AKM designs and delights: Bake Me Happy...Butter Vanilla Cake

Butter Vanilla Cake

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(with Semi-sweet chocolate frosting)

So Mr. AKM ditched the fam and went out of town this past weekend to help my dad move his deer camp from one lease to another. From what I understand, they both worked their butts off to get it done in two short days. (snort). Um, yea….ok. Thats why 2 cases of beer disappeared. I’m sure their right bicep was extremely sore from lifting those bottles of beer. Soooo….exhausting.

He came home on Sunday all scruffy faced (I guess razors don’t work in a deer cabin???), smelly (uhm, shower please) and grumpy! It was nice to have him home…really it was. Well, until the grumpy part really took hold. He was all snippy and snappy and really REALLY SNARKY! NOT COOL! He dumped us for the weekend to fend for ourselves. It was tough people! We were forced to dine on pizza and ice cream and to stay up late watching movies. What else were we supposed to do? The daddy guy was GONE! There were no rules. So we got a little wild, I admit it! And then he had the gall to come home and be GRUMPY and totally harsh our mellow? It was wrong I tell you! I had to put my foot down and let him have it.

I did what any rational woman would do in this situation to calm her savage beast.

I made cake. Not just any cake, but his all time FAVORITE cake.

Rich, buttery vanilla cake with a semi-sweet chocolate frosting. OH YUM! Some people may call it a yellow cake, but it looks more vanilla than yellow to me, plus my man really likes the taste of vanilla so I punched up the cake with an extra tablespoon of vanilla extract to help take the flavor of it over the top. It worked!

He took one bite of this cake and instantly became a calm, balanced person again.

End of story.

So the moral of this story is…the truest way to a man’s heart…really IS through his stomach. True story. Go try it today, or the next time your man harshes your mellow.

Butter Vanilla Cake:

2 sticks (1 c.) butter, softened

1½ c. all-purpose flour

1½ c. cake flour

1 T. baking powder

½ t.. salt

1¾ c. sugar

4 large eggs

2 T. vanilla extract

1¼ c. milk

Semi-sweet Chocolate Frosting:

1 lb. semisweet chocolate chips

6 T. Dark Chocolate cocoa powder

6 T. boiling water

3 sticks (1½ cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ c. powdered sugar, sifted

Pinch of salt

1. To make the cakes, preheat oven to 350˚ degrees. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Butter and flour the edges of the pans, tapping out the excess; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk together to blend well and set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk. Beat each addition just until incorporated.

3. Divide the batter between the prepared baking pans. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until the cakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans to help remove the cakes. Invert the cakes onto the rack and peel off the parchment. Let the cakes cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Directions:

To make the frosting, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, about 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the cocoa powder and boiling water in a small bowl; stir until the cocoa is dissolved.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, powdered sugar and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the melted chocolate; beat on low speed until combined, 1-2 minutes. Beat in the cocoa mixture until well blended. (Note: My frosting was still a bit runny for decorating at this point. I let it cool longer before frosting the cake so it could firm up slightly.)

To assemble the cake, level each cake and then cut each cake in half. Place one of the cake layers on a serving platter. Top with 1 cup of the chocolate frosting and smooth over the top of the cake. Repeat 2 more times, topping with the remaining cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting as desired. Add sprinkles! Refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 days. Let come to room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

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