Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting is a delicious, unpretentious, comforting, traditional and most enjoyable way of saying, ‘I love you’ on Valentine’s Day
As a cook, the first ingredient I think of when asked about Valentine’s Day is chocolate. There’s an endorphin release that happens when we eat chocolate. The endorphins help us feel pleasure and happiness, all the positive emotions associated with love. So if I’m going to bake a special dessert for my true love, it’s going to be chocolate.
A delicious Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting doesn’t just happen.
Chocolate Cake is tricky. How many times have you stuck a fork full, of what had the potential to be, decadent chocolate cake to find your mouth full of insipidly chocolate sawdust. Chocolate cake demands a combination of quality ingredients, proper techniques, and attention to detail. Here’s a list of my secrets to baking a luxurious chocolate cake:
- Choose premium cocoa powder and high-quality chocolate for a richer flavour.
- Sifting the dry ingredients to eliminate lumps and aerate the mixture which results in a lighter and fluffier cake.
- Allow your eggs, butter, and dairy to come to room temperature before incorporating them. Room temperature ingredients mix more evenly, creating a smoother batter.
- Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This step incorporates air into the batter which will create a more tender cake.Avoid over mixing once you add the flour to prevent gluten development, which can lead to a dense cake.
- Including sour milk in the recipe adds moisture and a subtle tang, enhancing the overall flavor and texture of the cake.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for a short time before transferring it to a wire rack. This prevents it from becoming too dense.
Being mindful of potential issues and understanding the science behind baking, will help you troubleshoot and improve your chocolate cake journey for a delicious outcome.
Thanks for reading.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 extra-large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup best quality cocoa - I use Bendorp Dutch processed cocoa
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups sour whole milk - if you don't have soured milk on hand, place 2 tablespoons of white vinegar in the bottom of a 2-cup measure then add the milk up to the 2-cup line
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- 12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1” pieces
- 1/3 cup butter,
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 ¼ cups whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
Instructions
Chocolate Layer Cake
- Preheat oven to 350*F
- Butter and flour 2 eight inch round cake pans
- Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a medium sized mixing bowl and set aside.
- Beat sugar with shortening until it is light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy.
- Add vanilla and beat well.
- Fold the milk with the flour mixture alternatively in thirds into the butter mixture...blend well
- Divide the batter between the two prepared baking pans.
- Check at 25 minutes by inserting a wooden toothpick in the centre of a cake. They are done when the toothpick comes out clean.
- When done, remove the cakes from the oven and allow then to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Using a butter knife, loosen the edges of the cakes to remove them from the cake pans.
- Place the cakes on a clean piece of parchment paper sitting on the rack to cool completely.
- Frost when completely cool.
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- Place the chocolate and butter in a medium sized mixing bowl then set aside
- Mix the sugar and water in a heavy bottomed saucepan.
- Place saucepan over medium heat and stir sugar until it’s dissolved.
- Add the cream and salt then bring to a boil.
- Once mixture is boiling, remove the pot from the heat and pour cream over chocolate and butter.
- Let it stand for 5 minutes then whisk until smooth
- Add vanilla extract and whisk well
- Let the frosting cool at room temperature then chill until it’s a spreadable consistency. Don’t let the frosting harden in the refrigerator - you just want it spreadable!
Notes
THE LOVE: If you’re going to the trouble to make this frosting be sure to use chocolate with at least 60% cacao. No sense skimping.