Who doesn't love birthday cake? My daughter recently celebrated her 17th birthday and requested my homemade chocolate cake, with a dark chocolate frosting. I do this cake with a peanut butter frosting that is pretty special...but the birthday girl wanted an all-chocolate affair.
I tend to like my cakes done in a bundt ban...I just find they cook evenly and, if I'm honest, I just love they way a bundt cake looks. This cake can easily be done as a layer cake or even cupcakes...you'd just need to change the timings a bit.
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups plain flour
3/4 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup strong black coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
Preheat oven to 170C/350F. My oven runs a bit hot and is fan forced, so I actually do mine at 160C...use your judgement.
Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a good sized bowl. Use the very best cocoa powder you can for this cake, it will be the dominant flavour in the cake. My favourite is Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa, which is almost impossible to get in Australia. Failing having that, Callebaut Cocoa works beautifully.
Add to the dry mixture the two eggs, the buttermilk, the coffee, vegetable oil and vanilla. Again, the quality of the coffee will affect the flavour of the cake so go for something decent. This cake doesn't have a lot of hiding space, so I heartily encourage you to use nice ingredients.
Mix with a hand mixer for about two minutes. The mixture will be very runny, but this is I think why it is so moist once it is baked. Pour into a prepared non-stick pan. I just do a good spray of baking spray, but prepare the pan as you normally would to ensure a successful release.
Bake for 20 minutes, turn the cake 180 degrees, and then bake for another 20 minutes. If a skewer comes out clean, it is done. Sometimes it make take up to an extra five minutes.
Let the cake cook for about five minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely before frosting.
The frosting I used was a super easy buttercream, but not overly sweet. It came together quickly, and was very tasty.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder (I use the same one as in the cake)
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
6 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa, and set aside. Beat the butter until it is soft and fluffy. Add the sugar/cocoa mix to the whipped butter alternately with tablespoons of cream until all are incorporated. Add in the vanilla. If the frosting is too loose, add a bit more powdered sugar. Whip until it is smooth, and then frost the cake straight away. Delicious on the cake or out of the mixing bowl!
