Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Rosette Frosting

4.60 from 32 votes

Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Rosette Frosting

Delectable vanilla cake covered with a chocolate frosting flavored with sour cream and dark chocolate. It is a truly decadent cake that tastes just as good as it looks!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Rosette Cake, vanilla cake recipes, Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 25

Cooling Time 1

Total Time 1 55

Servings slices

Calories 548

Author Erren Hart

Ingredients

10 tablespoons butter (about ⅔ cups)
1⅓ cups sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk at room temperature

For the frosting:

24 ounces dark chocolate roughly chopped
1 lb butter
2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
8 cups confectioners sugar plus more as needed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans.
Beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well until combined.
Sift the flour with the baking soda and salt.
Add these dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two additions, alternating with the buttermilk.
Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool for 20 minutes before taking them out of the pan. Let them cool completely on a rack before frosting.

For the frosting:

In a saucepan over medium-low, melt the chocolate with butter, stirring until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes (you want it warm, but not hot). Whisk in the sour cream, vanilla, and salt.
Gradually mix in the cocoa powder and then add the sugar, about 1 cup at a time, until frosting is desired consistency. You may need a little more or less sugar for a spreadable thickness and texture.

Frosting and Rosettes

Frost the cake with a thin layer of smooth frosting. Prepare a piping bag with Wilton 2D Tip using the remaining frosting. Starting at the bottom of the cake, pipe rows of rosettes around the cake. Repeat until the cake is completely covered.

Notes

If you are making this frosting to spread onto the cake instead of piping, please half the recipe.

To ensure the butter and sugar are creamed well, beat the mixture for a good three minutes.
For a light, airy cake, sift the dry ingredients together before adding them to the wet ingredients.
Don’t overbeat the batter. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yellow disappears. Over beating the eggs may cause the batter to overflow the sides of the pan in the oven or create a fragile crust that crumbles when frosting. Once the flour is added, mix until just incorporated.
If you think you may have overmixed the batter, just set it aside for ten minutes to let it relax before baking.
Sift the sugar and cocoa powder together before making the frosting to remove any lumps.
For a visual demonstration of piping the rosettes, you can check out my Easter Cupcakes video to demonstrate how it's done.
Practice making the rosettes on the bottom layer before stacking the cakes. That way, you can get the hang of it before starting. If you need more practice, just scrape it off and do it again!
If the frosting gets too soft while you pipe, stick the decorating bag in the fridge for a few minutes to firm it back up.
Need more information on using a piping bag? This video by Wilton may be helpful.

Nutrition