Funfetti Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

I love spur of the moment baking!  Yesterday I got a text from my boyfriend asking if I wanted to make a cake for one of his co-workers that got a new job.  Of course I said yes and immediately went into recipe search mode.  I had seen this recipe for homemade funfetti cake and really wanted to try it, and this was a perfect opportunity.  I made a super quick trip to the grocery store and was back in a flash to start baking.  This recipe is really great and easy!  The batter was the first sign the cake was going to be good, it was super light and fluffy and smelled amazing.  Also I have finally learned how to make a cake rise evenly in the oven so you don't get the rounded top.  If you cut a strip of towel, wet it, and wrap it around the outside of the pan, it makes for a perfectly flat cake!  So I double the recipe because i wanted a big cake, and divided the batter into the pans.  There was very little batter per pan but it had no problem rising in the oven.  For the icing, I wanted to do a chocolate buttercream but not one that was too sweet.  I found this recipe on epicurious.com and decided to try it.  It got amazing ratings but is more difficult then most buttercream recipes.  It turned out very light and fluffy.  It wasn't your typical sugary and thick chocolate buttercream.  If you are used to canned frosting, you might not like this, like my boyfriend didn't, but it is a great buttercream.  It is more like a Swiss meringue buttercream.  Needless to say, the cake turned out perfect and everyone loved it.  I thought my decorating skills were below par, but its the taste that matters.  If you are a from box baker, like I was only a few months ago, I highly suggest you try this recipe.  It is just as easy as a box mix, with all the staple ingredients you probably have in your house, and yet you can tell people you made it from scratch!!  

Sorry for the bad photos!  

Funfetti Cake - Adapted from Sweet Tooth
Yield: 1 Layer of a Cake, or about 12 cupcakes - I doubled the recipe
Ingredients:
1 1/4 Cup Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Sugar
6 Tablespoons Butter, unsalted and room temperature
1 Egg + 1 Egg White, room temperature
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Cup Whole Milk
2 Tablespoons Rainbow Sprinkles


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour cake pans, or line muffin tins with paper liners for cupcakes.
2. In a medium size bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and egg white, beating on low speed until just incorporated.  Add Vanilla.
4. Gradually add in the flour mixture and the milk, alternating until it is all mixed in.
5. Add the sprinkles.
6. Pour the batter into the cake pan, or fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full.  For a cake, bake about 30-35 minutes, for cupcakes about 14-16 minutes.  Bake until the edges are lightly brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool then frost with your favorite icing
8. Enjoy

Chocolate Buttercream - adapted from Epicurious

Yield: Almost 4 Cups, just enough for a 2 layer cake or about 24 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Bittersweet or Semisweet Chocolate, best quality possible

3 Sticks Butter, unsalted and room temperature

6 Tablespoons Water

3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

3 Egg Whites

1/4 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

6 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Directions:

1. Chop chocolate. In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate, stirring until smooth, and let cool. Cut butter into pieces and soften to cool room temperature.
2. In a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 250°F.
3. While syrup is boiling, in a bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with a pinch salt until foamy and beat in cream of tartar. Beat whites until they just hold stiff peaks and beat in hot syrup in a stream (try to avoid pouring onto beaters and side of bowl). Beat mixture at medium speed until completely cool, 5 to 10 minutes. 
4. Beat in butter, 1 piece at a time, beating until mixture is thickened and smooth. (Buttercream will at first appear very thin and at some point look like it is breaking but, as more butter is beaten in, it will thicken and become glossy and smooth.) 
5. Beat in cocoa powder, melted chocolate, and a pinch salt, beating until smooth. (Buttercream may be made 2 days ahead and chilled in an airtight container. Bring buttercream to room temperature and beat before using.) (If buttercream is too cold when beaten it will not be glossy and smooth.)
6. Frost your cake, or cupcakes, and ENJOY!