Birthday Cakes: Marble Layer Cake and Coffee Buttercream Frosting

Birthdayyyyy cakeeee. 

Over the past couple of years, I've made cakes or birthday desserts for my friends. I love baking process and then celebrating with everybody... but I seriously dislike the frosting and decorating portion. 

le sigh. I'll never get it.

The latest in the birthday cake extravaganza? Marble cake with coffee frosting! 

Recipe (adapted from ATK)
Marble Cake:

1/2 cup milk, room temp
4 lg eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 8 or 9-inch cake pans, then line with parchment paper. 
Whisk milk, eggs, and vanilla together in small bowl.
In large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt.
Beat butter into flour mixture, one piece at a time, until resembles moist crumbs.
Beat in all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture then beat until fluffy. 
Add in and slowly beat rest of milk mixture. 
Transfer 1/3 of batter into separate bowl and stir in cocoa until combined. 
Scrape half yellow batter into pans.
Scrape chocolate batter into pans, then run butter knife through to make swirls. Gently tap pans on counter to settle batter.
Bake 20-25 minutes, until inserted toothpick has a few crumbs. 
Cool in pans for 10 min, invert and cool on wire rack. Cool completely before frosting

Coffee Buttercream Frosting recipe
1 tbsp coffee
1 tbsp vanilla
2 stick butter, softened
2 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg yolk, beaten

Mix coffee and vanilla in small cup until dissolved
Beat butter until fluffy. 
Add sugar and beat. Add coffee and egg to frosting. Beat until fluffy. 

A few other birthday cakes...

Carrot Layer Cake from America's Test Kitchen

Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake

Red Velvet Cake

Velvet Devil's Food Cake

Wellesley Fudge Cake