Chocolate Cake with Mexican Chocolate Frosting

By vealam

Ingredients

• For the cake:
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cake flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (sour cream may be substituted)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the Mexican Chocolate Frosting:
• 12 ounces good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
• 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur (I used Kahlua), optional
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• For the Candied Serrano Peppers:
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Serrano peppers, sliced
• Additionally:
• cinnamon sticks, for garnish

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from bakingamoment.com

Preparation

Step 1

To Make the Chocolate Cake:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, mist (2) 6-inch cake pans with nonstick spray, and line with circles of parchment.

Place the first 7 (dry) ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Mix in the butter on low speed, until the mixture resembles damp sand.

Stir in the eggs, greek yogurt and vanilla, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to be sure all the ingredients are well-combined.

Divide the batter equally between the two prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean or with one or two moist crumbs.

Cool the cakes completely, and cut each into two horizontal layers.  Fill and frost with Mexican Chocolate Frosting, and garnish with Candied Serrano Peppers and cinnamon sticks.

To Make the Mexican Chocolate Frosting:
Place the chocolate chips, liqueur, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and cayenne in a large mixing bowl.

Heat the cream (in a small pot on the stove, or in a heat-proof vessel in the microwave) until small bubbles form around the edge and wisps of steam rise from the top.

Pour the cream over the chocolate and spices, and allow it to sit for a few minutes.

Stir the cream together with the other ingredients until smooth.

Allow the mixture to cool and firm up to the consistency of pudding (about 2 hours).  Whip on high speed until paler in color and fluffy.

To Make the Candied Serrano Peppers:
Place the water, sugar, and sliced peppers in a small pot and bring to a boil over high heat.

Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Cool completely.  Drain the candied peppers and reserve the syrup for another use.

Note:
I recommend chilling the cake layers in the fridge or freezer before frosting. These helps them to be less crumbly during the frosting process.