My Best Chocolate Cake. Ever.

Long time readers of this blog know I’ve been on a many years’ long journey to find and make the perfect chocolate cake. This cake came close, but it took me three tries to get its right, and still it wasn’t quite the best. My friend Susan and I have been trying to get the Black and White Cake recipe from Amy’s Bread, hands down the best cake I’d ever tasted, to perform in our hands, but with disappointing results. (We are convinced she, like many cooks, has left out something in the recipe to make sure that none of us could ever match that amazing cake.)

Well, dear reader, I’m here to announce that I’ve finally found a cake that matches up to Amy’s. Its from Ina Garten, called “Beatty’s Chocolate Cake.

It’s hands down THE BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever made. Moist, rich, but not too dense, dark, and delicious.

I attribute my success with this cake to several factors:

1. A great recipe.
2. Using good cocoa. I spent some time researching cocoa, and eventually settled on Valrhona Poudre de Cacao. Then I discovered that in her most recent version of this recipe, Ina actually recommends Valrhona, a departure from her usual recommendation of Pernigotti cocoa. Both these cocoa’s are Dutch process, which is an important distinction. Dutch processing alkalinizes the cocoa, raising the pH, which in turn can affect how well the baking soda works. In this recipe there is both baking powder and baking soda. I suspect the baking soda is because of the acidic buttermilk, and that the baking powder is there to augment the rise. I also suspect for this recipe, it probably doesn’t mater if you use Dutch process or regular cocoa in this recipe. But get a good quality cocoa.
3. These cake pans. An unusual size – 8 by 2 inches. They make for a very high yet compact and stable cake, easy to remove from the pan without breaking. I was tempted to split the layers and make a 4 tiered cake, but in the end left it as is and was not disappointed.
4. Using instant espresso powder to make the cup of coffee called for in the recipe. Espresso powder is an open secret ingredient in the baking community for enhancing chocolate flavor without adding too much in the way of coffee notes. I use Cafe Bustelo or Medaglia D’Oro brand, but if you know of one better let me know.

Ina uses an icing made with a raw egg yolk, and I’m just not willing to go there. So I modified my own tried and true coffee icing, adding a little cocoa powder to make it mocha. Next time I’m going to using Amy’s buttercream and see how close I can come to her black and white cake. I’ll let you know how that turns out.

IINA GARTEN’S BEATTY’S CHOCOLATE CAKE

Note: The batter for this cake is quite thin, but don’t worry. It cooks up perfectly in the 8 by 2 inch pan. I used 2 tsp instant espresso in 1 cup hot water for the cup of coffee. Eggs should be at room temp, and coffee not too hot.

Ingredients

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• ¾ cups good cocoa powder, such as Valrhona
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans.  Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ones.  With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The batter will be quite thin. (Don’t worry). Pour batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack. When completely cool, ice with mocha frosting. Keeps well in fridge overnight to serve the next day.

MOCHA FROSTING

• ¾ cup butter
• 1 tbsp instant espresso or coffee granules
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp hot water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 4 tbsps heavy cream

Dissolve coffee granules and cocoa in hot water. Set aside until cool. Place butter in bowl. Turn to Speed 6 and cream for 1 minute. Do not overbeat or it will melt. Stop and scrape bowl. Add cooled espresso/cocoa and vanilla to butter. Cream 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl

Add powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition. Stop and scrape bowl. Add cream and beat on Speed 4 for 2 minutes, until fluffy. If frosting is too soft, refrigerate for a while before frosting cake.

Place 1st layer on cake plate upside down and frost. Place 2nd layer on top and frost top and sides.