january is a big month here, full of birthdays. accordingly, i’ve been baking cakes. this was my first shot at a cake without my sister, alexa, by my side. she’s a baking wiz so i usually leave this stuff up to her, but now that i live on the other side of the country, i’m having to fend for myself.
jill’s aunt asked me to make a cake for her husband and their kid, whose birthdays were friday and saturday of the same week. my only guidelines were, “no carrot cake,” that’s her specialty. i decided i should make my favorite cake, a bittersweet chocolate cake, layered with strawberry, and frosted with whipped cream. my mom always called this “grown-up” cake, because it’s not too sweet — but it retains all the chocolaty decadence.
i x1.5’d this recipe from KA flour’s site for the cake, so i could make a nine-inch triple-layer cake. the cake came out moist and firm, yet light; in other words, perfectly. i have to be honest, jill’s grandma makes an even more perfect chocolate cake, and she’s promised me the recipe, so next time i bake a cake i might use a different recipe. however, this is a really solid recipe so use it in the meantime.
IngredientsView by: Volume Weight
- 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour Blend
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup brewed, cooled coffee, or water
- 4 large eggs
Directions
| 1) Place a strainer over a large mixing bowl. Measure in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa, and sugar. Sift/shake the dry ingredients through the strainer into a mixing bowl, to eliminate any lumps. |
| 2) Add the butter and mix at low speed for 1 minute. With the mixer running, add the oil and continue mixing until the mixture looks like sand. |
| 3) Combine the vanilla with the milk and coffee or water, and add all at once. Mix for 1 minute at low speed, stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then mix for 30 seconds. |
| 4) Add the eggs one at a time, beating well at medium-high speed between additions. The batter will be thin. |
| 5) Pour the batter into the prepared pan of your choice (one 9″ x 13″ pan, two 9″ round pans, or three 8″ round pans). Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 34 minutes for a 9″ x 13″ pan; 28 to 30 minutes for 9″ layers; or 24 to 26 minutes for 8″ layers. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack before frosting. |
after the layers came out of the oven and had cooled completely, i released the cake from the pans and carefully cut the rounded tops off two of the layers. this last step insures your cake will stand straight when assembled. next i spread two jars each on the two cut tops, then stacked them one on the other, topping them with the final layer.
i don’t like frosting, so i made a whipped cream frosting, which is basically a whipped cream that will stay sturdy on the cake. i free-styled this one: heavy whipping cream, 10x confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and almond extracts. put it in the mixer on medium-high speed and whip a little past fluffy, but stop before it’s butter. now take big scoops with a silicone spatula, and spread evenly all over the top and sides of the cake. i garnished the top with fresh strawberries, and wrote out the happy birthday message. yum!
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