Delicious, tender, not-overly-sweet cake made with only all-purpose flour. This will be your new favorite birthday cake. Happy birthday, Dad!
Ingredients:
Cake (for 1 layer - double for a 2 layer cake):
1¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
⅔ cup vegetable oil, plus more for pan (128g)
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
¾ cup sour cream (180g)
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
¼-½ tsp almond extract (optional, adjust to taste)
Chocolate Frosting:
3 oz (85 g) chocolate, chopped into small pieces
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (75 g) powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) heavy cream or milk
Directions:
Cake:
Grease a 9 inch round pan and line with parchment. Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together remaining ingredients until well combined. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined (do not over-mix!). Pour batter into prepared pan, spread even in the pan, and bake at 350F (175C) for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out just clean. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, remove from pan and cool completely on a rack.
Frosting:
Cream together butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Melt chocolate, add, and whisk until combined. Add cream/milk and whisk until smooth. You should frost the cake only when it's completely cool. I'd recommend making the frosting when you're ready to frost - it'll keep fine in the fridge but the chocolate in it will harden so you'll need to let the frosting soften out of the fridge before you work with it.