Happy Bird-day! [Part 1]

1.12.16

This post should’ve been up yesterday.  I had all intentions of it being so.  But when you enjoy baking, and then the thing you bake…..you think is not so great, putting that recipe up and feeling ok with yourself is not an option. I’m not interested in making a bad cake. A dry cake. Not interested.

So the cake I’ll feature today is my redo. My take two. Because while I wasn’t happy with the first chocolate cake I made, the raspberry butter cream I used to decorate it was LEGIT. So I’ll give you those details, pictures, finished product for the original tomorrow. If you make the chocolate cake from today, and the butter cream from tomorrow, you should have a stellar, moist, delicious cake.  If you need a quick fix frosting, the one I’ll show you today is easy, delicious, and fast.

My outfit today has bird cages on it, precious. And as I missed my friends son’s first birthday, I’m hoping to give this cake to her today or tomorrow to celebrate!!!! And considering I couldn’t stop eating the scraps of this cake, I have confidence in sharing this recipe with you.

For the cake:

For the frosting:

I love that this cake looks like a huge whoopie pie before it’s totally frosted. It’s like a chocolate vanilla cloud and the cake is so moist, those scraps were totally gone by the time this cake was fully decorated.

This past weekend gave us another pocket of unseasonably warm weather, so we headed outside for a quick jaunt in our neighborhood so I could show off one of my favorite skirts.  

I bought this from Tulle a little while ago when I was starting to get more daring with prints. It has birdcages all over it, and a good print in a pencil skirt is hard to pass up.  Something that also drew me to it is that it’s a good base color to work off of.  And it’s easy to pair with lot of sweaters, blouses, shirts. Pencil skirts can be dressed up or down.

I’ve started making regular trips to the Francesca’s that’s close by and it’s trouble. Always a great necklace or sweater in eyesight, it’s hard not to spend all the money in there.

When it’s cooler, or if you live in an area that doesn’t get as cold as we do up north, knee highs are great to keep your tootsies warm, and as a transition piece between warmer and chillier weather. Get a good front tuck going with that sweater, which is all the rage right now and it’s easy to look put together and polished, but comfy.

Persun Mall sweater (similar) / Tulle skirt (similar) / H&M knee high socks / Aldo boots (on sale!) / Francesca necklace (similar)

 

Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 2 cups AP flour
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup hot strong coffee
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup canola oil

For the Frosting

• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 4 1/2 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat oven to 350
• Spray two 9″ cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper, give the paper a quick spray as well
• Chop your bittersweet chocolate and place in hot coffee, stir to melt, set aside
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together all dry ingredients
• Add sour cream and milk and mix on medium-high speed to combine
• Add eggs one at a time, allowing to fully incorporate
• Switch to low-medium speed, add canola oil and melted butter, allow to combine
• Pour in hot coffee mixed with chocolate and allow to just combine
• Divide batter into two cake pans
• Bake for 30-35 minutes (rotating halfway through) until cake tester comes out of the middle clean
• Allow to cool for 15 minutes in pan, then transfer to wire rack
• Cool completely before frosting

For the Frosting

• Place your stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment in freezer for 15 minutes
• Pour heavy cream into mixer and on medium-high whisk cream until it begins to thicken, 1-2 minutes
• Switch to low-medium speed and slowly pour in sugar
• Add in vanilla and whisk until stiff peaks form
• Spoon frosting into pastry bag with flowered tip and decorate as desired