An Inspired Cook

It’s National Chocolate Cake Day!!  And with Valentines day just around the corner I thought I’d share my favorite chocolate cake.  Joe loves dark chocolate so I made this cake especially for him.  The cake alone is very moist and loaded with dark chocolate flavors as well as coffee.  And you can’t beat a buttercream frosting for it’s creamy whipped texture.  The combination is so decadent leaving you to savor every bite.  And if that’s not enough I had some chocolate covered pecans from “Legacy Pecans” that I chopped and sprinkled over top.  Joe loves them and it was almost impossible to keep him from devouring them before they went on the cake.   He was all too happy to taste test this slice.  Hope you all have a wonderful Chocolate Cake Day and a Valentines day shared with the one you love!

Assemble the dry ingredients, measure and set aside in a bowl.  Included is all purpose flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla.  Mix on low until blended.

Stir the dry ingredients together and begin to add to the mixer approximately a cup at a time.

Mix on low and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed between each addition.

Once you have incorporated all the dry mix and scraped down the sides it should resemble a smooth drippy batter.

I would say this is my secret ingredient except it’s not really a secret that freshly brewed coffee makes a dark chocolate cake taste so much better.  However there’s something special about New Mexico Pinon Coffee.  This goes in my morning cup every morning!!

Now it’s time to add a cup of strong freshly brewed coffee.  Pour into the batter while mixing at low speed.  The addition of the coffee will make a thin batter. Make sure to beat on low until all the coffee has been incorporated.

Time to prep your cake pans.  I take a stick of butter and lightly run it along the bottom and sides of the pan.

Like this.

Then add just a sprinkle of flour into the pan and swirl it around the pan so that it sticks to the butter and coats the pan.

Pat the pans upside down to loosen any flour clumps.  They are ready to go now.

Pour the batter evenly between the two 9 inch pans. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

When done remove from oven and let cool for 10 – 15 minutes.

Lay the first cake on the cake plate and apply frosting to the top first.  Next lay the other cake on top and frost the top and sides, filling in any gaps along the way.  Use a decorating comb to smooth the outside edges and top. I’m not an expert on frosting and this tool is so helpful to make the cake look more decorative.  You can find them at Amazon.

This cake needed a topping and these Legacy Pecans were the perfect addition.  Just run a knife through them and sprinkle over the top of the cake or individually on each slice.

Order New Mexico Pinon Coffee
Order Legacy Pecans Chocolate Covered Pecans

Decadent Dark Chocolate Cake

1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups Sugar
3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Buttermilk
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
2 large Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Freshly Brewed Strong Hot Coffee
4 ounces Chocolate Covered Pecans, chopped into bite size pieces
Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare cake:  Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a medium bowl.  Mix well and set aside.

In a stand mixer, mix together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla.  Beat on low just until blended. Begin to add the dry ingredients about one third at a time beating on low after each addition.  Continue adding until all the dry mix has been incorporated.  Add the freshly brewed coffee beating until it is well combined.  The batter will appear very thin.

Prepare cake pans with butter and flour.  Pour the batter evenly divided between the two pans.  Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until an inserted  toothpick comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool for 10 -15 minutes.  Remove cakes from pan and place one cake on your cake plate.  Add a layer of the dark chocolate buttercream frosting to the top of the cake.  Place the second cake over top.  Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting.  If desired, use a decorating comb to smooth the sides and top of the cake making a decorative look.  Sprinkle the top of the cake with chopped chocolate covered pecans

Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature
3 1/2 cups Confectioners Sugar
1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla
4 ounces Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate 60% Cacao, melted

Combine the confectioners sugar, cocoa powder and salt together and mix well.  Set aside.  With a hand or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy.  Add the dry ingredients, about a cup at a time beating on low.  Alternate adding the heavy cream and vanilla in between the dry ingredients and mix well.  Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

Use a double boiler or fit a bowl over a saucepan with an inch or two of water.  Heat the water to a simmering boil and add the bowl on top with the chocolate that has been broken into pieces.  As the chocolate begins to melt, stir the bowl until all the chocolate has completely melted.  Pour the melted chocolate into the mixing bowl with the buttercream and beat on medium until all the chocolate has mixed in well and appears light and fluffy.  Store in an airtight container with a lid until ready to use.