Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted by - Erin

Layer cake is (amazingly) something I know how to make, so I was pretty excited for this month! AND my little guy just turned one, so it was perfect to have an actual REASON to make a cake! My only requirement was cream cheese frosting. My older son wanted chocolate (who doesn't?), and the internet search yeilds... Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting from gracessweetlife.com.

The only caveat of this recipe? I don't know where this woman lives, but it isn't the USA! Darn metric measurements making me have to find a convertor on the internet--goodness! Once I got everything converted, it was a remarkably easy recipe! Since blogger won't let me copy and paste, you get my translation and not the fun metric-system-to-English-system-conversion. I also changed "bicarbonate of soda" to the less cool-sounding "baking soda."

for the cake:

1 cup water

5/8 cup unsalted butter, chopped
2 cups flour, sifted

1 tsp baking soda, sifted

2 cups superfine sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Grease and line two round cake pans

2. Combine water, butter, and cocoa in a small saucepan ove medium heat and stir until the butter has melted; set aside.

3. Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift the flour and baking soda into a large bowl. Add sugar and whisk to combine.

4. Add cocoa mixture to and whisk to combine.

5. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla and whisk to combine.

6. Divide batter evenly into the two cake pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 325 or until a cake tester comes out clean.

7. Allow to cool completely in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack to cool completely.

for the frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 pkgs (16 oz) cream cheese, softened

2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

1/2 cup cocoa, sifted

1. Place butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high for 6-8 minutes or until pale and creamy.

2. Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift confectioner's sugar and cocoa into a medium bowl. Repeat an additional two times.

3. Reduce stand mixer to low speed and gradually add the confectioner's sugar/cocoa mixture.

4. Increase speed to medium-high and continue to beat for a further 6-8 minutes or until light and fluffy.

to assemble:

1. Slice cooled cakes in half horizontally.

2. Place one cake layer on a plate and spread with one quarter of the frosting.

3. Repeat with remaining letters and frosting.

4. Add your own TERRIBLY WRITTEN birthday greeting. I mean, really, it looks like I must have Parkinson's, my hand shook so much!

I followed the recipe almost exactly--I didn't have superfine sugar so I used regular (which could explain why my cakes looked much more dense than hers; I also don't have a "fine-mesh sieve" so I kinda whacked the stuff through a big spoon with holes in it...For the cake mixing, I used my stand mixer with the whisk attachment, I figured that counted as whisking.

The cake was amazing, especially the frosting (I'm sure you will, but be SURE to lick the bowl CLEAN!)! I especially liked that it wasn't frosted all the way around, that tends to include a lot of swearing... I'd definitely make it again, though next time might think about adding a bit of coffee or espresso to give it a mocha-y flavor!

The birthday boy liked it, too!