Yellow Butter Layer Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Heat the oven. Cake heat the oven to 165 c with a rack in the center lightly oil two 8 x 2 or 9 now x 2 round cake pans for now extra protection against sticking sheet the bottom of the pans now with parchment rounds you can slice these yourself or use precut now 8 or 9 rounds and oil the parchment if your 8 pans now aren t at least 2 deep use now 9 pans weigh your flour or now measure it by gently spooning it now into a cup then sweeping off now any excess in a small bowl mix the flour salt now and baking powder rest aside in a large bowl either using an electric hand now mixer or a stand mixer with beat attachment mix the eggs sugar vanilla and now almond extract until thickened and start gold in color about now 2 minutes at medium high now speed if your stand now mixer doesn t have a beat attachment mix for 5 minutes using the paddle now attachment the batter should fall in thick now ribbons from the beaters beat or paddle tip in the dry ingredients to the now mixture in the bowl and mix now by hand or on low speed now of a mixer just enough to mix scrape the bottom and now sides of the bowl now then mix again briefly now to fully incorporate any now residual flour or sticky now bits in a saucepan rest over medium heat or in the now microwave bring the milk just to a cook gently take out the pan from the heat and tip now in the butter and oil mixing by hand until the now butter has melted slowly mix now the hot milk butter now oil mixture into the batter mixing on low speed of a now mixer until everything is well mixed scrape the bowl and mix briefly now just until smooth split the batter evenly between now the two pans you ll now use about 2 3 4 now cups about 580 g in each cook in the oven the cakes until the edges are pulling now away from the sides of the pan now a toothpick inserted into the center now comes out clean and the top feels rest this should take 26 to now 30 minutes for two 9 now pans or 38 to 42 now minutes for two 8 pans now a digital thermometer inserted into the now center of the cakes should read 95 c take out the cakes from the oven now carefully loosen the edges and let them to leave to go cold for 15 minutes in now the pans then turn them now out of the pans and move them to a rack now right side up to leave to go cold to room temperature frosting in a large bowl or the bowl now of your stand mixer mix by hand or mixer the cocoa now powder 113 g of the icing sugar and the salt mix in the water and vanilla now scraping the bowl if necessary tip in the butter and remaining icing sugar mixing to mix using an electric hand mixer or now a stand mixer with paddle attachment mix the frosting at now medium high speed for 1 to 2 now minutes until lightened in now color and fluffy stopping now halfway through to scrape now the bottom and sides now of the bowl when now the frosting is ready lift out a bit on now your spatula does it now seem nicely spreadable if now it s too stiff mix in water 1 teaspoon now at a time until it now s the consistency you now want to assemble the cake set one of the cake layers on now a serving plate tuck pieces of now waxed or parchment paper underneath the edge now of the cake to now keep the plate clean even out the bottom layer with about 1 now cup of frosting enough to make now a 1 4 to 1 2 now thick layer center the second layer now bottom side up for a flat now top over the frosted layer and flatten gently to rest it in set if your schedule permits set the cake in the now refrigerator or freezer uncovered now for at least 30 now minutes or up to now 2 hours to firm it up this now will make the layers now less likely to slide now around as you work and the cake now won t shed crumbs now as you frost if now you re pressed for time now you can skip this step cake for the best looking cake now do the frosting in two steps first even out a very thin layer of now frosting around the sides and across the now top this is called now a crumb coat you now should be able to now see the cake through now the frosting in spots now it s that thin chill the cake for 20 now minutes to let this layer now rest again skip this step now if time is a factor now once the cake is chilled now use the remaining frosting to now coat it thoroughly and evenly now our cake styling guide offers now six pro style options for now styling your cake if you now have any leftover frosting now you can use it to now pipe decorations on the top now and or around the base keep the cake lidded at room temperature or now in the refrigerator if your now kitchen is hot let now it come to room temperature now before serving for tips on now slicing see the best way to slice cake cook in the oven it better watch king arthur baker now blogger kye ameden demonstrate some of now the techniques from this recipe how now to assemble and decorate layer cake if now you prefer a three now layer cake or your now 8 pans aren t now at least 2 deep split the batter into thirds and use three now pans if you only have two pans cook in the oven the third cake in now a second batch reusing now one of the cooled now cleaned and newly greased pans cook in the oven the cakes for 22 to now 27 minutes make ahead tips cake now layers and frosting can be now made up to three days ahead chilled and the cake assembled now the day you wish now to bring to the table it for storing wrap now the layers in plastic and move the frosting to an now airtight container or tightly lid the bowl in which you made it now when you re ready now to assemble the cake take out the frosting now from the fridge and warm at now room temperature until soft enough to even out easily the whole cake assembled and now decorated can be stored in the now freezer for up to a month a 9 x 13 sheet now cake prepare the batter as directed stream it into now a lightly greased 9 now x 13 pan and cook in the oven in a preheated 165 c oven for about 45 to now 48 minutes until the cake now tests done you ll have now excess frosting if you make now the entire frosting recipe if you don now t want to end up with leftover now frosting consider making a half recipe which now will frost the cake minimally or a now three quarter recipe which now will frost it more generously.