TWD: 2nd Anniversary Cocoa Buttermilk Birthday Cake

Wow -- the Tuesdays with Dorie group is 2 years old (if you want to read about how it started, you can click here). I've only been participating for the past 14-15 months, but it's amazing how much fun I have baking through Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours on a weekly (errr . . . sometimes not so much lately, sorry!) basis. The book is the most amazing compendium of recipes for baked goods that I've ever come across. It's gorgeous and the recipes are perfect; I really can't say enough wonderful things about this cookbook. Really, though, the best part is baking through the book in this group. I seem to measure my weeks by the TWD recipes that are due, and before I know it another month's recipes are out. Many of the highlights of my first winter away from balmy Houston (one year ago today it was 83 degrees there) have to do with TWD recipes. If you'd asked me 2 years ago if I'd be a member of an online baking club, I'd have given you a horrified look and said most certainly, absolutely, definitely not. Jamais.

We were given the option of baking the cocoa buttermilk birthday cake or the tarte tatin this week. I was asked to bring dessert on New Year's Eve (HOORAY for baking for large groups of people!!! No minis necessary) and I knew that I'd bring the chocolate cake. I wanted to bring the tarte tatin, too, but the 1 hour window of serving time tripped me up. So, this week it's just the cocoa buttermilk birthday cake; never fear, my dad loves tarte tatin, and I'm definitely making it for him someday soon. 

I made the cake exactly as written -- I didn't stray from the recipe one teensy little bit. I also made the suggested chocolate malt frosting to go with the cake, and it's delicious. The cake is super simple to make, and the frosting isn't complicated either. I knew that I wanted some sort of fancy decorations (as fancy as I could manage) because it was going to be our New Year's Eve dessert. I settled on stars because I knew that I'd be able to print them and make chocolate stars pretty easily. I was most worried about tempering the chocolate, and I managed to do it. What a relief. The cake made it over to the party and was properly flourished; it survived rain and jumping dogs. To keep it safe we put it in a high place in the kitchen, and wouldn't you know it, heat rises and the kitchen was very warm -- those stars melted. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the melted stars because it was devoured just the same!

 

 

And, the verdict on this cake? It's everything Dorie promises it should, and will, be:  a homey, chocolate birthday cake. This cake is comforting to make and to eat. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and commented on how good it was. Dudley really, really loved this cake and he was sad when it was all gone. I liked it, but the Devils Food White Out Cake (aka the "cover cake") is my pick for best chocolate cake. The nice thing about the cake is that it isn't overwhelmingly chocolaty. I think in a world of death by chocolate desserts, it's nice to have some subtlty every once in awhile.