Yesterday, I had the daunting task of making a birthday cake for my brother. You see, he has never been a huge cake fan, but my mom felt that a cake was necessary. When I asked last week what kind he wanted, his eyes did not light up with enthusiasm over the possibilities. In fact, he was busy playing on his computer, and didn't even look at me as he shrugged. "Um, chocolate."
I then proceeded to cry all the way home because my little brother does not have a love for cake like I do.
But the cake wheels in my brain started spinning, and I began scheming a cake that even he would like.
Being as chocolate cake is so classic and basic, there are tons of recipes claiming to be "the most chocolatey," "the fudgiest," and "the best." Since I have not shut myself in my house to try out every existing chocolate cake recipe likes these people have, I can't make that claim. However, considering this cake came out so rich that even I couldn't finish my piece, I'll leave it to your judgement how this recipe compares to others. While most chocolate cake recipes call for cocoa powder, this one integrates melted chocolate squares. What truly makes it a chocolate-lover cake is that I made a batch of fudge for the filling. Not fudge frosting. Actual fudge.
I started off by greasing a 9 inch cake pan, cut out a circle of parchment paper, placed it in, and greased that as well. I have found this to be the best technique for preventing cakes from sticking. It also gives the top of the cake a nice, smooth surface.
This stuff works well, but use whatever flour and chocolate you like
Melting the chocolate in a sauce pan
And here's the chocolate, all melty. This is what makes the cake so rich!
I wish I knew how bloggers get those cool pictures of themselves pouring things, into other things. I need a picture assistant or something! Taking pictures while pouring is ridiculously hard (and dangerous work)! But here is me attractively slopping the chocolate into the sugar/butter/egg yolk mixture :)
After integrating the flour mixture, the batter comes out super velvety
Time to get baked!
And, out of the oven. This cake comes out super fluffy
Flip that bitch over onto a plate or cake board. Remember how I said that using parchment paper makes a smooth surface? Get ready for it...
Ta-daa! Look at that gleaming Instagram quality! But really, parchment paper and cakes are best friends. Seriously
I used a cake leveler to cut the cake in half (bought one for cheap from Wally-world) and it is the way to slice cakes. I used to use a knife, but this is way easier. I highly recommend getting one. Just make sure you let your cake cool first or else you'll have a lot of crumbs--I'm bad and didn't wait, but not too much harm done.
Okay, here's where things get intense. If you'd rather use chocolate frosting for the filling, just do a batch and a half of the recipe listed later. Part of the reason I did fudge is because my brother likes fudge more than cake, so I figured a layer of that would gain a positive reaction from him. Also, I happened to have several of these fudge kits to get rid of--got them for 1 buck each during a sale! But pairing fudge and cake was definitely a good idea.
I followed the directions on the box, then poured the fudge into a 9 inch cake pan also lined with parchment paper. Now, I didn't put all of it in the pan. I'll show you what I did with the extra at the end of this post. So add all or just some, depending on how thick you want your filling.
Time to stack! Don't worry if the cake layers and fudge fit perfectly together, because no one will notice once you cover the whole thing in frosting, anyway.
Pure naked, chocolate goodness
Time to get real. I altered a chocolate buttercream recipe and added cream cheese. Because cream cheese is amazing.
Layer that frosting on! When I worked in a bakery, we did things like crumb-coating and using quick icers. Although I have some decorating tools in my possession, I tend to just slop the frosting on. I start by placing a big glob on top of the cake and using a spatula to press it outward. Then I start pushing the frosting along the side of the cake and keep going until it's covered. I used a wilton comb to add some texture to the frosting once the cake was covered.
I hate using ziplock bags to pipe frosting. Pastry bags are definitely the way to go, but if you don't want to spend the extra money for them, a ziplock bag will get the job done. Those things like to rip, so be careful when you're applying pressure. I was out of pastry bags, so I did some simple, imperfect piping here
Don't worry about it looking perfect--the magical taste of this cake will overpower any imperfections in the design :)
So much chocolate
Thought caramel would make a fun design, so I cooked a batch to the hard crack stage, drizzled it with a spoon onto parchment paper, and broke off chunks
Then picked my favorite chunk and plopped it on the cake.
Added sprinkles too, to give it a little color :)
Happy Birthday Levi!
Chocolate Fudge Overload Cake
Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
2 ounces chocolate
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk (or put 1 tbs white vinegar in cup and fill to 1/2 cup mark with milk, as a substitute)
1 1/4 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg whites
For frosting:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter
4 ounce cream cheese
5 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3-4 tbs milk (I used cream)
For caramel design:
Follow my recipe here, just take out the maple syrup and bacon. Cook the mixture to 300* instead of 245*.
http://batteredandwhipped.blogspot.com/2013/03/bacon-caramels.html
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350*. Grease 9 inch cake pan, place parchment circle on, and grease that.
2) Sift flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat water and chocolate until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and let cool in the meantime.
3) In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolks, then add chocolate mixture and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, alternately.
4) Beat egg whites in a different bowl until frothy (I did this by hand with a fork). Fold egg whites into batter.
5) Pour batter into pan and bake 25-30 minutes. Once baked, let cool for 10 minutes, then loosen edges with a knife and invert cake onto plate or cake board.
For the frosting:
1) Blend softened cream cheese and butter together. Add cocoa powder. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. *This recipe is enough to cover the cake, make a border, and have some leftover frosting to eat :) If you want enough of this frosting for a filling, multiply the recipe by 1.5.*
So, what did I do with the extra fudge? Added red food dye to and poured it into a mini cake pan. Red velvet fudge ;)
I had a batch of chocolate ganache prepared for another cake, so I poured some on the fudge, then added another caramel design. Gave this one to my roomie :)
And here's a picture of another cake I did the same day--white cake with ganache. Only one picture because I was in a rush to make a third cake, which I will be posting about soon--Green tea cake with green tea frosting and sriracha lollipop decorations...so stay tuned!
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