Blackout Cake

February is Valentine's month. It's also birthday month at my house, and depression month for a lot of people. (My sister told me it's dental hygiene month, but I'm ignoring that.) All of those mean it's chocolate month. Red and hearts also usually play a role in baking and decor in February. So I think the next couple of posts, assuming the recipes work out, will be loosely themed for Valentine's day. Let's start with chocolate and chocolate topped with chocolate.

I made this cake for my daughter's family birthday party but then she got sick so we had to cancel the cousins and grandparents coming over. Luckily the cake didn't go to waste. We kept it sealed under a dome and served it a few days later to dinner guests. So good.

The cake is great. The filling/frosting is like a dark chocolate pudding more than frosting. And one of the cool things about this recipe that caught my eye is that you make 2 layers, cut them each in half so you have 4 layers, stack 3 of them with the filling, frost the whole thing, then crumble the last layer and top/coat the entire outside of the cake with the crumbs. My kind of decorating.

So sorry. For some reason I just couldn't get the lighting or photo vibe to do this cake justice. The pictures don't really meet my standards but what can I say - I need a better camera.Blackout Cake

Frosting:
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 T cornstarch

3 cups whole milk

6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cake:

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 tsp vegetable oil

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup light-brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

1. Frosting: In a medium-size heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk granulated sugar and cornstarch. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly to keep mixture from getting lumpy.

2. Transfer saucepan to stove, and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer, then add chocolate. Cook 3 minutes or until chocolate is melted. Stir in vanilla. Pour into a bowl; cover surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours or overnight.

3. Cake: Heat oven to 350. Coat two 8x2 inch round baking pans with cooking spray. Line bottoms with wax paper; spray paper.

4. Microwave chocolate and oil for 1 minute; stir until smooth. If needed, heat an additional 15 seconds. Cool slightly.

5. In medium-size bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In large bowl, beat with mixer on medium speed the butter and sugars until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in melted chocolate and vanilla.

6. On low speed, beat flour mixture into butter mixture, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Spread into pans. Batter will be thick.

7. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers tests clean. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack 15 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool layers completely.

8. Cut each cake layer in half horizontally for a total of 4 layers. Crumble one cake layer into crumbs and set aside. Place 1 cake layer cut-side down on a serving platter. Spread with 1 heaping cup frosting adn top with another cake layer. Repeate with 1 heaping cup frosting and top with another cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle cake crumbs over top and sides of cake, pressing gently to adhere.

Recipe from Family Circle, Feb 2010