Party Perfect Yellow Cake!
I cannot have a blog without including a yellow cake recipe! Anyone who knows me can tell you that I am a foodie. I love to cook, I love to bake, I love to eat. That being said, I’m not so sophisticated when it comes down to my favorite things. A good yellow cake is high at the top of that list. Really. I absolutely adore everything about a good yellow cake! Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, let me tell you why I have decided to include this in my blog.
For me, yellow cake is more than a delicious treat. It’s a memory, and a dear one at that. I grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts and lived within walking distance of the once well-known, Arlington Bakery. As a child, my mom and or my Nanna would often walk my sister and I to the bakery. Some of my earliest memories include that magnificent bakery and the intoxicating smell of the mouthwatering confections it offered. I can remember picking out frosted sugar cookies disguised as my favorite Sesame Street characters, with my sister alongside me in her umbrella stroller. The sweet, pink, strawberry frosting piled high atop a fluffy and moist vanilla cupcake was like heaven to get a hold of. Too many culinary delights to name. My favorite being the most delectable, yellow cake!
My sister and I are both January babies. The first and the sixth, respectively. Growing up in a suburb of Boston, raised by Irish women, we were no strangers to spending some healthy time outside in the cold. I can still recall the excitement of getting bundled up for a brisk walk to the bakery to order a birthday cake. Discussing what color, the roses should be. Going over what color the “Happy Birthday” writing would be. Watching our mother unbox those cakes, surrounded by the army of cousins and neighborhood fiends we shared are by far some of my fondest childhood memories! Sadly, our mother is no longer with us, but I will forever cherish a good quality yellow cake. Truth be told, when it comes to birthday parties, I will always be a bakery girl. However, this cake is the one I make for my children anytime someone gets a hankering (which happens more than you might imagine in our house), and it is most definitely a winner. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract (I prefer imitation vanilla for this cake)
1 1/4 cups milk at room temperature
Directions:
In a large bowl add both flours, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. Cream butter and sugar with a stand or electric mixer on medium high speed 2-3 minutes, until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and combine. Working in small batches (approximately 1/3 at a time) alternately add flour mixture and milk. Mix to combine, but do not over mix. Your batter should be thick, smooth, and silky. Divide the batter into two 8” cake pans that have been buttered and floured. Bake in a preheated, 350-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cakes will also be springy to touch when done. Allow cakes to cool almost completely in pans and turn out onto cooling rack. Add your favorite frosting and enjoy!
Stay tuned for my Blissful Buttercream frosting recipe. This cake is also spectacular when paired with a creamy chocolate frosting.
