Double Chocolate Cake

I don't bake many cakes, and that's probably no surprise to anyone looking at my haphazard frosting application. However, that's OK.  As the master cake artist Glenna reassured me, it proves that the cake is homemade.   I made this terrific Ina Garten recipe in honor of my cousin Charmayne and her handsome fella, Julius, who came to dinner on Sunday.  Charmayne and Julius just moved to Sacramento and are in the exhausting process of unpacking all their worldly goods and moving into a new apartment.  Therefore, I felt a cake was in order.   Ina Garten swears this is one of the best cake recipes she's ever made.  And it lived up to her praise.  It was delicious and easy for my rusty cake baking skills.  I made it while I was having one of my "tired" periods and the one bowl method was greatly appreciated.  The cake has one cup of freshly brewed coffee in the batter and a tablespoon of instant expresso in the frosting.  As Julius noted, it cut the sweetness nicely, but didn't announce any presence of coffee in it. 

If you read the recipe, you'll see that the frosting is actually chocolate flavored butter.   It's so good, you really don't need any decoration, but I decided to put raspberries on top and it was a nice tart note against the rich chocolate taste.

I was very happy that the cake cuts beautifully and held together so nicely.   So, thank you Ina Garten!  You were right.

Double Chocolate Cake            (Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa)

INGREDIENTS

CAKE
    •    1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
    •    2 cups sugar
    •    3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    •    2 teaspoons baking soda
    •    1 teaspoon baking powder
    •    1 teaspoon kosher salt
    •    1 cup buttermilk
    •    1/2 cup vegetable oil
    •    2 large eggs
    •    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    •    1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
    •   
FROSTING
    •    6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
    •    2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
    •    1 large egg yolk
    •    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    •    1 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, sifted
    •    1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
    •   

DIRECTIONS
    1.    MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line them with parchment paper; butter the paper. Dust the pans with flour, tapping out any excess.
    2.    In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt at low speed. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the oil, eggs and vanilla. Slowly beat the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until just incorporated, then slowly beat in the hot coffee until fully incorporated.
    3.    Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then invert the cakes onto a rack to cool completely. Peel off the parchment paper.
    4.    MAKE THE FROSTING: In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate at high power in 30-second intervals, stirring, until most of the chocolate is melted. Stir until completely melted, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
    5.    In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat for 1 minute, scraping down the side of the bowl. At low speed, slowly beat in the confectioners’ sugar, about 1 minute. In a small bowl, dissolve the instant coffee in 2 teaspoons of hot water. Slowly beat the coffee and the cooled chocolate into the butter mixture until just combined.
    6.    Set a cake layer on a plate with the flat side facing up. Evenly spread one-third of the frosting over the cake to the edge. Top with the second cake layer, rounded side up. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and side of the cake. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before slicing.
MAKE AHEAD The frosted cake can be refrigerated for 2 days. Let stand for 1 hour before serving.

Comments

[Lydia]

Ina's recipes are remarkably consistent; she must test and test and test! I've been making her lemon-yogurt cake a lot over the past few weeks, and it's a winner every time.

[kross-eyed kitty]

I enjoy Ina's show. Her voice is always so soothing! And, her recipes look fabulous! I think your cake turned out marvelous.

[Tanna]

I've done several of her recipes and found all to be excellent and easy to follow. The cake looks beautiful especially the raspberries, I'd say they are a perfect touch.
The icing is a bit scarry with the butter!

[Patricia Scarpin]

Sher,

I love baking cakes - have even sold some - wo new recipes are always wonderful to me.

You should bake more, because this cake looks absolutely divine!

[Callipygia]

What a lovely moving-in gesture for your family. Deep moist chocolate cake is always my favorite and this looks perfect especially with the berries.

[Julie]

What a good cousin you are! That is a cake fit for a celebration, and it does look homemade, in a wonderful way.

As soon as the picture loaded on my screen I was wishing there was a piece for me. And chocolate and coffee is my favorite dessert combination! Yum!

[Alisha]

Great job on the cake! I love Ina's recipes too (even if she doesn't like cilantro), and find them to be easy and delicious. In fact, I just made her plum tart today, screwed up the directions (trying to do 3 things at once) and it still came out yummy.

[e]

I'd eat a slice or two of that!

[Sandeepa]

So you do this when you are "tired" !!!!!!!! Bake such divine cakes ?? What do you do when you are "not" ?

[aria]

hi sher, mmm this cake is so pretty. i've been feverishly stalking cakes online its my husbands birthday party on friday and i need to make the cake. pardon my nobake skills, but do you just line the bottom or the pan w/ a circle of parchment? i think so right?

[whaleshaman & taboo]

sher...i was doing genealogical research this afternoon [taking a break from packing for the move to california!] when i discovered we were long-lost cousins.

any chance of getting a piece or two of that cake saved for our imminent arrival??

;-)

[Jennifer]

I still have never ventured into making a cake from scratch yet (well, besides poundcake). This looks so yummy. I am just afraid I will botch it up somehow, but someday I know I will make one from scratch!

[Freya]

That cake looks so good! Ina does have some excellent recipes!

[Kelly Cat's chocoholic human]

You talked me into it -- of course it doesn't take much to talk me into baking a chocolate cake! It sounds easy and it looks terrific -- looking at it before breakfast is giving me a contact sugar rush...

[gattina]

Sher, your torte just looks like those from Pâtisserie! The third pic entirely shows how gorgeous your cake is!!! Mocha is my favorite choice for cake, will surely come back to your recipe when I make one!
I like Ina's TV show, she has a stunning face, and the style of her show is so... English =)
Thanks for your Chinese New Year greeting =) I had hangover and now still have a bit of heahache... augh!

[Rosa]

Your cake is to die for! It looks ever so good, yummy!

[ann]

You are the nicest lady in the world!
everyone should have a cake in the midst of moving. Goregous!

[Susan from Food "Blogga"]

Oh, what a pretty cake! Raspberries are just lovely in desserts, aren't they? I was thinking, I don't have a cousin named Sher....

[s'kat]

Odd, but I thought that I'd left a comment last night!

At any rate, the cake is simply stunning and perfect.

[sher]

Lydia,

I love lemon-yogurt flavor. In fact, I prefer citrus flavor to chocolate. So, I must make that cake too! :)

kross-eyed kitty,

Thank you--it was amazingly simple. And that's a good thing! :)

Tanna,

Yes, this is a cake you have occasionally, if you're concerned about fat. But, it was very nice. And it's a small cake, so it's gone pretty fast.

Patricia,

Your cakes are amazing. That Mickey Mouse cake is better than the other MM cakes I've seen. And thank you about the cake.

Callipygia,

This is a moist cake. The batter was thinner than most cakes--from all the liquids. But, it held together and was delicious!

Julie,

I still have memories of that banana cake of yours and I was thinking about how beautiful your picture of it was on your post. I was hoping my picture was as good as yours--but it wasn't. :)

Alisha,

Ahh--that plum tart sounds wonderful!!! I had a few problems making this cake myself--kept forgetting to buy the right ingredients and had to return to the store several times. I HATE that. :)

E,

It's all gone now!! Wish I had more to share. :):)

Sandeepa,

Thank you--but I must say this really is a pretty easy cake to make. No beating the egg whites separately and all that!

Aria,

Yes, you just cut out the circles and put them on the bottom of the greased pan. Then grease and flour them. Hey, can't wait to see what cake you make for your husband.

whaleshaman & taboo,

Well, well, so we're related! Is Taboo related to Upsie too? Call me when you get into the airport!!! I'll start on the cake! :):)

Jennifer,

Oh,I don't think you will botch this at all. It's so easy, not like most cakes--no creaming stage or beaten eggs whites. You can trust Ina!

Freya,

Yes, she does. This is actually the second cake of hers that I 've made and both have been great.

Kelly's Human,

I think you need to eat some bacon with this cake, to balance out the sugar, you know? For breakfast, I mean! :):)

Gattina,

Thank you! If you like mocha, you will surely love this. And with your artistry, it would be amazing. Well, sorry about the hangover--but you are having a good time, eh? :):) HEE!

Rosa,

Thanks you--it was very good! And now it's gone!

Ann,

Ann, if I had been near you--I would have made you several cakes while you were moving! :)

Susan,

LOL!! I'll be your cousin! And the raspberries are wonderful with chocolate--they cut the sweetness a bit.

S'kat,

This is a mystery to me too! I remember your comment and now it's gone--like Kaiser Sosi! So, I'm on the job--I'll figure this out. Typepad can't get away with losing my comments. i love my comments. I have a special Green Room for them and serve great snacks and booze there.

[Kristen]

Oh my...that looks like an amazing cake! I think I'm going to have to try this recipe out, and soon!

[Glenna]

absolutely gorgeous! Nothing wrong with that spatula job! Very pretty. The cake sounds awesome!

[passionfordecor]

I'm not a cake person per se but I do love a sinfully good chocolate cake (and cheesecakes!) and looking at this I can almost taste the cake melting away in my mouth....heaven. Thanks for sharing the recipe Sher. I will definitely give this a try.

[chocolate strawberries]

Here's how to make delicious chocolate covered strawberries. First of all ensure that the strawberries you are intending

to use are dry, then allow them to be room temperature warm prior to making them. After the strawberries have been

covered in chocolate, put them in your refrigerator to cool, but do not store them in the fridge. Consume within 1-2

days.

[Kristen]

I was reading through F&W magazine and noticed this recipe. I thought it looked very familiar! Then, I remembered your post and came over to take a look again. My cake is in the oven right now. Hope it turns out to be as lovely as yours!