Chocolate Almond Cake

I christened my new kitchen by baking a cake for my friend Bill who was a huge help to me throughout the remodeling project.

It was important to me that the first cake out of the oven go to him since I seriously don't know what I would have done without his help. You know you have a true-blue friend when they are willing to spend days helping to remove lath plaster walls in the summer heat.

So first cake out of the new kitchen is this Chocolate Almond Cake that is very similar to my most requested Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Filling and Chocolate Buttercream except that instead of using peanut butter I used almond butter.

I made one batch of "The Greatest and Easiest Chocolate Cake" and divided it among three 8-inch cake pans. After the cakes baked and cooled, I cut each cake into two layers so that I had a total of six cake layers.

I used three layers for the Chocolate Almond Cake and I wrapped and froze the remaining three layers for a future cake.

"Flowers" made out of slivered almonds and mini chocolate chips add a nice decorative touch and give a hint as to what's in the filling.

The flowers are pretty and so easy to make. Just stick five slivered almonds in a round to form petals and add a mini chocolate chip center.

Here is the recipe:

Chocolate Almond Cake

"The Greatest and Easiest" Chocolate Cake:
3 1/3 cups flour
1 1/3 cups cocoa powder
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
12 ounces butter
3 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans.

Place all ingredients in electric mixer bowl and beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl once during mixing. Pour into prepared pans. Bake cakes for 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

When the cakes are cool, slice each cake into two layers. Three of the layers are needed to assemble the cake so you can wrap and freeze the three remaining layers for later.

Almond Butter Filling:

3/4 cup almond butter

1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk

In a mixing bowl, whip almond butter and butter together. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Finally add milk and beat just until the filling comes together and is spreadable. Don't over beat.

The almond butter filling comes together quickly and it's important not to over beat it or it will dry out.

Chocolate Buttercream:

3 large egg whites
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of fine sea salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder, dissolved in 1 teaspoon hot water, cooled
1/2 cup dark chocolate pieces, melted and cooled

Place the whites in a clean mixing bowl. Whisk in sugar and cream of tartar.

Place bowl over a double boiler on medium heat, stir frequently until the mixture is very hot (120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit).

Move to mixer and whip whites on high for 2 to 3 minutes; turn down to medium low until cool (use the bowl as your guide).

In a separate bowl with a wooden spoon, stir butter to soften.

With mixer on medium/high speed, add the butter one tablespoon at a time, adding the next tablespoon just as the previous one is blended in. Once all the butter incorporated, add in vanilla, salt, coffee and chocolate and whip on high speed until fluffy.

Garnish:
"Flowers" made out of Almond Slivers and Mini Chocolate Chips

The garnish ingredients.

To Assemble:

Once cakes have cooled, set one layer on a serving platter and top with 1/2 the almond butter filling. 

Add the second layer and top with the remaining filling. Finally, add the third layer and chill the cake until the filling is set.

Frost with the chocolate buttercream and garnish with the almond slivers and mini chocolate chips.

I like to fill and stack the cake layers and chill them for about 30 minutes before frosting. When I frost a cake I  usually start by adding a big pile of frosting on top.

Jack's Cake

I baked the cake for Jack's 90th birthday celebration yesterday and today I decorated it. Jack served in WWII as a navigator on a B-29 so his wife Mary asked me to decorate a cake with his plane "Goin' Jessie."

I knew I wanted to decorate the cake completely with vanilla buttercream since nothing beats it for taste. Using another medium like fondant, sugar paste or modeling chocolate would have been easier but in my opinion not so tasty and a 90th birthday celebration deserves a great tasting cake.

Mary loaned me a book with a photo of "Goin' Jessie," and I found lots of helpful information on the Internet as well.

When it came time to draw the plane design for the cake, I admit I cheated a bit by recruiting the help of my husband Joe who is great at drawing. So with my husband's help, this is how I decorated Jack's cake.

I researched Jack's plane. In the photo, he's in the top row, second from right.

My artistic husband helped me by drawing this plane made to fit on my 12 x 18 - inch sheet cake.

I baked three recipes of "The Greatest and Easiest Chocolate Cake" and spread dark chocolate ganache between the layers.

I iced the cake with two batches of vanilla buttercream and made an additional batch for decoration. My sweet niece Maya was a wonderful support. Look how big that cake is!

I got all my icing colors mixed and ready to go. My kind sister loaned me her kitchen for the big baking project since mine is still undergoing a remodel.

I cut out the B-29 my husband drew.

I set the cutout on top of the cake and used a skewer to draw around it.

Here's what the outline looked like.

Then, I just followed the lines.

And, I filled in the lines. I piped icing on the inside and used an offset spatula to spread it to the edges.

Then, I started adding details.

And, more details.

Finally, I added "Happy Birthday Jack" and used my favorite trick of using a skewer to draw the letters onto the cake before adding the icing. If you make a mistake, just smooth out the icing and start again until you get it right. I hope Jack likes it.

Raspberry Filling

I'm making a birthday cake for a chocolate raspberry fan this weekend.

My plan is to make a few layers of the "Greatest and Easiest Chocolate Cake" and fill them with this homemade raspberry filling.

I much prefer making my own cake fillings as opposed to buying them or using jam because then I can control the sweetness and they taste fresh and so much better.

After I fill the cake, I'm going to coat it with Swiss meringue chocolate buttercream and I'll definitely share the results.


Raspberry Filling
1 12 ounce bag frozen raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Heat the frozen raspberries and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Keep a watch over them and periodically give them a stir.

In a small bowl whisk together the cream and cornstarch. When the raspberry mixture is simmering, add the cream mixture and whisk constantly over medium heat for two to three minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let cool completely before using.

Big Birthday Cake

We celebrated two volunteer birthdays at the Wednesday Community Meal today — Happy Birthday Jay and Suzanne!

When it comes to making one cake for a large group this buttermilk chocolate cake with Swiss meringue buttercream is the perfect choice.

Just look at that big stack of plates and forks!

The cake recipe is one I've featured before. It's the "Greatest and Easiest Chocolate Cake" recipe featured on the box of Trader Joe's cocoa powder and it is indeed great and easy.

The Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe is from Julie Richardson of Baker & Spice Bakery here in Portland (6330 Southwest Capitol Highway). This buttercream is lightly sweet and spreads like a dream.

"Greatest and Easiest Chocolate Cake"

3 1/3 cups flour

1 1/3 cups cocoa powder

3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoons salt

12 ounces butter 

3 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla 

5 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. (Note: For my cake, I used 2 round 8-inch pans that were 4 inches deep.)

Place all ingredients in electric mixer bowl and beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl once during mixing. Pour into prepared pans. Bake cakes for about 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
6 large egg whites
1 1/4  cups granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon of fine sea salt
1 tablespoon espresso powder, dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water.

Place the whites in a clean mixing bowl. Whisk in sugar and cream of tartar.

Place bowl over a double boiler on medium heat, stir frequently until the mixture is very hot (120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit).

Move to mixer and whip whites on high for 2 to 3 minutes; turn down to medium low until cool (use the bowl as your guide).

In a separate bowl with a wooden spoon, stir butter to soften.

With mixer on medium/high speed, add the butter one tablespoon at a time, adding the next tablespoon just as the previous one is blended in. Once all the butter incorporated, add in vanilla, salt and coffee and whip on high speed until fluffy.

"The Greatest and Easiest" Chocolate Cake

Two chocolate cakes moist enough to be eaten as is or as I prefer — stacked with a peanut butter filling and chocolate buttercream.

 Sometimes the best recipes aren't in cookbook — They're on a package.

Nestle Toll House Cookies, Rice Krispie Treats, Kellogg's Bran Muffins — you know what I mean.

And now add another bona fide hit to those — "The Greatest and Easiest Chocolate Cake" from the package of Trader Joe's cocoa powder.

When I saw the title, I was immediately intrigued. Well, I've made it many times and it's no lie. It's a fabulous chocolate cake and it is indeed easy.


You put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides once during mixing. Pour into your prepared pans or cupcake cups and that's all there is to it.

But, there is one very very important thing you should know and it's not included with the recipe.  This "dump and blitz" method is only easy if you have a 7 quart bowl (mine is 5 quarts) for your stand mixer or use a big deep bowl and a hand mixer.

Too small of a bowl = big mess!

This cake is so moist, there's no need for icing but if you must, here's the way I like to do it.

I like two layers of peanut butter filling before a final coat of chocolate buttercream. 

"The Greatest and Easiest" Chocolate Cake 

with Peanut Butter Filling 

and Chocolate Buttercream  

Cake:

3 1/3 cups flour

1 1/3 cups cocoa powder

3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoons salt

12 ounces butter 

3 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla 

5 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans that are at least 3-inches deep. (Note: For my cake, I used 2 round 8-inch pans that were 4 inches deep.)

Place all ingredients in electric mixer bowl and beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl once during mixing. Pour into prepared pans. Bake cakes for about 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Peanut Butter Filling:

1 1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/3 cup milk

In a mixing bowl, whip peanut butter and butter together. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Finally add milk and beat just until the filling comes together and is spreadable. Don't over beat.

Chocolate Buttercream:

3 large egg whites
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of fine sea salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder, dissolved in 1 teaspoon hot water, cooled

1/2 cup dark chocolate pieces, melted and cooled

Place the whites in a clean mixing bowl. Whisk in sugar and cream of tartar.

Place bowl over a double boiler on medium heat, stir frequently until the mixture is very hot (120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit).

Move to mixer and whip whites on high for 2 to 3 minutes; turn down to medium low until cool (use the bowl as your guide).

In a separate bowl with a wooden spoon, stir butter to soften.

With mixer on medium/high speed, add the butter one tablespoon at a time, adding the next tablespoon just as the previous one is blended in. Once all the butter incorporated, add in vanilla, salt, coffee and chocolate whip on high speed until fluffy.

Garnish: 

1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, crushed

3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped fine

Chopping the chocolate for garnish

To Assemble:

Once cakes have cooled, set one layer on a serving platter and top with 1/2 the peanut butter filling. 

Add the second layer and top with the remaining filling. Chill the cake until the filling is set.

Frost with the chocolate buttercream and garnish with the peanuts and dark chocolate.

Frosting the cake.

Ready to eat!