K的外婆這個周末要過一百零一歲生日了！這麽好的日子當然要好好慶祝，一定也要做一個漂亮的蛋糕才行。網路上的蛋糕照片看來看去都是多層的蛋糕吸引人而且威風，而且這是第一次我婆婆跟我預定一個蛋糕，所以我決定挑戰自己的厨技做一個好喫又漂亮的雙層夾心蛋糕。
蛋糕的口味以親愛的K喜歡的為主，所以選了巧克力。爲了做雙層蛋糕，我捨棄了以往我鍾情的濃醇又濕潤的fudgy巧克力蛋糕
風格，改成經典版，綿密、鬆軟卻有著滿滿黑巧克力味的蛋糕。鬆軟的蛋糕，就算是叠了兩層，中間還夾了奶油，吃起來也完全沒有負擔，不會覺得太油膩。我又加碼在夾層中舖上兩層的新鮮草莓，幫奶油夾層添加新鮮、酸甜的口味和解膩。
不過要讓綿密、鬆軟、類似海綿的巧克力蛋糕，有著濃郁的黑巧克力味，而且一點都不乾，是有秘訣的！這個蛋糕的秘密武器是–熱開水！沒錯，這個蛋糕食譜沒有奶油(butter)，也沒有鮮奶油(cream)，而是用熱開水勾帶出巧克力本身濃郁的味道。我還在蛋糕裏添加了咖啡，讓味道更有層次一點。這個蛋糕不做成雙層蛋糕，單吃也好喫的不得了。
這個令我相當驚艷的食譜，居然是在Hershey 發佈的，是他們號稱最受歡迎的巧克力蛋糕食譜。我只有一個6寸的蛋糕模，所以將Hershey的食譜減半剛剛好。不過這個蛋糕麵糊相當的稀，所以要在進烤箱前的最後一秒，才將蛋糕麵糊倒到蛋糕模裏。
烤好后，我將稍微拱漲的蛋糕頂切平，再將蛋糕切半。下半部的蛋糕均勻的抹上一層薄薄的巧克力鮮奶油 (chocolate buttercream) ，鋪上一層新鮮草莓切片，再抹上一層薄薄的巧克力鮮奶油，鋪上一層草莓切片。所以蛋糕夾層中有兩層的巧克力鮮奶油和兩層的新鮮草莓。
將上半部的蛋糕放在夾層上後，再均勻的抹上一層巧克力鮮奶油，將幾顆切半的新鮮草莓放上，好吃又誘人的雙層夾心蛋糕就大功告成了！
[recipe]
Makes one 6″ cake; Adopted from Hershey’s Chocolate Cake
[ingredients]
Cake Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup minus 2 Tbsp flour
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vege oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 2 tsp espresso powder
- About 10 strawberries evenly sliced, plus 3 strawberries halved for decoration (optional)
Chocolate Buttercream Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter at room temperature
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3 to 4 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
[directions]
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 6″ cake pan.
- Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Stir to mix evenly.
- Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer for 2 minutes.
- Add espresso powder to boiling water. Add the boiling water to the rest of the ingredients (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan.
- Wait until cake is cool, then slice off the dome of the cake so the top is even. Then slice the cake in half.
- Evenly spread a thin layer of buttercream onto the bottom half of the cake (about 1/4 of the buttercream). Place a single layer of sliced strawberries on the buttercream. Then spread another thin layer of buttercream (about 1/4 of the buttercream) on top of the sliced strawberries. Place another single layer of sliced strawberries on the buttercream.
- Place the top half of the cake on top of the sliced strawberries. Even spread the rest of the butter cream on top of the cake. Place whole or halved strawberries on top to decorate.
Buttercream Directions
- Beat the room temperature butter on medium high speed of a mixer until light and fluffy – about 3 minutes. It’s important the butter is at room temperature and not cold.
- Sift the cocoa powder into the butter. Mix on low to incorporate then on medium high until light and fluffy again.
- Add in a third of the powdered sugar. Mix on low to incorporate then on medium high until light and fluffy again. Mix in 1 Tbsp of milk so the buttercream is more spreadable. Repeat this step with the rest of the powdered sugar and milk. Then mix in the vanilla extract.
- Add a tad bit more milk of the buttercream is too thick or a tad bit more powdered sugar if the buttercream is too thin.
[/recipe]