A Family Birthday... Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake With Buttercream Icing

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In this house everyone has a different birthday cake favorite.  Mine is orange cake with lime curd filling and meringue frosting, my daughter;s is plain old cheese cake and my son, who takes after his mother,  adores chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.  I always try to take the easy way out and buy old faithful Duncan Hines mixes and make the frosting myself but this time I decided to go the extra mile.

Most of you know Magnolia Bakery in New York City, famous for its cupcakes and cakes.  I have previously posted their  recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes, a strong contender for yesterday's birthday party.  Instead, I decided to go out on a limb and make their Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake with their Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.  Anything buttermilk always sparks my curiosity for they make cakes lighter and fluffier. 

The recipe calls for 9 inch pans which I substituted for 8 inch to make the cake higher and narrow, just a preference of mine.  If you go this route, it will take an extra 5- 8 minutes to cook.  I also sprayed the pans with Baker's Joy thus skipping the waxed paper routine.

As to the frosting, you really do not need all 8 cups of powdered sugar, something they tell you in the recipe. I used about 6 1/2.  If you have a guard for your beater, use it. I had sugar all over the counter even using the low setting.  Use the frosting right after you mix or it will start to set and become difficult to spread.  You can always add a little milk to make it more spreadable if this happens.

This recipe is a definite keeper for birthday cakes and cupcakes.  I could tell the minute I tasted the raw mix and couldn't stop!



Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
6 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour two 8 inch cake pans.  Line with wax paper.

In a mixer with the paddle attachment cream butter and sugars until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition/

Add melted chocolate, mixing until included.

Add dry ingredients in 1/3s, alternating dry and wet.  Beat smooth after each addition. Add vanilla.

Divide batter between pans and bake 25-35 minuted until toothpick comes out dry. (for cupcakes 20-22 minutes)

Let cake cool in pans 10 minutes

Remove to wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
8 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla

Place butter in mixer and beat well. Add 4 cups sugar, milk and vanilla.  Beat until smooth and creamy.  Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time until icing is thick enough for spreading.  Add coloring if desired.  Use and store at room temperature as it will set if chilled.  Can be stored in air tight container for 3 days.

Save extra frosting to make repairs, particularly if you have little grandchildren like the one above!

Recipe Adapted From Magnolia Bakery Cookbook
Photos Lindaraxa

Tell Me You Love Me With Magnolia's Red Velvet Cupcakes

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I must admit that what first drew me to this recipe was the frosting.  Most of the recipes I've seen use a cream cheese frosting and that to me is heresy.  Also. when I first read that  buttermilk and  vinegar were in the mix, I new I was on the right track.  Red Velvet Cake is as Southern as it gets and buttermilk and vinegar in the batter...bingo!

If you haven't heard of Magnolia Bakery in New York City let me clue you in...The Hermes/Manolo Blanick of cupcakes, with prices to match!

I understand that their Red Velvet Cake is one of the most popular at the bakery. Half of the customers love it because they haven't eaten it since their grandmother made it.  The folks at Epicurious have already made the adjustments needed for cupcakes at the bottom, so I have chosen to post the original recipe, which is for the cake, as is.  Who knows, we may want to make a cake one of these days and now we have both.

Well, that does it, Coconut Cupcakes and Red Velvet Cupcakes, what more can I ask for Mother's Day?!

By the way, if you want last year's Mother's Day Brunch menu, you will find it here!


Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

6 tablespoons red food coloring

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 recipe Creamy Vanilla Frosting


Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour three 9- by 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.

To make the cake: In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.

In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for 1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

When the cake has cooled, spread the frosting between the layers, then ice the top and sides of the cake with Creamy Vanilla Frosting .

Red Velvet Cupcakes

This recipe also makes 2 dozen cupcakes. Use 2 muffin pans, each with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups, and line each cup with a paper liner. (There's no need to grease the cups.) Arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and bake the cupcakes, switching positions of the pans halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack before icing. To ice, mound about 1/4 cup of frosting on top of each cupcake and use an icing spatula to make a swirl on top. If desired, decorate with colored sprinkles.

Creamy Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium-size saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk until smooth. Place over medium heat and, stirring constantly, cook until the mixture becomes very thick and begins to bubble, 10-15 minutes. Cover with waxed paper placed directly on the surface and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, on the medium high speed of an electric mixer, beat the butter for 3 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating continuously for 3 minutes until fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat well.

Add the cooled milk mixture, and continue to beat on the medium high speed for 5 minutes, until very smooth and noticeably whiter in color. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes (no less and no longer—set a timer!). Use immediately.

Photo Flickr jamieanne

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