All-American Chocolate Butter Cake

By norsegal8

This cake has a full chocolate flavor and exceptional soft, fine texture for a chocolate butter cake. Dutch-processed cocoa makes the neutralizing effect of baking soda unnecessary, eliminating the slight bitter edges often associated with baking soda chocolate cakes. Ross Horowitz, after photographing this cake for 'Chocolatier' magazine, came up with this marvelous decription: "When you bite into this cake," he rhapsodized, "it seems light; then it becomes fudgy and chocolaty; then, just when you begin to think you have something, it simply vanishes so you want to take another bite!" My mother was more succinct: "It tastes just like a chocolate bar, but softer." (And that was my goal.)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa (lighlty spooned into cup)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 3 large eggs
• 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, then grease again and flour.

In a medium bowl whisk together the cocoa and boiling water until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

In another bowl, lightly combine the eggs, 1/4 of the cocoa mixture and vanilla.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and the remaining cocoa mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed to medium, and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to aerate and develop the cake's structure. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with a spatula. The pans will be about 1/2 full. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly. The cakes should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removed from the oven.

Let the cakes cool in the pans on racks for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula and invert onto greased wire racks. To prevent splitting, reinvert so that the tops are up and cool completely before wrapping airtight.