Birthday Cake

I wanted to make birthday cake for ms.z's birthday party (she's two!) and settled upon a two recipes and, amazingly, they both turned out really great! Oh dang I was so proud of myself. I successfully pulled off a layered cake, though the top layer was a little off kilter from the bottom layer, it slid over a bit, but surrounded with strawberry fans that was mostly hidden. Also I failed at frosting the sides of the layered cake - big mess. Strawberries hid that too. I guess there is a trick to that, but I think in the future Ill just let icing drip down the sides in a natural un-stressed sort of messy but beautiful way. Each time I asked what kind of cake she wanted the answer was "Elmo" but I couldn't find an Elmo cake decoration anywhere. So I drew him on there myself, and it worked out pretty well! Imperfections in beauty aside, they were both delicious! I topped them with a strawberry icing. So here are some photos and recipes.




Chocolate Birthday Bash Cake (or, chocolate yogurt cake)
I think I found this on the stoneyfield yogurt website, but I can't remember for sure. The recipe was a little goofed, the kind that forgets to include some ingredients in the directions and messes up on measurements, which is of course the kind of recipe I pick when I could choose anything, but here it is cleaned up. It made a delicious cake.

Ingredients
1 cup plus 2 Tbl unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup plus 2 Tbl plain yogurt
1 Tbl vanilla extract
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups cake flour (I used all purpose and so added a little less than 2 cups, no I didn't measure. just not quite full cups. Then added 1 Tbl cornstarch)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (good ones)

Directions
preheat to 350
lightly grease and flour two 8inch round cake pans
Cream butter and sugar in mixer.
Add eggs one at a time and mix well.
Add vanilla and yogurt. mix well.
Add lukewarm water and continue to mix.
It looked really bizarro at this point. I was worried but it turned out ok.
In separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa.
Mix dry into wet.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Mix batter between cake pans.
Bake 32-45 minutes (22-25 for cupcakes)
cool completely before attempting layering or frosting.


Classic Yellow Layer Cake
from Taste of Home Cookbook

Ingredients
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups milk

Direction
preheat 350
cream butter and sugar to light and fluffy
add eggs, one at a time beating in each one
stir in vanilla
in separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt
add dry to creamed mix alternately with milk, beating after each addition
Pour into greased and floured 9 inch round pans
bake 350 25-30 minutes ( I used one larger pan and baked longer, forgoing layers)


Icing
cup of fresh strawberries and cup of plain yogurt + tsp of vanilla in blender till smooth. whip the heck out of strawberry/yogurt mix and powdered sugar (about 4 cups I think I used, just add until you reach the consistency desired)