1 Day, 2 Cakes, 3 Birthdays

 

This is the summer of cakes! For my birthday in June I finally got to make my first layer cake: a basic, yet incredibly good chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. It was my first real soiree with making a cake from scratch, and while the cake was delicious, the frosting left a little to be desired. For Will’s birthday I made the same cake with a few minor alterations, and totally redeemed myself on the frosting front. It was a cake worthy of being eaten for breakfast (which of course it was…multiple times). (Chocolate Cake recipe coming soon!)

And now there are three more special birthdays! My wonderful sister, Emily, my lovely housemate, Alycia, and my blogging mate herself, Amy. The cake and decoration possibilities were almost too much to handle, but I decided to go BIG:

For my sister and her friends, who are all coming over for the Labor Day weekend, a 4-layer Chocolate Blackout Cake with a chocolate pudding filling, and a to-die for chocolate buttercream frosting (which my entire family is currently snacking on). And for Amy and Alycia, a 3-layer Carrot Cake with a full pound of carrots, and a sweet, cream cheese frosting.

The frostings

With all of the packing and last minute shopping to be done before going back to school on Sunday, I had a 24-hour window for cake making, so I divided and conquered. Last night was the frostings and fillings. The chocolate pudding for the Blackout Cake needs to cool for at least 4 hours in the fridge, so I thought I would let it sit overnight, bake the cakes in the morning and allow myself the bliss of decorating in the afternoon.

This morning I got up at 6:30 to bake the cakes. I’m actually only writing right now because I may have just blown out the pilot light in my stove while making the blackout cake and need to wait for my super-mom to wake up so she can rescue my baking venture. As romantic as it is to wake up with the sun and bake in your quiet, rosy house, I highly recommend saving the baking for when you are a little more awake. As I attempted to boil water, somehow not even half of it made it from the measuring cup into the pot; consequently flooding the burner and quenching the flame. But while I wait, here are the recipes!

CHOCOLATE BLACKOUT CAKE:

Adapted from The Week
 

This is a deeply indulgent and delicious cake. It might be the best chocolate cake ever. Creamy pudding layers with an oh so moist cake and insanely rich frosting; this is hands down a sure to impress Chef Ramsay recipe. My sister, her friends and my parents all fell in love at the first bite. Many sounds of unbelievability and taste-bud bliss were made. If you are like me, and spend hours of your life searching through blogs, recipes, and comments for the perfect version of a recipe, search no further. This is it. Thank goodness it is ridiculously rich, otherwise I would eat the whole cake. It's really that good.

*A traditional blackout cake is frosted with the same chocolate pudding used for the in-between  layers and covered with chocolate crumbs. As I was dying to make the buttercream frosting again, and it is easier to decorate with, I went for a less traditional (and overly indulgent) exterior.

Four chocolate layers smothered in pudding heaven

Chocolate Pudding Filling:

1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup whole milk
6 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped (I recommend Baker’s, you get twice the chocolate for the price of Ghirardelli)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk sugar, cornstarch, salt, half-and-half, and milk in large saucepan. Set pan over medium heat. Add chocolate and whisk constantly until chocolate melts and mixture begins to bubble, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in vanilla and transfer pudding to large bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Cake:
1 stick unsalted butter
1-1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp table salt
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 c strong black coffee (or substitute 1 to 2 tsp instant coffee, dissolved in 1c boiling water)
1 c buttermilk
1 c packed light brown sugar
1 c sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cocoa and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Off heat, whisk in coffee, buttermilk, and sugars until dissolved. Whisk in eggs and vanilla, then slowly whisk in flour mixture. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool layers in pans 15 minutes, then invert onto wire rack. Cool to room temperature, at least 1 hour.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

(makes about 2 cups) – I had to make a second batch to finish making all the rosettes

1 stick butter

2/3 cup cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Melt the butter. Stir in the cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Stir in vanilla.

Practice rosettes

Assembly:

Cut each cake in half horizontally. I like to do this by using a piece of thread: hold each end, and starting at the side of the cake opposite you. Pull the thread slowly towards you, slicing the cake in two. Use a knife to help you lift the top layer off.

 

You can either make a 3-layer cake and crumble one layer into medium crumbs to set aside for decorating, or use all the layers to make a 4-layer cake. If using the crumbs, sprinkle evenly over top and sides of cake, pressing lightly so crumbs adhere. 

Refrigerate for up to 2 days, serves 8-10

 

CARROT CAKE:

Recipe adapted from http://redstartolonestar.blogspot.com/2012/08/carrot-cake.html

Fresh from the oven

This cake is as unbelievably delicious as the blackout cake. There are a few dishes in this world where, with each new bite, you cannot actually believe how good what you are eating is; every bite is like a revelation. This recipe is one of those. It's so moist and light, with just the right amount of sweetness and crunch, you simply cannot go wrong. And it is much easier to prepare than the blackout cake!

Carrot Cake:

2 c sugar

1 1/2 c vegetable oil

4 large eggs

2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp nutmeg

3 c finely grated carrots (about 1 lb) (make sure you buy big, thick carrots, it makes grating much easier)

1 c pecans, chopped (if you have extra use them for garnishing!)

* add raisins or coconut for a little something extra!

  

Preheat oven to 325F. Butter and flour (or spray) three 9-inch pans. Using an electric mixer, combine sugar and oil. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Sift dry ingredients into the mixture and mix until incorporated. Mix in carrots and pecans. Divide batter evenly between pans, bake about 45 min, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let sit in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

(I used three 8-inch pans, and they cooked for about 30 minutes)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

About 3 c powdered sugar

2 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

1-2 tsp vanilla extract

Blend all the frosting ingredients with an electric mixer. Because Cream Cheese frosting can be so sweet, how much powdered sugar you add is up to your personal preference, the more you add, the tamer it will become, add 1 cup at a time and taste-taste until it clicks!

*For a Maple Cream Cheese Frosting add ¼ c Maple syrup instead of the vanilla extract

Keep Refrigerated

About 8 hours, four massive kitchen cleanings, two grocery store runs, and one extra frosting batch later (plus an extra shower to scrub all the chocolate off me) I’m done! It was utter chaos but I loved every second of it. These are my first two hard-core decorated cakes and I couldn’t be prouder! Happy Birthday to my bestest friend and sister! And Happy Birthday Amy and Alycia, here's to starting off a sweet senior year!