Chocolate Cake (well, sort of)

I've made chocolate cake before with vanilla frosting, but never with chocolate frosting. Recently, it was my brother's birthday and I decided to make him a nice, simple chocolate cake and then dress it up on the top. Well, on my long and hard search for a recipe (haha...not really...I just clicked on the first website in the search), which was basically Googling "Best Chocolate Cake Recipe," I came upon this: Beatty's Chocolate Cake Recipe from the Food Network. Since this recipe had thousands of good reviews, I thought I'd give it a try. I have 2 things to say. First, this cake has an AMAZING texture...just how a cake should be...soft, moist, and tight-crumbed....the kind you get when you use a mix, but of course this is all made from scratch. I think the fact that it uses oil instead of butter as well as buttermilk has a lot to do with it.

The interesting thing about this recipe is that it uses coffee as part of the flavoring in the cake and the frosting, which brings me to the second point. In the cake, you can't really taste the coffee and it's used to actually bring out the chocolate flavor more. However, for the frosting, it turned out to be more of a strong coffee-flavored buttercream than a chocolate one. Now me being a coffee lover, that's not a problem at all. But for people who aren't, this may pose a problem. So then, I would just recommend omitting the coffee. What confuses me then, is why label this recipe a "Chocolate Cake" recipe? The title is certainly deceiving. But, other than that, I have no other criticism, so enjoy making it because it will definitely be my go-to chocolate cake recipe from now on.

Oh...can't forget my own touch that I added to the cake...when decorating, make it more delicious by adding white and/or milk chocolate curls! I also added decorating pearls and gold flakes to make it look fancy. To learn how to make chocolate curls/shavings, watch this video How to make chocolate curls OR this video Making chocolate shavings. I use the method from the second video, but I tend to angle my metal spatula in a way that will allow me to get more curls than shavings. White Chocolate is much harder to deal with because of its texture, and you're probably going to end up getting shavings more than curls like I did.

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing the pans
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
• Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch roundcake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubberspatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

• 6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Chocolate Espresso Swirl Cheesecake

For coffee and chocolate lovers - here's a rich and creamy cheesecake with a hint of espresso and chocolate swirled into the filling, and a crispy Oreo crust.

I decided to make this cheesecake because I was really sick of making my original "Cappuccino" flavored one over and over again for my brother who loves it to death. I finally put my foot down and discovered this recipe in my new cheesecake book 125 Best Cheesecake Recipes. It's the original with a chocolate twist (makes it kind of new in my opinion). Everyone loved it, and since I think they were so sick of the original, decided this was their new favorite! To make it extra yummy, I went ahead and drizzled some chocolate syrup and topped it with whipped cream. (To make it even more rich and delicious, I suggest you make chocolate ganache instead of using chocolate syrup. I however didn't have the time or energy to make it this time. And to make it more flavorful, you can also sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon.)

Ingredients:
Crust -

• 30 Oreo cookies
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling -

• 4 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp instant coffee powder
• 1 tbsp hot water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 oz bittersweet/semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use a 9-inch cheesecake/springform pan with 3-inch sides. For the crust, in a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs (use a food processor to crush the Oreo cookies into fine crumbs) and butter. Press into the bottom of the cheesecake pan and freeze.

2. For the filling, in a large mixing bowl using a mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes. Add sour cream. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. 

3. In a small bowl, dissolve coffee powder in hot water. While the mixer is running, pour coffee in a steady stream into the batter. Add the vanilla, then stir 1 cup of the batter into the melted chocolate (make sure it's cooled!) and set aside.Pour remaining batter over frozen crust.

4. Using a spoon, drop puddles of the melted chocolate mixture on top of the batter. Using a small knife, drag through the puddles in spiral motions to create a marbled effect. 

5. Bake the cheesecake in a preheated oven for about 45-55 minutes, or until the top is light brown and the center has a slight jiggle to it. Cool on a rack for about 2 hours. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before decorating or serving.

Note: Personally, I have found that baking a cheesecake in a water bath makes for a better cheesecake. Before placing the cheesecake to bake in the oven, boil a pot of water. Place the cheesecake in a pan and fill the boiling water about 1/2-1 inch high, then put the cheesecake to bake in the oven. When the cheesecake is done, pull open the oven door and let the cheesecake sit in its water bath for at least 30-60 minutes. Then take out the cheesecake to cool completely before refrigerating.

Cappuccino Cheesecake

I love coffee...and I love cheesecake. So one day I decided that I needed to combine the two and create a delectable cheesecake. My family LOVES this cheesecake - whenever I ask them what kind of cheesecake I should make, it's the first flavor that pops into their mind. I adapted the basic cheesecake recipe from Dorie Greenspan's book Baking: from my home to yours. You can use the graham crust or even a chocolate crust using chocolate grahams or Oreo sandwich cookies. (See my Oreo Cheesecake recipe for how to make the Oreo crust.) This recipe produces a creamy and rich cheesecake that will leave people asking for seconds and thirds. I like to serve it with a drizzle of caramel syrup/sauce, a dollop of whipped cream, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. You can even serve it with chocolate sauce, especially if you've made it with a chocolate crust. It's totally up to you!

Ingredients:

Crust-

• 1 ¾ cups of graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tbsp sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  

Cheesecake-

• 4 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4-5 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups sour cream or heavy, or a combination of both3 tbsp flour (optional)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
• About 2 tbsp instant coffee (you can add more according to taste)
  
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
  

1. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. To make the crust, stir graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour melted butter into the dry ingredients and mix until all of the crumbs are moist. (Do the same if using Oreo cookies or vanilla wafers.)

2. Turn the ingredients into springform pan and pat an even layer of crumbs over the bottom and about halfway up the sides.

3. Put the pan in the freezer while preheating the oven at 350 degrees F. After preheating the oven, place the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a cooling rack while making the cheesecake.

4. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. To make the cheesecake, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until soft and creamy, about 4 minutes.

5. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat for another 4 minutes or so, until the mixture is light. Beat in the vanilla.

6. Dissolve coffee granules and cinnamon in warm water. Cool; gradually add to cream cheese mixture, mixing until well blended

7. Add the egg one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition.

8. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.

9. Turn off mixer, and stir in chocolate chips if using.

10. Put the foil-wrapped springform pan in a roasting pan that is large enough to hold the springform pan with some space around it.

11. Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure there is nothing left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan.

12. Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into it so the water comes halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

13. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, at which point the top should be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven and prop the door open. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its water bath for another 1 hour.

14. After 1 hour, carefully pull the whole setup out of the oven, lift the springform pan out of the roaster pan – be careful, there may be some hot water in the aluminum foil- and remove the foil.

15. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature. When it is cool, refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is better) before serving.

Note: The bottom two pictures are the same slice drizzled with caramel syrup and topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of powdered cinnamon. It is delicious!

For a Chocolate Graham Crust, substitute the graham cracker crumbs with chocolate graham crumbs. Or, for an Oreo Crust, use 30 crushed Oreo Cookies and 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) of butter: