Double Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Butter Cream

OK- this settles it, I’m on some sort of cake kick.

There are many things that could be worse of course. I could want to have butter shakes, bacon sprinkles over frosted lard, or deep fried peanut butter burritos…come to think of it that last one sounds kind of good.





Yes I made all of those up, but I simply had to prove a point. I need an addiction to lettuce not cake. I mean why can I not get addicted to working out, saving my money, or tossing out barely full shampoo bottles?

Those things would actually help me, but no cake is my kick.





Let’s see one of my very first kicks was hair related. Let me take you back, here are the items you will need to join in on my kick.

1. Aqua Net
2. Blow Dryer
3. Zits
4. No self esteem
5. New Kids on the Block tapes





I would wake up every morning and perform the following : Get dressed, brush teeth, turn blow dryer towards hair, close in on my bangs, reach for Aqua Net and…..

Spray, Spray,Spray…stop to breathe

Spray, Spray, lean a certain way, Spray & breathe





Now this is all with the blow dryer still pointed at my bangs. The point was to get those bangs pointed straight up…only on one side though, the other side was reserved for a sort of waterfall affect created with the curling iron.

HOT





Double Chocolate Cake
Delightfully borrowed from Handle the Heat
{Printable Recipe}


· Butter, for greasing the pans
· 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
· 2 cups sugar
· 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
· 2 teaspoons baking soda
· 1 teaspoon baking powder
· 1 teaspoon kosher salt
· 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
· 1/2 cup vegetable oil
· 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
· 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee





DIRECTIONS


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 (8-inch) round cake pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. (I used my hands, burn those cake calories ladies!))  In a large measuring up or small bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.





With mixer still on low, add the hot coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Don't over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35  minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.





Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.





Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.





Chocolate Butter Cream

· 6 ounces good semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
· 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
· 1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
· 3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
· 1/2 tablespoon instant coffee powder (optional)




DIRECTIONS


With a mixer beat your butter for at least one minute. Add in the yolk and vanilla extract. Next add in the confectioner’s sugar cup by cup until well blended.

In a double boiler melt your chocolate and then mix into your butter mixture. Frost your cake! I did a crumb coat, placed in the fridge for one hour, then a second coat of frosting.

I made the stripes by cutting stripes of parchment that I placed in a pattern over the top. I sprinkled with cocoa powder then blew off the excess…it was a *wee* bit messy but worth it.

CHOW