This past weekend, it was my boyfriend Erlend's birthday. Although we had a ton of friends in town, we managed to find some time to celebrate his birthday quietly. It's not that we don't love our friends or anything, but more that Erlend's not one for big, extravagant birthdays. Like me, he hates being the center of attention and instead prefers smaller affairs involving a meal at a nice restaurant and a drink at a quiet bar.

Despite the fact that Erlend and I have been dating for nearly four years, I still find it difficult to find him a birthday present. Normally I would go the baked goods route, but when it comes to dessert, we are on the opposite sides of the spectrum. While I love refined sugar and flour and all things sweet, he tends to be healthier and instead prefers to indulge on salty, savory snacks.

Ingredients:

For the Yellow Butter Cake:

For the Simple Syrup Soak:

For the Chocolate Ganache Frosting:

Recipe:

For the Yellow Butter Cake:Prepare a 6-by-3 inch round cake pan by liberally spraying with cooking spray and dust with flour. Tap out the excess flour.

Preheat the oven to 350 (F).

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup (4 ounces) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 heaping teaspoon of kosher salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 7 tablespoons unsalted butter with 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until extremely light and fluffy, about 10 to 12 minutes (see baker's note above).

Once the butter and sugar is completely light and fluffy, lower the mixer speed to its lowest setting and add 5 egg yolks one by one. Add each egg yolk one at a time, only adding the next egg yolk when the one prior has been completely incorporated into the batter — it should take around 2 minutes per addition. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula before adding more yolks. Once all the egg yolks have been incorporated into the batter, raise the speed to medium-high and beat for another 30 seconds to fully combine.

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together 1/3 cup buttermilk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. With the mixer on its lowest speed, add the dry ingredients (from the 3rd step) in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla mixture in two additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. After each addition, beat until just combined — DO NOT OVERMIX at this stage, or you'll end up with a dense, tough cake that will make me sad. To avoid overmixing, you can turn off the mixer during the last edition of the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and fold the remnants of any dry ingredients into the batter by hand.

Use a rubber spatula to transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top into an even, flat layer. Bake in the preheated oven until the cakes are lightly browned and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for about 20 minutes. When the cake has cooled enough to handle the pan but still a tad warm to the touch, carefully run an offset spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen it, then invert the cake onto the rack and remove from its pan. Let cool for about 20 minutes more, before wrapping tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerating to ensure that the interior is completely cooled before decorating, at least 1 hour or for up to 3 days.

For the Simple Syrup:In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar — the mixture should reduce to around 1/4 cup's worth of liquid. When the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup is clear, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature before using. The simple syrup will keep, tightly sealed in the refrigerator, for up to 1 month.

(makes one 6-inch cake)1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup (4 ounces) all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder1/4 heaping teaspoon kosher salt7 tablespoons (3.5 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature1/2 cup granulated sugar5 large egg yolks, at room temperature1/3 cup buttermilk1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract(makes 1/4 cup, enough for one 6-inch cake)1/4 cup granulated sugar1/4 cup water(makes around 3 cups, enough for one 6-inch cake)10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably with 62% cacao2/3 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream2 large egg yolks3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperaturesource cake here