Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
So for Christmas my lovely fiance got me one of the best presents I've ever recieved- an electric mixer! Can you believe I've been doing all this baking by hand? I even broke a whisk at one point, I was straining so hard. Needless to say, the mixer was a godsend. To celebrate, I decided to do something big, something I've been scared to attempt- a cake. David also gave me two round 9 inch cake tins for Christmas, so obviously I got the hint. He wanted a cake. And a cake he shall receive.
I decided to make a simple chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting, since it's one of my favorites from my childhood. After going through hundreds of recipes, I decided to combine two different ones, both from a great blog called Add a Pinch:
Ingredients for the Cake:
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Ingredients for the Frosting:
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
3 – 4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
2-3 tablespoons milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half
Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.
Instructions for Frosting:
Place softened butter into the bowl of a stand mixer that has been fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on a medium setting and cream the butter until it is smooth and has lightened in color, about 3 minutes.
Add confectioner’s sugar, ½ a cup at a time. After each cup has been incorporated, turn the mixer onto the highest speed setting and for about 10 seconds to lighten the frosting.
Add vanilla and a pinch of salt and combine until well-incorporated.
Add milk, heavy cream or half-and-half until the frosting has reached the preferred consistency.
So once again I had most of the ingredients at home. I just had to buy the cocoa and the espresso powder. I was nervous about the electric mixer, afraid I'd end up covered in flour and sugar. In reality, it worked perfectly, whisking and combining all the ingredients effortlessly.
I had read in the comments that after putting the boiling water in the mixture it becomes quite wet and watery, and that that was normal. This reassured me. Unforuntely, this is also where I made my first colossal mistake.
I don't know if I was just distracted (I was already prepping for the frosting) or what, but instead of buttering AND lightly flouring the baking pans, I just sprinkled flour on them both and called it a day. HUGE MISTAKE.
Of course, I had no idea at the time. The cakes rose beautifully in the oven, and after 35 minutes they came out looking perfect. It was on to the frosting!
This proved quite easy. I had both sticks of butter sitting next to the heating pole in my apartment and they were nice and soft when it was time to cream them. I added 3 tablespoons of milk at the end, and I thought the consistency seemed fine, if a little wet. And most importantly- it tasted amazing.
After letting the cakes cool, I asked David to help me remove them from the pans. This proved problematic. They were stuck. I mean, completely glued to the pan. After using a knife and cutting around the edge the cake popped out. Half of the bottom was still stuck to the pan. I was so pissed!
After going through the same ordeal with the second one, I knew the cakes weren't going to look good. And they didn't. They were lopsided and a mess. I frosted them as best I could, but I didn't have enough to cover the damage.
The cakes (one of top of the other, with frosting in the middle) looked terrible. Lopsided, droopy and a mess. The frosting wasn't firm enough either. AND I hadn't made enough.
I was incredibly frustrated with myself. David reassured me it was fine, it was my first attempt, we all make mistakes, etc etc. He even cut himself a droopy piece and had a bite. His eyes lit up.
'You have to taste it, honey. The sponge is amazing!' I didn't believe him. It looked too shitty to taste good. Eventually, he made me have a bite.
And it actually WAS good! Really good, in fact. The sponge part of the cake tasted delicious, the cocoa and espresso powder creating a delectable mix. And the frosting was finger-licking good too! Hooray!
All in all, my first attempt at cake was definitely a learning experience. Biggest lesson: PREP THE PANS CORRECTLY. Butter them, put parchment paper down, flour them lightly. Do it right. It makes a HUGE difference. Also, maybe less milk in the frosting next time.
But at least it tastes amazing. And in the end, that's all that matters....right?!
Next up...a pie, perhaps?
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