Devil's Food Cake with Chocolate Ganache Frosting

It should come to be expected that every June you will see a cake recipe posted here. It's obligatory, really, the June birthday cake.

I and several of my friends celebrate birthdays in June or around this time, so we use this as an excuse to get together to eat and chat, catch up, and, undoubtedly, laugh. And so we do, until, of course, someone finally, and usually impatiently, asks, "so when are going to cut the cake?".

No birthday is complete without a surprise, right? There aren't any trick candles here (aren't those things annoying?) the surprise is that this cake is baked with pureed beets, which is a traditional way of making devil's food that dates back to wartime rationing.

Beets in cake?

Dessert justified?

Happy birthday to me!

Devil's Food Cake

from Mother's Best: Comfort Food That Takes You Home Again, by Lisa Schroeder

I can't stress enough that you should freeze the cake layers after you've baked and cooled them, and the reason is two-fold. One, it breaks up the baking and assembling process, which, done all at once, can be quite daunting and Two, it's so much easier to assemble and frost frozen layers. 

To freeze your cake layers, let them cool completely after baking. Then wrap each layer thoroughly in plastic wrap and place on a flat surface in the freezer. I stack mine on small cookie sheets placed on top of my stackable cooling racks.

For the cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2-1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature, divided

1 (15 ounce) can beets (not pickled!) with the juice, pureed until very smooth

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using butter, oil, or nonstick cooking spray, thoroughly grease the bottom and sides of two 9-inch cake pans and line their bottoms with parchment paper circles.

2) Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3) Place a medium saucepan about one third full of water over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low to keep the water warm but barely simmering. Place the chopped chocolate in a double boiler or bowl that fits over the saucepan. Set the bowl over the barely simmering water and heat, stirring now and then, until the chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool to lukewarm.

4) Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat on high speed, stopping to scrape down the sides now and then. Beat until light and fluffy and pale in color, about 5 minutes.

5) Reduce the speed to medium-high and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully incorporated after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and pour in the melted and cooled chocolate. Increase the speed to medium and beat for another minute, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

6) With the mixer on low speed, add one-third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add 1/4 cup buttermilk. Repeat the process, ending with the last third of dry ingredients. When incorporated, add the pureed beets with their juice and mix on low speed until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

7) Evenly divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cakes on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes, then remove cakes from pans and cool completely on wire rack before frosting or freezing (see note above).

For the frosting:

1 cup heavy cream

16 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1) Place the cream in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

2) Remove the cream from the heat and whisk in the chocolate. Keep whisking until the chocolate is melted.

3) Let the mixture cool on the counter, stirring occasionally, until spreadable, about 2 hours (the time it should take to make, bake, and cool the cake layers, if you choose not to freeze the layers).

Assemble the cake:

1) Place one cake (bottom side up) in the center of a serving plate. Tuck a few strips of parchment or wax paper under the edges of the cake to keep the plate clean. Place one-quarter of the frosting in the center of the cake and spread to cover the surface. Place the second layer on top of the first and frost the top and sides of the cake. Remove the strips of parchment paper when finished.

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes

I was reading a food blog recently that mentioned that one of the rules of blogging, food blogging in particular, is to never begin your post with an apology.

What?!

I must've mis-read my rulebook, because I was sure it said to begin every post with an apology. So, now that I know the rules, I am just going to skip the whole where-I've-been song and dance that I usually do to start these things off.

I will, however, mention that there's an almost 8 month old baby asleep upstairs as I type, who's finally got the hang of this going to sleep thing we've been working on for a bit. The moment he hits the crib, he grabs his pacifier, shoos me away, twists into a half rollover and promptly falls asleep. Leaving me with evenings, glorious evenings, full of time to just dance around and relish the fact that I have nothing to do. Except the dishes. And the sweeping. Or the laundry. Or all the sleeping I need to catch up on.

But! I've chosen to ignore all of those things and instead, I am finally writing to tell you about the cupcakes I made for, hmmm, was it Henry's 3 month-a-versary?

Oh yeah. Remember that little game I wanted to play where every month I made homemade cupcakes for Henry? You were so polite to not laugh directly in my face. My readers are so nice to me. What you're looking at are the last cupcakes I made (let me see...8 minus 3 is-- we don't really need to figure out how long I've been sitting on this post, now do we?) .

I have, however, continued the little cupcake tradition, I just now buy really elaborate and delicious ones from the gourmet cupcake store around the corner to plop the little one next to for photo time (which is getting harder and harder to do as the months go on and Henry has gained the ability to reach and grab and scoot. Again, you were all so nice not to laugh and mock my little idea....really, you were...)

Yes! That is a scoop of ice cream on your cupcake!

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes

From: Martha Stewart Cupcakes

Yields: 22 standard cupcakes, or 12 standard + 4 jumbo cupcakes*

Think of these less as cupcakes and more as individual fudge-y sundaes. The crackly sunken tops create the perfect place to nestle a nice scoop of ice cream. Which then calls for a drizzle of chocolate sauce. And maybe a sprinkling of nuts...?

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or 1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips)

6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1) Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Melt butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Stir to combine, then remove bowl from heat and let cool slightly. Whisk in egg yolks.

2) With an electric mixer on medium speed, which egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until peaks are stiff and glossy, but not dry (do not overbeat). Which one quarter of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten; gently fold mixture into remaining whites.

3) Divide batter evenly between cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until cupcakes are just set in centers, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes (their centers will sink).

4) Top with scoops of ice cream, taunt young baby with cupcake, then promptly eat. Enjoy!

*A word on Martha Stewart's cupcake book, or any cupcake book in general. I highly recommend that you look at how many cupcakes the recipe calls for BEFORE starting to make them, so that you don't end up owning one cupcake tin, but realizing as you're about to pour the batter that you've just whipped up a recipe that yields 42. (who does that? They should be ashamed, and definitely never admit to doing it, especially on their blog...)

Applesauce Spice Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Because I'm so excited to start cooking for my new smiley little guy, I've decided that I'm going to celebrate his monthly milestones by baking cupcakes. Then, when he hits the one-year mark, I'll really go to town making what I hope will be a show-stopper of a birthday cake.

The only downside is that Henry isn't able to enjoy his cupcakes and mommy and daddy "have" to eat them all. It's tough, but you'll do anything for your children, right? I can't say any of this parenting is helping my waistline, though. But after 10 months of throwing away gourmet brownies, I'm really enjoying biting into a cupcake and really truly enjoying it.

Applesauce Spice Cupcakes

from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Makes 18 standard cupcakes.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1-1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard sized muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

2) With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars together until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each if fully incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add applesauce and then flour mixture, beating until just combined after each. Stir in pecans by hand.

3) Divide batter evenly among cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Approximately 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup packed light brown sugar

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat ingredients together until smooth. Ice cooled cupcakes immediately or store in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Before using after refrigeration, bring frosting back to room temperature and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze

As promised (can you believe I followed through?!), here is what has been soaking up all of my salted caramel sauce.

I took a gamble making this. My pregnancy hasn't produced any odd cravings or caused me to wake my husband up in the middle of the night to go hunting down pickles and ice cream. Quite the contrary, actually. I've had an enormous appetite for EVERYTHING. Everything except chocolate and cake.

What?!?!

No, it's true. Chocolate and cake, together or separate, just haven't held the same appeal to me. Once, at work, someone brought in very expensive gourmet brownies. I listened all morning as people raved about them. I had memories of chocolate brownies making me happy at one point in my life, so I figured maybe these brownies will be the key through the portal back to sanity. I snuck into the lunch room, grabbed one, took a bite, and promptly spit it into the trash. Luckily, no one was around to witness this waste, and I joined in with the chorus praising the brownies (hey - I wanted to fit in, OK).

So when the time came that I needed a way to properly thank my friends who have been the ones to put together ALL of our baby furniture, throw me a baby shower, fix things around the apartment, and basically make life wonderful for me and my husband, I thought of this cake. It wasn't for me, it was for them. So I once again let chocolate back into the apartment.

The amazing thing? I love this cake. Pregnant me loves this cake! However, I think it has less to do with me liking chocolate again as opposed to me still loving peanut butter, caramel, and salt. So, you see, this cake pleases everyone. And hopefully makes a worthy thank-you to people with wicked fast furniture assembly skills.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze

Ingredients:

Non-stick cooking spray

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1-1/4 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup Salted Caramel Sauce

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray 10-inch fluted tube/bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

2) In bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

3) In large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Add sugar, beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low to medium speed 1 minute after each addition and scraping bowl frequently. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined.

4) Divide batter into two bowls. Stir melted chocolate into half the batter until well combined. Stir peanut butter into remaining half until well combined.

5) Alternately drop spoonfuls of batter into prepared pan. Use a butter knife to gently swirl the batters together (do not overmix).

6) Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes on wire rack. Remove cake from pan; cool thoroughly on wire rack. Drizzle cake with half of the salted caramel sauce and sprinkle with sea salt.

To serve: cut into individual slices and drizzle with remaining salted caramel sauce.