A cake just because...

Sometimes you need a cake. A whole cake just for you. Sometimes life just plain sucks and you're having a hard time.

One of mine is having a time of it lately. They all have a rough time, though thankfully not all at the same time.

He needed a cake. A cake just for him. A cake made for him just because. Because he is having a rough time of it lately. Because someone is thinking about him even when he isn't here. Because someone cares about him when he's not looking. Because someone is on his side even if he's being a little ridiculous - just because he needs it. Because someone knows a cake won't solve his little world's problems, but just might make him smile for day.

Here is that cake for one of my littles…just because.

And he didn't have to share a single piece - but he did anyways 🙂

Classic vanilla buttermilk cake with chocolate frosting
For the cake
Three cups of flour
1 ¼ tablespoons of baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
One cup of unsalted butter (two sticks)
Two cups of sugar
Five eggs
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
Three teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 and grease and four two eight inch round cake pans.
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl beat butter with paddle attachment on your stand mixer. Add sugar and beat until well combined. Add eggs one at a time and beat after each egg until well combined. Mix vanilla and milk in a measuring cup. With mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour.
Evenly pour into pans and bake on the middle rack for about 35 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pans for about five minutes and then invert onto baking racks and cool completely.

For the chocolate frosting
12 ounces of semisweet chocolate chopped
⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
Two sticks of butter
¾ cup powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon of salt
One teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup corn syrup
Melt chocolate in either microwave or over a double boiler. Gently warm the cream, but just warm not hot. Add melted chocolate to the cream and beat with whisk attachment in the stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Add the butter one stick at a time and whisk until light and well blended. Slowly at the powdered sugar and vanilla and salt. Beat until light and increased in volume - about eight minutes. Add the corn syrup and beat about five minutes more. Put a layer of frosting between the two rounds of cake and frost the outside.