This is not just your ordinary, Sunday afternoon, need to invite my friends over so I don't eat this whole dang thing, chocolate cake. It's a very special cake, dedicated to a special person. A few bloggers have got together to host a virtual baby shower for Jessica from How Sweet It Is. It's really a shame though (that it's a virtual baby shower, and not a real life one), because a party with over 65 food bloggers making delicious food is pretty much my idea of heaven. And it's also a shame that I wasn't able to share this cake with Jessica in person, because I know that she would be the first one to appreciate the extra effort I made into trashing it up a.k.a dumping salty sticky caramel all over the top and then sprinkling with Maldon salt. Jessica's level of commitment to providing the world with the most delicious recipes is incredible. If I'm ever feeling a bit down, or lacking inspiration, I head on over to her blog, which is basically a site for all things tasty. And now she has a cookbook Seriously Delish that is just as amazing, and I'll admit that on a few occasions, I've been caught drooling all over the pages.
Jessica's love for food and life, is what originally drew me to her blog. Her recipes are inventive and colorful, and I am constantly waiting in anticipation for her new creations. Her writing makes you feel as though you've known her for years. I have not yet got the opportunity to meet her in person, but I want to, because she seems so awesome. When I heard that we were having a virtual baby shower for her, I knew that I wanted to make a cake, because its sort of my thing, and I knew I could have some fun trying to trash-it-up. I chose my favorite chocolate cake recipe from Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate, which is one of the easiest and fool-proof cake recipes that I have ever made. I made a salted buttercream frosting, and then reserved a bit of the caramel to drizzle over the top, followed by a few sprinkles of Maldon sea salt. This cake is good. I mean really good. So good, that I really did invite 6 friends over to help me eat it, because I knew that if I didn't get any help, I was in fact going to eat the whole thing myself. Hopefully, some time in the future I am able to make this cake for Jessica in person, because I feel sort of bad talking up such a big game over here. A big congratulations to you Jessica!
If you'd like to take a look at what some of the other bloggers made for the virtual baby shower, I have shared the links below.
Trashed-up Salads
Gimme Some Oven - Asian Broccoli Salad with Peanut Sauce
The Lemon Bowl - Brussels Slaw with Tahini Dressing and Za'atar Crostini
With Style & Grace - Kale Salad with Apple, Hazelnuts & Bacon
Trashed-up Cocktails
Dine & Dish - Hot Buttered Rum Cocktail
Food For My Family - Cranberry Orange Dark and Stormy Cocktail
Minimalist Baker - Bourbon Pumpkin Milkshakes
Stylish, Stealthy & (sometimes) Healthy - Apple Cider Shandy
A Spicy Perspective - Preggy Punch Mocktail
Girl vs. Dough - Boozy Maple Peanut Butter Cup Milkshake
Honestly Yum - Maple Bacon Pisco Sour
Cookin Canuck - Pink Grapefruit Margaritas
A Thought For Food - Mezcal Citrico Cocktail
A House in the Hills - Pomegranate Rosemary Spritzer
The Novice Chef - Ginger Bourbon Apple Cider
Bran Appetit - Citrus Cider Punch Floats
Trashed-up Burgers
Edible Perspective - Meatloaf Veggie Burgers with Mashed Potatoes + Gravy
The Little Kitchen - Salmon BLT Sliders with an Avocado Aioli & Brie
Daisy At Home - Balsamic Beef Burger with Mac and Cheese
Cookies & Cups - Candied Bacon Maple Cheddar Burger
Climbing Grier Mountain - Trashed-Up Steak Burger with Chicken Fried Bacon & Dijon Gravy
Dessert For Two - Bleu Cheese Burgers + Sweet Potato Fries
Country Clever - Fig Rosemary Roast Chicken Brie Brussels Sprout Panini
Foodie Crush - The Best Cheeseburger Soup
Lady and Pups - Spicy Sambal Chicken Meatball Sub with Eggs
Two Peas & Their Pod - Sweet Potato and Kale Grilled Cheese
Bake Your Day - Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich
Trashed-up Tacos
Spoon Fork Bacon - Crunchy Ground Beef and Cheesy Tacos
The Fauxmartha - Boozy Beef and Butternut Tacos
With Food + Love - Harvest Hash Breakfast Tacos
Mountain Mama Cooks - Crispy Kale and Brussels Sprout Tacos with Bacon
Heather Christo - Bahn Mi Tacos with Spicy Sriracha Honey Sauce
A Couple Cooks - Loaded Huevos Rancheros Tacos
Fitnessista - San Diego Lobster Street Tacos
Trashed-up Desserts
Table for Two - Salted Caramel, Dark Chocolate, and Brown Butter Shortbread Bars with Sprinkles
My Name is Yeh - Mini Vanilla Loaf Cakes, All Trashed Up
Picky Palate - Pumpkin Spice Butterscotch Sprinkle Cupcakes
Sprinkle Bakes - Cake Batter Confetti Cupcakes
Averie Cooks - Easy Homemade Funfetti Cake with Vanilla Buttercream
Sweet Phi - Trashed Up Shortbread Cookie Bars
Love & Olive Oil - Loaded Junk Food Brownies
Lauren’s Latest - Bakery Sugar Cookies
Cookie + Kate - Peanut Butter, Banana, Honey and Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Sugar Hit - Salted Caramel Popcorn Ice Cream Cake
Hummingbird High - Breakfast Cereal Cake Donuts
Top With Cinnamon - Triple Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Crumb Cake
Bake at 350 - Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sundaes
Simple Bites - Lemon Layer Cake
Bakerella - Baby Block Cake Pops
She Wears Many Hats - Chocolate Covered Grapefruit
Trashed-up Pizza
Bev Cooks - Beer Battered Fried Calamari Pizza
Rachel Cooks - Apple and Chicken Sausage Pizza with Macaroni and Cheese Stuffed Crust
Foodie With Family - Trashed Up Barbecue Turkey Pizza
Shutterbean - Pesto Potato Bacon Pizza
i am a food blog - Grilled Cheese Pizza
My Life as a Mrs - Chili Cheese Dog Pizza
Simply Scratch - Steak + Blue Cheese Pizza with Crispy Fried Shallots and Honey Balsamic Drizzle
The Beeroness - Beer Cheese Tater Tot Pizza
Yes I Want Cake - Roasted Pumpkin Pizza
Two Red Bowls - Bacon Mashed Potato Pizza
Dula Notes - Pork Bahn Mi Pizza
Weelicious - Trashed Up Mexican Pizza Pockets
Take a Megabite - Roasted Beet Pizza
Hungry Girl Por Vida - Hard Cider Braised Pork with Sour Cherries and Cheesy Polenta
Bakers Royale - Trash’d Street Tacos
(print)
TRIPLE LAYER CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH SALTED BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
serves 14
recipe adapted from Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate
2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup whole milk
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp light corn syrup
4 tbsp water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
2 sticks butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
Maldon salt
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Line 3 - 6" cake pans with parchment paper. Grease with butter, and then dust with flour.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the lightly beaten eggs and combine. Add the canola oil and the milk and combine. Stir in the boiling water. Your batter should now be fairly liquid.
Divide the batter into the three pans. Place into the oven and bake for 30 - 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from their pans. Let them finish cooling on a wire rack.
Place the corn syrup, water, and granulated sugar in a small saucepan and combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Do not stir the mixture while it's boiling. Continue to boil until it thickens and turns a light brown caramel color. Remove from the heat and slowly stir in the cream, vanilla, salt, and lemon juice with a wire whisk. If the caramel clumps unevenly, place back on the stove on low heat, and stir until it becomes smooth. Set to the side to cool completely.
Once the caramel sauce is completely cool, combine the 2 sticks of softened butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, and 3/4 of the caramel together in a mixer and beat until a smooth.
Once the cakes have cooled completely, assemble them by placing a thick layer of frosting between each layer. Cover the top and sides with the rest of the frosting and smooth out with a spatula. Drizzle the left over caramel on top. Finish with some flaked Maldon salt.