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Who’s ready for cake!?
Half Baked Harvest At Home
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And Friday?!?! And celebrations!?!?
Me, me, me, ME!! ?
Over here in my little world, it’s been a big week and a half. First things first, Asher’s eighth birthday. I think the little girl had a pretty fun week. She seemed to love all of her presents and the finale to her celebrations was her Harry Potter birthday party with four of her closest friends. The fun isn’t completely over, come October 1, we will finally be heading off on our trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando (thank you to those of you who recommended Orlando). I must say, I’m pretty psyched to go myself.
Second, BABY goats!!. Oh those baby goats…aka kids, as they’re officially called. These two little goats are the cutest little animals I have ever seen. Like puppies have nothing on them. What’s even cuter though? Watching Layla, their mom, play her motherly role. Since Layla is a first time mom, she didn’t quite know what to do for the first day, but her motherly instincts have kicked in, and now the only time she ever leaves their side is to eat, and even then, it’s never for very long. Watching their bond grow stronger each and every day has been incredibly awesome. Layla will not even let my cat Snape (or Snap or Snappers as Asher calls him) near them. She stairs him down until he runs off. <–for real.
Third, my sixteen year old brother, Red, got his driver’s license. Ahhh, what? How is that even possible? It feels like yesterday that he was the baby of the family. I cannot believe he is driving now…YIKES.
Fourth, this little site of mine is growing and I could not be more exited about it! Woot Woot! 🙂
So you see… it’s clearly a cake kind of Friday… obviously the best kind of Fridays.
OK, so here’s the deal with this cake. Typically I would never bother with a vanilla cake, but my cousin Abby convinced me that a vanilla cake with sprinkles (nonpareils…the round ones) was something I had to make. I’ve had it ingrained into me from a very young age that the only cake worth eating was chocolate. No seriously, I never, ever, ate vanilla cake growing up. I’ve probably only ever had just a few bites before making this cake.
I know, I know, that is kind of crazy, but you just do not know my mom. It’s all chocolate, all the time. The other thing my mom tried to instill into me? Sprinkles = BAD. I think she did this, one, because they messed too much with her pure chocolate on chocolate flavors, and two, because she knew they just added more unnecessary sugar, and three (and probably most importantly), she HATED to have to clean them up. Sprinkles and Nerds (do you guys remember those?) were pretty much outlawed in our house.
Well, I am breaking all the rules today and making a vanilla cake… and even adding (just a few) sprinkles…ooops.
Thankfully, I no longer live at home, and thankfully my mom never saw the ENTIRE BAG of sprinkles I spilled on my pantry room floor. Totally serious, I am forever a klutz.
Anyway, I made a vanilla cake, but since I love my chocolate too, I had to go with chocolate frosting. Like I just couldn’t do vanilla on vanilla. Maybe someday in the future, but just not today. Today needed mounds of whipped chocolate buttercream (again, cause we are celebrating baby goats over here, with more to come any day now!) atop my moist and fluffy vanilla cake!
Alright, so this cake?! Even though it is vanilla. I still LOVE it. It’s fluffy and moist, and has an intense vanilla flavor, which is possibly my favorite thing ever. That moist and fluffy and vanillay cake is the perfect pairing with my favorite whipped chocolate buttercream, like it is SOOOO GOOD!
So good, that even my sprinkle hating, chocolate only, freak of a mother had a piece… and truly enjoyed it!
Um, that’s what I call a successful vanilla cake! 🙂
You may have noticed that I didn’t cover my cake fully in sprinkles…ahh, sorry, but like I said, I spilled them all over the floor. If you have a serious love for sprinkles, feel free to go as crazy as you’d like!
I do actually prefer a cake probably minus the sprinkles. Well, I think just a few can be awesome, cause they’re so fun, but too many and, I dunno, they start to take away from the flavor of the cake. I guess it’s true what they say, like mother like daughter. ?
Ahhh, sooo here’s what I’m thinking, birthday or no birthday, this Vanilla Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream should probably be made… ASAP… just sayin.
Vanilla Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream.
Ingredients
- 3 3/4 cup cake flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 whole eggs + 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoons vanilla extract
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
- 4 sticks (2 cups) salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4-5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.
- In a medium size bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand held mixer) beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, beat in the eggs and egg yolks. Add the greek yogurt and vanilla and beat until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low, alternating with the buttermilk and ending with flour until just combined.
- Pour the batter among the 3 cake pans and bake 25-30 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan. Grab 3 large flat plates, line them with wax or parchment paper and invert the cakes onto the paper lined plates. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, Add the butter and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand held mixer). Beat the butter and powdered sugar together until the butter is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat, scraping down the sides as needed, another 2 minutes or until there are no streaks of white. Add 4 tablespoons of the heavy cream and whip the frosting for 2-4 minutes more or until light and fluffy. If desired add the remaining tablespoon of the heavy cream (I normally do) and whip until combined. Taste the frosting and add more powdered sugar if you like a sweeter or thicker frosting. Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a plate or cake stand. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with sprinkles, chocolate curls or whatever your heart desires.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Cause really, all Fridays should include some kind of cake!
Hi! Is it possible to substitute the cocoa powder in the frosting for cacao powder? Thanks for your help!
Hi Kristi! Yes you can use cacao for this recipe! It may not be as sweet though. I hope you love this! xTieghan
Are all your baking recipes for altitude? We are at 6,700 feet and wondering if this would work. Thank you!
Hi Sharon! Yes, this should work great! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi – everything I’ve made off your site has been delicious. We loved this cake, but I’ve never been a fan of chocolate buttercream made with cocoa powder. It always tastes powdery to me. Do you have a recipe for chocolate buttercream with melted chocolate? Thank you!
HI! Oddly, I do not have a buttercream with melted chocolate. I always have trouble mixing melted chocolate into butter creams (it hardens ups on me.). I would recommend the below recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/chocolate-heaven-with-chocolate-buttercream
Can either the frosting or the cake be made ahead of time (the day before? I’m making this for my daughter’s 29th birthday. You are our favorite food blogger. Your recipes are awe inspiring!
HI! You can bake and assemble the cake up to 2 days ahead of time. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
PS. hope your daughter has a great birthday!
Best best best vanilla cake. Yum! Question- how long does it last/how do you store?
Hi! I would store it in the fridge and it should last 3-5 days! xTieghan
Oh, also how would I halve the eggs?
Thank you.
Hi Kayla! You can’t really halve and egg, so again I would recommend following the recipe as listed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
If I halved the recipe would I cook it in two or three 6 inch pans? Also how long should I cook in the 6 inch pans?
Thanks for any help.
Hey Kayla, I don’t recommend halving the recipe AND also baking in 6-inch pans. That is changing the recipe too much and I don’t feel comfortable advising you on how to bake the cake. I am not sure the outcome would be very good. I would recommend making the full recipe. You can use 6-inch baking pans, but just make multiple cakes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this birthday cake for my kids, and it was perfect! Best cake recipe I have tried.
Thank you so much Caitlin! xTieghan
Hi!
I plan to make this into cupcakes for kiddos who won’t eat pie on Thanksgiving. How long should I bake them?
Thanks so much!!
I would recommend 15-18 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Hey Tieghan, I’m making this for my brother’s birthday on Sunday. Can I sub sour cream for the greek yogurt? I have non-fat greek yogurt and FULL FAT sour cream. I know I’ve used this substitute in the past, going lighter when I’m trying to save on calories and fat… or, in the case of birthday cake, going FULL ON DELICIOUS MODE when I can! You think sour cream is fine?
Thanks! Renee
HI! Sour cream will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe and happy birthday to your brother!! Thanks so much! x Tieghan
Tiegan,
I made this cake for my brother’s birthday and it turned out amazing, so delicious it was a big hit!! What a great recipe! 🙂 Would it work out fine to make into cupcakes instead and just cook for less time?
thanks!
Chelsea
HI! Cupcakes will be great. This recipe will make about 32 cupcakes. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
It pains me to not give this an excellent rating (because so far I’ve loved all your recipes), but i made it today and the consistency of the cake is just so heavy. I wanted to try something new (after years of relying on the Buttercup Bake Shop standard vanilla cake) so gave this a shot. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work out for me.
On another note, i was wondering if anyone had ever suggested repeating the ingredient amounts in the recipe text? So instead of saying “add butter” you repeat the measurement and say “add three sticks of butter.” Makes it much easier to not have to keep scrolling back up to the ingredient list. Just a thought!
Thanks for all you do! Have been spreading the word to all my friends about the amazing dinners i’ve found on your site!
Hi Renee, I am sorry this cake was not to your liking. Is there a chance you did something differently. SO far almost all readers have loved this, so I wonder if maybe something went wrong? Hope I can help!!
That is a great idea, I can look into it, but it’s not very standard to write a recipe that way.
Thank you for all the kind words!! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Awesome Post!
Thanks for sharing useful information
Your welcome, thanks for reading!
Hi! I’m making a bridal shower cake and I wanna make this cake in 3, 10 inch pans. What do you recommend me to do? To triple to the recipe or double it ?
Thank you!!
Curious how far ahead I can make this cake for a birthday and how I should store it before the birthday? Thanks, I’m really excited to make it!
Hey Mike! You can make it a day in advance, keep in the fridge, and then bring to room temp before serving. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love the cake!! 🙂