chocolate chocolate cake

Jenn and Pierre's wedding is one month away, that means one month to come up with the perfect cake for their wedding.

Jenn wants chocolate cake with a chocolate filling and white icing (not sour cream). Sour cream is my go-to frosting so I am in the process of testing new recipes.

Here's what I learned this week - never, ever try to make more than the simplest sour cream frosting without the stand mixer. Today I thought I'd make a quick and breezy mascarpone frosting with my immersion blender whisk attachment. Halfway through, I had half a bowl of curdled mascarpone and a half-broken immersion blender. That's when I realized it was time for the stand mixer.

Obviously, we do not have the counter space to leave the stand mixer out. In fact, when we talk about our next apartment, I've said more than once - 'maybe we can move to a place where we can leave the stand mixer out.' The stand mixer is heavy and to get it down I have to stand on the stove and then jump down onto the step ladder. But this task was worth it, because the mascarpone frosting has just emerged as a major contender.

CHOCOLATE CAKE with GANACHE FILLING and MASCARPONE FROSTING

Chocolate Butter Cake 

(This recipe makes enough for two 6" layers, recipe adapted from The Cake Bible)

1.5 oz (3 tbsp) dutch process cocoa powder

2/3 c hot coffee

2 large eggs

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

5.5 oz cake flour

1 c sugar

3 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

10 tbsp + 2 (5.3 oz) tsp soft, unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour pans or spray with Baker's Joy.

In a small bowl whisk cocoa and hot coffee until smooth, let cool. In a separate bowl combine eggs and 1/4 of the cocoa mixture and vanilla. Whisk remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add butter and the rest of the cocoa mixture. Mix until moist (I used a stand mixer, but a hand mixture should work fine too). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for another couple of minutes. Gradually beat in the egg mixture. Fill both of your pans with half the batter. (If you are using a scale, each pan should get 12.5 oz of batter). Test for doneness after 25 min. It might take up to 35 min for a toothpick inserted to come out clean. Let cool in pans for 10min. then invert cakes onto wire racks and let cool completely. 

Chocolate Ganache Filling

1/3 c chopped bittersweet chocolate

1/3 c heavy cream

Heat 2" of water in a sauce pan. When the water starts to simmer, cover pan with a double boiler (or a heat proof mixing bowl). Put chopped chocolate in bowl. Stir occasionally until all chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in cream until well combined.

Mascarpone Frosting

3/4 c mascarpone cheese

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 c heavy cream

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat mascarpone and sugar at medium speed. Gradually add cream. Mix will curdle at first, that's okay. Scrape down the sides of the pan and keep beating. Increase the speed to high. Scrape down sides of pan as necessary. In 3 - 5 minutes you should have a rich, billowy cream frosting.

Putting the cake together:

Choose your cake plate or platter and move one of your layers over. Spread the ganache on top, not quite to the sides of the cake. Place second layer on top. Frost and enjoy!