A Chocolate Cake to Celebrate

After three years of cooking, testing recipes, writing, and sending out proposals; I'm elated to tell you that I have signed a book deal! My cookbook, Deliciously Organic, will be coming out in the fall of 2010! AND, as if it couldn't get any better, Helen from Tartelette will be doing the photography! I can't even tell you how thrilled I am to work with her.

To celebrate, I thought it fitting to whip up a chocolate cake with dreamy, light as air, chocolate frosting. The cake is moist, dense, full of rich chocolate, and topped with the dreamiest chocolate buttercream frosting.  It's the kind of cake you'll want to eat alone, so you can close your eyes and enjoy every little morsel.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Adapted from "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook" by Ina Garten

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup cocao powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup butter at room temperature
2/3 cup organic whole cane sugar or sucanat
2/3 cup muscovadosugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons brewed herbal coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-inch cake pans and then dust with flour, knocking out any excess. In a medium bowl sift the flour, cocao, baking soda and salt. (There will be about 2 tablespoons of bran left in the sifter, discard.) In a small bowl mix together buttermilk, sour cream and herbal coffee. In bowl of mixer, with paddle attachment, cream the butter, whole cane sugar and muscovado. Start on low speed and then increase to high. Beat for about 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Scrape down bowl. With mixer on low speed add a 1/3 of the buttermilk mixture followed by 1/3 of the flour mixture.  Repeat twice ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated. 

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Cool on a cooling rack, for about 10 minutes, and then remove from pans and cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

8 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 large eggs
1 cup organic whole cane sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
1 pound unsalted butter, softened, each stick cut into tablespoons

Melt chocolate over a double boiler and set aside to cool. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine eggs, whole cane sugar, vanilla and pinch of salt. Set bowl over pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 160 degrees, about 5 minutes. Beat egg mixture on medium-high with whisk attachment until light and billowy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add butter one tablespoon at a time. When all of the butter is added turn off mixer and add chocolate. Whisk entire mixture for 1 minute on high until light and fluffy. 

To assemble:  Place one cake layer on cake stand and top with about 3/4 cup of icing.  Place second layer on top and front the top and sides.