A Birthday Cake Recipe

I guess it's bound to happen periodically, when my birthday falls on a Monday (it happened in 1971, 1976, 1982, 1993, 1999, 2004, and this year). So the Brave Astronaut clan celebrated at home yesterday with some great friends, a big pot of chili, and an outstanding cake made by Mrs. BA. Just in case you were wondering, I have the best wife in the whole world.

The cake comes from the Buttercup Bakery Cookbook. I picked it. It was awesome. As a birthday present to me (I'm sure it's just for me), it appears that Magnolia Bakery may be coming to DC.

White Layer Cake with Chocolate Chips

• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup (1 1/3 sticks unsalted butter, softened)
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and lightly flour two 9x2 inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with waxed paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix the milk and the vanilla extract together. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and the vanilla extract mixture, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, on the high speed of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold into batter, making sure no streaks of white are showing. Then gently stir in the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cake cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.

When cake has cooled, ice between the layers, then ice the top and sides of the cake.

[Here is the icing I chose]
Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

• 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream and vanilla. In another bowl, sift the sugar and cocoa together. Then add them to the cream and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip until soft peaks form but the mixture is stiff enough to spread.