It was recently my husband’s birthday and I wanted to make him a good old fashioned layer cake. He certainly deserved it. Our little baby boy, who we love and adore, is still waking up all hours during the night. To save my sanity, my husband takes him for a 2-3 hour walk every Saturday and Sunday morning while I sleep. He’s done this since baby was born. It’s been a lifesaver, so thank-you dear husband!
The cake was from the book Cake Love and turned out pretty great. It was very chocolate-y and moist even several days after being baked. The Italian meringue buttercream? Well, that is a bit more of an art. I definitely did not wait long enough for the meringue to cool down before adding the butter and the entire thing just melted and looked like cake batter. Luckily, when it did cool down it was salvageable and actually quite good. In fact, I would do it again. It was light, and had a lovely texture. However, I would watch the video of the Cake Love man himself Warren Brown preparing the buttercream icing first. I’ve not included the recipe below as Warren goes through it all on his video.
Cake Love is an excellent looking book on cakes which includes extremely detailed instructions and measurements. If you are a beginner cake baker, this may be the book for you. I’ve included all ingredients by weight as that is what is easiest for me, but the book includes cup measurements too. I’ve really condensed the instructions, as his are much more detailed.
Chocolate Butter Cake
adapted from Cake Love
- 7 ounces unbleached all-purpouse flour
- 2 ounces cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 6 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature
- 14 ounces sugar
- 4 large eggs
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Prepare two 9″ round cake tins by lining the bottom with parchment paper.
- Combine first 4 dry ingredients into a bowl. Combine next two wet ingredients into a SEPARATE bowl.
- Cream together the butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time incorporating each egg into the mixture.
- Add the wet and dry ingredients a little at a time and alternating. Do this quickly. Do not overmix.
- Split the batter between the pans and use an offset metal spatula to smooth out the mixture
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Cake is done when the top does not jiggle and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Michelle Little
Writer & Photographer
