The Circle of Cake — The House of Carbs

There are many things I miss during these COVID days — the economy, friends, live performances. But let’s be real, one thing I have missed acutely for about six weeks is buttercream frosting, specifically, chocolate buttercream frosting with vanilla cake.

I know, it’s very specific. But ask Proust — it’s the specific that sticks with us. “Yellow cake with chocolate frosting” is a classic Betty Crocker / store bought cake for childhood birthdays. It is good. I may have smashed my face directly into cupcakes of that variety and inspired the rest of my third grade class to do the same until my teacher took me aside and told me to stop. But it was not until I became an adult and started eating fancied-up versions of this cake (with a fork) that I saw its true potential. This particular cake is tender, moist, redolent of vanilla and chocolate, and has just enough salt to bring out all the taste. Most of all, it is redolent of the special type of hope we feel during birthdays, which is perhaps why I have been craving it.

Plus, who needs Simba when you can hold up this cake? It’s the cirrrrrcle of cake! And it moves us all.

RECIPE - Credit to Sugar Spun Run

INGREDIENTS - Note all of these are best at room temperature, so plan to take them out ahead of time to warm up, particularly if you don’t have an electric mixer (like me) and need to hand whip a lot of butter.

Cake

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
½ cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup sugar 300g
4 eggs room temperature preferred
1.5 Tablespoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup buttermilk room temperature preferred

Frosting

6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons heavy cream

RECIPE

Preheat oven to 350F (177C) and liberally grease two deep 8" round cake pans with vegetable oil.

Cream together the butter, canola oil and sugar until creamy and well-combined. Use an electric mixer if you have one, or a fork + sheer force of will if you do not. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in vanilla extract. Pro-tip — If you buy vanilla beans and add vodka to them, you have a pretty much never ending supply of vanilla extract. Recipes say to cut the beans in half, add vodka, and wait anywhere from 8 weeks to 6-12 months for the beans to steep. That may seem like quite a wide range for planning, but coincidentally, that is the same range you’re using for everything else in your life, so why make your vanilla extract the exception? Keep adding vodka as needed (for yourself and for the beans).

Vanilla extract that I have cultivated for 6-12 months. Or is it more? What year is it? Where are you? Who am I??

In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Using a spatula and gently hand-mixing, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined after each addition. The batter should be smooth and completely combined, but avoid over-mixing.

Evenly divide batter into your prepared cake pans, and bake on 350F (175C) for 30-35 minutes. When the cake is done, the surface should spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean with few moist crumbs (no wet batter). I mysteriously have so many small tiki umbrellas, and they are my only source of toothpicks, so I am using them as cake testers because what other purpose would I have? A party??! Ha. Hahahahaha.

It’s just Mudit and me on cake island these days.

While the cakes are baking, make your frosting. Place your chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well. Return chocolate to microwave and heat for another 15 seconds and stir again. Continue heating chocolate for 15 seconds, stirring after each, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

Allow chocolate to cool for at least 10-15 minutes. You want chocolate to cool so that it is not hot to the touch, otherwise it will melt your butter and sugar and the frosting will not turn out. While the chocolate is cooling, place butter in a separate bowl and beat it like a crazy person with a fork or use a stand mixer or electric mixer to beat until creamy.

Add melted, cooled chocolate and stir well.

Gradually add sugar, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed so that ingredients are well combined. Sprinkle in salt and vanilla extract, stir well.

Gradually add heavy cream to frosting. Once added, beat frosting vigorously with fork for as long as you can stand (or 30 seconds with an electric mixer).

Allow cakes to cool in their cake pans for 10-15 minutes or longer to cool completely before frosting. If you jump the gun here, you will bitterly regret it because the heat of your cake will melt your frosting away like the Wicked Witch of the West, and the best part of your cake will be gone. You’re better than that. This cake is better than that. It deserves the best, most patient part of you.

Frost cake and decorate with sprinkles. Party like it’s your birthday.