Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate Pecan Icing

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From the Fat Hen restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina

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Ingredients

  • Icing:
  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 3 1/4 cups cake flour
  • 1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 3/4 cups sugar
  • 3 cups vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 tsp. distilled white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted, plus more for dusting
  • 1 1/3 cups finely chopped toasted pecans
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat cake pans with spray, line bottoms with parchment paper rounds, and coat again with spray; set aside. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

2. On medium speed, beat eggs in a large bowl until frothy. With mixer on high, gradually add sugar; beat until mixture is pale and had doubled in volume, 7-8 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to medium gradually add oil. Beat until emulsified, 3-4 minutes. Reduce mixer to low. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions. Add vinegar and vanilla and beat just to blend. Divide bater between prepared pans.

3. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Icing:

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Whisk in coco powder. Slowly whisk in milk and salt, then 5 cups powdered sugar. Whisk until smooth. Stir in pecans and vanilla. Chill icing, stirring often for about 30 minutes.

2. Halve each cake making 4 rounds. Layer icing between each round, except for the top round which you cover with powdered sugar.

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