The Cake Ina Garten Made With Julia Louis-Dreyfus Has Thousands of Glowing Reviews

Actor, comedian and producer Julia Louis-Dreyfus got her start on Saturday Night Live, becoming the youngest cast member in the history of the show. It was there that she met Larry David, who was working as a writer on the show and would later cast Julia as the quirky Elaine Benes on Seinfeld, a so-called sitcom “about nothing” that would go on to run for nine seasons. Several years after Seinfeld ended, Julia was cast to portray yet another memorable character on the political satire Veep. As Selina Meyer, Julia won six consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, breaking the record for the most wins for the same role in the same series. All that to say, Julia is nothing short of a comedy legend, so it’s no coincidence that Ina is breaking out a legendary recipe to make when she comes to visit.

Ina’s Fit for a Legend, Legendary Chocolate Cake

Ina’s legendary chocolate cake recipe is one that she has been making for years and was first published in her 2006 best-selling cookbook, Barefoot Contessa at Home. This fan-favorite cake was also featured on Ina’s original Food Network show, Barefoot Contessa, in an episode called "Flavors and Flowers," where Ina prepares the cake in celebration of her dear friend Michael’s anniversary. In the cookbook, Ina shares the origin of the recipe, writing that Michael’s grandfather “used to have a milk route in Pennsylvania Dutch Country and his grandmother baked this chocolate cake for him to deliver to customers with their milk.” Michael’s grandmother’s name is Beatty and the cake is lovingly named for her.

The Not-So-Secret Ingredient

This decadent two-layer cake is made with high-quality cocoa powder, buttermilk and a cup of hot coffee. Ina attributes the cake’s moist and rich flavor to the added coffee, and those who have tried baking this recipe tend to agree. In fact, this recipe is incredibly popular on the Food Network’s website, with an astonishing 2,800-plus five-star reviews.

Friends IRL

Ina was recently a guest on Julia’s podcast, Wiser Than Me, but the two powerhouses had never met in person until Julia was invited to be a guest on Ina’s show. “I’ve brought you something,” she tells Ina, handing her a jar of homemade blood-orange marmalade. As Julia revealed on her podcast, she loves to bake and has been a fan of Ina’s for quite some time, but they’ve never had the opportunity to cook together, until now that is.

The Icing on the Cake

Before getting to work in the kitchen, Ina and Julia spend some time chatting about Julia’s work as a comedian. “How does it feel to make people laugh?” Ina asks her.

“It’s like endorphins you can taste,” Julia answers, creating the perfect segue way for a cooking lesson from one great to another.

To save time, Ina baked the chocolate layer cakes ahead of Julia’s arrival but saved making the buttercream icing for her guest. “Can I just drink it?” Julia jokes as she takes a big whiff of the bowl of melted chocolate that Ina also prepped. While the mixer is going, Ina directs Julia to slowly add sifted confectioners' sugar to the bowl.

“How important do you think sifting is?” Julia asks.

“You know why I like sifting is because when you sift it, every cup is exactly like every other cup … you get the same amount of confectioners' sugar every time,” Ina explains.

The Pro Knows

With the icing made, it’s time to decorate. Ina places the first layer on a cake stand. “I put it on a rotating stand so we can turn it around while we ice it,” she tells Julia. Then, she shows Julia her next pro tip, which is to place squares of parchment or wax paper under the cake’s edge. “Then you don't have to clean up the plate after you make a mess with the icing,” she explains. Then, Ina shows her how to ice the sides of the cake without making the cake crumble apart. “The key is, you don’t go back and forth.” Once the cake is fully iced, Ina shows Julia another pro tip, which is to warm up the spatula with tap water and smooth all of the icing one last time.

“Lord have mercy, it’s a miracle,” Julia gasps as she watches Ina work the icing into a smooth, professional-looking layer.

Picture Perfect

Ina shows Julia how to pipe the icing along the perimeter of the cake for a final touch. “Are you going to go home and start a cake decorating business in your spare time?” Ina jokes.

“Oh, 100 percent. I’ve got all the paperwork drawn up,” Julia answers, not looking up as she carefully pipes the icing in the up-and-down pattern that Ina showed her.

“All right, here we go,” Ina says as she goes to cut the cake for the two of them to taste. “Big piece, little piece?” she asks Julia.

“Enormous,” Julia answers.

It’s the moment of truth: Does this cake taste as good as it looks?

With a mouthful of cake, Julia says, “I can’t talk to you. I gotta eat this cake.”

Enough said.