Beatty's Chocolate Cake {Sweet Treat Tuesday} (Train Birthday Cake)

My oldest baby turned five years old last week! I think time goes by faster the older they get. Life sure has gotten busier, but being a momma to three little ones will do that! My son has wanted a train birthday party for the past three years. This year the theme was "Chattanooga Choo Choo." The type of train party has changed each year thankfully. Last year I made him a Dinosaur Train cake, before that it was Thomas and Percy, and before that Trains, Planes, and Automobiles.

This year, I did two, two layer cakes. The top was vanilla and the bottom was chocolate. I tried out a new recipe for both, and they were both amazing. The chocolate was loved by all, especially the adults. The icing has a bit of coffee in it (don't worry, I used decaf so all the kiddos wouldn't be wild and crazy) and the cake seems to have a dark chocolate taste to it. It's really rich, so it paired well with the vanilla cake. I never managed to get a picture of the inside, so you'll have to take my word for it.

This was the first year I decided to use rolled fondant to cover the entire cake. It took a bit more time, but all in all was pretty simple. I already use fondant to do the accents on my birthday cakes, so I just made a bit more, rolled it out and placed it on top of my already iced cakes. I use a marshmallow fondant that is easy to make and doesn't taste half bad.

So, if you're in the mood for some chocolate goodness, make this cake. I promise you won't be disappointed. It was amazing!

Beatty's Chocolate Cake
slightly adapted from Food Network

Ingredients:
Cake
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk (substitute)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Chocolate Buttercream Icing
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli.)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk (can use meringue powder as substitute)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Directions:

Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 8-inch or 9-inch x 2-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. I find the best stuff for cakes is the kind with flour in it or Bake Ease **Note they need to be 2 inches deep. They will overflow if you do not use a 2-inch deep cake pan.

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 rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Once cooled, spread icing evenly on both layers. Chocolate buttercream recipe below.

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

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 1 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.