My son, that is. My baby, a baby no longer. Sunday was his 5th birthday and, to make up for missing all the fun that Memorial Day weekend he was born, he now gets 2-3 parties every year. Not a bad a trade-off.
To end the birthday weekend festivities, I baked him a cake. I gave myself a huge pat on the back, seeing as I never make layer cakes, for taking on the task. But I quickly was deflated when I discovered that–lo and behold!–I had actually adapted the same recipe before. For my mother-in-law’s birthday last year. And at that time, I made suggestions for tweaking the recipe that I did not follow, seeing as I did not recall making the same recipe until after it was already in the oven. Oops!
On the upside, the adaptations I made this time around seem to have corrected the blahness I claimed was present last year. Rich, tender, and fluffy, this was about the perfect yellow cake. If I didn’t know any better, I might have thought it came from a box! (I know, GASP! It’s still the measure of cake success for me, though…) If you refrigerate it, give it a chance to come back to room temperature; the flavor is far less impressive when cold and the texture is definitely drier.
The Chocolate Malt Buttercream was the essence of easy. You may want to double it if you like thick layers of frosting; I had only just enough to cover it all and would have liked some more, but I didn’t have enough cocoa powder left. Darnit! It’s probably for the best, as I surely would have taken up to eating any leftovers with a spoon. Every time I walked past the fridge. Until it ran out. Which could be pretty quickly, under those circumstances.
Happy 5th Birthday to my little man! He’ll be a teenager before I know it…
- 1 cup (16 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pans
- 1 cup all purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1¾ cups vanilla sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups whole milk
- ¼ cup sprinkles of your choice (I used ones shaped like turtles and dolphins)
- ½ cup (8 Tablespoons) salted Kerrygold butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup malted milk powder
- 5+/- Tablespoons whole milk
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter, then cut out parchment circles to place into the bottom of each. Sprinkle about a Tablespoon of all purpose flour into each of the pans and rotate the pans to cover them evenly with flour. Tap out the excess.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated.
- Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Alternate pouring the milk and dry ingredients into the stand mixer bowl in 3 portions each, beating until just incorporated.
- Add the sprinkles and stir them in gently.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Remove when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with some moist crumbs.
- Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes, then run a butter knife around the edge of the pans to loosen up the cakes. Gently dump the cakes out onto the wire racks, flipping them over so they’re right side up.
- Cool completely before frosting.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together the butter, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the sea salt, cocoa powder, and malted milk powder, beating until well-incorporated.
- On medium-low speed, add the milk one Tablespoon at a time, stopping when you’ve reached desired consistency.
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9 comments
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Anna @ hiddenponies
29 May, 2012 at 8:50 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Happy birthday to your “baby”
The cake looks delicious – cake definitely has to be room temperature for maximum deliciousness!
Anna @ hiddenponies recently posted..WHOLE WHEAT & OAT PUMPKIN BANANA MUFFINS
The Poet Herself
30 May, 2012 at 12:28 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I thought I was doing the frosting a favor by refrigerating, but it really does change the texture of the cake. The scraps that I left out at room temp in a Zip-lock baggie are so much moister!
Donna @ What the Dog Ate
29 May, 2012 at 10:02 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Oh my gosh! My son turned 5 on Friday. We celebrated on Sunday. I can’t believe he’s 5 already. Where has the time gone? Bawl! Nice cake by the way!
Donna @ What the Dog Ate recently posted..Banana Split Bites: A Cautionary Tale
The Poet Herself
30 May, 2012 at 12:27 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Happy birthday to your little guy! It goes by way too fast!!
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes
30 May, 2012 at 12:10 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Happy birthday to your son! I love confetti cake – it’s my fave
This frosting sounds amazing with it…
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes recently posted..Cheesy Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip
The Poet Herself
30 May, 2012 at 12:29 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Thank you! The frosting *IS* amazing. Especially since my husband won’t eat any mocha frosting–it’s a great substitute!
Julia
30 May, 2012 at 12:15 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Happy Birthday baby boy!!!
That means he’s starting kindergarten this year, huh? Oh my gosh, I’d be a basket case! I’d have to make myself this cake to cope!
The Poet Herself
30 May, 2012 at 12:30 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I’m so sad I missed his Kindergarten registration. Yup, the little guy will be starting this Fall. I may need a lot more sweets to get through that transition!
Rose Taylor
18 September, 2012 at 12:13 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Wonderful idea to end the birthday week! The cake is simple but looks so delicious. I’ll make it a double for my chocolate malt buttercream. Love it!