Saturday, March 15, 2008

Midnight Heart-Ache Chocolate Cake


So like all women, I get my heart broken for various reasons. Missing people, missing phone calls, acting foolish, it doesn't really matter. Unlike all women, eating ice cream doesn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong I love to make ice cream, but I prefer to bake away my tears and then give away my treats. There is something very comforting about giving away love to heal your own heart.

So here we go ... just me and lovely Valhrona.

1 cup sugar-bowl sugar
1 cup dark baby brown sugar
1 cup butter (leave this out on the counter for an hour or so to really soften up)
3 eggs (i love fresh eggs bright orange middles, who knows how old the grocery store ones are anyway)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (i like my vanilla like i like my drinks, the Bourbon kind)
0.33 cup pureed peeled tomatoes (just trust me on this one)
1.5 cups of sexy dark rich cocoa powder
2.5 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
0.5 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups buttermilk (the rising action is a what i call a double soda bread combo, we have the yeast like rising power of the buttermilk and the baking soda, as well as mommy's little helper, baking powder.)

Crank up your oven to 350 degrees.

In your little lovely kitchenade mixer, add both sugars and butter until light and creamy. Add in the eggs, vanilla, and tomatoes. With your handy dandy parchment sift together the cocoa, cake flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Now, we are going to call this next move the buttermilk cha cha, while the mixer is on low, alternate between adding half butter milk and half of the cocoa mixture.

In your baking vessel of choice, rub down the insides with butter. Instead of using flour to dust the bottom, use cocoa powder. I used a 9 inch spring form so it took about 30 minutes, but please double check yours. Every oven is different. You know use the toothpick trick, if it comes out clean in the center, its done. Completely cool and decorate as desired.

Happy baking, hope this makes your heart happy.

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