Baking a 6″ layer cake is the perfect size for two. This yellow cake is tender and moist. The silky chocolate frosting is sweet, without being TOO sweet. We got six slices out of this cute little cake, that were just the right size. It would also be perfect to bake for baby’s “smash” cake, too!
If asked to choose between cooking and baking, as my favorite choice– I’d have to choose baking. I admit that I have a sweet tooth. I try to control my love for cake, but it’s a real challenge. If I’m being 100% honest, I could eat cake for breakfast (with my morning coffee). See what I mean?
To help me curb my temptation, I reserve baking layer cakes for when I know there will be guests. That way, I can have my cake and it, too. Sorry. That is, I can serve most of it, and send the rest of it home with my guests.
I am not a pastry chef. I’m an aspiring baker. I haven’t perfected the art of making buttercream roses (and maybe that’s a good thing– as I love them). However, I love frosting layer cakes– and I have to praise how good this chocolate frosting is. Wow! Enough chit-chat. Let’s talk about how I made this cute little cake.
If you’ve been following my blog for a while (and I thank you), America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) is one of my favorite recipe sources. This recipe comes from their cookbook “The Complete Cooking For Two“.
Paring a baking recipe down for “two” isn’t easy. That’s because baking is scientific, and cutting — or even doubling– ingredients can lead to failure. With this cookbook, ATK has already done the science of paring down servings so that the recipe works. To bake this cake you need two 6-inch cake pans. I lined the pans with parchment paper and Baker’s Joy Baking Spray. ATK recommends using a hand held electric mixer, for this recipe. We’re using the chiffon cake method, where we start by beating egg whites, with added sugar until they are glossy.
Cake flour (I prefer King Arthur Flour brand) is the best choice to use with standard ingredients of butter, leaveners, buttermilk, and vanilla. Last, but not least, the egg whites are gently folded in. Evenly divided the dough into the two prepared cake pans.
Bake at 350F for 16-18 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. Wait! I always check my cakes about 3 minutes before the minimum baking time– just to be sure that I don’t over bake the cakes. Who wants dry cake?! Sure enough, my cakes were ready at 15 minutes. Now for the frosting…
I am Team Milk Chocolate, all the way! Since Trader Joe’s is one of my favorite places to shop, I keep a treasure trove of their various Belgian chocolates in my pantry. They are really good, and very reasonably priced. I cannot stress enough how weighing your ingredients is much more accurate than measuring cups!
A kitchen scale isn’t that expensive, and will give you the best results. I’ve weighed 6 ounces of chocolate, and chopped them.
I used to have a fear of tempering/melting chocolate. It would seize up on me, and I’d have to toss it. No longer!
I’ve learned how to gently heat chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stir, and repeat until melted. Voila! Perfectly melted chocolate.
I usually make my buttercream frosting with a stand mixer. Nope. This recipe recommends a food processor– so I hope that you own one. I’ve owned this Cuisinart Food Process for 42 years, and it’s still going strong!
Using the processor, butter, sugar and cocoa are whipped together. I know that corn syrup is a controversial ingredient, but this is cake frosting– butter and sugar. So, in it goes!
The cakes have cooled….
How luscious does this chocolate frosting look?! It’s so good!
This is about 1/2 cup dollop (maybe more) of frosting. That’s a good start, don’t you think? Then the top, and the sides. This little cake is sitting atop an 8″ cake liner, for scale.
This is the cutest cake! Sometimes, I like to get fancy and pipe a nice border, or add sprinkles. This time, I kept it simple– since it’s just for us.
It’s time for the Big Reveal– that first slice of cake. I didn’t refrigerate the cake, so the frosting was soft and creamy.
TASTING NOTES: The cake is really tender (thank you, Cake Flour) and it’s not the least bit dry. Yay! The chocolate frosting is really silky. It’s sweet, but not toothache sweet. Mmm, yeah. This is a lovely cake.
The slices are small, and really cute! After we each enjoyed our dessert, the cake was placed into the refrigerator.
The next day, the frosting had hardened and had a darker color. It was almost a fudge-like texture. Yummy! It was just as delicious as the day before. Best of all, the cake was gone in two days. Yes, I would definitely make this cake again. It’s perfect for two… maybe three…okay four people. Max!
Homemade Classic Fluffy Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting for Two
Equipment
- 2 6" cake pans
- Parchment paper
- Food processor for the frosting
- hand held mixer
- cake turn table optional, but makes frosting cakes so much easier
- off set spatula for frosting the cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 large egg yolks plus 1 egg white
- ½ cup sugar 3½ ounces; divided
- ¾ cup cake flour 3 ounces
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups frosting (recipe to follow)
Chocolate Frosting
- 6 ounces milk, bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped (I chose milk chocolate)
- 14 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup confectioner' sugar 2⅔ ounces
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1½ ounces
- pinch table salt
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cake:
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°FGrease two 6-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease parchment and flour pans (I use Baker's Joy Spray instead of flour).
- Using hand-held mixer set at medium low speed, eat egg white in medium bowl until foamy, about 1 minutes.Increase speed to medium-high and beat white to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minutes.Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until glossy, stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down sides off bowl as needed; set aside.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining 6 tablespoons sugar together in second medium bowl. In small bowl, whisk buttermilk, melted butter, oil, vanilla and egg yolks together.Using hand-held mixer set at low speed, gradually pour butter mixture into flour mixture and mix until almost combined (a few streaks of dry flour will remain) 15-30 seconds. Scrape down bowl, then beat on medium-low speed until smooth and fully combined, 10-15 seconds.
- Using rubber spatula, stir one-third of whites into batter, then add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain.Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smooth tops and gently tap each pan on counter to release air bubbles. Wipe any drops of batter off sides of pans.Bake cakes until toothpick inserted in center comes o ut with a few moist crumbs attached, 16-18 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking.
- Let cakes cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Run knife around edge of cakes to loosen.Remove cakes from pans, discarding parchment, and let cool completely on rack, about 1 hour. (Cooled cakes can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day. Wrapped tightly in plastic, then aluminum foil, cakes can be frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost cakes at room temperature before unwrapping and frosting).
For the frosting:
- Microwave chocolate in bowl at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth, 2 to 4 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- Process butter, sugar, cocoa and salt in food processor until smooth, about 10 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.Add corn syrup and vanilla and process until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds.Add melted chocolate and pulse until smooth and creamy, about 5 pulses.(Frosting can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 hours before using or refrigerated for up to 3 days. If refrigerated, let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before using.)
To frost the cake:
- Line edges of a cake platter with 4 strips of parchment paper to keep platter clean.Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread ½ cup frosting evenly over top, right to the edge of cake.Top with second layer, press lightly to adhere, then spread ½ cup frosting evenly over top.Spread remaining 1 cup of frosting evenly over sides of cake.To smooth frosting, run edge of off-set spatula around cake sides and over top, or create billows by pressing back of spoon into frosting and twirling spoon as you lift away. Carefully remove parchment strips before serving.(Assembled cake can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
I couldn’t wait to make this cake. I didn’t have 6″ pans so I used 1 10″ pan and baked it for 13min. Cut it in half and you have a 2 layer or just leave it as a single layer. The frosting is the richest, most chocolatey and most delicious I have ever had. I will be making this again very soon.
That’s great! It was an easy cake to make, and I agree with you– that frosting is luscious! Thanks for stopping by.
Miss Debby,
This cake is simply divine!
I am not a baker, but this cake may be my new ‘ go to’ cake😜
I will be making it for my girl’s birthday!
Thanks debater!!
You are too kind! Thank you.
I will make this today. Have to get cake flour and buttermilk.. do u have a. Moist White cake recipe?? Thank you Linda kraner
I hope you like the yellow cake recipe that I posted. As far as a moist white cake, I have only one on my blog that I consider to be easy and delicious. It’s a White Snack Cake. You can find that recipe by clicking on the link here
https://afeastfortheeyes.net/2021/01/white-snack-cake-and-the-most-incredible-whipped-buttercream-frosting.html
Also, on my home page, I have a recipe index where you can search for within any of my over than 600 recipes!