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Happy Birthday to ME Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

2/3/2018

12 Comments

 
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I baked my own birthday cake. 

What? You don't do that? It's not that my BF didn't offer to buy me the best dessert in town. [Ed. Note: Save your letters! Jeez.] It's just that I was feeling exceptionally specific, and wanted it to taste deep, dark, intensely chocolatey and extra-extra moist. We don't partake in rich desserts very often, so when we do, it needs to be amazing or it's not worth it. Many times we've found ourselves drooling over beautiful confections, only to be nonplussed by the taste. [Ed. Note: Breathtakingly meh™.]

The reason this cake is my go-to is that it has a creamy chocolate bite, and the sour cream frosting has an impressive tang that really sets it off. Also noteworthy, the frosting has neither butter nor whipped eggs (only a smidge of added sugar), making for easier preparation.

The cake itself is adapted from Ina Garten (the recipe is cut in half), the frosting from Smitten Kitchen. 

Bit of a side note, but I had a perfect birthday yesterday. Our inital dinner plans in San Francisco were thwarted (there's a dog flu ripping through our area, so we couldn't find a proper sitter, and we don't take chances with our Marlowe), but we ended up having an even better day and evening sticking closer to home. The BF took me to the movies (Winchester, not our cup of tea) and then to a terrific local restaurant called Timber & Salt. The meal: an appetizer of crispy brussels sprouts with apple gastrique and whipped goat cheese, cheeseburger with horseradish mayo and bacon jam (oh yes), and a bavette steak over sauteed greens and maitake mushrooms in a red wine reduction sauce.

Once home we chilled to the far superior movie A Futile And Stupid Gesture (about Doug Kenney and the rise and fall of National Lampoon), cracked open a bottle of prosecco we'd been saving, made a cocktail with Aperol (my favorite), and tucked into this cake.

Folks, this is my absolute favorite cake. Excuse me while I have another slice.​
Picture
Adapted from: Ina Garten and Smitten Kitchen
Number of Servings: makes a one layer 8-inch cake (round or 8x8 square)

Cake
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla
  • ½ cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Butter one 8 x 2-inch round cake pan or 8 x 8-inch square pan and line with parchment; butter the paper. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out any excess.
  2. In electric mixer bowl fitted with a paddle, mix flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt at low speed. In a seperate bowl, whisk buttermilk with the oil, eggs and vanilla. Slowly beat buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until just incorporated, then slowly beat into the hot coffee until fully incorporated.
  3. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean (do not overbake). Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then invert cake onto a rack to cool. Peel off the parchment.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
NOTE: Be sure that your sour cream is at room temperature before you make the frosting. 
Ingredients
  • 7 ½ ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • ½ + ⅛ teaspoons instant espresso (optional) 
  • 1 ⅛ cups sour cream, at room temperature
  • 2-4 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • ½  teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
  1. Combine chocolate and optional espresso powder (if using), in the top of a double-boiler or in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Stir until chocolate is melted. (Alternately, you can melt the chocolate in a microwave for 30 seconds, stirring well, and then heating in 15 second increments, until the chocolate is melted.) Remove from heat and let chocolate cool until tepid.
  2. Whisk together the sour cream (I used a hand mixer), 2 tablespoons of corn syrup and vanilla extract until combined. Add the tepid chocolate slowly and stir/beat quickly until mixture is uniform. Taste for sweetness, and if needed, add additional corn syrup in one tablespoon increments until desired level of sweetness is achieved.
  3. Let cool in refrigerator until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. This should not take more than 30 minutes. Should the frosting become too thick or stiff, just leave it out until it softens again.
Picture
12 Comments
Jesse
2/3/2018 06:21:26 pm

Happy Birthday Jacquie!!

That cake looks simply Marvelous!! I gotta give it a try<g>.

Reply
Jacqueline Steiner link
2/3/2018 09:43:35 pm

Thank you so much!! Try this cake, I think you'll like it. Hope all is well with you. Loved your Christmas card. Looks like you had a super fun 2017.

Reply
Ne
2/3/2018 09:35:14 pm

Happy Birthday, Jacquie :).

Reply
Jacqueline Steiner link
2/3/2018 09:44:25 pm

Thank you!

Reply
Wendy
2/3/2018 10:34:44 pm

Happy Birthday Jacquie! I thought I'd seen chocolate cake before, but no, this one takes the ... well, you know! I look forward to that exquisite tang! Thank you for sharing. I hope Marlowe is better. Everyone I know was sick this winter, myself included. Spring is inching its way upwards, which looks nice (flowers) & feels good (warm). Much love.

Reply
Jacqueline Steiner link
2/3/2018 10:52:24 pm

Thank you my dear Wendy! The flu is really wicked this year. I'm sorry you got the bug! Don't worry--Miss Marlowe did not get the flu. The doggie daycare was infected and told us we should cancel our reservation. She's only been to this place once before-about one month ago, so she is ok and super healthy! Spring is inching its way upwards...it was in the high 70's today! Looking forward to warmth, flowers and daylight at 4:00pm:-)

Reply
Maria Goodavage
2/4/2018 01:11:12 am

Love this so much! What a great bday story. I love your writing AND your cooking! I’m so gonna make this for a belated Maria cake soon. Happy bday month!!

Reply
Jacqueline Steiner link
2/4/2018 08:05:24 am

Thank you my dear friend and happy birthday to YOU too! Love you and have an amazing birthday month!

Reply
Maria Goodavage
2/7/2018 08:35:59 am

Making this today for an event!! Actually making two! (Need to test one at home Hahaha!! Can’t wait!

Reply
Jacqueline Steiner link
2/7/2018 08:42:32 am

Yaaayyy!!!! I hope you like it! Let me know what you think. Love you!

Reply
Maria Goodavage
2/8/2018 09:49:54 am

OMG it was the BEST!!! So much fun to make, so simple, so perfect! It was a huge hit!! This will be my go-to chocolate cake any time I want to make it a special occasion! To think of what one would pay at a bakery for this beauty! Thanks for sharing, Jacquie!

Jacqueline Steiner link
2/8/2018 10:17:37 am

Maria--Thank you so much!! Thrilled that you and your guests enjoyed the cake. It's my "go-to" cake too!!!! FYI: This originally makes a 2 layer 8 inch cake, but I cut it in half for a smaller serving, so you can always make a full sized dessert if needed. Thank you for all your kind words and for MAKING the cake!!!! YAY!!!!!!!

Reply



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    I'm Jacquie, personal chef & recipe developer in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. ​Living life with my wildly funny boyfriend and dog Marlowe. Lover of books, bourbon, chocolate and movies.​

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