Yellow Cake With American Buttercream Recipes

YELLOW CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds (see #6 in Cake Baking Tips), then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. I recommend using nonstick spray for greasing.
• Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed for 3 full minutes. The creamed butter and sugar will be extra creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Turn the mixer down to medium-high speed and beat in the 4 egg yolks one at a time, letting each egg yolk fully mix into the batter before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla extract until combined.
• Add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients and 1/2 of the buttermilk and beat on low speed until combined. Add 1/3 more of the dry ingredients and the rest of the buttermilk and beat on low speed until combined. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. The batter is very thick. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high speed until fluffy peaks form, about 3 minutes. See photo and video above for a visual. Slowly and gently fold the egg whites into the thick cake batter. Avoid over-mixing as you don't want to deflate the egg whites.
• Pour/spoon batter evenly into cake pans.
• Bake for around 27-31 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. After about 18 minutes, tent the cakes with aluminum foil to prevent the tops and sides from over-browning. To test the cakes for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. The cakes may look a little spongey on top as a result of the whipped egg whites. (That's normal!)
• Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
• With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, 3 Tablespoons heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 1 full minute. Do not over-whip. Add 1/4 cup more confectioners' sugar or cocoa powder if frosting is too thin or 1-2 more Tablespoons of cream if frosting is too thick. (I usually add 1 more.) Taste. Add another pinch of salt if desired.
• If cooled cakes are domed on top, use a large serrated knife to slice a thin layer off the tops to create a flat surface. This is called "leveling" the cakes. Discard or crumble over finished cake (or on ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer. (If desired, if the edges seem extra crumbly, apply a crumb coat which is a thin layer of frosting all over the cake. You can see I did this in the video tutorial above. Refrigerate the crumb coated cake for 15 minutes before adding the rest of the frosting.) Spread remaining frosting all over the top and sides. I always use an icing spatula and/or a bench scraper for the frosting. Garnish with sprinkles, if desired.
• For extra neat slices, refrigerate cake for 30-60 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
• Cover leftover cake tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

YELLOW CAKE WITH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 13x9-in. baking pan., Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and 1 egg at a time, beating well. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; beat into creamed mixture alternately with milk. Transfer to prepared pan., Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Place on a wire rack; cool completely., For frosting, beat butter until creamy; gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth and light in color, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla and 3 tablespoons cream until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes; thin with additional cream if desired. Spread over cake.

LAYERED YELLOW CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour two 9-in. round baking pans. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition., Transfer to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. , For buttercream, in a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar and cocoa until smooth. Add vanilla and salt. Add milk; beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes., Spread buttercream between layers and over top and sides of cake.

YELLOW SHEET CAKE WITH DARK CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• For the yellow cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch-by-13-inch (quarter-sheet) pan with parchment paper, then spray with nonstick baking spray.
• Place 2 metal flower nails in the center of the pan, flat-side down, a few inches apart. Beat the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed to incorporate air into mixture, about 2 minutes. Mix in the eggs on low speed, two at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
• Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Add a third of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed. Mix in half of the buttermilk on low speed. Repeat this process, finishing with the last third of the dry ingredients. Mix in the vanilla extract and oil, then pour the batter into the prepared pan. Reposition the flower nails so that they're evenly spaced in the pan. Tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles, then bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, 25 to 26 minutes.
• Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then carefully flip it onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
• For the dark chocolate buttercream: Beat the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the cocoa, then mix until the cocoa is fully incorporated and no clumps remain. Slowly add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, alternating with small splashes of cream. Mix in the melted dark chocolate, then the salt. Beat until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. If the frosting is too thick, add an extra tablespoon of heavy cream. If it's too thin, add another 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Stir by hand with a rubber spatula for a couple minutes to make the frosting super smooth.
• Remove the flower nails from the cake. Spread an even layer of chocolate buttercream on top of the cake, making swirls with an offset spatula. Top with rainbow sprinkles.