Ingredients
- Yellow Cake
- 2 cups cake flour*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, soft
- 1 1/2 cups Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 8 large egg yolks room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- Butter Cream Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
- 6 cups (27 ounces) Dixie Crystals Confectioners Powdered Sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon or almond extract
- 6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Decoration
- Gold and/or yellow food coloring
- 3-4 oz white fondant or modeling chocolate
- 2 oz black fondant, modeling chocolate, or frosting (optional)
*Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with non-stick tin foil or butter and flour inside of pan and line bottom with parchment paper.
- Sift together flour and baking powder; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add one egg yolk at a time, mixing for 30 seconds in between each addition.
- Add salt, vanilla extract, and lemon zest.
- Add 1/3 of flour and mix on low speed until combined. Pour 1/2 of buttermilk and mix until smooth. Mix in 1/2 of remaining flour, then remaining buttermilk, then remaining flour.
- Pour batter into pan and bake on a lower rack in the oven for 34-38 minutes until a inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes, then turn upside down onto a rectangle cake board and allow to cool completely for at least 1 hour.
- Carve bottom edge of cake so that it curves slightly, like a beer mug. Carve opposite end with several curves (to look like foam on top of a beer mug).
- Prepare butter cream frosting. Beat butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and salt and beat until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla, almond extract and 1 tablespoons heavy whipping cream. Continue to add heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until frosting is a nice spreadable consistency. You may not need all 6 tablespoons.
- Color 3 cups of the frosting a golden yellow. Spread or pipe frosting over the cake leaving a 2-inch border at the top.
- Use remaining white frosting to spread or pipe foam onto top of cake.
- Color white fondant or modeling chocolate using a tiny drop of gold or yellow fondant. You just want it to have a slight gold color. Roll it into a log and shape it into a beer mug handle. Attach to side of cake.
- Optional, decorate cake with “cheers to dad” cut out from fondant or modeling chocolate or piped on with black frosting.
Dixie Crystals Insight
- Learn how to make your own fondant.
- Tips for lining your cake pans.
- In a time crunch, substitute box cake mix in place of the homemade.
- Recipe created for Dixie Crystals by Beth Jackson Klosterboer at Hungry Happenings.