Buttermilk Chocolate Cake and My Sister's Cocoa Frosting

I am so grateful for chocolate cake.  Sometimes I crave chocolate cake with a rich chocolate frosting.  There was a time when I thought box chocolate cake was the best cake (my grandmother’s specialty was Duncan Hines chocolate cake baked in a sheet pan and frosted with white frosting made with Crisco and then covered liberally with festive rainbow sprinkles).  I have vastly improved my grandmother’s cake that I loved as a child.  Today, I have the benefit of a wide range of available products plus instant access to videos and thousands of recipes to compare that helps me inject the same love and care into my cakes like my grandmother.  One of my favorite recipes is my Mom’s Chocolate Cake recipe, a delicious moist, fudgy and chocolaty recipe.  This buttermilk cake has its own character -  a slight tang and tenderness from the buttermilk with full chocolate flavor especially if you use your best quality cocoa powder.  I use Ghiradelli, or Droste.  I have used Hershey’s and it a good chocolate cake, but the extra fine cocoa makes the chocolate flavor stand out.  A single layer easy cake to make is this Chocolate Fudge Cake.

My sister’s chocolate frosting is so simple yet so delicious.  The best quality cocoa powder is a real standout here.  When she makes this recipe she uses 2-3 cups of powdered sugar and 6 tablespoons of milk.  I use the 5 cups for a stiffer and sweeter frosting.

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

1 ¾  cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

2 cups sugar

¾ cups best quality cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk, shaken

½ cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Butter two 8-inch inch round cake pans or 1 9 x13-inch pan.

Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer.

In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.

Using the paddle attachment, 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.

My Sister’s Cocoa Frosting

½ cup plus two tablespoons of softened butter

5 cups powdered sugar – my sister uses 2-3 cups

8 tablespoons of milk

3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened, best quality, cocoa powder

1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla

Beat butter until smooth and creamy.

Gradually add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.

Add cocoa powder and mix until smooth and creamy

Add additional milk or powdered sugar as needed to reach the desired spreadable consistency.

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.
Or frost the top of the 9 x 13-inch cake in pan or removed from pan, as desired.

Lemony Yogurt Cake

Every February, when lemons are harvested, my mouth starts salivating for a sweet and tart lemon cake.  While I love the layered lemon cake with seven minute frosting, I wanted to keep this cake simple and quick.  I adapted my yogurt cake recipe and added a thin layer of lemon frosting and had a pretty and delicious cake in about 3 hours time.

Lemony Yogurt Cake

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon (packed) finely grated lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon lemon extract or lemon juice

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. 
Butter 9-inch metal cake pan, line with parchment round, butter the parchment and coat pan with flour (omit parchment paper if desired).
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. 
Combine yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon peel, and lemon extract or lemon juice in large bowl; whisk until well blended. 
Gradually whisk in dry ingredients. 
Using rubber spatula, fold in oil. 
Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Place cake in oven and bake until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. 
Cool cake in pan on rack 5 minutes. 
Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto rack and then turn cake upright on rack and cool completely. 
Can be made 1 day ahead.  Wrap and store at room temperature.

Lemon Frosting
makes enough for 1 9-inch round cake

1/2  cup (1 stick) butter, very soft

3-4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Zest from one large lemon (if desired)

Place the butter and powdered sugar  in a large mixing bowl, lemon juice, extract and zest if using. 

Beat until smooth and creamy. 

Gradually add the remaining sugar until icing is spreading consistency.

My Mom's Moist Chocolate Cake

    The first time my Mom made this cake for me was after I had my second child.  After the long hours of acting as my labor coach, taking care of my toddler, making meals, jumping up every time the baby cried during the night making sure I was okay or if I needed help, doing the long walks and patting the baby if baby was not to be consoled; my Mom decided she needed to make a delicious cake for me.   She called back home to my father and had him recite the recipe (I can hear her talking to my father even after these many years directing him to the recipe's location and telling him what kind of paper it was written on).  She was so kind and generous with her time and care. Her help speed up my recovery and she surrounded my family with love.    

   I make this cake often.  It is used for at least one birthday during the year.  The cake is moist, chocolaty, and you don't need expensive ingredients to have a delicious dessert, though you can use that special cocoa powder if desired. It is a good go-to cake and when anyone gets a craving for chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, this is the cake.  The frosting is different - I have not found a similar recipe that uses a flour and milk base like it.  The consistency is similar to whipped cream but heavier and not too sweet.

My Mom's Moist Chocolate Cake

Makes 2  eight or nine inch round cakes or 13x9 inch baking pan

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon of baking powder

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup oil (of your choice of a mild or neutral flavored oil)

1 cup hot coffee

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Butter and flour baking pans.

In the bowl of stand mixer whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa and sugar.

Add oil, coffee and milk and mix at medium speed for 2 minutes.

Add eggs and vanilla and beat for 2 more minutes (batter will be thin).

Pour into pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the center is crumb free.

Cool cakes 15 minutes before removing from pans. 
Cool completely before frosting.  I sometimes speed cool for 15 minutes or so in the freezer.

Favorite Vanilla Frosting

1 cup milk

5 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 cup softened butter (or use ½ cup of butter and ½ cup shortening)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine milk and flour in a medium saucepan and cook until thick, whisking out lumps.

Cover and refrigerator for 2 hours or until cold.

In large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy.

Add chilled milk and flour mixture and beat for 10 minutes.

Frost the cake.

Frosting will cover a two layer cake and generously cover a sheet cake style cake.