Donna Hay’s chocolate buttermilk layer cake

The food team at The Pretty Blog have recently started talking about sharing our ultimate classic recipes, starting with 3 of the best chocolate cakes. That means not only me, but also Nicola (the editor) and Tasha (the photographer) have baked their favourite chocolate cakes! All 3 cakes were DELICIOUS, really moist, and really luxurious. Check out Nicola and Tasha’s recipes here.

Donna Hay’s chocolate buttermilk layer cake:

The reason that I love this cake so much, is that it is really moist and dense – the recipe does not include any baking powder, but rather buttermilk and a small amount of baking soda. It delivers big time on the wow factor as well! I double the recipe for maximum height and effect, and it’s always a hit. The chocolate cream cheese icing is also ultra smooth and almost tastes like a rich chocolate mousse.

Ingredients: (makes one medium sized cake with 2 layers, but I double the recipe to make one large cake with 4 layers, baking it in 2 batches)

1 cup (250 ml) water

125 g butter, cubed

1/3 cup (35 g) cocoa powder, sifted

2 cups (300 g) flour, sifted

1 t (5 ml) baking soda, sifted (bicarbonate of soda)

2 cups (440 g) caster sugar

2 eggs

½ cup (125 ml) buttermilk

1 t (5 ml) vanilla essence/extract

For the frosting: (Donna uses 500 g cream cheese, but I found that 250 g is sufficient)

100 g butter, softened

250 g cream cheese at room temperature

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

½ cup (50 g) cocoa powder, sifted

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 C.
2. Place water, butter and cocoa in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until butter has melted. Remove from heat.
3. Place flour, baking soda and sugar in a bowl, add the cocoa mixture and whisk to combine.
4. Add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla and whisk to combine. Divide mixture between 2 greased and lined 20 cm round cake tins, then bake for 40-45 min or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
5. Allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out on wire racks to cool completely.
6. For the frosting: place the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 6-8 minutes until pale and creamy. Add the icing sugar and cocoa and beat for a further 6-8 minutes until light and fluffy.
7. To assemble, slice off the round tops of each cake layer to produce 2 smooth, flat layers (I use a long blade sharp knife). Place one layer on a plate, spread with frosting, then put remaining half on top and cover with frosting.

Credits:

This post was especially written for The Pretty Blog by Ilse van der Merwe from The Food Fox.

Food: Ilse van der Merwe from The Food Fox.

Pictures: Tasha Seccombe.

Styling: Nicola Pretorius, Tasha Seccombe & Ilse van der Merwe.