Chocolate Cake (Smitten, 8 x 8)
Description
We had to have our special Valentine’s dinner early in order to make it happen and this little jewel fit the bill (and timeline) perfectly. We still love Deanna’s chocolate cake…but Smitten Kitchen’s version is a little denser and lends itself to be thoroughly enjoyed as is (though of course I made the frosting, and we slathered it on our individual pieces of cake). No one will ever be upset if this shows up on your counter after school! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake (Smitten, 8 x 8)
6 T. butter, room temperature
3/4 c. packed dark brown sugar AND 2 T. sugar
1 egg AND 1 egg yolk AND 1 t. vanilla
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. cocoa AND 1 c. flour
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. EACH baking powder AND salt
Preheat the oven to 350, butter an 8 x 8 cake pan, line it with parchment so that 2 sides overhang, and butter the parchment. Using your electric mixer, beat together the butter and both sugars for a couple of minutes until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla, beat again until combined then pour in the buttermilk and mix again. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, and don’t worry, the batter won’t be smooth.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the 5 dry ingredients and then add this all to the batter. Stir on low until just combined, scrape down the bowl one more time and then mix again. Scrape the batter into your prepared pan, smooth the top and then bake for about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then flip it out onto your serving platter to cool completely before frosting.
**Deb notes that this recipe can be easily doubled to bake in a 9 x 13, or ‘left as is’ and baked in an 8″ or 9″ round cake pan. This recipe will also nicely make 12 cupcakes. You should only need to double the frosting if you double the actual cake recipe.**
Frosting
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to barely warm
1 1/2 c. icing sugar AND 1/2 c. butter, room temperature
1 T. cream AND 1/2 t. vanilla
Instructions
Using your electric mixer, beat together the butter and icing sugar for a couple of minutes until fluffy, then pour in the chocolate, cream and vanilla. Beat until combined, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for another final minute to really fluff it up. Frost the cake as you would (Deb also recommends rainbow sprinkles) and cut it into squares (or triangles) – enjoy!
- Category: Cakes, 8x8
