Yay me! That was a fast year.

I've been told by a certain someone in my house that the word Blogiversary is dorky. The thought that I would actually make a cake to celebrate said event qualifies as some sort of affliction that may require an intervention. There were whispers to their friends that they weren't sure why I was making a cake. My youngest tried to pass it off as a cake for her half birthday. Right.......Oh how they changed their tune once it was all frosted and set out on the counter.

 I should have just made them watch me eat it, but you know, it was a big cake.

One year ago I started my blog. No scratch that, 3 years ago I started my blog, it was only 1 year ago that I actually wrote something. Now THAT is dorky.

When I started this blog I was certain that only my darling husband and my mom would read it. My inner middle school girl certainly thought this was a bad idea. However, it's been fun. I've met some interesting people (if you can call exchanging comments or emails really meeting), and I challenged myself to do something that I wasn't entirely comfortable with. I found that writing for yourself is much more fun than writing when it is assigned or part of your job. I'm mean what would you rather write about, this Buttermilk Vanilla Layer Cake or about the epidemiology of tuberculosis among South East Asians. I'll leave that for you to decide.

So a big thank you to those of you who are not related to me who stop by here, and an even bigger thank you to my husband who likes to push me into new adventures! I love you and I ate your piece of cake.

This cake is a very old fashioned yellow cake. The cake is soft and moist with a tender crumb but it holds up well to a fudgy frosting. I think it's the perfect thing to make for a birthday or really any dorky event that comes up.

Rich Yellow Buttermilk Cake with Fudge Frosting

For the cake:
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs yolks at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
For the frosting:
1 1/2 pounds semi-sweet chocolate chopped fine
2 cups heavy cream
8 tablespoons butter cut into small pieces
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour 2, 9 inch round baking pans.

Make the cake layers:
In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the butter, oil, and sugar for 5 minutes on medium speed. Add the egg yolks 2 at a time beating for 20 seconds after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and then scrape down the bowl.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in thirds alternating with the buttermilk. Begin and end with the dry ingredients, completely incorporate the flour after each addition. Scrape down the bowl and divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared cake pans.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes, then turn the layers out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Make the Fudge Frosting:
Place the chopped chocolate in a large heatproof bowl, set aside.
In a heavy medium sized saucepan, heat the cream, butter, and sugar over medium high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Immediately pour the cream mixture over the chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes and then stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and then let the mixture cool for 30 minutes.
Set the bowl of frosting in a larger bowl of ice water (after it has cooled for 30 minutes). Beat the frosting using an electric mixer until the frosting thickens and becomes lighter in color. Be careful not to overbeat the frosting as it will make the mixture grainy. Finish by folding the frosting together with a wooden spoon.
Assemble the cake:
Place a cake layer on a serving platter, plate or pedestal. Using an offset spatula spread 1 cup of frosting over the top of the first layer.  Top with the second layer. Spread 1 cup of frosting evenly over the top of the second layer. Use the remaining frosting to frost the sides. Decorate as desired.