Birthday Cake Recipe
Birthday cake is a beloved tradition for people of all ages. It is a symbol of celebration, joy, and happiness. There are many different recipes for birthday cake, but the classic yellow cake with chocolate frosting is always a popular choice. This recipe is easy to follow and produces a delicious, moist cake, perfect for any birthday celebration.
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups 240g all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups 397g granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon 14g vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 1 cup 227g milk, whole milk preferred
- 4 tablespoons 57g butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/3 cup 67g vegetable oil
Frosting
- 1 1/4 cups 106g natural cocoa powder
- 4 cups 454g confectioners' sugar, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup 74g hot water
- 1 tablespoon 14g vanilla extract
- 20 tablespoons 284g softened butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the center. Grease and flour two 8” x 2” or 9” x 2” round cake pans.
- Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract until thickened and light gold in color, about 2 minutes at medium-high speed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just enough to combine. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then mix again briefly.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the milk to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and oil until the butter has melted.
- Slowly mix the hot milk-butter-oil mixture into the batter until everything is well combined. Scrape the bowl and mix briefly, until smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
- Bake the cakes until the edges are pulling away from the sides of the pan, a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and the top feels set. This should take 26 to 30 minutes for two 9” pans, or 38 to 42 minutes for two 8” pans.
- Remove the cakes from the oven, carefully loosen the edges, and allow them to cool for 15 minutes in the pans. Then turn them out of the pans and transfer them to a rack, right-side up, to cool at room temperature.
To make the frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar, and salt.
- Stir in the water and vanilla, scraping the bowl if necessary.
- Add the butter and remaining confectioners’ sugar, stirring to combine. Beat the frosting at medium-high speed until lightened in color and fluffy.
To assemble the cake:
- Place one of the cake layers on a serving plate. Spread the bottom layer with about 1 cup of frosting. Center the second layer over the frosted layer.
- For the best-looking cake, do the frosting in two steps. First, spread a very thin layer of frosting around the sides and across the top. Refrigerate the cake for 20 minutes to let this layer set.
- Once the cake is chilled, use the remaining frosting to coat it thoroughly and evenly.