When you think of baking a vanilla layer cake recipe in the summer, you might immediately begin thinking of excuses to, well, not turn on the oven.
I’m quite certain that some desserts (I’m looking at you, No-Bake Cheesecake) were born purely out of their creators’ desires not to spend one minute more than necessary in a humid sauna of a kitchen waiting for a cake to rise.
When you think of desserts in the summertime, you might also think of light, springy cakes that are lighter and less-calorie dense, like angel food cake or fresh fruit cobblers.
You might order sorbet instead of gelato and you probably order your frappuccinos without whipped cream.
It is, after all, bathing suit season.
With one exception, obviously.
Birthdays.
On birthdays (yours and others) all bets are off. It’s a celebration! Calories don’t count! You can eat whatever you want!
Maybe I’m exaggerating just a smidge but it’s true.
When the calendar calls for a celebration, us good ol’ Americans tend to throw caution (and nutrition) to the wind to indulge in our favorite foods regardless of whether they are good for us or not.
To some, it might seem like a gluttonous tradition but it is one that I stand behind.
Now, I’m not saying that on my birthday I like to sit around and binge eat (even though I kind of do) but if you want a second (or sixth) glass of champagne?
Go for it.
A slice of cake after lunch AND dinner?
You only live once.
Even though my birthday is in January, I made Smitten Kitchen’s vanilla layer cake recipe for a friend recently and can’t wait until the next time I have an excuse to make another cake with this much butter.
For Cake- 4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour (not self-rising)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups buttermilk, well-shaken
For Frosting- 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
- 4½ cups confectioners’ sugar (no need to sift)
- 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons half-and-half or whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- For the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line with circles of parchment paper, then butter parchment. (Alternately, you can use a cooking spray, either with just butter or butter and flour to speed this process up.)
- Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled). Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just Incorporated.
- Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. (I like to drop mine a few times from two inches up, making a great big noisy fuss.) Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment, then cool completely, about 1 hour.
- For the frosting: Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to incorporate, then process until the frosting is smooth.
10 Comments
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Tracey
July 9, 2010 at 8:24 amThis cake looks delicious.
Juliana
June 28, 2010 at 5:45 pmOh! What a beautiful cake…so fluffy and light.
M @ Betty Crapper
June 28, 2010 at 12:43 amThat frosting recipe has got to taste amazing with all that butter and half and half.
I bake year round. If I waited for good weather I would never eat cake. It’s hot, humid and nasty most of the year in South Florida.
Chris
June 28, 2010 at 12:00 amI really shouldn’t have read this so late….now I want cake! Oh well…before or after sleep…all bets are off with bday cake, right? 😉
Autumn @ Good Eats Girl
June 27, 2010 at 9:49 pmThis cake looks great! I need to try my hand at making homemade cakes! I always chicken out!
Joanne
June 27, 2010 at 8:44 pmI totally think that calories don’t count on birthdays. Mine or others. Especially if I baked the cake for the aforesaid person’s birthday. Then I feel like i’ve sweated off enough calories to deserve a second slice! Love this cake, I may have to make it for my dad’s birthday!
E.P.
June 27, 2010 at 7:48 pmWhy is birthday cake so good? Especially when it has so much butter…
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ve got a few birthdays coming up for friends, and I think this will be perfect. (:
Daryl
June 27, 2010 at 8:19 amThat looks delicious. So perfectly formed. Can we give some credit to me and those awesome can pans I gave you!!!