Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

I'm sure just about every one of you reading this has been affected by cancer somehow. For those of us who  love one of these resilient fighters, you probably feel a lot like me. I'm generally not a violent person, but more than anything, I think, I'd like to kick cancer in the face. Really hard. And with my shoes on.

As the self-proclaimed national sponsor of more birthdays, let's celebrate another 365 days together during Cancer Control Month (hello, that would be this month...April...) with the National Cancer Society.

And what better way could there possibly be to celebrate more birthdays than with some homemade goodness? A classic yellow cake buried in rich chocolate buttercream? There is no better way, that's what.

This is one of Paula Deen's favorites, even though it lacks copious amounts of butter, and therefore, must be tried. It's a great base for so many flavor combinations and tons of bakers use it for a quick mix. It's better than a plain old yellow cake mix but doesn't take much more effort. Hooray for delicious and simple!

And believe me when I say the quality of cocoa powder you use for the buttercream makes a difference. I mean, just regular grocery store brand will make chocolate buttercream just fine, but taste something a little fancier and your tastebuds are gonna go crazy! And aren't you worth it? Oh, yes, you are!

Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream [click to print]

Makes one 3-layer, 9" round cake

For the Cake: 

• 1 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 2 c. sugar
• 3 c. self-rising flour*
• 4 eggs
• 1 c. milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Buttercream: 

• 4 c. powdered sugar
• 3/4 c. cocoa powder
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3-5 T. milk

*Don't have self-rising flour? No problem! Whisk together 3 c. all-purpose flour, 4-1/2 tsp. baking powder and an additional 3/4 tsp. salt; substitute this where recipe says to add self-rising flour. 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking pans with parchment paper or coat with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 6-8 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, incorporating well between each addition. Add flour and milk mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue mixing until just combined. Divide batter in pans and firmly tap 3-4 times on counter to get rid of any air bubbles.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until done. Allow cakes to cool on wire rack about 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely before frosting.

For the buttercream, combine powdered sugar, cocoa, butter, vanilla and salt in mixing bowl. On medium-low speed, beat in milk gradually, one Tablespoon at a time, until it reaches desired consistency.

To assemble, center one cake layer on serving plate and frost top. Stack second cake layer and frost top. Spread remaining frosting around sides of cake and eat it up!

Source: Cake adapted from Food Network