chocolate cake
I’m 28 today. I must be getting old, because instead of using my birthday as an excuse to try some decadent recipe I’ve been eyeing, I’m going to keep it simple and allow The Grit to provide me with a (single!) slice of cake. Or (gasp!) pie!
*Dear Grit, *
*Please have Strawberries and Cream Cake today. Did I mention it was my birthday? *
*Love you forever, *
Jen
Before I decided to go the Grit route, I did seriously consider a couple of favorite cakes:
1. pumpkin cupcakes with apple butter buttercream
2. carrot cake with pineapple flowers
3. homemade chocolate icebox cake
4. chocolate stout cupcakes with cinnamon dulce de leche cream cheese icing
Or, vanilla cake with vanilla bean frosting (seriously, it takes some talent to make me crave vanilla cake…that photo! aghhhhh! must. have. vanilla. cake.)
Or…chocolate chocolate cake.
With chocolate-tofu frosting.
Stop looking at me like that.
It doesn’t taste like tofu, swear. But it is intensely chocolate-y (fudgy, dare I say?) and silky smooth.
the recipe
Hershey's Black Magic Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
- Grease/flour two 9-inch (23 cm) round pans or one 9x13x2-inch (23x33x5 cm) pan
- 2 cups 400 g sugar
- 1 3/4 cups 210 g all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup 64 g Hershey's unsweetened cocoa
- 2 teaspoons 10 mL baking soda
- 1 teaspoon 5 mL baking powder
- 1 teaspoon 6 g salt
- 2 100 g eggs
- 1 cup 240 mL buttermilk
- 1 cup 240 mL strong black coffee, or 2 teaspoons instant coffee plus 1 cup water, room temp
- 1/2 cup 120 mL vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon 5 mL vanilla extract
- Whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, powder, and salt.
- Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil, and vanilla; whisk until very thoroughly combined (or in a mixer with paddle attachment for about 2 minutes). Batter will be very thin. Pour into prepped pans.
- Bake rounds for 30-35 minutes (35-40 for 9x13) or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
each column is one step, working left to right — hover a cell for the full instruction
- 2 cups 400 g sugar
- 1 3/4 cups 210 g all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup 64 g Hershey's unsweetened cocoa
- 2 teaspoons 10 mL baking soda
- 1 teaspoon 5 mL baking powder
- 1 teaspoon 6 g salt
- 2 100 g eggs
- 1 cup 240 mL buttermilk
- 1 cup 240 mL strong black coffee, or 2 teaspoons instant coffee plus 1 cup water, room temp
- 1/2 cup 120 mL vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon 5 mL vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Grease/flour two 9-inch (23 cm) round pans or one 9x13x2-inch (23x33x5 cm) pan.
Whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, powder, and salt.
Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil, and vanilla; whisk until very thoroughly combined (or in a mixer with paddle attachment for about 2 minutes). Batter will be very thin. Pour into prepped pans.
Bake rounds for 30-35 minutes (35-40 for 9x13) or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate (Tofu) Frosting
- 1 (12-ounce) package 340 g firm silken tofu
- 3 cups 510 g dark chocolate chips
- Drain excess liquid from tofu, then crush and place in a medium saucepan along with chocolate chips. Stir over medium heat until chocolate is very soft.
- Transfer to food processor; blend until very smooth.
- Cool to a spreadable consistency--may need to refrigerate for a bit if it's hot in the room.
each column is one step, working left to right — hover a cell for the full instruction
- 1 (12-ounce) package 340 g firm silken tofu
- 3 cups 510 g dark chocolate chips
Drain excess liquid from tofu, then crush and place in a medium saucepan along with chocolate chips. Stir over medium heat until chocolate is very soft.
Transfer to food processor; blend until very smooth.
Cool to a spreadable consistency--may need to refrigerate for a bit if it's hot in the room.
— from The Grit cookbook