Chocolate Icing and Yellow Cake “Go-To Recipe”

Chocolate Icing and Yellow Cake – Go To Recipe

Author Notes: This is my adapted version of the family favorite Chocolate Icing and Yellow Cake recipe. This recipe allows enough to make three standard layers or six thin layers with enough icing to cover all six layers. If I have any icing left over, I always think of my Justin William. The Yellow Cake recipe is adapted from The Best Recipe Cookbook (1999) and this Chocolate Icing recipe is 1.5 times the original family recipe.

Yellow Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 ½ cups cake flour (sift before measuring)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups butter unsalted (3 sticks) – softened, each stick cut into 8 pieces
• 6 large eggs
• ¾ cup whole milk
• 3 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 3 nine inch cake pans.
2. Sift flour with baking powder and salt three times.
3. Combine flour with sugar in mixer bowl.
4. In a large measuring cup beat eggs, milk, and vanilla with fork. Measure out 1 ½ cups of this mixture and set aside (makes about 2 cups liquid total).
5. Combine flour, sugar mixture with paddle attachment – mix on lowest speed for about 30 seconds. With mixer still running at slowest speed, add butter, one piece at a time – mix until butter/flour clump together and look pebbly with pieces about size of peas – 30 to 40 seconds after all butter is added.
6. Add reserved 1 ½ cups milk/egg mixture at lowest speed until incorporated, 5 to 10 seconds. Increase speed to medium high and beat until fluffy – about 1 minute.
7. Add remaining milk/egg mixture in slow steady stream, about 30 seconds.
8. Stop mixer and scrape down sides. Beat on medium high until thoroughly combined – about 15 seconds.
9. Divide batter equally into three prepared cake pans. Bake until cake tops are light golden – about 20 to 25 minutes.
10. Cool on racks for 10 minutes. Run knife around perimeter and turn cakes out onto racks. Cool completely before icing – approximately one hour.
11. To make six layers out of three, use serrated knife on completely cooled cake to slice in half.

Chocolate Icing – 1 ½ times original family recipe

Ingredients:

• 5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• ¾ cup water (or coffee)
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate in water with salt in heavy sauce pan, over low heat.
2. Turn heat up to medium and add 1 stick of butter, stirring until melted.
3. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
4. Turn heat up to medium high and add milk and stir until combined. Stop stirring. Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce to medium low and put on lid for 3 minutes.
6. Adjust lid to partially cover pan and add thermometer. Turn heat back up to medium/medium high and cook until temp reaches 234 degrees (softball) – approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Remove from heat. You can transfer to a heat proof bowl with wide opening to help accelerate cool down. Add last stick of butter – still no stirring.
8. When mixture has cooled to 110 degrees – approximately 1 hour – stir to incorporate butter that is resting on top.
9. Add vanilla and stir until thickened to a spreadable consistency. Be ready to ice as soon as it starts to thicken.
10. Icing sets up fast and if it gets too stiff to spread add some milk or cream to thin it slightly.