Grandbaby Cakes Cookbook Yellow Cake

Jocelyn Delk Adams is one of the nicest and most genuine people in the food blogging world. She's been blogging almost as long as I have and has built an incredible career through hard work, talent, and an unmistakable enthusiasm for baking. I especially enjoy reading her headnotes and stories because her joy comes through on every page.

This post originally served as a review of Jocelyn Delk Adams' cookbook, Grandbaby Cakes. The recipe card below is the original chocolate frosted yellow cake recipe from the book, complete with Jocelyn's headnote, and the older photos show the cake exactly as written as a three-layer cake. I still think this cake recipe is excellent and have since added new photos along with a 6-inch version.

Grandbaby Cake Cookbook Classic Yellow Cake

Like most bakers, Jocelyn has continued to refine her recipes over the years and has a new yellow cake recipe on her website. That said, the cookbook version remains every bit as delicious as I remembered. Since many of us now bake with digital scales, I've added gram measurements and a few extra notes to make the recipe even easier to reproduce.

Classic Yellow Cake Tips

One important tip: use a stand mixer if possible. The long creaming time isn't just for convenience. It helps dissolve the sugar and incorporates much of the air that gives this cake its light texture. Notice how little baking powder and baking soda the recipe contains. Proper creaming does a lot of the work here.

The chocolate frosting is just as memorable as the cake itself. Don't let the five cups of powdered sugar scare you. It looks a little messy and crumbly at first, but once the cream is added and the mixer works its magic, it transforms into a fluffy, silky frosting with a dairy flavor that comes through. I followed Jocelyn's original suggestion and used a premium European-style butter in the frosting, along with a good natural cocoa powder, and the flavor was outstanding.

6-Inch Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

These days we rarely need a full three-layer celebration cake, so I also tested the recipe as a 6-inch cake. I made a half batch and divided the batter between two 6-inch pans. After baking, I trimmed one layer to use as the bottom layer and split the second layer in half to create the upper two layers. The result was a tall, bakery-style cake that's perfect for a small gathering.

For the 6-inch version, use ½ of all the ingredients and divide the batter between two greased and floured 6-inch cake pans (about 385 grams batter per pan). Bake at 325°F and begin checking for doneness after 28 minutes. My layers were thick and took about 32 to 35 minutes in my toaster oven. For the frosting, us ⅔ of the recipe in the card so you'll have plenty.

Here's a link to the book: Grandbaby Cakes: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories by Jocelyn Delk Adams. If you are looking for more breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes, order Everyday Grand Soulful Recipes for Celebrating Life's Big and Small Moment.

Reprinted with permission from Grandbaby Cakes by Jocelyn Delk Adams, Agate Surrey, 2015.

Recipe

Grandbaby Cakes Cookbook Yellow Cake

Anna

Trust me, this traditional yellow cake is no plain Jane-in fact, it's an icon. What makes this cake so special are its classic flavors and staying power. This recipe has evolved quite a bit from the original one Big Mama developed. I have been tinkering, testing, and perfecting it for years, and I am proud to say that my rendition yields a simple yet delicious canary-yellow cake that's moist, tender, and bursting with the rich taste of fresh butter, eggs, and vanilla. It is the ideal backdrop for a fluffy yet smooth chocolate frosting. While there are tons of recipes for yellow cake with chocolate frosting out there, this one brings home that nostalgic flavor you remember, with the added payoff¸ that only baking from scratch can give.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 18 slices

Ingredients

 

CAKE

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (228 grams)
• 2 ½ cups granulated sugar (500 grams)
• 7 large eggs room temperature
• 3 cups sifted cake flour (330 grams)**
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature (240 grams)
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

FROSTING

• ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 5 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup heavy cream cold
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease and flour 3 9-inch round pans.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 2 minutes on high speed. Slowly add the granulated sugar. Cream together for an additional 5 minutes, until very pale yellow and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
• Turn your mixer down to its lowest speed and slowly add the flour in 2 batches. Add the salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Be careful not to overbeat. Add the sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix the batter until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. The finished batter should be pale yellow and have a silky texture.
• Evenly pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 27 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a layer comes out clean-but just barely. It is crucial that this cake not be overbaked! The layers should have a rich golden color and a spongy texture.
• Let the layers cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks. Let cool to room temperature. Lightly cover the layers with foil or plastic wrap so they do not dry out.

FOR THE FROSTING

• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the butter and beat for 2 minutes on high speed.
• Turn your mixer down to low speed and slowly add the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.
• Once everything is fully incorporated (the frosting will look crumbly), turn your mixer back up to high speed. Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Whip until the frosting is fluffy and smooth.

TO ASSEMBLE

• Once the layers are completely cooled, place 1 layer on a serving plate. Spread just the top of the layer with ⅓ of the frosting. Add the second layer and spread with another ⅓ of the frosting. Add the final layer, bottom-side up, and spread with the remaining frosting. Frost the top and the side of the cake.

Notes

Anna's Note: Sifted cake flour weighs less than un-sifted.  330 grams is just right for 3 cups.    For a 6-inch cake, use half of all the ingredients in the cake and ⅔ of the ingredients in the icing.  Bake at 325F in tall 6-inch round cake pans.  Check at 30 minutes.  

Grandbaby Notes: This cake is fantastic as is but absolutely heavenly when you use high-quality butter.

If you ever want to lighten this cake, you can use Greek yogurt or even milk instead of the sour cream.

Reprinted with permission from Grandbaby Cakes by Jocelyn Delk Adams, Agate Surrey, 2015.

 

Keyword Grandbaby Cakes, Yellow Cake

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