Best Ever Chocolate Cake

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"A What's Cooking Recipe"

BEST EVER CHOCOLATE CAKE

  Ingredients for The Cake:

1 ¾ cups (fork sifted) all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated white sugar

¾ cups (fork sifted) cocoa powder

2 tsps baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup canola or extra virgin olive oil

2  large eggs

2 tsps vanilla extract

1 cup ‘strong  strength’ fresh brewed coffee

Make it like this:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two 9 inch cake pans with butter then dust lightly with cocoa powder – turn pans on side and shake to evenly distribute cocoa powder on pans bottom surface.  (Fork sift flour before measuring and fork sift cocoa powder before measuring) - Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl – set aside.  In a separate bowl, beat eggs, gradually beat buttermilk into eggs. Add oil and vanilla extract to mixture – stir well to blend. Finally, add hot fresh brewed coffee to wet mixture – a little at a time - stirring in slowly – mixing well.  Now, gradually add wet mixture to dry ingredients bowl – hand stirring or electric mixer on low speed.   When well blended, pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until cakes test clean in center when poked with a knife blade.  Let cakes cool in pans 5 – 10 minutes, then turn out onto cake racks to rest and cool completely.

Note #1:  Fork Sifting simply means stirring the ingredient around (in top of canister, can, or box) before scooping out with a spoon to measure – saves the process of actual sifting.

Note#2:  My grandmother’s cakes were more dense than the fluffy (often dry) cakes of today. I believe one of the reasons is the mixing process; therefore, I like to hand mix the batter, with a wooden spoon, for about 100 strokes (1 minute), then, finish up mixing with an electric mixer (medium to low speed) for about another 2 minutes.  This method produces a nice texture to the cake batter (not too dense nor too airy).

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 stick butter – softened room temperature

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese – softened room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 – 3 cups fork-sifted confectioners (powdered) sugar

Few drops of evaporated milk (optional for consistency)

(Add Ons: Maraschino Cherries and Grated Chocolate Bark) -  Small quantity of each.

Make it like this:

Combine softened butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl.  With the back of a wooden spoon, mash out most of the lumps and stir together (a rough blend). With an electric mixer,  blend mixture well until fluffy and color lightens.  Gradually beat in powdered sugar and vanilla extract until desired consistency is obtained.   Spread a layer of frosting in between cake layers – then using the swirl tip of a frosting piper, swirl dollops of frosting around edges of top layer of cake.  Drop a well drained maraschino cherry on top of each frosting swirl.  Fill center of top layer with shredded chocolate.  (if you want to frost the entire cake – double the frosting recipe).

Note:  For those serious Chocoholics!  You may prefer to frost your cake with “Chocolate Frosting”

If so, here is your frosting recipe:

 

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

1 ½ cups softened butter (3 sticks)

¾ cup to 1 cup cocoa powder (depends on how serious your are)

½ tsp espresso powder (optional)

4 – 5 cups confectioner’s powdered sugar

2 tsps vanilla extract

Few drops of evaporated milk (for consistency)

Make it like this:

Add softened butter to a bowl. Mix with an electric mixture until light and fluffy.  In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder and espresso powder.  Fork sift powdered sugar and stir into the cocoa powder mixture until well blended.  Gradually add powdered sugar mixture to creamed butter- mixing well.  Stir in vanilla extract then fluff up mixture with electric mixer.  Lavishly spread frosting in between layers and over cake’s surface.  (Need I say more)!   

 

 

 

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