Chocolate Cake with Cocoa Whipped Cream Frosting

Chocolate Cake with Cocoa Whipped Cream Frosting

Believe it or not, I don't get invited to very many friends' houses to have dinner.  Really.  It's true.  I don't know if it's Iowa culture not to have people over for dinner, or if my kids are more offensive that I perceive them to be, but in the last year, I can count on one hand how many times we've been asked over for dinner.  That might be obnoxious to put in writing on my blog, and I know if any of my friends read this, I'm either going to get grief, or some invitations to dinner, but it's the truth.  Yeah, go ahead and tell me that I "intimidate you" with my cooking.  Whatever.  If you had invited me over, I would have brought this.  As a matter of fact, Elaine has invited us over, and I made this fantabulous chocolate cake for the occasion.  So there.  I also made some outstanding banana cream puffs for Karen because she had us over for dinner too.  Come to think of it, Karen is from New York, and I need to have the Kennedys over because they've had us over twice...and we went.  And Karen's food was delicious.

At any rate, this is just chocolate cake with a simple cocoa whipped cream.  It's a deceptively light chocolatey creamy way to enjoy some yummy chocolate cake.   

I'm still working on my food photography here, so I expect this pic to change.  Maybe even several times today.  I just can't seem to get it right.  Actually, the day I made this cake, I also got a message from a Facebook friend who inadvertently got me started food blogging.  Anyway, she needed me to make some cupcakes for her photographer friend to shoot.  I ended up meeting this guy who gave me some great tips on food photography.  Sorry, though, Richard, I'm a slow learner.  At least this pic is an improvement upon the pic I took of the piece that fell in the snow last night when I was trying to make use of what little light was left at 5:00.  I will be going out to get a tripod and sheer fabric later this week.  My "part-time" job and family duties are constantly getting in the way of my food blogging.  
*Update on the photo: the top photo here actually made it onto foodgawker.com.  Go figure.

Chocolate Cake with Cocoa Whipped Cream Frosting

• 1 cup Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa (or use 1/2 cup ground unsweetened cocoa powder and increase the total amount of sugar below to 1 1/4 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons King Arthur Flour Cake Enhancer (optional)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup butter, softened (that's 10 2/3 tablespoons)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cocoa Whipped Cream (recipe below)

Cake Instructions
: 

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  

Prepare two 8" x 1 1/2" round cake pans by spraying with non-stick cooking spray and then lining with parchment or wax paper circles.  

Into a mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment (or in a large mixing bowl if you're using a hand mixer), sift flour with ground chocolate, cake enhancer, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. 

Add butter and 3/4 cup buttermilk. Beat on low speed to combine ingredients. Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on low-medium speed for 2 minutes. 

Add 1/4 cup buttermilk, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat additional 2 minutes.  

Spread batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350ºF for 30 to 35 minutes. 

Cool on racks for 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pans.

When cakes are cool, cut each one in half so you have four cake layers.  Place one layer on a serving plate and spread with about 3/4 cup cocoa whipped cream.  Repeat with other layers, and then frost the top and sides.  Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles or shaved chocolate, if desired.

Cocoa Whipped Cream Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot tap water
• 3 cups cold heavy whipping cream

Cocoa Whipped Cream Instructions: In mixer bowl with a wire whisk attachment (or in a tall mixing bowl, if you're using a hand mixer), mix cocoa, sugar & hot water, mixing to form a paste.  Allow to cool before adding cream.  Add cream and start mixing on low to incorporate cream into cocoa paste.  Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl.  Mix on high until stiff peaks form.

Whole Chocolate Cake with Cocoa Whipped Cream Frosting