High Altitude Mini Yellow Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting
This mini yellow cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles is soft, fluffy and moist. A classic birthday cake in a small size that's just enough for four people.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 4-inch Round Cake Pans (x2) (or two 6-inch round cake pans)
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup cake flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ tsp + 1/8 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 tsp meringue powder, optional
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp milk, if needed
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray the insides of two 4-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray.You can also use two 6-inch round cake pans, for a layer cake that's wider and not as tall. If using 6 inch pans, your cakes will need 5-10 minutes less to bake.
- In a bowl, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Separately, whisk together the melted butter, milk, sour cream, egg, oil and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk until combined. Divide the batter between the pans.
- Bake the cakes for about 28-32 minutes, until the centers of the cakes spring back when lightly touched, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the sides of the cakes, then turn them out of the pans. Let cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- Using an electric mixer (either stand or hand-held), beat the butter for one minute until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, beat in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder, salt and vanilla, mixing until combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 4-5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- If needed, slice a small portion of the domed top off the cakes before frosting.
- Stack and frost the cakes with the buttercream. Before the buttercream crusts over, decorate with sprinkles.
Notes
Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days.
If using 4-inch cake pans, note that the small layers will be thick, making the assembled cake taller than it is wide. This can be challenging to frost, especially for an inexperienced baker. If you're unsure of your cake frosting skills, I suggest using two 6-inch cake pans instead. The wider width and shorter height will be easier to work with when frosting such a small, lightweight cake.
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