Or the the best damn chocolate cake you’ll ever eat.
A statement that suggests I’m carelessly flinging around hyperbole and mistaking this blog post for a passage in my latest book. Worry not, dear reader. I’m speaking straight facts. This delicious bit of heaven is the go-to celebration cake in my house and the one my girls request every year for their birthday. Not only is it super moist and the perfect answer for the most ardent chocolate lover, but it sets the world to rights and makes the rough edges a bit smoother. Quite a list of accomplishments for one little cake, but there you go. It’s just that good.
It also made a guest appearance in my first book, LATCHED. Every love story needs some delicious food, and I included this beauty in all its glory in several passages. My heroine, Birdie, made it for her Stich and Bitch group dinner, and the hero, Mark, enjoyed a piece after the ladies were gone. Did it make him fall for her just a bit harder? Probably. But the truth is, he was already halfway there. The story is booklover’s catnip, and if you’re a Navy SEAL romance fan, check this one out. It’s an opposites-attract, insta-love romance that will make you think my overuse of tropes isn’t the worst way to craft the perfect escape. If your interest is piqued, visit the Coronado Series page and discover if my world of Navy SEALs is something you’d like to escape to.
Okay, back to the cake. I discovered this recipe more than ten years ago in Ina Garten’s book, Barefoot Contessa At Home. Like all of her recipes, it’s foolproof, easy to pull off, and one you’ll make again and again. And yes, I do worship at the altar of Ina and believe she’s in league with Dolly Parton and should be revered accordingly. But I digress; you came for the cake.
Here is the link for Beatty’s Chocolate Cake recipe. Ina generously shared it on the Food Network sight with a short video, that you might find helpful. The cookbook, Barefoot Contessa At Home is available in hardback and Kindle editions, and I noticed several used copies are available for around $3 if you love a preloved edition. I’ve also put together a few fun things if you’re feeling fancy, and they can be viewed here. I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we have and would love to see pictures of your masterpiece.
Here is what you need and what to do:
Cake
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Frosting
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate ( I used Ghiardelli)
2 sticks (1/2 lb) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
2 teaspoons hot tap water
To Make The Cake…
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of two 8-inch x 3-inch round cake pans and then flour the pans. Set aside.
2. Place a sifter over the bowl of an electric mixer that is fitted with the paddle attachment. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt right into the bowl and mix on low speed until just combined.
3. In another bowl (or large measuring cup), combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
4. With the mixer on low, slowly add the coffee and mix just to combine. Scrap the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix again just to combine. .
5. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. The batter will be really runny! Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
6. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes!! The cakes are REALLY moist, so you have to let them set in the pan for at least 30 minutes. If you don’t, the cakes will call apart. After 30 minutes, carefully invert the cakes onto a cooling rack to allow them to cool completely.
To Make The Frosting…
1. Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted. Alternatively, you could melt the chocolate in the microwave. Set the chocolate aside to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed for another 3 minutes.
3. With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioner’s sugar, then beat on medium speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and mix again until the mixture is smooth.
4. Dissolve the coffee powder with the 2 teaspoons of hot tap water.
5. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cooled, melted chocolate. Then add the instant coffee. Mix until everything is just combined.
To Assemble the Cake…
1. Put a small dollop of frosting in the center of the cake stand. This will keep the cake from moving as you frost it. Place one layer of the cake flat side up on the cake stand. Spread the top of the layer evenly with frosting using an offset spatula. Take the icing all the way to the edge.
2. Place the second layer on top, flat side up. Place a large dollop of frosting on the top of the cake. Use and offset spatula to evenly spread the icing over the top and sides of the cake.
This cake is best enjoyed with a tall glass of cold milk or a chilled glass of champagne.
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