Chocolate Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Happy Birthday, Doug!

(He asked for chocolate cake with buttercream frosting, and decided that Lemon Buttercream frosting might be tasty...  It was!)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Bundt Cake:

• 1 and 3/4 cups (220g) all-purpose flour 
• 1 and 3/4 cup (350g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (65g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (240g) buttermilk (or ~1/3 cup greek yogurt + ~2/3 cup milk to make 240 grams)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  (I placed my eggs in warmish water to bring the to room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240ml) freshly brewed strong HOT coffee

(Lemon) Buttercream Frosting:

• 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature (about 70 degrees)
• pinch of salt
• 1.5 tablespoons meringue powder (optional, for "holding power")
• If making vanilla frosting - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• If making lemon frosting - 5 or so drops lemon oil
• 3.5 to 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
  

Instructions:

Chocolate Bundt Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 10 cup bundt pan with baking spray.
   (Baking spray already has flour in it.)
   (I will use my larger bundt pan next time, this cake overflowed a bit…)
2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl.
   Switch to stand mixer and a new bowl. On high speed, mix the milk, oil, room temperature eggs, and vanilla in stand mixer bowl until well combined. 
3. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low speed, a cup or so at a time. Scrape down the sides.
4. Mix in the HOT coffee. (microwave to reheat it if needed.)
5. The batter will be VERY thin - this is expected.
6. Pour the batter into prepared bundt pan, place on a heavy duty cooking sheet, and place in oven.
   (The cooking sheet is in case it overflows, which I thought mine might, and it did…)
7. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
   (It took about 40 minutes for me.)
8. Remove pan from oven, let cool on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes.
9. After cooling for 10 minutes, tap pan firmly against counter 2 or 3 times to help it separate.
10. Place a piece of parchment paper over top of cake, and place a cake stand or plate upside on top of that.
11. Invert the cake in the pan onto the plate. Tap on counter, and remove bundt pan.
12. Let cool for at least one hour.
    
    (You may need to fill in the lovely bundt pan grooves if cake recipient does not want to lose out on frosting.)
     

Buttercream Frosting:

1. Beat the butter until fluffy
2. Beat in the salt and meringue powder.
3. Add in about 2 cups of sifted confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons of the milk and either the vanilla or the lemon oil.
   (Start slow with the lemon oil, and adjust as needed for flavor.)
4. Beat until smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
5. Add in another cup of sifted confectioners' sugar.Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
6. Adjust the consistency of the frosting as needed by adding more confectioners' sugar or milk.
7. To make frosting easier, place mostly cooled cake in refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes or more before frosting.
8. Make up frosting, and spread over cake.  
9. Make swirls in frosting with a butter knife to make it fancier...

Carole's Notes:

We liked this! The light lemon flavor contrast with the sweet frosting, and was nice with chocolate.



The cake was adapted to bundt form from  http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/04/08/triple-chocolate-layer-cake/

The frosting was lightly adapted from http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/quick-buttercream-frosting-recipe