Chocolate Butter Cake
The best kind of cake is birthday cake. But it wasn't anyone's birthday. So I made a birthday cake anyway. I don't know whose birthday it is, but happy birthday!
Yeah, I just really wanted birthday cake.
Every single person, EVERY SINGLE PERSON, has told me how good this cake is. I don't usually make cakes, albeit from scratch (since mine usually aren't as good as the box cakes), but this cake is special. This cake and I made a deal: I make the cake as the last chametz thing before Passover, and the cake will turn out delicious. And we both held up our ends!
Start like any other cake: with flour! Plus other leaveners. Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, etc etc etc.
Melt yo chocolate, let it cool. Actually, the way that the chocolate is melted in here is more like making hoco than it is when baking. Baking usually makes you double boil it, but this recipe (Joy of Baking) has you put the chocolate and cocoa powder in a bowl and pour boiling water over it to melt it. I guess it worked, since this cake is absolutely amazing. Maybe that's the secret to making fabulous chocolate baked goods. We'll have to investigate.
Mix together the buttersugareggsvanilla and the chocolate. Then alternate flourmilkflourmilkflour. Once you're finished, it should be fluffy and light and a lot.
Butter (and flour) your pans, and bake! I tried to combat the dome that usually happens when you bake cakes by making a little crater in the middles, but I think that that might have only aggravated it and possibly made it worse.
After you have your cakes made, it's time to make the frosting! First melt your chocolate. Funny story actually, the only type of chocolate that this recipe calls for is unsweetened. And whenever you make something you're supposed to taste it, right? Well, I kept tasting the chocolate, forgetting that it was totally without sugar or anything, and each time I told myself "Well, that was a bad idea. Won't do that again!" And each time I did it again.
Once you have your melted chocolate, just mix everything together! Easy as pie! I actually mixed it with a wooden spoon for the beginning since my beaters were dirty, and it still came together fine! That was because my butter was nice and soft. So use soft butter!
I adapted the recipe and added strawberry preserves between the layers. You could totally do that, or do another type of jam, or just use the frosting in the middle. I wonder if ice cream would work. Maybe if you were making and serving the entire thing in one day.
This is probably the most beautiful cake I've made! The frosting is so flat!
Recipe (from Joy of Baking):
Cake
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1. Preheat oven to 350 F and butter and flour 2 9x2 inch pans.
2. Place the chocolate and cocoa powder in a heat proof bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Stir until it's completely melted.
3. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Beat the butter until creamy with a mixer. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and chocolate and beat to combine.
5. Add the flour in the additions and milk in two additions, starting and ending with flour. Don't over beat this! Divide batter evenly and smooth the tops. Bake for 35-40 minutes, and cool for about 10 before you remove the cakes from the pans.
Frosting
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, softened
1. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in double-boiler style. Let that cool, then add milk, sugar, salt, vanilla, and butter and beat (on low) until it's smooth. Increase the speed and continue to beat for 3-5 minutes. If it's too think, add more milk. Too thin, add more sugar.
When you assemble this, make sure the cakes are totally cool. Mine were still warm, and were falling apart. That is also good if when you add the filling, it has to be cool or else the cake will tear where you're spreading it.
Yeah, I just really wanted birthday cake.
Every single person, EVERY SINGLE PERSON, has told me how good this cake is. I don't usually make cakes, albeit from scratch (since mine usually aren't as good as the box cakes), but this cake is special. This cake and I made a deal: I make the cake as the last chametz thing before Passover, and the cake will turn out delicious. And we both held up our ends!
Start like any other cake: with flour! Plus other leaveners. Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, etc etc etc.
Mix together the buttersugareggsvanilla and the chocolate. Then alternate flourmilkflourmilkflour. Once you're finished, it should be fluffy and light and a lot.
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| Pre Bake |
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| Post Bake |
Once you have your melted chocolate, just mix everything together! Easy as pie! I actually mixed it with a wooden spoon for the beginning since my beaters were dirty, and it still came together fine! That was because my butter was nice and soft. So use soft butter!
I adapted the recipe and added strawberry preserves between the layers. You could totally do that, or do another type of jam, or just use the frosting in the middle. I wonder if ice cream would work. Maybe if you were making and serving the entire thing in one day.
Recipe (from Joy of Baking):
Cake
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1. Preheat oven to 350 F and butter and flour 2 9x2 inch pans.
2. Place the chocolate and cocoa powder in a heat proof bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Stir until it's completely melted.
3. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Beat the butter until creamy with a mixer. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and chocolate and beat to combine.
5. Add the flour in the additions and milk in two additions, starting and ending with flour. Don't over beat this! Divide batter evenly and smooth the tops. Bake for 35-40 minutes, and cool for about 10 before you remove the cakes from the pans.
Frosting
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, softened
1. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in double-boiler style. Let that cool, then add milk, sugar, salt, vanilla, and butter and beat (on low) until it's smooth. Increase the speed and continue to beat for 3-5 minutes. If it's too think, add more milk. Too thin, add more sugar.
When you assemble this, make sure the cakes are totally cool. Mine were still warm, and were falling apart. That is also good if when you add the filling, it has to be cool or else the cake will tear where you're spreading it.
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