Chocolate Birthday Cake
A decadent, 3-layer chocolate cake surrounded with the most luxurious, rich chocolate frosting.
This week was very emotional for me as a mother. My baby turned one, my toddler started school, and it was my last week of maternity leave as I’m back to work on Monday. As I reflect back on the last 12 months, I have to say it’s been quite interesting. My transition from being a mother of one child, to being a mother of 2 children, was difficult. Maybe it’s because I thought it would be easier the second time around. I mean, I’ve raised a baby before and I was having another boy, should be the same experience right? Nope, not at all. I ended up with a completely different baby I was not prepared for.
My first son would only cry when he wasn’t feeling well, my second was colicky. My first would smile back at anyone who smiled at him, my second would stare at new people with a serious look or cry, which would scare them away. My first started sleeping through the night on his own at 4 months, my second still is waking up multiple times at night. So, I haven’t slept well in over a year, which equals grumpy mommy.
But all in all, life is good. My family is complete, I have 2 beautiful boys and a very patient and loving husband. There are moments when my baby won’t stop crying, my toddler is whining over something ridiculous, and I just want to run away. But, when my baby smiles at me and my toddler tells me he loves me in the cutest little voice, it makes it all worth it. xoxo
Both my boys love chocolate, they get that from my husband and I. So, that’s why I decided to make the chocolate truffle cake from the cover of Martha Stewart’s Cakes cookbook. I have to warn you, this cake is for chocoholics only. It has layers upon layers of chocolate cake surrounded by a deep, rich chocolate frosting. I used 1 & 1/2 pounds of chocolate and over a cup of dark cocoa for this cake, so it’s not for the faint of heart, but it is for chocolate lovers.
Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cakes cookbook
PrintChocolate Birthday Cake
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 16
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
A decadent, 3-layer chocolate cake surrounded with the most luxurious, rich chocolate frosting.
Ingredients
Ingredients for cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp boiling water
- 3/4 cup warm milk
- 2 & 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 & 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Ingredients for buttercream:
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp warm water
- 1 & 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 & 1/2 pounds (about 4 & 1/2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and line three 9″ round cake pans.
- Sift cocoa into a medium bowl. Stir in the boiling water and half of the milk, gently whisk until smooth and add remaining milk. Set aside to cool.
- In another bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat butter for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy, gradually beat in sugar and vanilla. Then mix in eggs, one third at a time.
- With the mixer on low, add the flour and cocoa mixture a little at a time in alternating batches, starting and ending with the flour. Beat until just combined.
- Divide batter among the 3 prepared pans, smooth tops with an offset spatula and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake. Sit pans on wire racks to cool for 15 minutes, then turn out cakes onto the wire racks to cool completely. Trim tops of cake layers to level before frosting.
For the frosting:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and warm water until all of the cocoa is dissolved.Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and salt until pale and fluffy.
- Slowly beat in melted chocolate and then cocoa solution until smooth and what you’ll get is a lovely dark, glossy and rich chocolate frosting. It will be hard not to put your face in the bowl.
- Spread about 1/3 of frosting between each layer and spread the remainder of the frosting on top and sides of cake.
Notes
I had made my cake the day before and refrigerated it overnight, so the frosting had hardened and lightened up as you can see in the initial pictures. I took the cake out just before my guests started to arrive and by the time the it was ready to be served after dinner, the frosting softened back to its original dark and glossy form.
Gorgeous cake! 🙂 and a very happy birthday to your lil boy!
Thanks Manali:)
Mmm. This looks delicious! Very pretty cake!
Thanks Anna, hugs:)
Awnnn happy birthday to your boy and good luck back at work 😀 amazing cake!! You make such amazing pictures! I love chocolate, but my hubby is craaazy about it… maybe I will try this one next year for his birthday 😀
Thanks Allane, hugs:)
You’re welcome Lily 😀
on my the chcolatey cake looks fetching … best wishes to your little angel Lily
Thanks Chitra:)
Looks heavenly! 🙂
Thank you very much:)
This is a wonderful post Lily! Congrats on your lil boy turning one and all the best with going back to work! That cake looks so decadent and out of this world 🙂
Thanks X:)
Who doesn’t like a beautiful, super chocolatey cake, and that one really takes the cake! Belated happy birthday to your little one, and best wishes to you on your return to work. If you are able to produce such a luxurious cake with all the other things you have going, I would say you have things pretty much under control. And thanks for sharing it with us at Fiesta Friday – so many of us can relate.
Thanks Hilda X:)
Such a lovely post 🙂 Happy birthday to your baby boy! My sister can probably sympathise with you on the grumpy mummy thing, she has twin boys who are almost 9 months old and an almost 2 year old boy who still doesn’t sleep through night. Plus 3 boys aged 7-11 yes she has 6 sons!) I’m not sure she’s slept properly in 11 years haha! Not to scare you or anything!
And oh my gosh, what a cake! Definitely a chocoholics dream and therefore my dream! I think even I would have to stop at one slice though (only for a couple hours though of course!)
Oh my, how does your sister do it? Hats off to her. I so wanted a little girl and people keep telling me to have another, but I’m afraid I will end up with another boy, then I will be totally outnumbered like your sister. Thanks for stopping by, always nice chatting with you Michelle X
I think the quest for a girl is what landed my sister with 6 boys! I definitely couldn’t do it, but she loves it! x
Beautiful!! I may have to steal that edge effect with the sprinkles- love it. LOVE the banner too!! 🙂
Thanks, sprinkles makes everything pretty:)
The definition of chocoholics has my picture next to it! Love this cake. My second child was like yours. We finally decided to keep him when he was 5. Hang in there!
Lol, so 4 more years, thanks and thanks for stopping by, hugs:)
Thanks for sharing your story-life, Lily! And happy birthday to your sweety-baby! I hope, soon you’ll get enough sleep and rest! <3
PS and how only you found time to make such wonderful cake!? 🙂
You’re welcome and thank you. I bake because it makes me happy and it keeps me calm when life can get hectic:)
Happy belated birthday to your baby! How gorgeous this cake is??? Beautiful Lily!
Thanks X:)
Beautiful cake dear. My hearty wishes to your lo:-)
Thank you so much for your kind wishes, hugs:)
The cake looks absolutely stunning Lily! All the very best with your transition back to work.
Thanks you so much:)
Wow a week of firsts! Congrats. I bet your little boy loved this lush cake.
Thanks Mariana:)
How beautiful, and I loved your story of your wee ones. Before you know it, you’ll be baking more than one of those delicious chocolate cakes :). Enjoy them whilst they are so little and special.
Thanks Loretta, have a great weekend X
Lily, thank you for sharing your motherhood story, and I hope you do get some sleep (sooner or later). I don’t know how my mother did it with 7 children, all with very different personalities. Mothers deserve chocolate all the time. 🙂 This cake looks fantastic, and I cannot wait to try it myself!
I have so much respect and great admiration for women like your mom, she must be a very patient person and great at multitasking, especially with 7 kids. Thanks for stopping by Ngan, always nice chatting with you:)
Ngan, your mother is a hero! It’s so hard to raise up even one child! Bravo to such women!
Thanks, Mila! She’ll be so happy to hear such kind words! Now her house is crawling with grandchildren, so she continues to mother to so many….I respect and admire her deeply.
This chocolate lover would love a big slice of your delicious cake, Lily! Hoping your wee one had a very happy birthday. 🙂 As a mother of two, now in their 20’s, I guarantee you’ll survive these early years…before you know it diapers and sippy cups will disappear, they’ll eat with forks and knives and everyone in the house will be blessed with a solid 8 hours of sleep…hang in there! Hoping your return to work is an easy transition.
Aww, thanks Nancy, you made me smile, thank you for your sweet words, hugs:)
What a beautiful cake!
Thanks Anjana:)
This cake looks fantastic, Lily. Good luck on your return to work from Maternity Leave. Remember: you’re a mother, and that means you’re a hero 🙂
That’s so sweet of you to say, thanks Jess, hugs:)