Don't laugh. Martha Stewart has published some really great recipes over the years and I've made a few of them staples in my home. Everyone raves about them. I've been making this chocolate layer cake to celebrate birthdays for more years than I can remember. Everyone loves it. It's rich, moist chocolate cake you really can make in one bowl with no butter, which is a winner in any house trying to celebrate in style while keeping one eye on the trans fat/saturated fat scale.
Martha Stewart published two versions of this recipe, one yielding more cake than the other. Both are generous recipes and the larger one makes 3 layers! I like using the smaller recipe and baking it in two 9" x 3" inch round cake pans. I could not find it online so email me if you want it and I'll post it! She recommends using 8" x 3" baking pans, but they are hard to find unless you have a really good cooking store nearby or purchase them online. 9" x 3" pans are more common and the non-stick varieties work well. I recommending buying ones with straight sides to achieve the bakery look. Just make sure to only cook the cake for about 30 minutes if you use the wider pan. Certainly use a cake tester to check that it's fully cooked. If you have to make a cake for home and cupcakes for school, use the larger recipe and use it to fill two cake pans and 12 cupcake tins. She also published an online recipe for cupcakes only.
Another tip- you can buy dehydrated buttermilk, store it in your refrigerator, and reconstitute it as needed. In this recipe, you get a moister, richer cake using reconstituted buttermilk than using fresh. The batter will appear very thin, but it cooks up perfectly.
I used to frost it with Trader's Joe's fudge frosting, but they have discontinued it. So now I make a simple chocolate ganache that everyone prefers to a cream cheese frosting I recently tried. I avoid store-bought frostings as a general rule because they contain hydrogenated oil, a scientifically-proven unhealthy ingredient. This ganache doesn't contain cream or corn syrup, just chocolate and water.
Chocolate Ganache (Frosting)
from Andrew MacLauchlan's New Classic Desserts cookbook (I trained under Andrew at the Coyote Cafe when he was the pastry chef. His creations are to die for!)
- 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I like Trader Joe's S. American bars like Ocumare)
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- Break chocolate into squares and place in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Do not overcook or you will ruin the chocolate.
- Add boiling water all at once to melted chocolate and immediately whisk vigorously until smooth. (Adding a small amount of water, or any liquid, to chocolate can make it seize so please add it all at once and whisk immediately.)
- Even out cake by cutting off any uneven cake with a bread knife. Place cake cut side down on serving plate and spread ganache on top surface only. Even out next cake layer and place it cut side down on top of ganache. Spread a thin layer of ganache on top of cake and spread evenly to coat surface. Use a cake spatula if you have one. Next cover the sides of the cake using a cake spatula or offset spatula. Chill until ready to serve. The chocolate will chip when cut but it will be delicious.
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