Yellow Layer Cake- Origin Unknown #99

A good old fashioned yellow, layer cake with a twist--4 layers, chocolate frosting and toasted walnut-coconut crunch sides. The cake is moist and the frosting is sweet.

Cake:

Butter, for greasing cake pans
1-2/3 cups sifted cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 eggs, separated

1 -1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Chocolate frosting:

8 cups sifted confectioners sugar
1 -2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup margarine, at room temperature
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup heavy cream, or as needed

Nut-Coconut Crunch:

1-1/2 cups finely chopped nuts, (almonds, pecans and/or walnuts)
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Cake: preheat oven to 350°. Generously butter 2- round 9 inch cake pans, and line bottoms with parchment or wax paper.
Sift cake flour, baking powder and salt together.
Using a stand mixer, beat egg yolks on high for five minutes.
With mixer still running, gradually add 1 cup sugar and continue beating until thick, light yellow ribbons form in bowl, about five minutes more, scraping bowl 2-3 times.
Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
Sift flour mixture over batter and stir it in by hand until blended.
Add melted butter, and stir until completely incorporated.
In large, clean bowl, and using the mixer’s whisk attachment, beat egg whites and cream of tartar together on high until frothy.
Gradually add remaining 1/3 cup sugar, and continue beating until whites are stiff but not dry.
Stir in 1 cup of whites into batter, then gently fold in remaining whites until blended.
Divide batter between prepare pans. Bake until golden and center springs back when lightly touched, about 25 minutes. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until golden and center springs back when lightly touched, about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely.
Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely.
Nut-Coconut Crunch: tossed nuts and coconut together, and spread on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° until golden and crunchy, 10 to 15 minutes, tossing twice. Set aside to cool.
Chocolate frosting: Sift the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa and salt together.
Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter and margarine on high until light yellow and slightly thickened, about three minutes.
With mixer still running, add corn syrup and vanilla.
Reduce speed to low and add sugar mixture in 2 batches, beating well after each.
Blend in 3/4 cup cream until frosting is a spreading consistency, adding more if needed. Increase speed to high and beat until light and creamy, about two minutes more; it will be about 8 cups of frosting
Using a long serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally into two equal layers. Spread first layer with frosting, then place second layer on top of it and frost it, repeat with third and fourth layers.
Frost sides with remaining frosting. Pat nut-coconut crunch on sides of cake until covered.

Results: This was not as easy as the recipe indicated. I made 2- 8" cakes instead of the 2- 9". As a result, I found the cake a little dry. If I had cut each cake horizontally and frosted each one, it would have been more moist. It needed the frosting in between. It is also a very tall cake. I made 1/2 the amount of frosting. I also did not use margarine. I used butter. For the finishing touch, I used a fork to make circles on top. The crunch on the sides was delicious and looked very fancy.

A-Z Cakes with Linda

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