Sure, why not.

Hmm. What should be next in my classic cakes series? Should I make it a series? I’m too tired to answer that right now, so if you’ve got input, please let it rip. If not, that’s cool too. Just enjoy this cake for now.

Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!

Bake the cake, take the cake:

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Triple Lemon Layer Cake

Fresh Strawberry Layer Cake