Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake with Mocha Buttercream

Evan's birthday was on Wednesday, December 17 - Happy Birthday Evan!! In celebration I made him a birthday cake on Tuesday night (since I knew I wouldn't have time on Wednesday). I decided on a Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake with Mocha Buttercream out of the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook. Although I'm not a huge fan of Magnolia generally, their cookbook does have good recipes. An inside source tells me that they actually use a lot more sugar than the recipe calls for when making the cupcakes and other concoctions in the bakery. Go figure. And who knew that they've opened so many outposts? I just passed one near Rockefeller Center, and I hear there are one or two by Lincoln Center, plus one further uptown. At the very least perhaps it will help to unclog the village of confused tourists looking for that bakery they saw on Sex and the City.

For a good article on the importance of following baking recipes precisely, particularly the temperature of butter, see this NY Times article from the 17th. Also, while I was super excited to be able to break out my KitchenAid Mixer, I definitely made a similar cake last year for Evan's birthday with no fancy devices; just beat everything a little longer.

Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake
Adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted (either in microwave or over double boiler)
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and lightly flour two 9 x 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with wax paper (I actually found that all of my cake pans are 1 1/2-inches deep...).

In a medium-size bowl, sift together the flour and the baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugars until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the chocolate, mixing until well-incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk and the vanilla extract, beating after each addition until smooth. Divide the cake batter between the prepared pans and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a cake tester (or fork, or toothpick) comes out clean.

Let cakes cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks (or plates...). Alternately, you could also make cupcakes by lining two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers, filling them three-quarters with the batter, and baking for 20-22 minutes.

When the cake has cooled completely (yes, you have to wait until it is totally cool), ice between the layers, then on the top and sides of the cake (see icing recipe and tips below). Although they recommend the Traditional Vanilla or Chocolate Buttercream, I went for Mocha, which was awesome.

Mocha Buttercream
For regular chocolate buttercream, simply omit the espresso powder.
Adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very soft
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon milk
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled to lukewarm
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners sugar
2-3 teaspoons instant espresso powder

Directions
In a medium-size bowl, beat the butter until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the milk carefully and beat until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and beat well.

Add the vanilla extract and beat for 3 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and espresso powder, tasting until you like the taste (you don't have to add all the sugar). Beat until creamy and of desired consistency. I followed their recommendation and beat it for longer than you would think to make it extra creamy. This definitely got rid of any graininess from the espresso powder.

Now you are ready to ice your cake. If you want a professional finish, it's easy with one tool - the pastry knife. My sister, a former Magnolia cupcake icer, gave me one last Christmas along with some tips on how to use it.

With your pastry knife, gather a good amount of the icing on the side of the bowl and flatten it, smoothing back and forth with the pastry knife. Take what has accumulated on the knife and begin icing in the middle of the top of the cake (or cupcake). It's best if you have a surface you can twirl on, dabbing the icing as you twirl. Even if you just put the icing on as regular, with the pastry knife it looks way more professional.

Placed on a covered cake stand, you're ready for business. Or delicious cake-eating time.

The cake was good. Again, be sure to follow the directions precisely. The Mocha Buttercream was awesome and totally easy. Enjoy!