Chocolate Fudge Cake and Happy Birthday Dad!
Birthdays were pretty special events when I was growing up. They were usually simple family celebrations and a cake and candles were always at the center. Occasionally we were allowed to invite a few of our neighborhood friends, however, elaborate field trips to amusement parks, bowling alleys, or restaurants with a full roster of classmates in tow would have been unthinkable. Nevertheless, I have happy memories of being “Queen for the Day”, and the elevated status among a sea of siblings that came with it.
Days or even weeks ahead I would begin contemplating my cake request for my special day. Although I have little memory of my preference during my earlier years, I know that eventually my favorite became as predictable as the sun coming up every morning – chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and M&Ms for decoration. Oh, the joy those cakes brought with them. And although as a child the excitement may have been more about the tissue wrapped presents that followed the singing of Happy Birthday, the lasting gift is the memory I have of those special cakes made just for me.
My dad was more of the cake baker in our family. The cakes he made were a product of the “cake mix” era. Not that I have any problem at all with cake mixes – I even use them myself from time to time – I just generally bake my cakes from scratch. However, although my Dad did use a mix, he never used it straight from the box. He doctored it up with a pudding mix, nuts or a variety of other embellishments. Maybe that was the reason my birthday cakes always tasted so special. Or, maybe it was the added ingredient of love that went into their making.
Somewhere over the years I found this recipe for a delicious, chocolate, fudge frosted cake. I don’t recall exactly when or why I made it the first time. What I do remember is the rave reviews it received. Since then I have made it more times than I could ever count. It has been served at birthday celebrations, family dinners or whenever I had a hankering for chocolate. There are splatters all over the page in the cookbook where it originated – just as there should be! This recipe is so highly regarded by my family that when we had an antique mantle installed in our living room, it was one of the things we chose for the time capsule we placed in the wall before it was sealed up.
Today would have been my Dad’s 84th birthday. Sadly he passed away several years ago. Today I celebrate his life and the life he gave to me. His memory shines brightly whenever I bake a cake and whenever I reminisce about the birthdays when I was “Queen for a Day”!
Chocolate Fudge Cake
Cake:
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup boiling water
Chocolate Fudge Frosting:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
9 tablespoons half and half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar sifted *
For the cake: Grease and flour two 9-inch layer cake pans and line with parchment paper rounds. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until melted, stirring in between intervals – approximately 1 1/2 – 2 minutes; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in vanilla and melted chocolate, beating until smooth. Add the buttermilk, flour, soda, and salt; mix until incorporated. Add boiling water and beat smooth. (Batter will be thin.) Divide batter evenly between the two cake pans. Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the layers comes out clean. Do not over bake or the cake will be dry. Remove to cooling racks and cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cakes and invert onto the cooling racks. Cool completely. At this stage the layers can be wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to a month.
For the frosting: In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, place the chocolate, half and half, vanilla extract, butter, and salt. Stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the powdered sugar at a time until the frosting is smooth. Frost cake immediately , as it hardens quickly. If frosting becomes too stiff, add hot water a teaspoon at a time.
Place one cake layer bottom side down on a serving platter lined with 4 strips of waxed paper extending from underneath the cake on all sides to protect the platter while frosting. Spread approximately a quarter of the frosting over the layer. Top with second layer, bottom side up. Frost the top and then the sides. Carefully remove the waxed paper strips.
Cake will improve in flavor if allowed to stand at room temperature overnight. Serves 12
* This measurement is approximate. Add the final cup of powdered sugar in 1/4 cup increments until the proper spreading consistency has been reached.
Source: Adapted from Marlene Sorosky’s Year-Round Holiday Cookbook
Great recipe !!! Jim, Justin and the neighbors loved it. I would love to try a butter cream icing the next time, any suggestions?
Glad everyone enjoyed it! So impressed with your baking skills.:) I’ll be posting a chocolate buttercream sometime soon.
I love that you shared this memory about your dad.
Thanks Debbie. I miss him terribly. We just never stop missing our dads, do we?
Made this cake yesterday 🙂 Followed your recipe to a T and it turned out wonderfully! Veery chocolately, I do like the previous suggestion of maybe a buttercream frosting to take the edge off the chocolate, but if you’re in the mood for a chocolate cake this is a great recipe! All around it was wonderful. 3/4 of the cake was devoured in 5 seconds by my mom, steve, teresa, jordan and lauren. They all say thanks for a great recipe!
So glad you gave the recipe a try. You are a natural baker. Keep up the good work. Next time, maybe you want to invite ME over for a piece. 🙂
ps. You’ve made this cake for me in the past and yours was much better than mine, I think I might’ve left it in for a few minutes too long because it didn’t have that same moistness that yours did, o well! There are worse things than having to bake another cake 🙂
Aha! When you give it another try, I’ll be there.
hi this looks like an awsome recipe! can u substitute the chocolate for cocoa and does the recipe require 3 ounces of chocolate?
Mel, cocoa would not work as a substitute in this cake. Since baking is based on chemistry, it would completely change the outcome of the cake. And yes, the cake requires 3 ounces of unsweetened chocolate.
I going to attempt this cake for Christmas. My only question is
if I don’t have Half & half is there something I can use as the substitute?
Marlene, I apologize for not responding until now. In answering your question, I think cream might make a suitable substitute. I’m not sure if it would be successful with milk. As I have never tested this recipe with anything other than half and half, I’m not sure I can make a recommendation. Please let me know if you made the cake and if so, how it turned out.
Mary,
No worries! I managed to get out and grab some half &
half cream as I wasn’t sure if using table cream or regular milk
would work. I did make this cake for Christmas Day and although I myself didn’t have a piece of it I was told it was delicious and I’ve been requested to make it again already….it was fairly away to make and your suggestion to put parchment paper
around the cake when spreading the icing was spot on…had I not
done that it would’ve been a mess to try and make presentable!!! Well done and I’ll for sure be making this again!!
So glad it worked out for you and that it was well received. It is one of my most treasured recipes – a cake that has been a part of our family celebrations for years.