A reverse-creaming method of making a chocolate sour cream cake (but substituted with Greek yogurt) and a luscious maple buttercream to top it off! It’s a wonderful fall-flavored cake that everyone will enjoy!
I’m sure you all know this about me already, but I like to show my appreciation for others through food – mostly baked goods of course. My pairs partner’s birthday was approaching, and I had every intention of having something for him on his actual birthday, but life got in the way. We took some last minute trips to visit family and also went out of town to see some college friends. Unfortunately, I did not have a dessert ready for him on his actual birthday.
So I had to make it up to him. I let him choose what he wanted for his birthday treat but he didn’t give me any suggestions. I thought about pumpkin brownies, cream cheese swirl brownies, maple cake, pumpkin spice cake and pumpkin cookies, but nothing was calling my name.
I finally settled on a chocolate cake with maple buttercream. It was plain enough to be appealing to everyone yet still contained a fun fall flavor. Except this cake was made with a reverse creaming method. Normally, we make cakes (and cookies) with the traditional creaming method, where sugar and butter get mixed together and then dry ingredients are added. This particular cake did the opposite – dry ingredients are sifted together and then butter is added to the mix. While it made for a messier kitchen, the outcome was pretty fantastic.
Since I wanted my cake to be a showstopper and be enough for my pairs partner to share with others, I doubled the frosting recipe below. I gifted this to him on the day of our friend’s Halloween party (which I wasn’t able to attend) so I wanted to make sure there was enough frosting to go around. And because I didn’t slice into this beforehand, I wasn’t able to attest to the cake as a unit. I did get to taste some of the scraps and can tell you that this was a great flavor combination!
Happy Halloween to all, and please stay safe tonight!
Chocolate Greek yogurt cake with maple buttercream
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick plus 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter slightly softened
- 1 (5.3) ounce container plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup hot coffee or water
Maple buttercream
- 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 5-6 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 4-6 Tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Bake the cake
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease and line three 8" round baking pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (do NOT turn the mixer on yet!), gently mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Slice the butter and add to the stand mixer. Quickly turn the mixer on and off in spurts so that the butter slowly gets incorporated into the dry ingredients. This is called the reverse creaming method. Watch out - it might get messy, so make sure you don't turn the mixer on fully or else you'll get covered in flour!
- In a medium sized bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Pour half of this into the mixer and turn it to low. Allow it to come together so the batter is uniform. It will be very thick. Add the rest of the egg mixture and mix on low speed, then increase to medium. Mix until the batter is uniform. Turn the mixer back down to low and slowly drizzle in the coffee or water. The batter will be slightly runny, and that's OK.
- Evenly distribute the batter to your prepared pans and bake in your preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the buttercream
- In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Turn the mixer down to low and add in about 2-3 cups of the powdered sugar. Then add the maple syrup. Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar. Drizzle in the heavy cream until you reach your desired frosting consistency. If it's too thick, add more cream or milk. If it's too runny, add more powdered sugar. Set aside until ready to assemble the cake.
Assemble the cake
- Place one cake, flat side down, on a serving plate or cake board. If desired, trip the top so it's flat (using a serrated knife). Add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of frosting. Add a second cake on top and trip the top. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of frosting. Add the final cake on top, flat side up.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of frosting to make a crumb coat. Place the cake in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes to allow it to set. Then frost the sides and top of the cake once more with the remaining frosting. Decorate as desired.
- Cake should be stored, covered, in the refrigerator and will keep for several days.
Notes
