Epic Birthday Cake, Part 1

So recently I’ve been exploring the world of cake decorating. I wanted to make a special cake for my boyfriend’s 30th birthday. I’ve been planning the decorations for two months, and working on them for one. But as much effort as I have been putting into the decorations, it is the part that he and the guests will be eating that is by far the most important.
I immediately knew that this would be a chocolate cake. When given the chance to choose desserts from a menu, my Boy always gravitates towards the most gooey, chocolate-y offering available. Unfortunately the chocolate cakes I have attempted in the past turned out to be crumbly messes. I searched for new recipes, but it is so easy to be completely overwhelmed by the vast amount of chocolate cake recipes out there. Everyone and their mother has their own version of a classic chocolate layer cake. I gathered several recipes together and expected to go through several duds before settling on a success story. Instead, I lucked out- or perhaps I just chose well. Chocolate Cake Recipe Number 1 came out of my oven, and as soon as I tasted it I knew it was the One. Moist, finely crumbed, and just the right amount of chocolate flavor. This is a great, simple cake to please any chocolate lover.

My recipe came from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor. I’ve had this cookbook for awhile, drooling over the photos. I’ve only made one other recipe from the book, her Chocolate-Mayonnaise Cupcakes with Caramel-Butterscotch Buttercream. Those cupcakes were fabulous. If those two recipes are any indication, I’d say this cookbook is worth your money. Her recipes are, in a word, sinful. The title of her book could not be any more appropriate.

Devil’s Food Cake
Slightly adapted from Jill O’Connor’s Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey

Ingredients:
1/3 cup dutch-processed cocoa
1 tsp instant espresso powder
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 canola oil
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Note: Makes enough for two 9-in round cake pans

Lightly grease your cake pans, line bottoms with parchment paper, then grease again. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. Set aside.

Set your cup of water to boil. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the cocoa, espresso powder, and chocolate. Pour the boiling water into the mixture and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir in the vanilla extract. Allow the mixture to cool, then stir in the buttermilk.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and oil together until light and fluffy. Beat in the sugars. Then, beat in the eggs one at a time. Add one third of the reserved flour mixture, beating until just combined. Beat in half of the chocolate-buttermilk mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, before adding in another third of the flour mixture. Add the rest of the chocolate-buttermilk mixture, beating until just combined. Last, beat in the remaining flour mixture, beating until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pans, and spread evenly. Pans should be about half-way full. Bake layers for 25-30 min, until a tester inserted into the middle of both layers comes out clean. Allow layers to cool.

Chocolate Mousse Buttercream

Ingredients:
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp dutch-processed cocoa
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
6 sticks cold unsalted butter (Note: the frosting will emulsify more easily if the butter has been allowed to soften just a bit)
10 oz semi-sweet melted chocolate

Fill a large saute pan with water, and set to simmer over medium-high heat. While the water heats up, whisk the eggs, sugar, and cocoa together in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Once the water is simmering, place the mixing bowl into the water. Whisk the egg-sugar-cocoa mixture constantly until the mixture becomes thick, and the sugar is completely dissolved.

Remove the mixing bowl from the simmering water, and return it to the stand mixer. Whisk on medium-high speed for about 10 min, until the bowl is cool to the touch. The mixture will be light, fluffy, and will just have reached the soft-peak stage. Once cool, lightly mix in the vanilla and salt.

While the egg-mixture is being whisked, unwrap the sticks of butter from their original paper wrappers, and rewrap them in plastic wrap. Beat them with a rolling pin until they become a little more malleable. Once the egg-mixture has been fully mixed, add in the sticks of butter, about 2 tbsp at a time, with the mixer at medium-high speed. The frosting will appear curdled at first, but keep beating until it becomes smooth and shiny. It may take some extra time for the frosting to smooth out, but keep going until the butter is completely emulsified. Once it has reached its proper consistency, add in the melted chocolate to taste (I added it all! ) Fold it in lightly, until the chocolate is fully incorporated.
Enjoy!

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