for her last 2 birthdays, the little she has requested a very specific dessert for her party. she has asked for “chocolate with strawberries“. as you know, if you read this blog, she is carazy about sugar. it has been said that sugar is her love language and i completely believe it.
chocolate is at the top of her sugar list, especially cake and frosting that is of the chocolate kind.
this cake recipe and this chocolate buttercream recipe are my go-tos – i never stray from these when i want chocolate cake and frosting. i have never found better. the cake recipe is a jacked up version of making a box cake – it has a perfect base and then with these add ins, is just as wonderful as made-from-scratch. actually, it’s better.
and this chocolate buttercream recipe is adapted slightly from joy the baker.
you should look no where else EVER when you want to make chocolate frosting. promise me, mmkay?
dark chocolate birthday cake
ingredients
1 box dark chocolate fudge cake mix (i like duncan hines)
3 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup butter, melted (plus more for pans)
1 cup water
2 tsp vanilla
directions
1. position rack in the middle of the oven. preheat oven to 350.
2. coat 2 round cake pans with cooking spray (coconut oil spray is my favorite) or melted butter. line each on the bottom with a parchment round. then spray the top of the parchment round generously with the spray. flour both pans, patting out excess & making sure its covered evenly.
3. add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix well. divide batter evenly among the 2 pans and bake for about 25-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
4. let cool on 2 drying racks for about 10 minutes. then invert the cakes into your hand, remove the parchment, and then return to rack to cool completely.
malted chocolate buttercream frosting
adapted via joy the baker
ingredients
3 sticks butter, softened
1 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup ovaltine
directions
1. cream together butter, cocoa powder, and salt. scrape down the sides of the bowl and add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. as the sugar begins to incorporate, raise the speed of the mixer. beat until smooth.
2.in a 2-cup measuring glass or bowl, stir together heavy cream and ovaltine. pour the cream and ovaltine mixture into sugar mixture in a slow stream, until you have reached your desired consistency. (you may not need all of the ovaltine mixture.)
3. now frost your cake!
enjoy:)
