A Very-Homely Chocolate Cake (Barefoot Contessa)

Hello everyone, I'm back to Melbourne and blogging...

My family and I had a great time in Seoul and Singapore. We missed everything in Korea and Singapore especially the beautiful views of both cities, both contrasting but nice weather, cherry blossom in Korea and lots of yummy Korean and Singaporean food. Of all, I missed most is my home with all the people that I love and all that have loved me. I miss my Singapore home. I lived and grew up in Singapore for 25 years and leaving my home is never easy.

Now back to baking which is super-therapeutic for all sorts of reasons... Today, I'm baking this Barefoot Contessa chocolate cake and it is simply superb! No wonder it has been highly rated in Food Network.The chocolate cake is so moist and velvety and yet not oily at all. The chocolate buttercream is so soft and beautiful. 

Originally, this cake is known as "Beatty's Chocolate Cake" and this recipe is published too in the book, Barefoot Contessa at home. The original recipe makes a nice two-layer 20 cm cake and you can bake it too like Jacquelyn's (Marin Mama Cooks) and her cake is a glamorous celebration cake. For me, I've simplified this recipe by baking it in just a layer and iced it with only a quarter amount of the frosting and I'm glad that I've transformed my cake into a simple and homely chocolate cake. *clap! clap!*

I think that I've adopted and accepted the fact that Melbourne is my new home. Although a nice and simple home-baked chocolate cake is never commonly found in my "Singapore" home, it is now found in my Melbourne home. *Home Sweet Home*

Making the cake...

I'm impressed with this frosting! It is so smooth and creamy.

My son is very happy seeing this! - "Chocolate Cake! Hurray!"

Here's the recipe from the book, Barefoot Contessa at home or Food Network

(with my modification in blue)

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder (I used Dutch processed cocoa)
2 tsp baking soda  
(replace with baking powder, *please see notes for details)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee (replaced with just hot water)

Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (or 160°C fan forced). Butter two 8-inch x 2-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 a 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. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 min, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 min, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Note:

*My family and I dislike the after-taste of baking of soda in all our cakes and cookies. For this reason, we prefer to replace baking soda with baking powder in regardless.

However, if you are using non-Dutch processed cocoa, you can choose not to replace baking soda with baking powder if you don't mind the presence of baking soda in your cake. Non-Dutch-processed cocoa is known for its slightly acidic pH. Therefore, to ensure the pH balance of the cake batter, the addition of baking soda (being alkaline) is essential to create an ideal cake chemistry. As I was using Dutch processed cocoa in my cake mix, I reckon the use of baking soda is not very essential.

I baked this cake using only half the amount of this recipe with one 20cm diameter round cake pan.

Chocolate Buttercream:

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (I used 70% Cocoa chocolate)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature (I didn't add this)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp instant coffee powder (I didn't add this)

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 min. Add the egg yolk (I didn't add this) and vanilla and continue beating for 3 min. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 tsp of the hottest tap water (I add this into the cream being just boiling water). On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Note: I iced this cake using only 1/4 of this buttercream recipe and it is more than enough to iced a 20cm diameter round cake.

Happy Baking

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