Classic Birthday Cake Homemade with Love
Nothing beats a classic birthday cake homemade with love. This cake features a tender yellow crumb that is the finest you'll find. The rich chocolate frosting caps it all off for true birthday cake nostalgia. Makes (1) 8" or 9" two-layer cake or (1) 13"x9" single-layer cake.
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Digital Scale optional
- Rubber Spatula
- Whisk
- Mixing Bowls
- Stand or Hand Mixer
- 2 8" or 9" Cake Pans
- Offset Spatula or Cake Scraper
- Cake Turntable optional
- Piping Tips and Bag optional
Ingredients
Yellow Sponge
- 2 Cups Cake Flour 240g
- 2 Tsp Baking Powder 8g
- ¼ Tsp Baking Soda 1g
- 1 ¼ Cups Granulated Sugar 250g
- ½ Tsp Fine Sea Salt or Table Salt 3g
- 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter room temperature and cut into Tbsp chunks - 84g
- 3 Large Eggs room temperature - 150g
- ¼ Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil 60mL
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla Paste or Vanilla Extract 14g
- 6 Tbsp Sour Cream room temperature - 90g
- ¾ Cup Whole Milk room temperature - 178mL
Chocolate Frosting
- 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter can replace with shortening, if desired - 28g
- 2 Tbsp Shortening can replace with butter, if desired - 26g
- ½ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder natural, not dutch process - 43g
- ¼ Tsp Fine Sea Salt or Table Salt 1.5g
- ⅓ Cup Whole Milk more as needed for desired consistency - 79mL
- 1 Tbsp Corn Syrup 15mL
- 3 ½ Cups Powdered Sugar sifted - 420g
- 1 ½ Tsp Vanilla Extract 6g
- Rainbow or Chocolate Sprinkles optional for decoration
Instructions
Yellow Sponge
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 177°C. Butter the insides of two 8" or 9" cake pans. Add a small amount of flour to each pan and rotate them to coat thoroughly. Bang out any excess flour. Optionally: Add a round piece of parchment paper to the bottom of the cake pan before adding flour to prevent sticking.
- Sift the cake flour, baking soda, and baking powder together into a large bowl (if using a hand mixer) or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the sugar and salt, and mix on low to combine.
- With the mixer on medium speed, add 1 Tbsp of butter at a time to the dry mixture and continue mixing until it starts to break down before adding the next Tbsp. Continue this process until all butter is added, and mix on medium speed until the mixture looks uniformly like sand, about 3-4 minutes.
- Whisk eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla in a medium bowl. With the mixer on low speed, slowly stream in the egg mixture over a period of 1-2 minutes until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- With the mixture on low speed, gradually pour in the milk over a period of 1 minute until just incorporated. Finish gently folding the mixture with a rubber spatula for no longer than 20 seconds.
- Evenly pour the batter into the cake pans, and place in the center of the oven to bake until:-The cake bounces back when you gently touch the center with your finger.-The edges of the cake are pulling away from the sides of the pans. About 30 minutes (rotating the cakes midway through if they are not baking evenly).
- Place the cake pans on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans and allow them to cool completely before frosting.
Chocolate Frosting
- Melt shortening and butter together on the stovetop or in the microwave, and add it to a large mixing bowl along with the cocoa powder and salt. Whisk to combine until just about fully smooth.You can also prepare the frosting using a stand or hand mixer.
- Add corn syrup and vanilla to the chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. It may thicken as you're mixing, but that is perfectly fine.
- Gradually add the milk to the chocolate mixture while whisking simultaneously.
- Add the powdered sugar to the chocolate mixture in 3-4 batches, gently incorporating the sugar into the chocolate mixture until combined using a rubber spatula or whisk. If the mixture becomes too thick to handle, mix in 1-2 Tbsp of milk before continuing with the sugar.
Assembly
- Place a small spot of frosting on the surface you'll be frosting the cake on, and place one layer--bottom side up--centered over the frosting. This will hold the cake in place. Be sure the cake is completely cooled before this step.
- Apply ⅓ of the frosting to the first layer, and even it out using an offset spatula or cake scraper. Add the second layer, and apply gentle pressure to squeeze out any excess frosting between the layers.
- Apply ⅓ of the frosting to the top, and use the spatula to even it out. Apply most of the remaining frosting evenly around the sides of the cake (leaving some if you plan to pipe any designs). Use a spatula or scraper to smooth the sides and remove any excess frosting. Finish by smoothing out the top edges and top, if needed.
- Design Ideas (as pictured)Create a spiral in the frosting on top of the cake. If you're using a cake turntable, apply gentle pressure with the tip of your offset spatula on the outer edge of the cake, and spin the table as you slowly move the spatula toward the center simultaneously. Use any remaining frosting and pipe unique designs into the cake. A french star tip can be used to make the designs shown in the video. Press rainbow sprinkles up the side of the cake. Lay a parchment paper under your work area, and cup a handful of sprinkles. As your hand approaches the cake, turn your wrist and gently press the mass of sprinkles against the cake as you lift your hand along its side.
Video
Notes
Please Note: Nutrition Facts are estimates only. These figures are calculated via a third-party application using a generic likeness of each ingredient. Nutritional content will vary based on actual brands and weights used for each ingredient and portion size.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 360kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 4gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 202mgPotassium: 101mgFiber: 1gSugar: 44gVitamin A: 275IUVitamin C: 0.04mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 1mg
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