Chocolate Cake with Coffee Butter Cream Frosting

An image that needs no caption....aaaahhhhhh.....

A really great neighbor-friend (haha, Kathryn, gotta love fun names that stick!) is moving!  I am excited for their new opportunity, but totally bummed to lose a great friend.  Instead of mourning their moving, I decided to celebrate a friendship.

What better way to celebrate than a three-layer chocolate cake!??!  

The Ganache

- 3/4 lbs (12oz) bittersweet chocolate

- 1 2/3 cups heavy cream

Heat the cream to barely boiling.  Add chocolate and stir until you see smooth beautiful chocolate!  Chill, stirring often, until the ganache is cool but not stiff, about 20 minutes.  (I use the above picture to show what my ice bath looks like for cooling the ganache; I forgot a better picture.  Well, other than the beauty that is the first picture!)

Coffee Butter Cream Frosting

otherwise known as my newest addiction!

 - 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 tbsp instant coffee granules (I used instant espresso.)
- 8 tbsp (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar, plus additional if needed

Pour the milk into a small glass bowl and heat in the microwave oven on high power for 30 seconds, or until very hot.  Stir in the coffee granules until they dissolve.  Set the mixture aside.

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds.  Stop the machine and add 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar.  Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds.  Alternating, add the coffee mixture and the rest of the sugar, beating on low speed until smooth.  Add more sugar if the frosting seems thin.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until lightened, 1-2 minutes more.

Lick the beaters!

The Chocolate Cake

This is the same two-layer cake that I posted here.  I am going to post it here with the ingredients for three layers so that I don't have to think so hard the next time I decide to do this.

- 2 5/8 cups all-purpose flour

- 1.5 cups strong coffee

- 1 1/8 cups natural unsweetened cocoa powder

- 1.5 tsp salt

- 3/4 tbsp baking soda

- 3/4 tbsp baking powder

- 3 cups sugar

- 3 large eggs

- 3/4 cup vegetable oil

- 3 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350.  

Pour the coffee into a liquid measuring cup or bowl; whisk in the cocoa powder.  Put the flour salt, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl.  Mix on low speed 1 minute.  Add the eggs, oil, vanilla and 1.5 cups water; beat on medium speed, 2 minutes.  Reduce the speed to low; beat in the coffee-cocoa mixture in a slow stream until combined.  The batter will be thin.  The batter will also be i.r.r.e.s.i.s.t.a.b.l.y yummy!

Divide the batter between three pans.  Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean,  50 minutes to 1 hour.  Let cool in the pans on a rack, 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.  (I turn out on plates and then cool in fridge.  A really cool cake is easiest to work with.)  Cool for 1-4 hours, or even overnight. 

Bon appetit!

Thank you to the Cake Mix Doctor Chocolate for the frosting recipe, and thank you to Ron Ben-Israel for the chocolate cake!

PS  I really do love that first picture!  Chocolate cake with coffee butter cream icing and a decorative plate that says La Femme Chef!  Not a bad descriptive picture for me and my kitchen!  If only the cake could more often make an appearance in my kitchen!