Choc-it Cake!

This is kind of old, but back last month we celebrated Senor's birthday. He requested a chocolate with chocolate with chocolate with chocolate cake. See, I made a cake in January for my mom and Paw Paw's birthdays and made a chocolate cake, white chocolate filling and a chocolate fudge buttercream frosting for the outside. It was over-the-top crazy sinful. So, Senor had that cake in mind when he made his request.

Forgive the poor quality of my photo, it was late and I just needed a dang picture of the cake!!

And since I had to scrounge high and low to remember WHICH recipes I used for all of it I decided I should blog it all so I don't forget.

So here are the recipes I used.

For the cake: (this is from here)
Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee**
Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

**I didn't use the coffee...I have ZERO clue how to make coffee.  Instead, I used 1 cup of hot water mixed with about 1-2 tsp of cinnamon. You can toss in some hot chocolate mix if you like. The whole point of this ingredient is to add 1. moisture and 2. enhance the flavor of the chocolate, which is what coffee does...BUT here's a little secret...cinnamon does the same thing essentially!

I also had to add another 1/2 of this recipe in order to make 3 layers...so you 1.5 all the ingredients...does that even make sense??

The frosting...this is the best chocolate buttercream frosting I've found

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or ½ pound), softened (but not melted!)
• 3½ cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract (I used almond extract for Senor, he likes almond flavor)
• 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Instructions

1. Cream butter for a few minutes in a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Turn off the mixer. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the dry ingredients do not blow everywhere) until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time.

I don't recall which white chocolate frosting recipe I used; I do recall it was tedious and I screwed it up the first time. So here's one, I've never tried. Just know, up front, that most white chocolate frostings are a bit on the more fickle, difficult side. 

1 C. unsalted butter, softened

2 ½ C. powdered sugar (or more, depending on desired consistency)

Pinch of salt

6 oz. good quality white chocolate, chopped (NOT white chocolate chips or candy melts!)

¼ C. heavy whipping cream

¼ tsp. vanilla extract

1. Put the chopped white chocolate into a small bowl. Heat the chocolate in 30 second increments in the microwave set to 60% power. Stir after each increment, and continue to heat 30 seconds at a time, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside and allow to completely cool.

1. Once white chocolate has cooled, sift the salt and powdered sugar over the butter, in a large bowl. Cream the butter and sugar mixture together until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

1. Measure the whipping cream into a cup, and stir in the vanilla extract.

1. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually pour the cream mixture the bowl.

1. Once the cream mixture has been incorporated into the frosting, fold on the melted (but cooled) white chocolate until incorporated.

1. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and beat frosting for an additional 3 minutes.

1. Makes about 2 ½ cups of frosting.

• For a stiff decorator frosting: add more powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, until desired consistency (about another cup or so.)

• For a thinner consistency to fill cupcakes or sandwich cookies, add about ½ cup less powdered sugar.

This makes a medium consistency frosting, which is very spreadable and creamy.