Chocolate Cake with Butter Cream Frosting

Dinner Club this month was "Comfort Food" and I made chocolate cake. I made my chocolate cake look like a pumpkin because it's October and I'm festive like that. I can't think of anything more comforting then chocolate cake.  Well that's not entirely true, everything at the dinner club was comforting but there's an entirely different post for that.

I read about this recipe on one of the blogs I follow "I am baker" and she said it's her go-to chocolate cake recipe and I would whole heartedly agree.  This is so moist, light, great chocolate flavor, easy to make.  Just perfect.  I think you'll be adding this one to your go-to favorite recipe's too.

I obviously used a bundt pan to make mine but you could use any kind of pan you like, 9x13, two 9 inch rounds, cupcakes, whatever.

I didn't feel like photographing the process up to this point was needed since it's pretty self explanatory. 

I cooked this bundt cake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes and then gave it the toothpick test and it was perfect.

I used a butter cream frosting recipe that I found on the Food Network site and it is incredible.  I loved the texture and vanilla flavor. 

To make the frosting you just need 4 ingredients.  Butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla and heavy cream.  Mix the butter and sugar together first until light and fluffy.  Add the vanilla and cream to the texture you prefer. 

  










I used 12 drops of yellow and 4 drops of red to make the orange color. The green was easy, just
keep adding until you've reached the color you're looking for.

I frosted the entire cake orange first.  Then frosted a shot glass green and used a cut paper cup under the shot glass for the stem.  I put the remaining green frosting in a zip lock bag and cut the corner off so I could pipe the green lines on the rest of the cake.

I had extra frosting so I used it to make some leaves.

Everyone seemed to really enjoy it and when I got home my husband tried it and said it's his new favorite chocolate cake and frosting.  I highly recommend these recipes.

The chocolate cake recipe was found here

The buttercream frosting recipe was found here

Cake

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

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray your cake pan with cooking spray liberally.

In a large bowl sift together the flour sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  I usually add the salt after the sifting since kosher salt usually doesn't fit easy get sifted for me.

In the bowl of your stand mixer add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix together and then slowly add the dry ingredients.  After it's all mixed together well add the hot coffee and mix until blended.

Pour into your baking dish and bake for between 35-40 minutes.  You will want to watch it toward the end and test it often depending on which dish you are using.  My Bundt pan took about 40 minutes.

Frosting
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream

In the bowl of your stand mixer add the confectioners sugar and the butter.  Mix on slow speed at first and then bring up to medium speed for three minutes.

Add the vanilla and cream and mix for an additional minute.