mocha chocolate cake

Without a doubt, the best part of a birthday is the cake. And a good birthday, say a 21st birthday, calls for a special cake. A rich, dark, chocolatey cake covered in a sophisticated mocha buttercream. There's just no better way to show a little birthday love. And who could resist chocolate and coffee? No one.

So who did I go to for this recipe? Do you even have to ask anymore? It's always Martha. She never, ever fails me.

...Except for when she tells you to use two 8-inch cake pans, but somehow your cake batter is too much for those two pans and spills over and coats the bottom of your oven in cake. And burns. And creates a real possibility that your smoke alarm will go off. And there is a nor'easter happening outside, so if your smoke alarm did go off, everyone in your building would hate you forever.

Moral: Use bigger cake pans or save a little and make a couple cupcakes. Just don't listen to Martha. This one time, don't do what she says.

Anyway, I didn't actually get to eat a legitimate slice of the cake, but you can sure bet I nibbled on the pieces I cut off while leveling the cake...and dipped them into the extra buttercream. And yes, it was an incredible combination.


I love birthdays.

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups Dutch process cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups warm water

Preheat oven to 350. Coat two 8x2* inch round cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper.

Mix together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs and yolk, milk, oil, vanilla, and warm water. Beat until combined.

Divide batter between pans and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Mocha Buttercream
from Martha Stewarts Baking Handbook

1/4 cup instant espresso powder
1/4 cup hot water
4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces and at room temperature
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted

In a small bowl, combine espresso powder with hot water and stir until dissolved. Set aside.

In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, whisk together the egg whites and sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch. Remove from heat.

Beat the egg white mixture until slightly cooled and stiff, and glossy peaks have formed. With your mixer on medium low speed, add the butter, several tbsp at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until smooth and fluffy. Fold in the espresso and chocolate mixtures and beat on low speed until smooth.

Note: I always make half this recipe (because I can't stomach using that much butter at once) and its always just enough.