November is a month of birthdays and celebrations for us. I call it 'the birthday season'. Well, the season actually begins just few days short of the month with my young cousin's birthday. But it so happened that it was celebrated in the month of November. When asked about the choice of flavor, pat came her response 'Chocolate!'.
A cake meant for Birthday needs to be more special and prettier. Since I would rather bake than decorate, I went for simple technique. It was more like spur of the moment or shall I say spin of the moment. The turntable mom gifted me some time back was really handy.
The cake is moist and chocolatey with a hint of coffee. I think it is very similar to a devils' food cake. What I also love about this cake is that it doesn't need a slather of sugar syrup to keep it moist. The inspiration for cake is from here. I omitted the black cocoa. Definitely use it if it is available. Also I used instant pure coffee powder, instead of brewed coffee. If not a coffee fan, you can simply skip the coffee powder and use plain water instead.
Making the cake itself was a breeze. The batter is prepared using the muffin method, a time and effort saver. And the result is a fluffy, moist and chocolatey cake. You measure and mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Measure the wet ingredients in a different bowl, give them a stir. Pour the wet mixture in the dry one, in 2-3 batches and stir just till combined. And the batter is ready to be baked. Just a word of caution here, do not over-mix because that will result in a rubbery textured cake. Also, line the pan bottom with butter-paper to avoid cake-stuck-to-the-bottom scenario.
The cake base can be prepared days ahead. In fact, I suggest making the cake one day prior to frosting/decorating it. It stores well too, just let the baked cake cool to room temperature and wrap it well in cling-wrap and store it in refrigerator. It can also be frozen. Just bring it to almost room temperature before you frost it.
I used a simple chocolate buttercream as the filling. And for frosting the top and sides, I mixed in some whipped cream to the buttercream. Addition of whipped cream made the frosting silkier, though it lightened the color of the frosting a bit.
Simple buttercream tends to be gritty because of the sugar granules not getting dissolved completely. I think if prepared days ahead, the grittiness is gone. Or maybe it was addition of whipped cream that did the trick.
I would refrain from calling this cake the best chocolate cake but for a 'birthday celebration cake', it definitely is a winner. This one won hearts of all; from a two year old to a sixty two year old.
Hope you will bake it! Here is the recipe:
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (123 grams) All-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (~ 45 grams) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup strong black coffee (1/2 cup hot water plus 2 tsp of instant pure coffee powder)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (200 grams) confectioners / icing sugar
1/4 (24 grams) cup cocoa powder
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cream/milk
Measure the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Using a whisk, mix till the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
In a separate bowl, mix together egg, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla.
Add wet mixture to dry one in 2-3 batches. Mix till just combined. The batter will be thin.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes for round pans. At 30 minutes mark, insert a wooden toothpick in center to check if it is done. Cool the cake in cake pan for 10 minutes. Turn it out onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.
Buttermilk substitute: for 1/2 cup buttermilk, take about 1 tablespoon plain curd in an 1/2 cup measuring cup and fill the rest with milk. Let it set for 15-20 minutes and then use it in place of buttermilk in above recipe.
Cream butter for a few minutes till fluffy, with a handheld mixer. Turn off the mixer.
Add about a third of sugar to the butter. Starting on low speed, mix till the sugar is absorbed. Increase the mixer speed and beat for 2 more minutes. Repeat with remaining sugar.
Turn off the mixer. Scrape the bowl, add sifted cocoa and mix till cocoa is absorbed.
Add vanilla extract and salt and cream and mix some more, about 3 minutes.
You should get an even-colored, smooth buttercream. For stiffer consistency, add a little more sugar. for a thinner one, add additional cream/milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
Dollop about a third of the frosting on the bottom layer. Spread the frosting leaving about one-fourth of an inch margin around the edge. The margin is to avoid frosting from oozing out when the next layer of cake is placed on top.
Place the second layer of cake on top of the frosting. Now frost the sides in back and forth strokes using small amount of frosting at a time.
Dollop the remaining icing on the top of the cake and spread it evenly.
You can create different patterns on the sides and top. You can add some sprinkles on top too. Or some chocolate chips the way shown in the picture.
Happy Baking!
Shwe
A cake meant for Birthday needs to be more special and prettier. Since I would rather bake than decorate, I went for simple technique. It was more like spur of the moment or shall I say spin of the moment. The turntable mom gifted me some time back was really handy.
The cake is moist and chocolatey with a hint of coffee. I think it is very similar to a devils' food cake. What I also love about this cake is that it doesn't need a slather of sugar syrup to keep it moist. The inspiration for cake is from here. I omitted the black cocoa. Definitely use it if it is available. Also I used instant pure coffee powder, instead of brewed coffee. If not a coffee fan, you can simply skip the coffee powder and use plain water instead.
Making the cake itself was a breeze. The batter is prepared using the muffin method, a time and effort saver. And the result is a fluffy, moist and chocolatey cake. You measure and mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Measure the wet ingredients in a different bowl, give them a stir. Pour the wet mixture in the dry one, in 2-3 batches and stir just till combined. And the batter is ready to be baked. Just a word of caution here, do not over-mix because that will result in a rubbery textured cake. Also, line the pan bottom with butter-paper to avoid cake-stuck-to-the-bottom scenario.
The cake base can be prepared days ahead. In fact, I suggest making the cake one day prior to frosting/decorating it. It stores well too, just let the baked cake cool to room temperature and wrap it well in cling-wrap and store it in refrigerator. It can also be frozen. Just bring it to almost room temperature before you frost it.
Simple buttercream tends to be gritty because of the sugar granules not getting dissolved completely. I think if prepared days ahead, the grittiness is gone. Or maybe it was addition of whipped cream that did the trick.
Hope you will bake it! Here is the recipe:
The Best Chocolate Birthday Cake
Ingredients:
Cake
1 cup (200 grams) sugar, powdered3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (123 grams) All-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (~ 45 grams) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup strong black coffee (1/2 cup hot water plus 2 tsp of instant pure coffee powder)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Buttercream
1/2 cup (1 stick, 114 grams ) butter, softened1 3/4 cups (200 grams) confectioners / icing sugar
1/4 (24 grams) cup cocoa powder
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cream/milk
Steps for preparing cake:
Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease, line and dust one 8-inch round baking pan. Set aside.Measure the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Using a whisk, mix till the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
In a separate bowl, mix together egg, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla.
Add wet mixture to dry one in 2-3 batches. Mix till just combined. The batter will be thin.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes for round pans. At 30 minutes mark, insert a wooden toothpick in center to check if it is done. Cool the cake in cake pan for 10 minutes. Turn it out onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.
Buttermilk substitute: for 1/2 cup buttermilk, take about 1 tablespoon plain curd in an 1/2 cup measuring cup and fill the rest with milk. Let it set for 15-20 minutes and then use it in place of buttermilk in above recipe.
Steps for preparing buttercream:
Sift together 3 cups powdered sugar into a bowl. Sift cocoa powder in a different one and set aside.Cream butter for a few minutes till fluffy, with a handheld mixer. Turn off the mixer.
Add about a third of sugar to the butter. Starting on low speed, mix till the sugar is absorbed. Increase the mixer speed and beat for 2 more minutes. Repeat with remaining sugar.
Turn off the mixer. Scrape the bowl, add sifted cocoa and mix till cocoa is absorbed.
Add vanilla extract and salt and cream and mix some more, about 3 minutes.
You should get an even-colored, smooth buttercream. For stiffer consistency, add a little more sugar. for a thinner one, add additional cream/milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
Assembly:
Cut the cake in two layers using a long serrated knife or a bread knife. Place one layer on a serving plate/cake board.Dollop about a third of the frosting on the bottom layer. Spread the frosting leaving about one-fourth of an inch margin around the edge. The margin is to avoid frosting from oozing out when the next layer of cake is placed on top.
Place the second layer of cake on top of the frosting. Now frost the sides in back and forth strokes using small amount of frosting at a time.
Dollop the remaining icing on the top of the cake and spread it evenly.
You can create different patterns on the sides and top. You can add some sprinkles on top too. Or some chocolate chips the way shown in the picture.
Happy Baking!
Shwe
