Wake 'n' Bake Some Birthday Cake!

So I got this man-friend. Let's call him... Sergio.  Sergio has been my main squeeze for a little while now and I guess you could say he's kind of important to me. Well Serg (for short) has a birthday coming up in a couple of days so I have birthday cake on the brain, and soon on the buds!  BIRTHDAY CAKE MAKES ME EXCITED! When it comes to baking, there's one lady that I trust with all of my heart... Ina Garten. I saw these recipes on her show a while back and they are the sexiest cake recipes I've ever seen!  I've had them set aside ever since and I've been frickin' dying to utilize them. I am not quite sure which one I am going to make yet, so I am going to share them both with you! There's one for you, vanilla-lovers, and one for chocolate-lovers. These cakes, my friends, are not your average cakes; ingredients like sour cream, coffee and/or lemon zest make them extra elegant and special. The luscious ingredients really set them apart.  Whichever one I choose, I can't wait to eat---I don't know if I'm actually making it for Sergio or myself! But I can promise you that Sergio's birthday and these tasty cakes are definitely cause for celebration. My tall drink 'o' water will be very pleased! Here are the recipes:

White Birthday Cake!!!:

2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

8 ounces (about 1 cup) sour cream, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons good vanilla extract

1 lemon, zested

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cornstartch

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 pounds confectioners sugar, sifted

9 tablespoons milk

3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Food coloring (optional---if you want to make it a pretty color!)

For the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan, a 6-inch cake pan, and a 3-inch cake pan. To make the cake, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then the sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until smooth. Finish mixing by hand to be sure the batter is well-mixed. Proportionately divide the batter between the 3 cake pans. Bake the 9-inch pan for 45 minutes, the 6-inch pan for 35-40 minutes, and the 3-inch pan for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from each cake. Cool in the pans to room temperature. 

For the frosting, cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the confectioners sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until thickened. If adding food coloring, add now and turn the mixer off. Finish mixing in the color by hand using a spatula. Frost each cake separately, saving some frosting for decoration. Centrally stack the cakes: 6-inch on top of 9-inch, and 3-inch on top of 6-inch. Decorate and look at your amazing cake creation! 

Chocolate Buttercream Cake!!!:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups good cocoa powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1 1/3 cups light brown sugar, packed

4 large eggs, at room temperature

4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

1/4 cup brewed coffee

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

1 pound bittersweet chocolate

12 ounces semisweet chocolate

3/4 cup egg whites (4-5 large eggs), at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 pounds unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 teaspoons instant espresso powder, dissolved in 1 1/2 teaspoons water

3 tablespoons dark rum, optional

For the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour 1 (4 by 3-inch) cake pan, 1 (6 by 3-inch) cake pan and 1 (8 by 3-inch) cake pan. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on high speed until light, approximately 5 minutes.  Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Combine the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. On low speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture alternately in thirds, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix the batter only until blended. Divide the batter between the 3 pans and smooth. Bake on the middle rack of the oven as follows: 45-50 minutes for the 4-inch pan, 70-75 minutes for the 6-inch pan, and 85-90 minutes for the 8-inch pan, or until a toothpick comes out clean from each cake. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes on a cooling rack, then carefully remove from the pans and allow to finish cooling. 

For the frosting, chop the chocolates and place them in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature. Mix the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Place the bowl of egg whites over the pan of simmering water and heat the egg whites until they are warm to the touch, about 5 minutes. Return the bowl to the electric mixer and whisk on high speed for 5 minutes, or until the meringue is cool and holds a stiff peak. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, while beating on medium speed. Scrape down the bowl, add the melted chocolate, vanilla, espresso, and rum, if using, and mix for 1 minute or until the chocolate is completely blended in. If the buttercream seems very soft, allow it to cool, and beat it again. Frost just the top side of the cakes and then stack them accordingly. Finish frosting and enjoy that buttercream deliciousness! 

Word to the wise: You obviously don't have to bake a 3-tiered cake. If you want to use other pans, go for it--just watch the cook-time!

Moral of the story? Tall drinks 'o' milk will be in order when devouring these cakes with my tall drink 'o' water!

*this recipe can be found at foodnetwork.com