Everyday Chocolate Cake with Mocha Whipped Frosting… FULL FAT & 326 Calories!

My husband returned from his long vacation late Friday night.  He was unable to sleep since he was pretty jet-lagged.  Since staying up is one of my favorite hobbies, the 2 of us stayed up all night… talking, drinking tea, and even watched an Indian movie.  Yup, we pulled an all nighter and passed out at 7 AM – it was so fun!  I felt like I was 21 again! 

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving in our home is anything but traditional.  I mean, there isn’t any turkey and most of the family hates pumpkin.  Our main courses consisted of a pasta dish, my sister’s amazing Chicken Biryani, followed by my brother’s awesome Stuffing and Cornbread.  In short, everything is vegetarian except 1 main course.  

This year I was in charge of dessert and was asked to make something without pumpkin.  Can you believe that?  Thanksgiving without Pumpkin!  My family is nuts!  Anyway, I baked them a Chocolate Cake featured in the At Home with Magnolia cookbook which is affiliated with the renowned Magnolia Bakery in NYC.  This particular cake which consisted of 1 stick of butter and tons of sugar was surprisingly dry.  I know, right?  I made a delicious Mocha Whipped Frosting which complimented the cake well, however it wasn’t enough to forsake the dryness.  Keep in mind this cake uses Dutch Processed Unsweetened Cocoa rather than Natural Unsweetened Cocoa.  Regardless, this cake was a complete disappointment for me.  The only person who loved this cake was my brother-in-law, Raj, which didn’t come as a surprise since he lovesssssssssssss chocolate, however the rest of us didn’t care for it, especially me.  I decided to post this recipe anyway to give you all a heads up on this famous recipe.  Personally, I believe chocolate cakes turn out much better when baked with oil rather than butter.  If I had to redo this recipe, I would consider adding hot water or hot coffee for additional moisture.  With the countless number of delicious chocolate cake recipes floating around, the Everyday Chocolate Cake fails to deliver and is a complete waste of time, energy, and effort.  I’m a big fan of the Magnolia Bakery, however this cake just didn’t cut it!

TELL ME: If you’ve baked this cake and have a way of fixing the dryness issue… by all means, enlighten me!

NUTRITION: The only nutrition in this cake are the amounts of protein and fiber in Dutch Processed Unsweetened Cocoa.  I used the Rademaker brand which is imported from Holland… each serving of cocoa was 4 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein.

MODIFICATIONS I MADE:

• I didn’t make any modifications in this recipe – it was Thanksgiving!

APPROXIMATE NUTRITION PER SERVING does not include whipped cream (yields 10 slices)

• Calories: 326 cals
• Fat: 13.3 g
• Saturated Fat: 8.7 g
• Carbs: 69 g
• Protein: 6.9 g
• Fiber: 7.2 g

EVERYDAY CHOCOLATE CAKE (FULL FAT) (adapted by At Home with Magnolia posted by Smitten Kitchen)
~ yields 10 slices @ 325 degrees using a 9″ x 5″ x 3″ loaf pan
~ fat & calories were not reduced in this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• Butter – 1/2 cup (1 stick or 8 tbsp)… room temperature
• Light Brown Sugar – 1 cup (firmly packed)
• White Sugar – 1/2 cup
• Egg – 1 (room temperature)
• Buttermilk – 1 cup
• Pure Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
• All Purpose White Flour – 1 1/2 cups
• Rademaker Dutch Processed Unsweetened Cocoa – 3/4 cup
• Baking Soda – 1/4 tsp
• Baking Powder – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – 1/4 tsp 

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a baking loaf pan.

2. Sift all the dry ingredients… white flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

 3. Cream the butter until smooth.

4. Add the brown and white sugars.  Beat until fluffy.

5. Add the egg and beat until well combined.

6. Add the buttermilk and vanilla.  Combine.

7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet.  

8. Mix, however do NOT over mix.

9. Pour the batter into a loaf pan.

10. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

MOCHA WHIPPED FROSTING (FULL FAT)
~ frost or use as a topping

INGREDIENTS:

• Pure Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
• Heavy Whipping Cream – 1 cup
• Confectioners Sugar – 1/4 cup
• Medaglia D’Oro Instant Espresso Powder – 1/2 tsp (add more based on your liking)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a mixing bowl, add vanilla extract.

2. Add heavy whipping cream.

3. Add confectioners sugar.

4. Add espresso powder.

5. Whip with an electric mixer until the mixture transforms into a cream.  This will take about 3 to 5 minutes.  Be careful not to beat the heavy cream too long else it will turn into butter.

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of what the whipped frosting should look like.

FROSTING RATING: 5 / 5
Almost every single person complimented me on the frosting, it was amazing.  The 1/2 tsp of espresso powder really brought out the flavor in the whipped frosting.  This makes a versatile and light topping for fruits, cakes, or pies.   

OVERALL RATING: 2.5 / 5
For me personally this cake did not cut it, however there were a few who did enjoy the cake and those people all loved chocolate.  Although I love chocolate cakes, I found this cake to be really dense and dry.  Unless I have a great suggestion on how to correct this recipe, I don’t foresee making this cake in the future.
Texture: The texture of this cake was dry and dense.  The whipped frosting definitely added creaminess and flavor, however it wasn’t enough to rescue the cake.
Moistness: This cake lacked moisture despite having added 1 stick of butter and buttermilk, quite surprising.  I’m guessing oil or hot coffee or hot water would make all the difference in this cake.

TELL ME: If you’ve baked this cake and have a way of fixing the dryness issue… by all means, enlighten me!