Description
Classic yellow cake embodies Ina Garten’s signature comfort baking style. Rich buttermilk layers provide perfect sweetness for home bakers seeking delightful dessert memories.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound (450g) powdered sugar
- 1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups unsalted butter (1 cup room temperature, ¼ cup melted)
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) buttermilk
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup milk, divided
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped
- ¼ cup (28g) cornstarch
- ¼ cup (60 milliliters) vegetable oil
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 1 tbsp (15 milliliters) vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp salt (adjust to taste if salt-sensitive)
Instructions
- Preparation: Grease and flour three 6-inch round cake pans. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Dry Ingredients: Whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl, ensuring no lumps remain.
- Butter Mixture: Cream butter and sugar using a mixer until pale and fluffy, approximately 3-4 minutes. Blend in vegetable oil and vanilla extract.
- Egg Integration: Add eggs and egg yolks individually, mixing thoroughly and scraping bowl sides to maintain consistent texture.
- Batter Composition: Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to the batter, mixing on low speed until just combined to prevent over-mixing.
- Baking Process: Divide batter evenly among prepared pans, smoothing tops with a spatula. Bake for 28-32 minutes, checking doneness with a toothpick that should emerge clean.
- Cooling Stage: Rest cakes in pans for 5-7 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling.
- Chocolate Buttercream Preparation: Melt butter and semisweet chocolate with milk until smooth. Beat remaining butter until creamy, then integrate melted butter, cocoa powder, and gradually add powdered sugar.
- Frosting Refinement: Pour in cooled chocolate mixture and additional milk, mixing until achieving a silky, spreadable consistency.
- Cake Assembly: Place first cake layer on a serving plate, spread chocolate buttercream between layers. Cover entire cake with remaining frosting, creating rustic swirls and peaks using a spatula or spoon.
Notes
- Prevent Overmixing: Stop mixing cake batter as soon as ingredients are just combined to maintain a tender, light texture and avoid dense, tough layers.
- Temperature Matters: Ensure all ingredients like eggs, butter, and buttermilk are at room temperature for smoother incorporation and better cake volume.
- Pan Preparation Technique: Grease cake pans thoroughly and dust with flour to guarantee easy cake release without sticking or breaking.
- Toothpick Testing: Check cake doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center – it should come out clean with minimal crumbs, indicating perfectly baked layers.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 34g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 85mg