Birthday Cake

 

Oh cake. I love everything about you, from thinking about you, recipe searching, stirring, baking, frosting, building, and after it's all said and done... eating!

This cake is so yummy, made specially for my sister's birthday. I even made chocolate shavings, that's how special.

Ingredients:

13/4c sugar

13/4c flour

1c unsweetened cocoa

11/2t baking powder

11/2t baking soda

1t salt

2 eggs

1c milk

1/2c vegetable oil

2t vanilla

1c boiling water

Recipe (followed very closely carina's):

Grease and flour two round 8" pans.Whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and mix on medium speed for a couple of minutes. Carefully add in boiling water and mix thoroughly.

Pour into prepared pans, tap lightly on the counter to release any air, and bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick tests clean.

Once the cakes were cooled, I cut each in half and filled the layers with chocolate butter cream:

Ingredients

1c unsalted butter, softened

31/2c confectioners sugar, to taste (I used less)

1/2c cocoa powder

1/2t salt

2t vanilla extract

4T milk

Recipe

Cream butter in a mixer for a few minutes. Turn off the mixer. Sift powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and milk and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time.

and covered it with whipped chocolate ganache:

Ingredients

12oz chocolate, chopped into small pieces

1c heavy cream

3T fresh brewed espresso

Recipe:

Place chocolate pieces in a large bowl. Heat heavy cream on medium high until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately pour cream over chocolate and stir until completely mixed and glossy. Allow ganache to cool before pouring over cakes as a glaze. The longer you allow the ganache to cool, the thicker it will set. Using a cold bowl and mixer spoons, whip until soft peaks form.

and then I topped it all off with dark chocolate shavings. It was fancy.

Fancy is good.