This birthday cake screams classic. Its succulent, its chocolate-y, and an absolute dynamite. A yellow birthday cake could bring back memories of the past. Especially when paired with gold ole chocolate. This cake features not only chocolate buttercream, but a ganache as well. So for all those chocolate lovers out there, get ready!
The Birthday Cake
Let’s talk yellow cake. This cake is rather basic utilizing items most likely in the fridge already. To recreate this cake you’ll need the following: eggs, buttermilk, pure vanilla extract, sugar, cake flour, butter, kosher salt, baking soda, and baking powder. To get the true yellow color, eggs are needed. By eggs, I mean the yolks. First, beat the sugar and softened butter for about 5 minutes or until fluffy. Next, add in the eggs one at a time. Start with the entire eggs, then add just the egg yolks. Continue to mix on medium-low speed until all the eggs or fully incorporated and well mixed. This will take approximately 4 minutes.
Now, let’s start playing with the cake flour! After cake flour has been sifted, add to the flour the baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Stir well. Then, in a measuring cup, add the buttermilk and pure vanilla extract and mix well. Next, start adding in half cup of the cake flour mixture to the electric mixer. Alternate between adding the buttermilk and cake mixture until all are incorporated. Once done with the cake batter, it’s time to line those cake pans.
Grab three 6-inch diameter cake pans and cut circle sized parchment paper. To cut the exact size, I recommend taking a pencil and then grabbing one of the cake pans and tracing the bottom of the pan. This will allow the cake to come out with ease once baked. Spray the cake pans well with baking spray then add the circled parchment paper. Next, add the cake batter and make sure to distribute evenly. Then, bake the cakes for 25-35 minutes or until the inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes fully cool before cutting off the domes and frosting.
The Chocolate Ganache Filling
This ganache is very simple to make, but does require a significant amount of technique. First, grab a medium sized mixing bowl and set aside. Next, chop of finely really good semi-sweet or dark chocolate. Add the chopped chocolate to the mixing bowl. Then, using a small sauce pan, heat up 8 ounces of heavy whipping cream. Once the heavy whipping cream is luke warm, pour over the chopped chocolate. Allow the mixture to sit for 2-3 minutes, then stir the chocolate and cream until dark brown.
Then, allow the ganache to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before use. After two hours, grab a hand-mixer. Whip the ganache until it’s fluffy and lighten in color (approx. 2 minutes). Please try not to over whip the ganache because separation will occur between the chocolate and cream. The desired outcome is truly a hot mess. Once completed, add the frosting ganache in between the cake layers. To avoid the ganache falling out of the layers, pipe a thick circle of the chocolate buttercream around the ganache.
The Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Lastly, let’s talk about the final component to this birthday cake. The chocolate Swiss Meringue buttercream. This frosting is creamy and stupid delicious. To make the buttercream you’ll need some ingredients and equipment. The equipment needed is a double boiler, stovetop, and electric mixer. The ingredients needed are: good semi-sweet chocolate, egg whites, granulated sugar, kosher salt, vanilla extract, unsalted butter, and cream of tartar.
First, melt the semi-sweet chocolate over a double-boiler. Stir occasionally, once fully melted remove from the heat. And allow the melted chocolate to cool. Next, add the egg whites and granulated sugar to the electric mixer bowl. Then, add the mixer bowl over the double-boiler. Whisk like crazy, until all the sugar is dissolved. To check, rub the mixture between your finger-tips. If it feels like sand, the sugar is not fully dissolved yet. Once completed, the mixture should look opaque white. The mixer bowl should not be hot to the touch. If the mixer bowl is hot, allow it to come back to room temperature before whisking. Transfer the mixer bowl back to the electric mixer and whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
Once stiffed peaks are formed, lower the speed to a medium-low. Then, add a tablespoon at a time of room temperature unsalted butter. Once the tablespoon is well mixed into the meringue, add the next tablespoon. Continue this process for the remaining butter. Then, turn up the mixer to a medium-high speed and fluffy up the buttercream. Next, add in the kosher salt, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar. Mix well. Lastly, fold in the melted chocolate. Now, it’s time to frost that stunning yellow birthday cake.
More Layered Cake Recipes:
Classic Yellow Birthday Cake
Ingredients
For Yellow Birthday Cake
- 2 3/4 cup Cake flour sifted
- 1 1/3 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 1/2 cup Buttermilk
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/4 cup Granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter softened
- 1/3 cup Light brown sugar
- 2 Large eggs room temperature
- 4 Egg Yolks separated
For Chocolate Ganache:
- 8 oz. Good chocolate chopped
- 8 oz. Heaving whippping cream
- 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
For Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 3 Egg whites
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp Cream of tartar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 4 oz. Semi-sweet Chocolate
- 1 cup Unsalted butter softened
Instructions
Yellow Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray and line with parchment paper, three 6-inch diamter cake pans.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the sifted cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set aside.
- In an electric mixer, add unsalted butter and granulated sugar. Beat together on a medium-low speed until smooth, 3 minutes.
- Next, add in the eggs one at time. First, add the large egg then add in the egg yolks. Continue to mix on medium-low speed until the eggs are fully mixed. Approximately 4 minutes.
- In a measuring cup add the buttermilk and pure vanilla extract. Mix well and set aside.
- On medium-low speed alternate between adding the dry ingredients (cake mixture) and wet ingredients (buttermilk and vanilla extract) to the mixer. Repeat this process until all ingredients are added to the batter.
- Add the cake batter to the lined cake pans. Bake the cakes for 35 minutes or until the inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.
Chocolate Ganache:
- Heat a medium sized sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the heavy whipping cream and allow to simmer for a few minutes.
- In the meantime, add the 8 ounces of chopped chocoalate to a mixing bowl.
- Once the heavy whipping cream has heated up, pour it over the chopped chocolate. Allow the mixture to sit for 2-3 minutes. Then stir the chocolate and cream until well mixed.
- Leave the ganache at room temperature for 2 hours.
- Using a hand-mixer, whip the ganache until fluffy and light in color. Approximately 2 minutes. Use as desired.
Chocolate Swiss Merginue Buttercream
- Add water to a medium sized saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. In a separate bowl, add in the semi-sweet chocolate. Place this bowl of the water and melt the chocolate. Stir continuously until all the chocolate melts. Then, remove from the heat and set aside.
- Next, add the egg whites and granulated sugar to an electric mixer bowl. Add this mixer bowl over the same saucepan filled with water. Whisk constantly until all the sugar is dissolved. To check, rub the mixture between your finger-tips. If it feels like sand, the sugar is not fully dissolved yet. Continue to whisk.
- Once the sugar dissolves and the texture looks like an opaque white remove from the heat. (If the mixer bowl is hot to the touch, allow to come back to room temperature before continuing).
- Whisk the eggs whites and sugar on a medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Once formed, reduce the speed to a medium-low.
- Once stiffed peaks are formed, lower the speed to a medium-low. Then, add a tablespoon at a time of room temperature unsalted butter. Once the tablespoon is well mixed into the meringue, add the next tablespoon. Continue this process for the remaining butter. Then, turn up the mixer to a medium-high speed and fluffy up the buttercream. Next, add in the kosher salt, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar. Mix well. Lastly, fold in the melted chocolate. Now, it's time to frost that stunning yellow birthday cake.
- Add a tablespoon at a time of room temperature butter. Wait until the tablespoon fully incorporates into the mixture before adding the next tablespoon.
- Next, add the kosher salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla extract. If the buttercream seems loose, increase the speed to medium-high and allow to mix for 2 minutes.
- Lastly, fold in the melted chocolate. Mix well. Then use as desired.