Golden Butter Cream Cake

By norsegal8

If you love butter, this will be your favorite cake. There is, quite simply, no cake with more mellow, buttery flavor or golden color. It needs no buttercream, but marries well with one if you choose to frost it.
The high proportion of butter makes it seem dense at first bite, but this cake instantly dissolves in the mouth, leaving behind a heavenly flavor and the illusion of lightness.

This cake is a cross between Perfect Pound Cake and All-Occasion Downy Yellow Butter Cake, with the incomparable, flowery flavor of cream replacing the milk. The butter content is about the same as in Perfect Pound Cake when one takes into account the butterfat in the cream.
Compared to Perfect Pound Cake, Butter Cream Cake has egg yolks instead of whole eggs to add color and fineness of crumb. It also has more baking powder for a more tender, lighter texture.

Ingredients

• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 10.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch by 2-inch cake or quiche pan or 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and then grease the paper and flour the entire pan.

In a medium mixing bowl, lightly combine the the yolks, 2 tablespoons cream and vanilla.

In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and remaining 6 tablespoons cream. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to aerate and develope the cake's structure. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a wire cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cake should be just starting to shrink from the sides of the pan. It will shrink quite a bit while cooling.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. It will have a level top. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula and invert onto a greased wire rack. For an attractive top crust, reinvert so that the top is up and cool completely before wrapping airtight.

This cake is used to make Rose Trellis.