This chocolate espresso cake from Michele Libsack of The French Hen Bakery is the most popular cake requested by her customers. The buttercream is like fudge—so good you could eat it with a spoon. The cake is rich and moist, and the coffee intensely brings out the chocolate flavor. Libsack is kind enough to share her recipe, but she’s happy to take your order and have it ready for pickup with a few days advance notice.
MAKES 1 (3-LAYER, 8 – INCH) ROUND CAKE
1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¾ cup dark cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup hot coffee
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with nonstick spray, line bottoms with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, hot coffee, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
With mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix for about 1 minute, until dry ingredients are incorporated. Scrape down the bowl’s sides and mix again for 30 seconds.
Evenly distribute batter between the pans, about 16 ounces of batter in each.
Bake for 18–20 minutes. Use a toothpick to check the cake middle to see if it comes out clean. Let cool 5–10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely.
Wrap cake layers in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cover with buttercream (recipe below). Layers can be frozen until ready to use; thaw before frosting.
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
¼ cup whipping cream or heavy cream
10 ounces chopped dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate
2 cups unsalted butter, slightly chilled
6 cups powdered sugar, measured then sifted
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Heat the cream and pour over the chopped chocolate to melt. Stir until the mixture is smooth and silky. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and light in color, about 2 minutes.
Turn mixer to medium-low and gradually add melted chocolate ganache. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl’s sides. Beat again for about 1 minute.
Gradually add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, followed by the salt and vanilla. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for 5 minutes. The buttercream is ready to cover your cake.
Buttercream can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week. When ready to use, bring to room temperature and mix by hand with a wooden spoon to push out all the air pockets.
Kitchenware available at THE KITCHEN SHOP, Livingston, MT
D&V Jupiter Cake Stand in Cornflower | Large Oval Bowl by The Mud Shack Pottery | Creative Horn Pie Server | 6.5-inch Round Insect/Bird Dessert Plate by Creative Stoneware | MüKitchen Gray Aster VIBE Dish Towel
Photoshoot sponsored by 2ND STREET BISTRO, Livingston, MT
For this issue, Chef Bob Perdan, co-owner of 2nd Street Bistro with his wife, Jessy, and General Manager Elise Boehler sponsored our winter photo shoot in their cozy restaurant in the heart of Livingston.
