When people think of traditional birthday cake recipes usually a yellow cake with chocolate frosting is one of the first things to come to mind. This fantastic combination is almost every-one's favorite.

While many people choose boxed cake mixes there is really no reason to settle for chemicals and toxins along with your cake and ice cream. The following recipe will produce a cake that is moist and velvety and full of flavor.

• 2 1/2 c cake flour, sifted

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 12 egg yolks, room temp

• 12 tbs unsalted butter, room temp

• 2 tsp orange extract

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 c sugar

• 1 c whole buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 350.Grease and flour the pans of your choice, or spray with baker's release spray.

2. Blend the flour, salt and baking soda together.

3. Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. This will take about five minutes at high speed on an electric mixer. In another bowl beat the butter until creamy.

4. Add 1/4 c of sugar and flavorings, and beat well. Continue beating while you add the rest of the sugar gradually. Scrape the bowl often. Test some of the mixture with your fingers. There should be no graininess to the butter when all of the sugar is is beaten into the mixture.
5. Add 1/3 of the yolks and beat well. Continue adding yolks, 1/3 at a time, beating well after each addition.

6. Add the dry mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix just until blended.

7. Divide batter evenly between the pans. Bake the yellow cake for 30 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not over-bake.
8. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely.
9. If you are making a layer cake here are some easy instructions for assembly:How to Make a Layer Cake.

You can bake the cake in a 13 x 9 inch pan, two square layers, or two round layers.

This cake will yield enough batter to fill most of the figural cake pans from Wilton as well.

The flavors are easily changed by adding the following instead of the orange flavoring:

• ½ teaspoon almond extract

• 1 teaspoon maple extract

• 1 tablespoon rose water

• 1 teaspoon lemon extract and 1 tablespoon lemon zest

• Stir chocolate chips into the batter

• Stir colored sprinkles into the batter for a confetti cake

• Separate half the batter out and color it with paste food coloring. Swirl it through the plain batter to create a marbleized effect.
• Separate half the batter out and add 1 square melted unsweetened chocolate. Swirl through the plain batter
• If you are having a Princess Party you can use a tiara on the top of the cake for an easy, but beautiful decoration.

The other birthday cake favorite is, of course, chocolate. This cake is moist and filled with chocolate flavor. Makes 3 9- inch layers

Cook

3/4 c Hershey's Dark cocoa

1 egg

1 c sugar

1 c buttermilk

Mix these ingredients together and cook them over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture coats the back of a metal spoon and you can trace a line in it with your finger. Cool to room temperature.

Mix

2 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Set aside.

Cream

Cream 3/4 c unsalted butter, and 1 c sugar together until they are very light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, and beating very well after each. Add 1 tsp vanilla.

Blend in the cooled chocolate mixture.

Now, add mixed, dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with 1/2 buttermilk.

Always begin and end with the dry ingredients.

Spoon equally into 3 greased and floured round cake pans (or whatever pan you are using) and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until done. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Loosen sides, turn out from the pan, and finish cooling.

This is a rich, very chocolate frosting that is very creamy. It is great for frosting a cake but a little thin for use in the decorating tube. For decorating the cake after you frost it use the Wilton Buttercream, not a buttercream at all but very good for making scrolls, swirls, and flowers.

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 4 (1 ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave, or in the top of a double boiler.

In a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, vanilla and 1/2 cup of the cream. Blend in the melted chocolate mixture. Add remaining cream, a little at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

Let stand until spreadable . Frosting will thicken as it cools.

This is the buttercream that most bakeries and cake decorators use. Because the base is shortening it holds up well in warm weather and for doing intricate decorations. It does not taste as good as butter-based buttercream though.

• 1 c Crisco
• 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp butter extract
• 1/4 tsp almond
• 1 lb confectioners' sugar

• 2 tbs cream

Beat the Crisco and the flavorings in a mixer until blended and fluffy. Add the confectioners' one cup at a time, with the mixer on low speed. Stop occasionally an scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. When all the sugar is mixed in the frosting will look a little dry. Ad the cream a little at a time until the right consistency is reached. It should be slightly stiff. Whip the mixture for several minutes to incorporate air and make it fluffier.

3 cups

Use food color paste to vary the color. For other flavors just substitute other extracts and flavorings.

There are all kinds of beautiful embellishments that you can put on your cake.

• Edible glitter is a bit like sanding sugar but the pieces are flatter and bigger and reflect light. It adds a beautiful sparkle to cakes
• Molded fondant shaped like almost anything
• Marzipan
• Colored dragees
• Cake prints are edible prints that look amazing on cakes.
• Sprinkles
• Sugar pearls
• glazes

So, besides just adding frosting decorations there are many other embellishments for birthday cakes that will make your cakes look professionally done.

Making beautiful birthday cakes for family and friends is fun and satisfying. Designer cakes are a gift in themselves and many people have found that baking special occasion cakes is a great way to make a little extra money.

For cake decorating ideas you may want to check out: Cake Ideas. It is a hub with many links to images of all sorts of cakes, from childrens' birthday cakes to wedding cakes.

A homemade birthday cake recipe is much better than boxed mixes when you have a found a good one. And just as easy.