Katiebird Bakes- Single Layer Chocolate Cake
Now I am not a chocolate fan at all. There are very few desserts that I will eat. I have never loved brownies, rich chocolate cake or even chocolate ice cream (despite ice cream being my favorite food group!). But when I stumbled upon a recipe for a chocolate cake about five years ago, I knew I had a winner. All that you’ll need is a whisk and a mixing bowl. This recipe has the perfect balance of richness and is well rounded without being overpowering. I recently made it for Valentine’s Day and a few dinner parties. The recipe comes from Katiebird Bakes (a fellow Midwesterner from Chicago). And it is SO EASY! Click here for her single layer chocolate cake with chocolate ganache recipe. Below I have re-written her recipe in my own words and included my own photos. I have also been serving this cake alongside Jeni’s Coffee With Cream & Sugar. This combination will really leave your guests speechless!
Don’t have a local Jeni’s scoop shop? Not to worry! They ship nationwide and can be found in many grocery stores.
Chocolate cake:
Recipe yields 8-12 slices of cake
1 ½ cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
¼ cup Hershey’s 100% cacao unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon Medaglia D’oro instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brewed coffee. I use a dark roast pod from my Nespresso machine which makes exactly 1 cup.
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, such as California Olive Ranch
1 teaspoon Neilson-Massey pure vanilla bean paste
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a 9-inch round piece of parchment to line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan. Generously grease the pan with butter, place in liner, and grease top of parchment. Take a tablespoon of flour and dust the entire pan, shaking out any extra flour.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
Next, add in all wet ingredients, whisking until just combined and batter is smooth.
Pour batter into pan and give three light taps on your work surface to release any air bubbles.
Bake for 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. For this cake I like to pull it out of the oven when just a little (and I mean just a little) batter is still on the toothpick.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack and remove the parchment. Let the cake cool completely before flipping upright onto your cake plate for serving.
Chocolate ganache:
½ cup heavy whipping cream
½ teaspoon Medaglia D’oro instant espresso powder
¾ cups Nestle Toll House semi sweet chocolate chips
In a glass Pyrex measuring cup, heat the cream in the microwave in intervals of 30 seconds. For me, this takes 1-1.5 minutes total until bubbling.
For a more decadent ganache, add the instant espresso powder and stir until combined with a spoon. (This is an addition I have made from the original recipe.)
Add in the chocolate chips, let sit for 30 seconds, then stir constantly until completely melted and the ganache is velvety smooth.
Let cool and thicken before pouring and spreading over the cake. I let my ganache cool to prevent it from running off of the cake and like it to set on the cake for a few hours before serving.
To cut, run a sharp kitchen knife under hot water, dry, and start at one end cutting the cake in half. Then in half again, creating four quarters. I then cut each quarter into two pieces to make 12 slices total. (Heat your knife as needed for clean cuts.)
Any leftover cake keeps in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
