Not Your Mama's Yellow Cake!

It's always scary when you try a new recipe. You cross your fingers that you'll have not only a great version of whatever you were trying to create, but that it is also edible!

For my son's 9th birthday we had a small family dinner at our place. Who better to test a new recipe on then your family?! The day was utter chaos as I ran around cleaning, cooking, and getting things ready. I ended up throwing this recipe together last minute, and literally the second it was done in the oven I popped it out onto cooling racks and had to leave the house to run errands. By the time I got home all I had time to do was throw together some chocolate butter cream, slap it on the cake with some sprinkles and then start dinner...no time to taste test!

As we finished our meal we all got ready for dessert. I was already cautioning everyone that it was an untested recipe and that I apologized in advance if it wasn't up to snuff. (Hey, I am known for my cakes, I got a rep to protect!) After the candles had been blown out and his birthday wish was made I started slicing up my new creation. I was aiming for a nice moist yellow cake. I used a lot of what I had learned in making my Moist Chocolate Cake and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome! As the title affirms this is not your mama's yellow cake! The cake is a very pale yellow and its not overly sweet. What it is, is very moist and fluffy with just a hint of tang from the sour cream I added. It played wonderfully off of the chocolate butter cream's sweetness. It was still delicious the next morning when the birthday boy and I had a slice each for breakfast.

I hope you'll give it a whirl and try it for yourself!

Not Your Mama's Yellow Cake!
2 1/2 cups cake flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 sticks butter @ room temp	1 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs @ room temp 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup buttermilk @ room temp 1/2 cup sour cream @ room temp
Equiptment: Hand or stand mixer, mixing bowls, cooling racks, nonstick vegetable spray (or you can grease and flour pans as desired), cake or cupcake pan(s) Directions Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prep your cake or cup cake pans.    Combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl and sift twice. Set aside. Using the mixer whip the butter together with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 6 minutes scraping down the bowl as necessary. (This allows some air to get in to the batter. If we did this once we added the flour it would make the cake tough.) Switch the mixer to low and add the sour cream beating until incorporated. Next alternate adding your remaining dry and wet ingredients. Start by adding a 1/3 of the dry ingredients and letting it incorporate. Next add half of the buttermilk and once that is mixed in another 3rd of the dry mix. Pour in the remainder of your buttermilk and finish off with the remainder of your flour. (I usually scrape down the bowl and let it beat for about another 30-45 seconds after this last addition to ensure everything is combined!) Pour out into your prepared pans and bake until the center of the cake springs back or a toothpick inserted in the center come out clean.  Cooking times are as follows: 24 Cupcakes....18 to 23 minutes Two 8 x 1-1/2 inch round baking pans....35 to 40 minutes Two 9 x 1-1/2 inch round baking pans....30 to 35 minutes One 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan....30 to 35 minutes Once baked flip out onto cooling racks. Let it cool and frost with your favorite!
Yield:  two 9 inch rounds three 8-inch rounds one 9X13 pan  up to 24 cupcakes.	Calories per serving: 140, assuming 24 servings

Whether its for a special event or just cause you felt like baking a cake, I hope you enjoy this recipe :)