Chocolate Buttercream Cake

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This cake was a big hit at my Christmas dinnee! It was so moist and delicious! it was unbelivable! Oh my goodness! it was so gooood!

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Made this cake a day ahead and it looked nice and moist when it came out of the oven. Made the icing the following day, decorated and served, and was disappointed that the cake was dry and crumbly. I'm not sure where I went wrong. The only part I didn't follow correctly was the mixing of the wet and dry ingredients. Could that have done it? The icing was fun to make even though it was a bit labor intensive. The taste was light and delicious and worth the time it took to make. Overall the cake looked great, I just wish the consistancy would have turned out better.

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First of all, Janice....take a pill. This cake turned out fine. No mishaps - pretty darn easy. The only headache was the pan dimensions - could not find a 12x18x1.5. Used a standard 11x17x1.
The flavor of the cake was a bit on the bitter chocolate side, someone commented that it wasnt chocolately enough, someone said its a 'grown-up taste'. The frosting is not heavy, but light, fluffy, just sweet enough and I'll use again. You gotta drizzle the syrup in right away and be fast at it before it hardens in the heat proof container because you won't get it all in there.
I think it could use more Cointreau, as well.
Over all it was something I'll make again, maybe a different chocolate mixture instead of cocoa - should I have used a sweetened cocoa? I used a Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa.

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I have to say, in my experience, Ina's recipes have always been reliable and tasty, and this cake and frosting was no exception. I followed the recipe AS IT WAS WRITTEN and I had no problem with either the cake (it was chocolately and moist or the frosting (fluffy, creamy, light and nice flavor...and yes, AS THE RECIPE STATES, you need to use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. I have to say that is annoys me when people review a recipe, especially when it is reviewed negatively, but the person decided to take it upon themselves to alter the recipe, and then finds that it doesn't turn out correctly (or at all. At that point, you cannot blame the recipe. If you want to alter a recipe, go for it, Lord knows I have, but then don't write a review advising people not to try it because it won't work, because in most cases, it was the alterations to the recipe that caused it to not turn out properly. If you don't like a recipe and feel the need to change it all around, then it may be better to just find a different recipe. But this chocolate cake and frosting, baked as the recipe states, did turn out just like hers - it was delicious and quite a hit at my Halloween party this year!

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Ok first off let me start by saying I have never in my 40 years ever heard of making buttercream frosting with room temp butter , Now with that being said I did not make this icing recipe only the cake. I use marthas recipe for buttercream which is very much like this one minus the warm butter. You still make the syrup mixture and bring it to 238. Which is about 12 minutes total cook time, then crack the eggs putting all the whites in the STAND MIXER, DON'T HAVE ONE THEN DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME, OR INGREDIENTS. Butter is not cheap and it will always come out looking curdled and a big ole mess. whip the whites and here is where the recipe changes a bit, donot play lets pour the boiling hot syrup from cup to cup , JUST DRIZZLE IT IN THE BOWL for crying out loud! while Whipping the egg whites and syrup mixture , make sure you have cubed up your ICE COLD fresh from the frig butter and WHEN YOU CAN PLACE YOUR HANDS ON THE BOWL AND HOLD THEM THERE start throwing it in cube by cube and it will look like a curdles mess then it will smooth out , by the time that you have added it all. Marthas recipe calls for 1 stick less as well. Check it out at www.marthastewart.com in the recipes tab. ALSO in case anyone wonders if you have left over butter cream what in the world can you do with it , WELL you can pop it in the frig and keeping it in an airtight container and bring it out the day you want to use it and bring to room temp re whip and just use it. this is why so many folks are confused about cooking everyone is telling you a different was to do something If I was a new cook I would be a wreck! I Have been baking/cooking since i was old enough to stand on the antique milk can at my grandmothers (RIP counter.

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I am an avid baker and I love a good challenge. This cake is labor intensive and you do need a candy thermometer to get the syrup just right in my opinion. But I like the science of baking. The Icing was challenging in that my egg white and syrup was a tad on the warm side when I added my butter so it did get a little runny. But, as ina says if you pop it in the fridge for a few mins to chill and whip it again you get a beautiful, surprisingly light (despite the addition 5 sticks of butter and airy buttercream frosting.

I used a half sheet pan for the cake, and instead of butter and flour to prep the pan I used cocoa powder. I like to really scramble the eggs before I add them. Also, turning the cake half way through the baking time helps to give a more evenly baked result. Ive baked a quite a few of Ina's cakes and other items and for the most part she is right on. No flops. This is no exception. Thanks for another dynamite recipe!

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I only made the frosting and I'm so dissapointed with the results after this labor-intensive experience. But I don't think I can entirely blame the recipe - If I had a fancy-schmancy table top mixer, a candy thermometer that I'd never use for anything else but this recipe, some good flavor extract, this would probably have turned just like Ina's. Mine started out light and fluffy and hopeful, but I ended up with a giant bowl of buttery goop; worse-tasting than that yuckie shortening frosting grocery stores always use on their bakery cakes! If I ever have another spare hour and a good mixer, I may try this again.

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I cut the recipe in half and bake for 17 min. in a jelly roll pan. Smelled great--but was dry-- and perhaps too bitter for those who like a sweeter cake. Someone else noted that you get a moister cake with oil instead of butter--i would agree. My daughter loved the icing which I also cut in half. Put the hot syrup right into the egg whites. You think that it will deflat them but it doesn't.

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Ina's recipes are great and I have made this cake before with no problem but while comparing her "Chocolate Buttercream Cake" recipe and her "Tiered Chocolate Buttercream Cake" recipe I found the ingredient list was the same but the amounts on this cake were a little less yet the servings on this cake say 18 to 20 servings and on the other cake the serving size says 8 to 10 servings.
This must be a misprint or something on Food Networks part. Just a heads up for those looking at the servings and thinking the tiered cake (which doesn't have to be made in tiers only serves 8 to 10 when there is a full cup more of flour, and exra stick of butter, another egg and more all off ingredients.

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First, I did not make the frosting, so this is just a review of the cake. We loved it. I used dutch process cocoa and espresso. It was moist and delicious with a "just right" density. Several people complained the cake was dry and crumbly. I say this with love and to encourage those who want to try this recipe - in my experience when a cake is dry and crumbly it is because I have baked it too long. A cake can go from "just right" to "sawdust" pretty quick. That is why I make it a rule to start looking at/testing baked goods BEFORE the shortest stated "done time". Ovens are so variable, it's better to be safe than sorry. I don't understand the "bitter taste" comments - maybe they didn't "pack" the brown sugar and thus used too little. Even tho I used dutch cocoa, which has a very "dark chocolate-y" flavor, the cake was plenty sweet.