Chocolate Celebration Cake

I must admit I am a sucker for chocolate, especially for chocolate cake, that is for all of you who are not familiar with my blog. And for a celebration, like my recent 30th birthday, it would not be complete without a layered chocolate cake with what else but a vanilla buttercream filling and chocolate buttercream icing. Oh yeah, what was I thinking, I almost forgot to mention the garnishment of rich dark chocolate shavings. Let me guess, I have your full attention now. You are scrolling down now in attempts to size this cake up. So let me not keep you waiting any longer...

I recalled making a German Chocolate Cake that Bobby Flay created for his throw down show for my dad's birthday last year. The process was extremely long so I decided to simplify it a bit by just using the cake and subtracting the coconut-pecan-cajeta frosting. Although I loved the original cake...the thought of 4-6 hours creating it was not so great. I decided since it was my birthday, I would make the layers and skip the tedious filling substituting my buttercream icing recipe. And although I had to concede and skip out on my love of pecans and coconut, this cake did not disappoint me in the least.

Chocolate Cake:
(adapted from Bobby Flay's recipe)


Ingredients:

-2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

-3 teaspoons baking powder

-3/4 teaspoon baking soda

-3/4 teaspoon fine salt

-12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pans

-1 cup plus 2 tablespoons good quality Dutch process cocoa powder (such as Valhrona or Cocoa Barry)

-1 1/2 cups muscavado light brown sugar 

-1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

-1 1/2 cups strongly brewed black coffee, at room temperature

-1 1/2 cups buttermilk

-3 large eggs, room temperature

-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and butter 2 (9-inch) cake pans lining the bottoms with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

3. Melt the 12 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. 

4. Whisk in the cocoa powder and cook for 1 minute. 

5. Remove from the heat, add the sugars and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

6. Add the coffee, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract and continue whisking until smooth and just combined. 

7. Slowly add the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until combined.

8. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake on the middle rack until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 42 minutes.

9. Let cool in the pans on a baking rack for 20 minutes. Then invert the cakes onto the baking rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before frosting. Slice each cake in half horizontally. 

10. Once cake is ready to ice use frosting of choice or Lulu's Buttercream Icing 

Pin It