RECIPE: THE BEST EVER CHOCOLATE BIRTHDAY CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Nothing says party like cake... and for me, nothing says delicious like a homemade chocolate cake. I've used this recipe for so many years, I cannot remember where I first got it. I know it did not come from my mother because she rarely made cakes and because my father didn't like chocolate, she certainly never made a chocolate cake. I started making this cake when I was in high school for parties I'd have at my house. There may have been a bakery in our neighborhood in those days but I never went to it because we made everything from scratch. There was a time when I made 7-Minute Icing for this chocolate cake but 7-minute icing is finicky and people seem to like the chocolate on chocolate better.

Make sure to use fresh baking powder and baking soda so you get a nice, fluffy cake.

PERFECT CHOCOLATE BIRTHDAY CAKE

INGREDIENTS

2 cups granulated sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

1 recipe Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. (You can use Baker's Joy but I prefer the outcome using the grease-flour method)

Sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and kosher salt and add it to the bowl of your mixer. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Remove from the stand. Stir in the boiling water (the batter will be thin). Pour the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Allow to cool completely before icing with the Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe below.

(For a sheet cake, use a 13x9x2 pan and bake for 35-40 minutes)

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CHOCOLATE SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

A Swiss buttercream is made using egg whites and not just butter (or shortening as some old recipes call for) to make it extra fluffy and lighter than a butter only buttercream. I like both but wanted to share this one-- or you can make traditional buttercream using just butter, powdered sugar, and chocolate. The one on the Hershey's Cocoa box is perfect. Can't go wrong with that!

INGREDIENTS

1 pound bittersweet chocolate

12 ounces semisweet chocolate

3/4 cup egg whites (4-5 extra-large eggs), at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 pounds unsalted butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Chop the chocolates and place them in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan simmering water. Stir until melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

Mix the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Place the bowl of egg whites over the pan of simmering water and heat the egg whites until they are warm to the touch, about 5 minutes. Return the bowl to the electric mixer and whisk on high speed for 5 minutes, or until the meringue is cool and holds a stiff peak.

Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, while beating on medium speed. Scrape down the bowl, add the melted chocolate, vanilla, and mix for 1 minute or until the chocolate is completely blended in. If the buttercream seems very soft, allow it to cool, and beat it again. If you want to make it extra special or cannot get your icing to look exactly perfect, top with chocolate curls like I did in the photo above. There are easy to make.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CURLS

Melt some chocolate using a double boiler. Remove from the heat. Take a clean baking sheet and spread a thin layer of the chocolate onto it and place it in the freezer for 5 minutes. To make the curls, use a thin metal spatula or a clean putty knife. Press the edge of the spatula under the edge of the chocolate and push it forward... the chocolate will roll up. Place on another baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put back into the freezer to firm up. When you are ready to use, simply decorate the cake as desired... also a great garnish for ice cream!

RECIPE: FLUFFY BEIGNETS

Pate a choux pastry is used to make all sorts of dessert deliciousness. Churros, éclairs, profiteroles, and even towering croquembouches are made from choux pastry. Beignets can also be made from choux but isn’t often used in the South; most chefs make the chewier, rolled yeast variety of beignets like they serve at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. I prefer a fluffy choux beignet which have been made famousby my buddy Panini Pete. If you make it to his place in Fairhope or Mobile, Alabama, you'll see an early morning line forming for Pete's beignets. They taste more like a hot doughnut and are delicious fried dough heaven. Sprinkled with Confectioners’ sugar while they are hot. Serve with a squeeze of lemon. These won’t hold well once your squeeze the lemon over them but then again, they’ll go so fast you won’t have to worry about that.

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FLUFFY BEIGNETS

Prep Time: 12 minutes   Cook Time: 7-8 minutes per batch

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups water

6 ounces unsalted butter

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

6 eggs, room temperature

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Canola oil for frying

Food thermometer

Confectioners’ sugar and lemon wedges for garnish

DIRECTIONS: 

Put canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat and bring it to 350 degrees F.

Mix the salt into the flour.  

Put the water and butter in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the flour all at one time to combine and form dough which will pull away from the side of the pan. Switch to a wooden spoon. Add the eggs, two at a time, blending well with the wooden spoon between each addition. Beat the dough with the wooden spoon until it goes from ‘slippery’ and glossy to matte.  Add the vanilla and stir to incorporate.

Scoop the dough with a small ice cream scoop and place in the hot oil. Take care not to over crowd the pot or the temperature of the oil will drop and your beignets will soak up oil. Fry for 7-8 minutes, turning the beignets around frequently in the oil. Drain on paper toweling.

Serve warm with a dusting of Confectioners’ sugar and lemon, lime, or orange wedges.

RECIPE: MY CHOCOLATE ROULAGE (ROULADE) FROM FOOD NETWORK STAR

For my niece Sarah, who loves this roulage and asks me to make it for her for every holiday.

Back many years ago, there was a Birmingham restaurant called Cobb Lane located on a quaint cobblestone alley. Owned and operated by a woman named Virginia Cobb and featuring Southern specialties like Chicken Supreme, Chicken Divan, She-Crab soup, and homemade yeast rolls,  many of us celebrated our special occasions there. Birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers and most often, bridal showers and bridesmaids luncheons were held there and always ended with Mrs. Cobb's famous Chocolate Roulage. My own bridesmaids' luncheon was there, and of course, we had Roulage for dessert.

I have made this recipe for years so when I was tossed a curveball on Food Network Star and found no ice cream freezer on set that day, I made the roulage instead of the chocolate cake and ice cream I originally intended to make for the judges. Happily, it won rave reviews and with a little help from my teammate Justin Warner, I got it onto the plates in the nick of time. Be sure to chill it properly before slicing so it holds together.

Make this roulage for Christmas Eve and it will become one of your family traditions. PS-I normally omit the bourbon when I make this recipe for the family.

CHOCOLATE ROULAGE

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes plus 30 minutes cool time and chill 2 hours before serving

INGREDIENTS

Softened unsalted butter, for greasing baking sheet and parchment paper

5 egg yolks

1 cup granulated sugar

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon espresso or strong, black coffee

5 egg whites

1 cup cocoa powder

2 cups heavy cream

 2 teaspoons Confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup bourbon (optional)

seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean

1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Farenheit. Trim a sheet of parchment paper to fit a half-sheet pan or baking sheet. Make sure there is at least 1" excess all the way around after you fit it to the pan.

FOR THE CAKE: Butter the baking sheet, including the sides and corners. Line with the parchment paper and smooth it with your hands. Pull the paper up and flip it so both sides are now buttered.  

Fit a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium speed until fluffy and the sugar is not gritty, about 10-12 minutes.

While the eggs are beating, put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof glass bowl and melt it over a double boiler. When chocolate is melted, remove from heat, let it cool a bit. Sit the bowl in some cool water for a few minutes, if necessary.

Incorporate the egg mixture into the slightly warm chocolate by adding a little at a time to temper the mixture, so you don't cook the eggs. Add vanilla and espresso.

In a clean bowl, and using a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Incorporate 1/4 of egg whites into the chocolate mixture by carefully folding the whites into the chocolate, taking care not to deflate the whites. Fold the remaining whites into the chocolate but make sure not to have any white streaks in the batter nor deflate the whites.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan bake at 325° for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread a dampened tea towel or several dampened paper towels over the top of the cake and let it sit for 30 minutes. Change out the towels if they dry out.

FOR THE FILLING: While the cake is cooling, whip the cream in a clean bowl using the whip attachment. Whip the cream, Confectioners’ sugar, bourbon, vanilla bean and vanilla on medium speed until stiff peaks form. (Bourbon and vanilla bean is optional)

TO ASSEMBLE: Use the parchment paper to help you roll the cake. Using a fine sieve or sifter, sprinkle ½ cup of cocoa powder over the top of the cake. Spread the whipped cream mixture over the top, leaving 1 inch on each side. Rolling lengthwise, use the edge of the parchment paper, carefully roll the cake creating a jellyroll effect, tuck and roll as you go, peeling back the paper along the way. Put the rolled cake seam side down and very lightly dust the whole cake with the remaining cocoa powder. Chill at least 2 hours before serving. You might even put the cake in the freezer for an hour before serving so it is easy to slice.

To serve, slice cake with a serrated knife and place on chilled plates. Garnish with a light dusting of cocoa powder and fresh berries.

Yield: 1 roulage, about 8 slices