Classic Yellow Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cupsall-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tspbaking powder
• 1/2 tspsalt
• 1 cupunsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cupsgranulated sugar
• 4large eggs
• 2 tspvanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cupswhole milk
• 1/2 cupunsalted butter, softened (for frosting)
• 2/3 cupunsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cupspowdered sugar
• 1/3 cupmilk (for frosting)
• 1 tspvanilla extract (for frosting)

Nutrition / serving

No nutrition data for this recipe — tap Nutrition in Ask Chef AI above for an estimate.

Method

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment.

2. 2

   Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. 3

   Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.

   ⏱Start 3:00
4. 4

   Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions, beginning and ending with flour; mix just until combined after each addition.

5. 5

   Divide batter evenly between the pans and bake 25–28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

   ⏱Start 25:00
6. 6

   Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

   ⏱Start 10:00
7. 7

   For the frosting, beat butter until creamy, then beat in cocoa powder. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating until smooth and spreadable; beat in vanilla.

8. 8

   Frost between the layers, then over the top and sides of the cooled cake.