Golden Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 (9- by 2-inch) round cake pans and line bottoms of each with rounds of wax or parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla.

Add half of flour mixture and mix at low speed until just blended.

Add sour cream, mixing until just combined, then add remaining flour mixture, mixing at low speed until batter is smooth.

Divide batter between pans, smoothing tops.

Bake in middle of oven until cake is springy to the touch and a tester comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove paper, and cool completely.

Trim tops of cooled cake layers with a long serrated knife if necessary to make flat and level. Halve each layer horizontally with serrated knife to make a total of 4 layers.

Put 1 cake layer on a cake plate and spread with 3/4 cup frosting.

Layer remaining cake layers using 3/4 cup frosting between each layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.

•Cake layers can be made 1 day ahead of assembling and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.•Cake can be assembled 1 day ahead and chilled in a cake keeper or loosely covered with plastic wrap (use toothpicks to hold wrap away from frosting). Bring to room temperature before serving.•This batter can be baked in a 13- by 9- by 2-inch pan 50 to 55 minutes; or in 30 (1/2-cup) muffin cups about 25 minutes.•We used 2 pastry bags, one fitted with an 3/4-inch plain tip and the other fitted with a 3/4-inch ribbon (basketweave) tip, and couplers to decorate our cake, but it won’t be any less attractive or delicious if you decide simply to use candles.