Decadent Dirt Cake: Signature Groom's Cake or Special Occasion Cake
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 16 to 20 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 18 servings
- Calories
- 561
- Total Fat
- 27
- Saturated Fat
- 16
- Carbohydrates
- 74
- Dietary Fiber
- 3
- Sugar
- 55
- Protein
- 5
- Cholesterol
- 75
- Sodium
- 186
- Total: 3 hr 5 min
- Prep: 35 min
- Inactive: 1 hr
- Cook: 1 hr 30 min
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups good quality dark chocolate (recommended: Guittard)
2 tablespoons extremely strong coffee
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups very hot water
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla (recommended: Nielsen-Massey)
1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur (recommended: Kahlua)
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows, optional
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
1 cup good quality dark chocolate (recommended: Guittard)
1/2 cup (1 stick) room temperature salted butter
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla (recommended: Nielsen Massey)
1 tablespoon coffee-flavored liqueur (recommended: Kahlua)
1 pound sifted confectioners' sugar
Directions
- Grease and lightly flour a large Bundt pan or alternatively use a vegetable release spray.
- Place the rack at the center of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F.
- Melt, do not boil, butter, sugar, chocolate, and coffee in a medium-sized saucepan with the hot water, until the sugar is dissolved. Cool completely and pour into a large mixing bowl.
- Set the mixer on slow to medium speed.
- Sift together the combined flours and cocoa. In a separate bowl, combine the beaten eggs, vanilla, and coffee-flavored liqueur.
- Add the flour mixture alternately with egg mixture to the basic chocolate mixture. This is a thin mixture do not over beat. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and place into the preset oven.
- Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours at 300 degrees F.
- Check with a skewer to be sure the cake is cooked through.
- Cool the cake for 20 minutes before removing it from the pan.
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
- Barely melt the chocolate in a double boiler over gentle heat. Remove from the heat source and pour into a large mixing bowl then cool for five minutes. Add the butter, cream, vanilla, coffee-flavored liqueur, and mix on medium speed until the mixture thickens. Finally add the confectioners' sugar in small batches until the mixture holds a medium peak. If the kitchen temperature is warm, and the icing is not of spreading consistency place the bowl in the refrigerator for a few minutes, then recommence mixing. Slather the icing over the cake with an offset palette knife.
Cook’s Note
The recipe can be frozen, triple-wrapped, for up to three months. Adding 1/2 to 1 cup of roughly chopped toasted walnuts or pecans can also add punch and a change of pace to the recipe. Serving suggestions: The cake may be iced with chocolate butter frosting or alternatively simply sift confectioners' sugar 'snow' onto the cake top after cooling or place a slice of cake into a pool of commercial raspberry puree then for decoration add whole fresh raspberries. Top with a dollop of whipped heavy cream.