gratuitous gradient!
Happy Valentine’s Day! I have a new love in my life, as I gave birth to a baby boy exactly one month ago today.
Baby P!
You could say this post has been 40 years in the making, as I never thought I’d have a baby and I’ve also never before made a layer cake from scratch. Confession: I am not a “baby” person. Unlike most ladies, I don’t lose my mind and feel compelled to baby talk six octaves above my normal voice at a stranger’s infant. I’ve never had the itch take a whiff of a newborn and I blame Michael Frye. The last time I babysat was 25+ years ago for a newborn named Michael Frye. He and his parents lived just down the hill from us in our subdivision. As you can imagine, the Fryes were super psyched to discover a 15 year old built-in babysitter only 30 yards from their back porch. Unfortunately, Michael and I forever parted ways after just one sitting. Reaching three hours of incessant crying (at that point, from both of us), I had to call my mom to come help. What is it about moms who just have that innate ability to quiet a crying baby?
baby whisperer, still at it
My mother picked Michael Frye up, patted his bottom, said “there, there” not unlike Sheldon Cooper, and he instantly shut his piehole. She stayed with us that night until we heard the Frye’s garage door open, then snuck out the back porch door to walk home up the hill. The Fryes unknowingly paid me for a job only a mother could do. I wondered throughout my entire pregnancy if I would magically acquire this baby soothe-ability after giving birth – at the very least with my own baby. If he cries, would I be able to comfort him? Thankfully, I am relieved to write, yes, baby P is able to be soothed by his mom. I think confidence is key – that and ownership! Knowing that this is my baby, and I know I can calm him because nothing else matters in the world at that moment. Sometimes just my voice can even quiet him from across the room. It’s so cool!
MINE ALL MINE
Enough gratuitous pics of my beautiful baby and let’s get back to this cake… I’m finding it quite difficult to fit anything into my day other than caring for baby P. This blog post and baked cake is definitely a personal triumph for me. I worked on it between feedings, laundry, poopy diapers, baths and most of all, sleep (or lack thereof). Because of all my new responsibilities, the cake took me three days to make, but you can make it in the space of a long afternoon. The cake layers is they can be frozen for up to seven days so if you have a window of an hour, you can make cake and save the frosting for another day!
mmmm buttercream frosting…
This recipe makes three 9” round cakes or six 6” round cakes. Since it’s just me and The Hubs, I opted for a tiny 6” round cake. I was going to do all six gradient colors, but then decided four layers of cake was probably enough. I’d like to write, two drops of red food coloring for this layer, and seven for that, but honestly you just need to go with eyeballing it.
invest in some red food coloring…
This recipe is from one of my Christmas cookbook gifts, Homemade Decadence, by Joy Wilson. Instead of buying something for The Hubs for Valentine’s Day, I always make him a fancy dinner. This year dessert is Joy’s yellow layer cake. I’ve spiked the cake with red food coloring for a fancy VDay-gradient color scheme inspired by another favorite blogger and former neighbor, Lindsay. I’m not going to lie, I totally held my breath when I cut into the cake. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to tap (slam?) your cake tins on the countertop once you’ve poured the batter into them. This helps to release bubbles and makes for an even cake layer, with which I struggled.
Let’s do this! Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!
Basic Yellow Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Prep time: 35 minutes
Bake time: 25 minutes
Cool time: 30 minutes
Makes: three layer 9″ cake or six layer 6″ cake
Cake Ingredients:
- 4 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temp
- 2 cups buttermilk
- red food coloring
- 2 cups unsalted butter, at room temp
- 6 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Cake Method
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour cake pans (either three 9″ or six 6″ pans). Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of each cake pan and place over the greased and floured pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium until light and fluffy, about four minutes. Add the eggs one at at time and beat for one minute in-between each egg addition. Add the vanilla extract.
- Place mixer on lowest speed and add half the flour mixture. Beat well until incorporated. Add the buttermilk in a slow, steady stream and mix well. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.
- Divide the batter evenly among as many separate bowls as layers of color you want to use. Mix the desired amount of color into each bowl, then distribute into the cake pans. Tap each cake pan on countertop several times to release air bubbles and evenly distribute batter in pans.
- Bake until golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of each pan comes out cleanly. Let cool in the pans for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Trim the tops so both sides are level. Let cool completely before frosting. If saving for another day, double wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to seven days before frosting. For ease, frost cake while still frozen.
Buttercream Frosting Method:
- Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until softened, about one minute.
- Add two cups confectioner’s sugar, salt and vanilla. Use mixer guard to avoid sugar cloud. Beat on lowest speed until the sugar is well mixed.
- Add another two cups confectioner’s sugar and the heavy whipping cream. Mix until well incorporated then add final two cups of confectioner’s sugar. Mix until frosting is smooth and fluffed, about 4-5 minutes totally. Makes approximately four cups of frosting, which is best used when at room temp. Refrigerate after use.
- Let Martha teach you how to properly frost a cake: http://www.marthastewart.com/256688/rainbow-cake cake frosting tips start at 10 minutes, 30 seconds in to the video…
Baby P is so adorable. The cake sounds great. I will definitely try this. Love your blogs.
Beautiful ! I have tears in my eyes.
M. So glad you’re back.
L.
Good to be back, Uncle Lee!
See what happens when you put things in the oven? You get a baby or a cake! Both good things!!!
See what happens when you put things in the oven? You get a baby or a cake! Both good things!!!
What a beautiful cake and a beautiful baby boy. 🙂 Happy Valentines Day.
Thank you, Lea Ann! Happy Valentine’s Day to you too!
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