Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup regular unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large sized eggs
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
Prepare 2 9-inch cake pans with pan grease or a cooking spray and a coating of cocoa (shake out the excess). I like to line the bottom with a cut round of parchment paper or wax paper, just to be sure the cake
comes out of the pan nicely.
Preheat the oven to 350. Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa, set aside.
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. You want it well mixed, this will take about 2-3 minutes. Scrape the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, allow the one to be incorporated before adding the next.
With the mixer on low, alternate the dry ingredients and the flour. Start and end with the flour. Turn evenly into the pans and smooth the top with a spatula. You can use damp towel strips pinned around the sides to help keep the "hump" from forming. Bake 35-45 minutes, when you test the center it comes clean. Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes and then turn onto a rack, I like to invert the cake after removing it so it cools right side up.
After the cake cools completely, you can frost immediately or you can wrap well and freeze until it's needed. It will keep nicely for about 2 months in the freezer.
**If you prefer to use chocolate in place of the cocoa, use only 1 cup of butter and replace the 3/4 cup of cocoa with 4 ounces of quality unsweetened chocolate.
**If buttermilk isn't on hand, measure out 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and then fill the measure with milk to make the 1 1/3 cups in the recipe. Allow to sit about 15 minutes before starting the recipe to allow the milk to sour.
**My favorite way to finish the cake is with Italian Buttercream (the recipe is on my buttercream page) and if you like more of a decadent chocolate experience, use the Italian Buttercream for the fillilng and frost with the Fudge Buttercream on my buttercream page.
**To help keep the cake level as it bakes, cut strips 2-inches wide from an old towel, wet it down with cold tap water and squeeze out the excess, then wrap around the cake pan after you have added the batter and pin in place. Bake as usual and the damp cloth helps to insulate the pan so the layers bake nice and even!! I use this with all of my cake recipes. These strips can be re-used until they start to fall apart.
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A Note from Chefmom.....
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This recipe is from the book "A Piece of Cake" by Susan Purdy. For the cake lover, it's a great book to have on the shelf! You will have a problem just choosing which recipe to make in this book!!
This is just one of the several chocolate cakes I have in my box. This one is a good, quality cake, it has a dense, tender crumb and it freezes nicely and pairs with just about any buttercream I have ever used. For finishing ideas, split layers and fill with a raspberry mousse and finish with Italian BUttercream, or even pair it with a peanut butter frosting or a dense chocolate buttercream. Check out my buttercream page for my personal recipes!!
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