Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting - Revision history

Aphelion: /* Putting it Together */

2006-06-26T08:18:39Z

Putting it Together

Aphelion: /* The Frosting */

2006-06-26T08:07:00Z

The Frosting

Aphelion: /* The Frosting */

2006-06-26T04:42:03Z

The Frosting

Aphelion: /* The Cake */

2006-06-26T04:41:00Z

The Cake

Aphelion: Delicious Cake

2006-06-26T04:39:58Z

Delicious Cake

Aphelion: Delicious Cake

2006-06-26T04:30:18Z

Delicious Cake

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One of the few nice things about being home from college for the summer is free reign of my mother's kitchen. I hate cooking in the dorms, so I go overboard when I come home.

I love chocolate cake, and usually I make it with peanut butter frosting. Sometimes chocolate on chocolate can be overkill. My boyfriend disagrees, and so for his birthday I whipped up a simple chocolate cake with chocolate butter-creme frosting. It turned out quite delicious, if I do say so myself.

For baking, you'll need two layer cake pans, or a 13x9x2 rectangular pan.

== Ingredients ==

=== Chocolate Cake ===

* 2 cups flour
* 2 cups sugar
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 3/4 cup water
* 3/4 cup buttermilk (note: if you don't want to buy buttermilk, simply add 1 tsp vinegar to 1 cup milk, and you have an adequate substitution.)
* 1/2 cup shortening
* 2 eggs
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 4 oz. cool, melted ''unsweetened'' baker's chocolate

=== Chocolate Butter-Creme Frosting===

* 1/2 cup softened butter/margarine (just let it sit out while the cake is baking)
* 2 oz. cool, melted ''unsweetened'' baker's chocolate
* 2 cups 10x (confectioner's) sugar
* 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
* about 2 tbsp milk (you may add more or less, depending on what consistency you want)

[[Image:Cake1.jpg|ingredients]]

== The Cake ==

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Also, flour and grease your pans. I used the nifty spray stuff.
[[Image:Cake2.jpg|pans]]

I'm a bit paranoid about eggs. A rotten egg will ruin the batter, so I always put them into a separate container before I mix them. Give it a whiff; you'll know if it's rotten. Both of mine were fine.
[[Image:Cake3.jpg|check the egg]]

Put the eggs, shortening, sugar, and vanilla into a large bowl.
[[Image:Cake4.jpg|shortening, eggs, vanilla, and sugar]]

Cream it. You can use an electric mixer's "cream" setting, but I prefer the use the old-fashioned wooden spoon. Either way, make sure all the lumps are beaten. Shortening forms lumps easily, and biting in to a chunk of shortening is unpleasant.
[[Image:Cake5.jpg|creamed]]

Now add in everything else but the chocolate. You can add in bits at a time, if you so desire.
[[Image:Cake6.jpg|everything but the chocolate]]

Mix it thoroughly. If you're using a mixer, be very careful. Flour can go all over the place if you start it off at a high speed. Flour also forms lumps, so make sure there aren't any lumps in your batter.
[[Image:Cake7.jpg|mixed]]

Now, for the chocolate. It needs to be melted, so find something microwave safe. I used my Pyrex glass measuring cup.
[[Image:Cake8.jpg|chocolate]]

Microwave it for about 2 minutes, and it'll be melted. Stir it a bit if you need to.
[[Image:Cake9.jpg|melted]]

Give the chocolate some time to cool. Continue beating lumps out of your batter, watch some TV, something. Then add in the chocolate. Since it's unsweetened, I don't recommend eating any of the chocolate that spills/gets on your fingers/whatever. It tastes gross.
[[Image:Cake10.jpg|everything's in]]

Mix it all together again.
[[Image:Cake11.jpg|now it's chocolatey]]

Now it's ready for baking. Pour the batter evenly into two layer cake pans, or one oblong 13x9x2 pan (in inches). Layers need baking at 350 F for 30-35 minutes, and the oblong pan for 40-45 minutes. However, the real sign of a done cake is the toothpick test. Simply take a toothpick and insert it into the middle of the cake. If it comes out with anything on it at all, it's not done. I did layers, but the cook time for my oven was actually 42 minutes. Just so you know.
[[Image:Cake12.jpg|ready for baking]]

Now, just relax. Do some dishes. Bother your pet. Leia wants nothing to do with the deadly cake.
[[Image:Cake13.jpg|Leia]]

Once your baking cake has passed the toothpick test and is now cooling in its pan(s), you can start the frosting.

== The Frosting ==

So your cake is cooling in its pan, right? Good. Start the frosting by putting in the butter, vanilla, and milk. Mix it together, then add the 10x sugar a bit at a time.
[[Image:Cake14.jpg|start the frosting]]

Add more and more sugar, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure that it's all mixed in. It takes a while, so be patient. If it gets to dry, add a tiny bit more milk. You should get something like this:
[[Image:Cake15.jpg|almost done]]

Now is the time to melt the chocolate for the frosting. About 1 minute in the microwave should do it for this amount. While it's melting and cooling, remove the cake from the pans (if you did layers).

I love my mom's pans because they have this awesome built-in thing that scrapes around the sides and the base of the pan for you. The cake come out perfectly. If you don't have such a thing, use a butter knife to scrape around the edges. Turn the cake upside down. It should come out nicely, like mine.
[[Image:Cake16.jpg|mmm...cake]]

Your chocolate should be cooled by now, so add it to the frosting and mix.
[[Image:Cake17.jpg|more chocolate]]

== Putting it Together ==

Now to frost the cake. It should be fairly cool by now. If it's not, wait a while...you don't want the frosting to melt. For an oblong cake, simply slather it all over. A layered cake is only a bit trickier.

Choose which layer you want to be on top. The widest side should be turned to the middle. Frost the top layer's bottom side first.
[[Image:Cake18.jpg|first frost the top layer's lower side]]

Place the bottom layer on whatever plate the cake will be staying on. Place the half-frosted top layer onto the bottom layer. The only applied frosting should be in the middle. After the layers are together, frost the top and the sides.
[[Image:Cake19.jpg|frost the sides and top]]

Smooth over the frosting, and you're done!
[[Image:Cake20.jpg|smoothed over and done]]

The cake then survived a 2 1/2 hour trip from Coral Springs, across Alligator Alley, to Port Charlotte. It was a success. And delicious.

[[Image:Cake21.jpg|tasted great]]

If you're wondering, my arm is the one in the sink, not the one close to the cake. That's the boy.

Fin.

[[Category:Aphelion's recipes]] [[Category:Desserts]] [[Category:Cake]] [[Category:Chocolate]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:18, 26 June 2006
Line 129:		Line 129:


−	[[Category:Aphelion's ~~recipes~~]] [[Category:Desserts]] [[Category:Cake]] [[Category:Chocolate]]	+	[[Category:Aphelion's Recipes]] [[Category:Desserts]] [[Category:Cake]] [[Category:Chocolate]]

@@ Line 89: / Line 89: @@
 [[Image:Cake14.jpg|start the frosting]]
-Add more and more sugar, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure that it's all mixed in. It takes a while, so be patient. If it gets to dry, add a tiny bit more milk. You should get something like this:
+Add more and more sugar, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure that it's all mixed in. It takes a while, so be patient. If it gets too dry, add a tiny bit more milk. You should get something like this:
 [[Image:Cake15.jpg|almost done]]

@@ Line 86: / Line 86: @@
 So your cake is cooling in its pan, right? Good. Start the frosting by putting in the butter, vanilla, and milk. Mix it together, then add the 10x sugar a bit at a time.
 [[Image:Cake14.jpg|start the frosting]]
 Add more and more sugar, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure that it's all mixed in. It takes a while, so be patient. If it gets to dry, add a tiny bit more milk. You should get something like this:
 [[Image:Cake15.jpg|almost done]]
@@ Line 94: / Line 96: @@
 I love my mom's pans because they have this awesome built-in thing that scrapes around the sides and the base of the pan for you. The cake come out perfectly. If you don't have such a thing, use a butter knife to scrape around the edges. Turn the cake upside down. It should come out nicely, like mine.
 [[Image:Cake16.jpg|mmm...cake]]
 Your chocolate should be cooled by now, so add it to the frosting and mix.
 [[Image:Cake17.jpg|more chocolate]]

@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 Preheat the oven to 350 F. Also, flour and grease your pans. I used the nifty spray stuff.
 [[Image:Cake2.jpg|pans]]
 I'm a bit paranoid about eggs. A rotten egg will ruin the batter, so I always put them into a separate container before I mix them. Give it a whiff; you'll know if it's rotten. Both of mine were fine.
 [[Image:Cake3.jpg|check the egg]]
 Put the eggs, shortening, sugar, and vanilla into a large bowl.
 [[Image:Cake4.jpg|shortening, eggs, vanilla, and sugar]]
 Cream it. You can use an electric mixer's "cream" setting, but I prefer the use the old-fashioned wooden spoon. Either way, make sure all the lumps are beaten. Shortening forms lumps easily, and biting in to a chunk of shortening is unpleasant.
 [[Image:Cake5.jpg|creamed]]
 Now add in everything else but the chocolate. You can add in bits at a time, if you so desire.
 [[Image:Cake6.jpg|everything but the chocolate]]
 Mix it thoroughly. If you're using a mixer, be very careful. Flour can go all over the place if you start it off at a high speed. Flour also forms lumps, so make sure there aren't any lumps in your batter.
 [[Image:Cake7.jpg|mixed]]
 Now, for the chocolate. It needs to be melted, so find something microwave safe. I used my Pyrex glass measuring cup.
 [[Image:Cake8.jpg|chocolate]]
 Microwave it for about 2 minutes, and it'll be melted. Stir it a bit if you need to.
 [[Image:Cake9.jpg|melted]]
 Give the chocolate some time to cool. Continue beating lumps out of your batter, watch some TV, something. Then add in the chocolate. Since it's unsweetened, I don't recommend eating any of the chocolate that spills/gets on your fingers/whatever. It tastes gross.
 [[Image:Cake10.jpg|everything's in]]
 Mix it all together again.
 [[Image:Cake11.jpg|now it's chocolatey]]
 Now it's ready for baking. Pour the batter evenly into two layer cake pans, or one oblong 13x9x2 pan (in inches). Layers need baking at 350 F for 30-35 minutes, and the oblong pan for 40-45 minutes. However, the real sign of a done cake is the toothpick test. Simply take a toothpick and insert it into the middle of the cake. If it comes out with anything on it at all, it's not done. I did layers, but the cook time for my oven was actually 42 minutes. Just so you know.
 [[Image:Cake12.jpg|ready for baking]]
 Now, just relax. Do some dishes. Bother your pet. Leia wants nothing to do with the deadly cake.
 [[Image:Cake13.jpg|Leia]]

@@ Line 92: / Line 92: @@
 Choose which layer you want to be on top. The widest side should be turned to the middle. Frost the top layer's bottom side first.
 [[Image:Cake18.jpg|first frost the top layer's lower side]]
 Place the bottom layer on whatever plate the cake will be staying on. Place the half-frosted top layer onto the bottom layer. The only applied frosting should be in the middle. After the layers are together, frost the top and the sides.
 [[Image:Cake19.jpg|frost the sides and top]]
 Smooth over the frosting, and you're done!
 [[Image:Cake20.jpg|smoothed over and done]]