It was a quiet Sunday for Dress Me Up - a day I usually spend half of Sunday working while Nathaniel and Lil R have a morning together (usually playing guitar and making coffee - that's Cafe Lib for R. and
Kicking Horse for N.). Being Father's Day, work was pushed aside and we spent the whole day together, including a luxurious family nap in the afternoon, baking a delicious chocolate cake and hosting family for dinner. *Bliss*
I'm all back to business today, though. There's so much to do! I've got two giant projects on the go - one is still a bit of a surprise, and the other is gearing up for the
Organic Island Festival. So I've got to keep this post short. Why not bake a cake while waiting for my next update! ;)
Here's the recipe for our amazing Father's Day cake. We substituted the brewed coffee for
Phillips Chocolate Porter Ale (thanks for the idea, Kristina!). Yummmmmmy. The cake is from the
Rebar Cookbook.
Cake:
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup strong coffee or Phillips Chocolate Porter Ale!
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs (1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk)
1 tsp vanilla
Cake filling*:
5 oz milk chocolate
5 oz dark chocolate
1/2 lb unsalted butter, softened
1/4 lb cream cheese, spreadable
1 tsp vanilla
Ganache
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp unsalted butter
5 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Prepare three 8" cake pans with oiled parchment cut to fit the bottoms of the pans. Set aside.
2. Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt in the bowl of a mixer and whisk on low to combine, making sure it is lump-free. Add the coffee, buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla and mix on medium-low for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides. The batter will be pourable.
3. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake for 15 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool before removing them from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack. Remove parchment papers before assembling.
4. Next, prepare the cake filling. Melt the milk and dark chocolates in a double boiler and stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes. Cream together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Mix the cooled chocolate into the creamed mixture.
Next, prepare the ganache by heating the cream and butter to just before the scalding point. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let rest for 3 minutes, then whisk gently (to avoid incorporating air as much as possible) until melted and smooth. Cool slightly.
5. To assemble the cake, place one of the cake layers on a cooling rack with a large baking sheet underneath to catch drips. Evenly spread half of the filling over the layer, then position a second layer on top. Repeat with remaining filling, saving a small amount to thinly spread over the top. Position the cake top layer over the filling. Chill 10 minutes. Next, slowly pour the warm chocolate ganache over the entire cake while carefully spreading it with a large metal icing spatula to make a smooth surface. Carefully transfer the cake onto a plate and into the fridge to set.
* We made a single layer cake in a spring form pan (it was all I had on hand), so we didn't make the chocolate filling. HEAVEN!
