Merry Christmas friends and family! I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season, eating your favorite foods, and getting time with your loved ones to relax.
This season, my greatest joy has been to see our son revel in everything Christmas! At 2 1/2 years, he is really starting to feel the magic of the season. This was the first year he told us what he wanted from Santa…”excavator truck, dump truck, police man”. And over the last few weeks, there have been so many sweet moments. This morning, he woke up singing “Santa Claus is coming to town“… And this evening, he went to sleep talking about his elf (on the shelf) Bop who is going to see Santa tonight. So much fun! I can’t wait to see his expressions Christmas morning when he sees Santa’s gifts.
Before signing off, I wanted to share our family chocolate cake recipe. This year, we topped it with an almond buttercream frosting, and added some flair with sugared cranberries and rosemary. Looking forward to sharing it with all of my family tomorrow.
- For the cake: 2 cups flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup neutral oil (e.g. canola, grapeseed)
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot coffee
- For the frosting:
- 4 sticks butter (cubed and at room temperature)
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract if you don't have the paste)
- 3 tablespoons of milk
- For the sugared cranberries and rosemary: 1 cup of cranberries, 5 sprigs rosemary,
- 1 cup of sugar, plus ¼ cup for topping
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
- Make the optional decor! (sugared cranberries and rosemary): In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved (about 10 minutes). Once the liquid has cooled, place the cranberries and rosemary in a bowl and cover with the simple syrup. Let sit for 30 minutes. In another small bowl, whisk the ¼ cup sugar and cinnamon. Drain the cranberries and rosemary and add the sugar mixture to coat. Place on a baking sheet or plate and let sit until dry (about 1 hour). Note: When you drain the cranberries and rosemary, hold onto the simple syrup. It can also be brushed on the cake layers before topping with frosting to make extra moist.
- Make the cake!: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 9-inch round baking pans by coating with butter (or cooking spray) and dusting with flour. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, greek yogurt, and vanilla. Slowly combine the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing until combined (You don't want to overmix as that can create a tough cake). Add the hot coffee last and whisk in to just to combine. Split the batter into each prepared baking pan. I like to pour a good portion into each pan and then scoop the rest one scoop at a time to ensure even distribution. Slam the pans against the counter to get any air bubbles out of the batter. Place the pans in the oven and cook 30-35 minutes (until a wooden pick inserted comes out clean).
- Make the frosting! While the cake is baking, use the standing mixer and paddle attachment to combine mix the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the extracts on low speed, and then the milk.
- Frost the cakes! After removing the cakes from the oven, cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and place the cakes on wire racks. Cool for another 15 minutes before frosting. On the first layer of the cake, spread ¼ inch frosting. Top with the second cake layer. Add a thin layer of frosting starting with the top of the second layer and continue on all sides of the cake. This is your crumb coat. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to seal in the crumbs. Then complete your final layer of frosting. If desired, use a piping bag to add designs to your cake. Decorate with the sugared cranberries and rosemary (optional).
Chocolate cake is my favorite. I remember when I first tried almond buttercream frosting it was like, where have you been all my life? This cake looks beautiful!
Could not agree more! If I had to choose between chocolate and vanilla cake, I am chocolate all the way. But confetti cake is a close second. 🙂 The almond buttercream was such a fun addition! It makes a basic chocolate cake feel elegant. Perfect for the holiday season! Thanks for visiting my little corner of the internet.