Golden Chocolate Cake (Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream)
Amycakes Bakes | amycakesbakes.com
5 from 24 votes
Classic yellow cake, just as moist and soft as Grandma used to make. It’s a perfect pairing with creamy and fluffy chocolate buttercream. At Amycakes Bakery we called this classic combination "Golden Chocolate" cake, and it was one of our favorite flavors.1x batch yields one 6" three-layer cake and a 2x batch yields one 8" three-layer cake cut out with cake rings using the Cut and Stack Method.
Servings 8servings
Prep Time 30 minutesmins
Cook Time 24 minutesmins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
233 grams (1 ¾cups)All-Purpose FlourI use Gold Medal
Preheat Oven to 325 degrees. Line ¼ sheet pan with parchment paper, and then spray bottom (on top of the parchment) and sides of the sheet pan with cooking spray.
Sift Dry Ingredients in a bowl and then whisk until well blended.
Combine and stir Wet Ingredients in a separate bowl or pitcher.
With a stand mixer (preferred) or handheld mixer, cream sugar and salted butter together just until creamy and fluffy. Add oil and corn syrup and beat until incorporated. Add 3egg yolks and cream until well blended, scraping sides of the bowl as needed. Avoid over-creaming at each step.
On low speed, alternate adding Dry ingredients and Wet ingredients to the Creamed Ingredients, a little at a time. I do ⅓ Dry, ⅓ Wet, and so on, adding one-third at a time and blending on low after each addition. Continue to mix just until the batter looks well blended and smooth (avoid overbeating). Scrape sides of the bowl as needed.
Using a whip attachment and a clean bowl, whip the 2egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. (Make sure your bowl and beaters are clean and free from grease so that the whites will whip).
Carefully fold the Whipped Whites into the cake batter, one-half of the whites at a time. The batter is ready when no egg white streaks remain and it should look smooth and uniform.
Spread into prepared pan and make sure the batter is evenly distributed. An offset spatula works well for this.
Bake on the middle or top rack (avoid bottom rack) of preheated 325-degree oven for 18 minutes, then turn the oven down to 300 degrees. Set the timer for an additional 8-10 minutes. Check the cake at this point. If it is jiggly at all when lightly touching the top of the cake, continue baking for 1-6 more minutes. The cake is done when a paring knife or toothpick comes out mostly clean when stuck quickly in the cake. A couple moist crumbs on your knife are fine, but they shouldn't look wet. Allow to cool completely. Brush lightly with simple syrup (optional, Note #3).
Wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap and freeze cake in the pan for 2 hours or overnight. (You can even bake the cake up to a week ahead of time and freeze). The cake will be much easier to layer if it is cold or frozen. To wrap the cake, place another sheet of parchment on top of the cake (this will prevent the plastic wrap from sticking to the cake), and wrap the whole pan with plastic wrap. (I pull the plastic wrap out and place the pan on top of it. Then I wrap 2-3 ways horizontally and one way vertically so that there are two layers of wrap on all sides of the pan including the bottom).
Layer, Decorate and Serve the Cake
The easiest way to layer the cake is to layer the cake from frozen the day before you plan to serve it. If serving the cake the same day you are layering it, use refrigerated cake layers instead of frozen.
Cut out your desired cake size with cake rings using the Cut and Stack Method--leave the cake in the sheet pan, and using a slight sawing motion, cut the frozen cake into your desired cake size with cake rings (You can use a knife and the cake rings as a guide for any halve pieces that you cut.) In a 1x batch, I typically cut 3 layers with a 6" cake rings for a 6" cake--two full layers and one layer made from two halves (as seen in the recipe video). The crispest layers are cut from frozen cake, but you can let it thaw slightly before cutting your cake rounds if needed.
Use your two half-circles of cake to make the bottom cake layer (fill in with scraps if needed to make a level surface). Fill your cake layers with a little over ¼ inch of prepared Fluffy Chocolate Buttercream. An offset icing spatula (I use the small and medium-size on all my cakes) helps with this. I recommend frosting a thin crumb coat of buttercream on the outside of the cake which will catch all the crumby edges, then allow it to set up in the freezer for about 10 minutes until the buttercream is firm. Read more in my article: How to Bake and Layer Cakes Like a Pro: 5 Easy Steps. The Remaining cake scraps can be used for cake truffles if desired.
Spread a final layer of buttercream over your set-up crumbed cake, and decorate as desired. I drizzled mine with a 0.5x batch of my Easy Chocolate Ganache Drizzle and added gold crystal sprinkles. I used an 822 Star tip to add extra-tall rosettes to the top of the cake.You can let the cake set up in the fridge, but remove it from the fridge 2-3 hours before serving so it can come back to room temperature (avoid warm temperatures). This cake has the best texture at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
Notes for 2x batches: 1 + ½ tsp=½ Tbsp 3 tsp= 1 Tbsp
Read my article Instant Clearjel: a Magical Little-Known Bakery Ingredient to see why I think this ingredient is worth having in your pantry. Instant Clearjel must always be whisked thoroughly with other dry ingredients before added to wet ingredients to avoid clumping. Make sure what you purchase is labeled as “Instant.” Cooktyle Clearjel is a different product that does not work the same in cakes.
When baking cakes in a sheet pan, the cake bakes more evenly (flatter on top and with no dark edges), and you get to choose your cake size after baking by cutting the cake out with cake rings.
Simple Syrup is optional, but I use it to seal in the moisture for cakes that will be refrigerated or frozen. While the cake cools, make a simple syrup by combining 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until the sugar is dissolved after whisking, about 20-30 seconds. You can also make a larger batch of this (1 part sugar to 1 part water) and keep it in the fridge if you’re doing a lot of cake baking. Always cut the cake with cake rings before brushing the cake brush simple syrup, to avoid the cake being too sticky when cut.
This recipe was adapted slightly on 12-9-21. Contact Amy if you have any questions.