#90 My delicious Chocolate Birthday Cake

I turned a year older last week, time flies! I made my own birthday cake for the very first time, which was requested by my super excited fan- my daughter who counted the hours and told almost everyone at school that it was my birthday. :) Her excitement was contagious! I don't really celebrate my birthdays anymore since, I don't know..for as long as I can remember? but this year, I was all smiles like her. We came home around 4 p.m. and she was panicky that she didn't find any cake, and so she pushed me to the kitchen to make my birthday cake. Haha! I didn't buy a cake, nor planned to make one, was tired so I was quite nervous about the whole birthday baking thing, especially doing the daunting task of the mandatory cake frosting- I am the worst at it! Baking is easy, but making a fantastic looking cake can be difficult for beginners like me. We found a great chocolate cake recipe, it was very delicious! I have plenty of baking to do before I can perfect the decorating part but, I am glad I listened to her, on this day I learned how to properly melt a chocolate, make a delicious chocolate frosting and how make a super moist cake. Here's how:

Adapted from Foodnetwork.com's Ina Garten: Beatty's Chocolate Cake 

CHOCOLATE CAKE with CHOCOLATE BUTTER CREAM FROSTING

Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
3. Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

             Ingredients:

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Directions:

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

I also learned that even if we are no longer children,

 it's a good thing to show the little ones that everybody's birthdays are days to look forward to.

We celebrated another year of life, hopes and dreams to come true.