Classic Yellow Cake & Chocolate Mousse Frosting

The Gourmandise School   of Sweets and Savories

Inside out. I know. This isn't chocolate cake. It's a yellow cake, the perfect vessel for this chocolate mousse frosting. A deep, rich frosting so smooth it deserves the lightest crumb, none too sweet or dense, to carry it through. This cake is a hybrid of a hot milk cake and its yellow cousin. Yellow cakes, unlike white cakes made from egg whites, are made with whole eggs. Spongy hot milk cakes are have hot milk poured over the eggs once beaten, but we've notice a high rate of failure in hot milk cakes (especially for those of you with convection ovens), so we modified it for a spongy, buttery-but-not-heavy version. We baked this cake in 8" pans, and I doubled both the batter and frosting for a super-tall affair. We ate the big hunk of a slice and the rest went to a few lucky diners at Curious Palate. Feel free to add almond extract or play around with alternate layers of jam and frosting for a custom cake. Carry on! Classic Yellow Cake Melt in a medium saucepot: 1- 1/2 sticks butter   1 cup milk                 In a medium bowl, whisk: 2 cups flour                  2 1/2 tsps baking powder    1/2 tsp salt      In a stand mixer, place: 4 eggs 2 cups sugar 2 tsps vanilla extract (add a seeded vanilla bean for extra flavor) 1. Combine butter and milk in a saucepan over low heat until butter melts. Set aside to cool. 2. While the milk mixture cools, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 3. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light in color, about 3 minutes. 4. Add the cooled milk mixture and vanilla to the eggs and beat until well combined. 5. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix just until it disappears. 6. Pour into two 8" or 9" cake pans lined on the bottom with parchment paper. Bake at 350˚ for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes lightly spring back and are golden. Chocolate Mousse Frosting Melt over a double boiler, then set aside to cool: 1-3/4 (7 ounces) sticks butter 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate     Whip to soft peaks: 1-1/3 cups heavy cream 3 Tbsps sugar            1. Once the melted chocolate has cooled, add it to the beaten cream.  2. Beat these together for another 3-4 minutes.  If the frosting is too soft, place it in the fridge or freezer for 10-20 minutes, making sure to beat it again before using. Assembly 1. Start by using or cutting out two pieces of cardboard- one the size of your cake and the other 2" larger. This will help move your finished cake onto a clean platter for serving without marring the bottom. Make some room in your freezer or fridge for a cake the size you baked. 2. Once cooled, split each cake into two layers.  3. Place the bottom layer on a cardboard round its same size. Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup or large ice cream/cookie scooper, place a mound of frosting over the cake layer. Using a few smooth motions, spread the filling all the way to the edges. 4. Repeat until all the layers are stacked. Spread half of what frosting is left to create a crumb coat around the cake. This is a thin coat of frosting meant to seal in the crumbs. Chill the cake for at least 15 minutes. When frosting a cake, it's really helpful to use a flat knife or offset spatula and hover just over the cake instead of scraping against it. 5. Spread the remaining frosting in the same way over the crumb coat. Chill to set for a few minutes. This cake should be serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. Wishing you a delicious day,  Clémence and Hadley